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8 PRO 9 TENNIS A Wizards coach is fined for Roger Federer his actions against the Knicks. channels his past at 11 SKIING Safety concerns spur changes the Australian Open, at a fast course in Austria. at least for one night.

SCORES ANALYSIS COMMENTARY SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2017 B7 0 Y

PHOTOGRAPHS BY TIM GRUBER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Nomads in No Hurry to Change

The Whitecaps Offer an Independent, if Unpaid, Alternative to the Two Women’s Professional Leagues

By SETH BERKMAN sional team, but they do not play in the Cana- MINNEAPOLIS — Kendall Coyne gath- dian Women’s Hockey League or the Na- ered the puck and was in the open ice almost tional Women’s Hockey League, the sport’s instantly, darting toward the University of two prominent leagues. Created in 2004, the Minnesota goalie Sidney Peters. Faced with Whitecaps have remained independent an unforgiving predicament, Peters through much of their history. At times, that sprawled out to no avail. Coyne went to her unconventional arrangement has nearly led backhand and easily scored, a trademark to the team’s dissolution, but as the White- goal from one of the world’s fastest players. caps persevered, their members were able to Last year, such skills earned Coyne the cultivate a nuanced view of the women’s Patty Kazmaier Award as the nation’s top col- hockey world shaping around them. lege women’s hockey player while she was After the game against Minnesota, the La- playing for Northeastern. moureuxs, twin sisters who are two-time On this night in January, she was compet- Olympic silver medalists, spent the night at ing for the Minnesota Whitecaps, a collection the house of Brandt’s parents just outside the of unpaid Midwestern hockey nomads who Twin Cities. The next morning, the three barnstorm against college teams. Coyne oc- Whitecaps car-pooled to another exhibition. casionally shares shifts with players like The two-hour drive to the University of , Stephanie Anderson, Joce- Minnesota-Duluth is a straightforward path lyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique La- up Interstate 35. Many Whitecaps see the moureux-Morando, all recent members of best future for women’s hockey as a similarly The Whitecaps Chelsey Rosenthal, No. 4 top, celebrated a goal during a game the United States national team. clear route: a merger between the C.W.H.L. against the University of Minnesota at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on Jan. 6. The Whitecaps are considered a profes- Continued on Page B11 Above from left: Lindsey Brown, Kalli Funk and Haylea Schmid.

N.F.L. PLAYOFFS Ryan Flies High Going Extra 1,609 Meters, Florida Extends Metric Use While Staying By JERÉ LONGMAN relevance for a sport that is robust in par- It seems highly unlikely that the 121.92- ticipation but struggles for spectator in- Under the Radar meter home run would gain any more terest outside of the Olympics. traction now than it did during ’s The latest organization to enter the de- By BILL PENNINGTON flirtation with metric distances on out- bate is the Florida High School Athletic field fences in the 1970s. And a television Association. As the outdoor track season Bill Henfey Park, three blocks from the beach in the New Jersey audience might be more confused than opens in February, Florida high schools shore town of North Wildwood, is a placid, grassy rectangular ex- delirious if it was announced that will apparently become the first in the panse with a children’s playground tucked in the corner. Stephen Curry had just hit a buzzer-beat- country to measure field events using But on summer days throughout Matt Ryan’s life, the park has er from 10.67 meters instead of 35 feet. the metric system, as they have done for been the site of feisty, heated pickup football games with 20 to 30 of The hoariest of clichés also appear all track events since 1990, introducing it Ryan’s cousins, brothers, uncles and in-laws. safe, too. Football is in no danger of be- for all district, regional and state track The summer games are not for the meek. Ryan, the Atlanta Fal- coming a game of centimeters. and field championships. cons’ All-Pro quarterback, has two brothers who were college quar- But track and field long ago loosened Metric measurements for the throw- terbacks. His 6-foot-7, 310-pound first cousin Mike McGlinchey is a its ties to the feet and inches of the ing and jumping events are being en- left tackle at Notre Dame who could one day be a top N.F.L. draft British imperial system, and among couraged for regular-season meets this pick. His uncle John Loughery played at Boston College. The ex- track events, only the seldom-run mile year. That means a 15-foot pole vault will tended family, all living in the Philadelphia area, includes scores of persists as a revered imperial distance. be recorded as 4.57 meters. A shot-put high-level athletes. Yet within American track and field throw of 55 feet 8 ½ inches will be meas- “There’s a lot of testosterone down at that Shore house,” said there are conflicting views about how ured and announced as 16.98 meters. Loughery, who was a teammate of Doug Flutie’s at Boston College. pervasive the metric system should be- Long jumpers and javelin throwers, “It’s pretty intense.” come. One side calls the imperial system among others, will face a similarly new Henfey Park is not where Ryan earned the nickname Matty Ice, GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES antiquated and says it should be aban- world in which, supporters argue, there a reference to a fearless, swashbuckling style that has led to memo- Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan honed his doned in favor of international unifor- will be more accurate measurements rable late-game rallies and victories. But it may be where he honed skills and style during summer pickup games mity. The other side says familiarity is and, thus, few ties. Continued on Page B8 with his family in North Wildwood, N.J. needed to preserve history and maintain Continued on Page B9