olympian said Gartners departure will be a huge loss,

A seething Michael Cheika has given his reshuffled Wallabies the ammunition to come out firing against France, after taking exception to his side being labelled a B team.Chiekas team announced on Thursday, which featured 11 new faces and a positional change to new skipper David Pocock from last weeks last-gasp win over Scotland, raised plenty of eyebrows around Paris.Conscious of the heavy workload of some players, Cheika opted to rest the likes of captain Stephen Moore and vice-captain Michael Hooper, as well as stars Israel Folau and Bernard Foley.The French press accused Australia of treating the match without the respect it deserved, with the Wallabies choosing to rest weary stars ahead of the crucial grand slam showdowns with Ireland and England.When it came to motivating his side, Cheika was leaving nothing to chance.He seized upon the B team gibes expressed in the French media and immediately took them to his team.I explained to them that the response to our selection was that we were playing with an equipe bis (a back-up team), Cheika said on Friday.When asked what the teams reaction to the slight had been, Cheika said: Well see tomorrow night (reaction).They didnt say anything, I told them what it meant, I left it with them.Pocock, who returns to the captaincy for the first time since August 2012, said it was a special fixture and one which no player selected would take lightly.Obviously a bunch of new players get an opportunity this week and thats really exciting because weve got depth in our squad, Pocock said.Something weve been working hard on is getting everyone up to speed and having a lot of competition at training.To see guys get opportunities as a player is exciting.To play here, its one of the great grounds to play at. Its incredibly loud.A unique atmosphere. Its definitely a special night.Cheika joked during the week that the French might not have seen much of Kyle Godwin, who will become the Wallabies 13th debutant in 2016, or fullback Luke Morahan, who joins from outside the squad to play his third Test.But Pocock played down the advantage that might be gained from having some surprise selections - pointing to Frances heavy 52-8 win over Samoa last week as evidence that the home side are a dangerous outfit.Im not sure if its an advantage. They looked very good against Samoa, Pocock said.I thought in attack and defence they were exceptional. Were expecting a very tough game. Clearance NBA Jerseys . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. NBA Jerseys Store . 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The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick.CALGARY -- Max Gartner lists his career highlights as the back-to-back world downhill titles captured by Canadian skiers John Kucera and Erik Guay. But theres also been drawbacks to being president and CEO of Alpine Canada -- with potentially more on the horizon. And on Wednesday, Gartner announced he was leaving Canadas national skiing organization after more than three decades. "An emotional day, thats for sure," Gartner said in a phone interview from Calgary. The Calgarian had planned to leave when his contract expires after the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but decided to tender his resignation early in order to ensure a new president and CEO is in place for a crucial 2013-14 season. Hell leave as soon as a replacement is found. Gartner, who is married to Olympic downhill gold medallist Kerrin Lee-Gartner, was vague about his decision to leave the organization hes worked for in various coaching and management positions since 1982. He spoke about wanting "to do something I feel passionate about. "Ive been fortunate in those 30 years to be involved with sports and excellence and all the good stuff that youre lucky to be involved in on a daily basis so I want to find something again that really kind of resonates with me," he said shortly after he announced the news to his staff. The 54-year-old said the sport landscape has changed in Canada since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. "The time after the home Olympics is a challenging time for winter sports," Gartner said. "We do live in a bit of a bubble during the home Olympic run-up and then it gets reset to normal, and its difficult. The winter sports are in strong need for funding support and those levels are not at the same place as they were prior to Vancouver. "Its a demanding job to bring in the money and keep it going." Gartner, who was appointed president in the fall of 2010, said the organization needs some longterm thinking to "stay strong" and maintain a high level of success. There have been many successes of which Gartner is proud. The native of Linz, Austria, who first joined Alpine Canada as an assistant coach, said his greatest satisfaction came from working with athletes, and Canadian skiers have achieved some major milestones over the past few years. Kucera won the 2009 world downhill title, while Guay claimed the title two years later. "That has never been done before, Im very proud of that achievement," Gartner said of the back-to-back victories. Guay also won the Crystal Globe in 2011 as the overall World Cup champion, a first by a Canadian since Steve Podborski in 1982. "We had a lot of firsts, historic results," Gartner said.dddddddddddd. "We have an amazing stable of athletes. Its a privilege to be working for these guys, and provide the program and the resources for them to get to the very top of the podium. Thats what its all about." The program has also experienced plenty of heartbreak. Gartner called the death of Canadian ski-cross racer Nik Zoricic in March of last year "something that nobody wants to go through. "It was certainly the hardest part during my tenure," he said. There is also the constant pressure of the "injury ghost" in alpine skiing. "You can have the greatest program and then all of a sudden you get a little bit unlucky and your top performers are all of a sudden out. Thats a tough one," he said. "You spend a long time and lots of energy and resources and then it can all be wiped out quickly. Thats stressful. But its just the nature of the game." Cary Mullen said he never would have been a World Cup champion without Gartner, and named his son after him -- Magnus Michael Max Mullen. "He taught me a ton about ski racing, winning, and equally as much about leadership," Mullen said in an email. "Hes truly a leader and person that cares about his athletes well-being first, and then is wholeheartedly dedicated to their results." The two-time Olympian said Gartners departure will be a huge loss, "but fortunately he has helped to build a strong foundation and team at Alpine Canada and across the country. And being the selfless person that he is, hes stepping aside at the optimal time for someone else to take the programs in to the next era." Gartner, who played soccer professionally, said he plans to remain in sport, although it might not necessarily be skiing. "Coaching is where my heart lies, this is why I got into sport, primarily as a coach, that is where my love is," he said. "So I wouldnt rule it out to be back coaching at some level. "I will not retire, I will stay on and try to contribute in some way to sport. What that looks like I dont know right now, I dont have a plan, I will look through this in the next little while, start thinking about it a little bit more. But Im looking forward to having a little less pressure, once this is handed over and re-energize for my next part of life." His 16-year-old daughter Stephanie is a member of national alpine development team. "Its her time to be here and I think thats going to be exciting for her, and it will be nice for me to watch how she can develop as a ski racer." ' ' '