Rising gymnastics star Laurie Hernandez is turning professional ahead of the Summer Olympics.The 16-year-old from Old Bridge, New Jersey, announced Wednesday she is giving up her amateur status just days before Team USA competes for a second straight Olympic gold. Hernandez had verbally committed to competing collegiately at Florida before signing with Shade Global Inc.Hernandez says it was not an easy decision to make but it allows her to focus entirely on gymnastics and enjoying the sport she loves.The U.S. junior champion in 2015, Hernandez put together a strong showing during the U.S. championships and the Olympic trials. She finished second to three-time world champion and Olympic teammate Simone Biles at trials while also posting the top score on balance beam.Tytus Howard Youth Jersey . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. DeAndre Hopkins Youth Jersey . 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Cullen Gillaspia Womens Jersey .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open.SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Ryan Kalil isnt waiting until he retires from the NFL to get a jumpstart on his next career.The Panthers five-time Pro Bowl center has teamed with Blake Griffin of the NBAs Clippers to form the Los Angeles-based production company Mortal Media, and will be co-producing a sequel to the 1991 Disney film The Rocketeer soon.If thats not enough, Kalil also co-authored a book with two former teammates this offseason entitled The Rookie Handbook: How to Survive the First Season in the NFL that will hit the shelves next month.I try to be somewhat cultured, joked Kalil, widely known in the Carolina locker room for his wit and sense of humor.We play football for a living, but we try not to let it define who we are, Kalil added. Everybody has their passion they pursue in the offseason, which I think is fine as long, as Cam (Newton) says, you dont forget your day job.Hes become pretty good at his day job.Entering his 10th NFL season, the 31-year-old Kalil is one of the games best centers, earning All-Pro honors in 2013 and 2015. He was rewarded with a two-year, $16.7 million contract extension this offseason through the 2018 season. Kalil said the contract could be his last.Im not a 15-year NFL guy, he said.Perhaps thats because Kalil has plenty of options waiting for him beyond the gridiron.He grew up in Anaheim, California, and made Claymation films as a child. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California, where he established contacts within the movie industry.Before being drafted in 2007, Kalil co-starred in a football training spoof for the NFL Network that featured actor Will Farrell as the Trojans strength and conditioning coach.And when rapper Snoop Dogg greeted Kalil with a hug at the Super Bowl in February, few teammates were surprised.Hes a Cali guy, Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert said. He knows everyone.Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said he went to visit Kalil and his family this offseason in California and said he was impressed with his teammates company.This isnt something hes doing in his basement, Olsen said. Its a major operation and they are dealing with tthe major players in the Hollywood world.dddddddddddd Its a passion of his and he gets that whole (entertainment) world.Kalil said film is something hes been passionate about for a long time.Hes done something production-related for the past several offseasons before deciding to open a company with Griffin, a friend who shares similar interests.We started going around town and finding projects we were excited about, Kalil said. The Rocketeer was one that weve been huge fans of, and we knew Disney was trying to figure out what to do with it. So we found some talented writers, and they figured out a really exciting take to the story. We took it to Disney and they liked it.Production is still in the early stages and no release date has been set.When he wasnt coming up with movie ideas, Kalil sat down this offseason with former Panthers offensive line teammates Jordan Gross and Geoff Hangartner to write a book.Together, theyve seen a variety of rookies come and go over the years and decided to put together an admittedly sarcastic handbook on things to do -- and not to do -- when entering the league.Kalil joked that while the book may not appeal to a big audience -- Not all the guys like to read on my team or in my profession in general, Kalil joked -- he said it was a fun project.Given our sense of humor, theres a sarcastic tone, but theres useful information in there, Kalil said.He said the book started out as a joke, a 10-page rookie handbook specifically for an offensive line meeting room. They later decided to make it a book.It was fun to sit down and reminisce with the guys, Kalil said.Panthers coach Ron Rivera called Kalil a special player whos going to be successful in anything he does in life.Hes got a tremendous imagination and hes very artistic, Rivera said. Guys like that are special, and its great to have a guy like that because hes a great example for the rest of the players.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '
