If youre looking for a personal loan, your options are increasing. Theres the traditional route visit a loan officer at your bank or the more modern option of an online lender that can get you a loan virtually overnight, if you qualify.

Financial technology companies that offer personal loans online are encroaching on banks in the lending business. Fintechs originated almost half (49.4%) of unsecured loans in March 2019, up from 22.4% in March 2015, according to a recent study by credit bureau Experian.

While some large national banks dont offer personal loans, others are responding to the competition with online offerings of their own. PNC Bank, one of the largest banks in the U.S., launched online personal loans this year to capture customers it couldnt serve at brick-and-mortar locations, says senior vice president for personal lending Chris Dervan.

Like many industries, theres been a big trend toward digital, and that trend will continue, he says. But part of what were seeing is that theres still a substantial customer base who likes that personal touch.

The heightened competition means consumers can handpick where they get a personal loan, be it online or at a bank branch. Here are four questions to ask when choosing between a bank loan and an online loan.

One of the obvious differences between bank and online lenders is the face-to-face exchange you can have at a physical bank.

If you value personal interaction and the security of knowing who is handling your loan, a bank might be for you, says Eric Simonson, a Minneapolis-based certified financial planner and owner of Abundo Wealth.

Some people like to just know that theres a person that makes sure the loan goes through smoothly for them, he says.

Also, you may have the opportunity to negotiate a lower rate or qualify with a lower credit score if youre talking to a person you already have a relationship with at a bank, Simonson says.

But the personal touch might come at a premium, says Oklahoma-based CFP Kyle Jackson. He says brick-and-mortar banks tend to pass on to the consumer operational costs that online lenders dont have, which can result in higher rates or fees.

If you need a loan quickly, online might be the way to go.

Online lenders and traditional banks with an online option can sometimes process an application and make a decision more quickly than banks that dont have an internet presence, Jackson says.

Some of those lenders can fund the loan the same day you apply, or the following business day.

Lenders with an online presence can also expedite your research process if they post their rates, says Todd Nelson, senior vice president with LightStream, the online lending arm of SunTrust Bank.

If youve got good credit, you dont really worry whether youre going to get approved, he says. What youre more concerned with is Am I going to waste my time with applying for a loan and getting back an offer I dont want?

For an online loan application, youll need to electronically share information like your Social Security number, education history and bank account information, which might require granting the lender access.

Especially in those cases, beware of scammers. Wisconsin-based CFP Ben Smith with Cove Financial Planning says that if you dont feel confident that you can tell whether an online lender is legitimate, the safest option would be a physical bank.

Managing a loan online, which typically means your only contact with the lender is via a customer service representative, can prove challenging for folks who arent financially or technologically savvy, Jackson says. If this is you, the online-only experience may not be a good fit.

The chief considerations when shopping for a loan should be its rate, fees and terms, Nelson says, rather than whether its from an online lender or a bank branch.

Some online lenders let you pre-qualify and see your potential rate, which is helpful information to have as you shop around.

Simonson notes that if you have less-than-desirable credit or are seeking a loan for a nontraditional reason, a community bank or credit union might be more willing to take on the risk of lending to you than a big bank or online lender would be.

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Annie Millerbernd is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: amillerbernd@nerdwallet.com.

The article Online or In Person: Whats the Better Way to Get a Loan? originally appeared on NerdWallet.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Online or In Person: Whats the Better Way to Get a Loan? - Nasdaq

WYOMING/PAVILION Genesee Valley Educational Partnership (GVEP) teacher Elizabeth Slocum earned the Ferdinand DiBartolo New York State Distinguished Foreign Language Leadership Award this year.

Slocum is a teacher of French and Spanish at the middle, high school and undergraduate levels. Slocum holds permanent state certification in French and Spanish, as well as certification as a school district administrator and supervisor. She is a GVEP seventh- and eighth-grade Spanish teacher and serves both the Wyoming and Pavilion Central School districts.

Serving on the executive board of New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers has been an incredible experience. It has been an honor to represent New York state teachers and students of world languages at the local, state and national levels, Slocum said. I teach because I believe that languages are at the heart of the human experience. Languages will open doors and make connections for our students at home and abroad.

As a 25-plus year member of New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers (NYSAFLT), Slocum has been an active member of the association through her participation on various committees as well as serving on the NYSAFLT Board of Directors. She holds the distinction of chairing two annual conferences, including the 100th Annual Conference and Gala. She was selected to represent NYSAFLT at American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) inaugural Leadership Initiative for Language Learning (LILL) and remains an active member of LILL Cohort 1. She will participate in a LILL panel at ACTFL 2019 in Washington, DC on the topic of Growing Our Leadership.

In 2017, Slocum was honored by Genesee Community College with the Chancellors Award for Excellence as an Adjunct Instructor of World Languages. She works with the Genesee Region Teachers Center as a member of the Policy Board and coordinator of the regional World Language Teachers Network.

The Ferdinand DiBartolo NYS Distinguished Foreign Language Leadership Award is presented annually to the president of NYSAFLT in recognition of his/her dedication and service to our organization and to the profession.

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Genesee Valley Educational Partnership teacher Receives Distinguished NYS Award - The Daily News Online

When it was first published last week, a controversial New York Times column about the secrets of Jewish genius linked to a 2005 study from a researcher labeled an extremist, revered by white supremacists and discredited by scientists and who, for years, worked as a distinguished professor at the University of Utah.

Citing the late U. anthropologist Henry Harpending, expectedly, touched off criticism. Hours after it appeared online, The Times commentary was updated with an editors note saying it had been a mistake to mention the study, which has been widely questioned and long seen as an argument of racial superiority.

The note suggests that conservative columnist Bret Stephens did not know that Harpending promoted racist ideas. It also says Stephens was not endorsing the study or its authors views but acknowledges that his reference to the research, nevertheless, left an impression with many readers that Mr. Stephens was arguing that Jews are genetically superior. That was not his intent.

The paragraph Stephens wrote about Harpendings research has since been deleted online. And on Friday, the University of Utah deleted a complimentary memorial post from its Department of Anthropology that had said Harpendings scholarly and personal footprint will be long lasting in the field.

The U. also noted in response to the column that none of the three authors of the paper Harpending, Gregory Cochran or then-student Jason Hardy work at the school any longer. Harpending was there from 1997 until he died of a stroke in 2016.

Statements attributed to Henry Harpending that promote ideas in line with white nationalist ideology stand in direct opposition to the University of Utahs values of equity, diversity and inclusion ... " said Annalisa Purser, the universitys spokeswoman.

As such, we will meet these words with ours: Racist views and rhetoric that position one race as superior to another are inaccurate and harmful," she said. "The University of Utah is bolstered by its diversity, which allows individuals from different backgrounds and perspectives to come together to address challenges in new and creative ways.

Neither Cochran nor Hardy could not be reached by The Salt Lake Tribune for comment. Its unclear why none of the researchers faced censure while at the university for publishing the piece, though Purser added, Speech even when it is racist is protected by the U.S. Constitution and is necessary for the free exchange of ideas.

This has been a very painful time already for Jews in the United States, said Amy Spiro, a Jewish journalist whose work has been published in Variety, Jewish Insider and The Jerusalem Post. And then this column came out, she told The Tribune in a phone interview. Its just generated a lot of controversy. It doesnt seem like this is helpful in any way.

In their disputed study, the U. researchers focused on Ashkenazi Jews, or those who settled in central and Eastern Europe (as opposed to Spain or the Middle East). Among supremacists, the group is often seen as pure because many are white.

Harpending, Cochran and Hardy argue that Ashkenazi Jews have higher IQs, on average, than the general public (including other non-Ashkenazi Jews). Their theory is that in medieval times, individuals in the faith group in Europe were pushed into finance jobs because of the Christian prohibition of usury, or lending money for interest. Over time, many became rich and had more surviving children than poorer families who worked on farms. They also married within the community and stayed fairly isolated.

The University of Utah has long been known as an expert in genetic research, but this paper Natural History of Ashkenazi Intelligence is typically seen as a low point in that expertise. The authors created their own algorithm for determining genetic makeup and cited several scientists also viewed as racist.

The researchers have been criticized on and off since the study came out in 2005 and was published in The Journal of Biosocial Science the next year; that publication was previously called The Eugenics Review up until the 1970s. Eugenics is the controversial pseudo-science popular among Nazis for improving the human race by forced sterilization of poor people.

The Times piece on the study was largely uncritical beyond that; it was written by reporter Nicholas Wade, who later wrote his own book on genetics that shares some ideas with Harpending and Cochran. (Cochran had previously written about incorrect claims that being gay was caused by an infectious disease.)

The head of New York Universitys human-genetics program said: Its bad science not because its provocative, but because its bad genetics and bad epidemiology.

In a 2007 press release about later research by Harpending, the school acknowledged his 2005 paper had created a stir and that critics had questioned the quality of the science.

Harpending continued to speak, though, including at white supremacist conferences, about his also inaccurate ideas that black people are genetically prone to be lazy. His profile on the Southern Poverty Law Centers page lists him as a white nationalist and an extremist who believed in eugenics.

In other words, as an anthropologist looking around the world, he said in 2009 at the Preserving Western Civilization conference, what I see is that men work and produce things when theyre forced into it, and when theyre not, they quit. And Im thinking about, you know tribes in central Africa, but you know its true in Baltimore too, right?

His obituary noted he came to Utah from Pennsylvania State University after earning his doctorate at Harvard.

Stephens, who is Jewish, ultimately argues in his column that theres a cultural not genetic explanation for Jewish genius, stemming from Judaisms religious tradition of encouraging believers to not only observe and obey but also discuss and disagree. He also believes group members became more innovative and creative by typically being in the minority wherever theyve lived.

His original mention of the study read: The common answer is that Jews are, or tend to be, smart. When it comes to Ashkenazi Jews, its true. Ashkenazi Jews have the highest average I.Q. of any ethnic group for which there are reliable data, noted one 2005 paper. During the 20th century, they made up about 3 percent of the U.S. population but won 27 percent of the U.S. Nobel science prizes and 25 percent of the ACM Turing awards. They account for more than half of world chess champions.

That data on awards is not technically wrong, though it broadly counts anyone as Jewish who has a grandparent with ancestry in the faith.

Stephens mentioned Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka and Karl Marx as prime examples of Jewish intelligence, before asking: How is it that a people who never amounted to even one-third of 1 percent of the worlds population contributed so seminally to so many of its most pathbreaking ideas and innovations?

His use of the paper is just stunning, Kennedy told The Tribune, saying the study was obviously a main tenet of Stephens argument, and not a minor point, like the editors note suggests. I think it should have been killed before it ever got published.

In the later edits, all references to Ashkenazi Jews (which also appeared in two other places in the column) were removed. Many have questioned why Stephens referred to Ashkenazi Jews at all if he didnt agree with the paper and was generally talking about Jewish culture, and not superiority.

What was even the point of the column? Spiro asked. Its confusing.

Stephens joined The Times in 2017, after winning a Pulitzer Prize for his work at The Wall Street Journal in 2013 and serving as editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post. He has previously come under fire for bullying a professor who called him a bedbug.

Some have called for his resignation, particularly liberal readers who disagree with his more conservative pieces, but Kennedy believes the Jewish genius piece is a new low. The associate professor, who teaches ethics in journalism at Northeastern, said the commentary needed more than an editors note about the concerns raised.

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A New York Times column on 'Jewish genius' draws criticism for linking to a debunked University of Utah study - Salt Lake Tribune

Contact: Camille Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.Nine Mississippi State College of Education graduates are being recognized as outstanding teacher interns for the fall 2019 semester.

Nominated by their classroom mentor teachers, the award honorees are selected based on their resourcefulness, initiative and effectiveness. They also have demonstrated outstanding teaching performance, professionalism and a high level of commitment to the teaching profession, while completing their teaching interns at various public school systems throughout Mississippi and beyond.

All fall graduates, the honorees include (by hometown):

CANTON, GeorgiaRachel Morley, an elementary education/middle school major, completed her teaching internship in the Louisville Municipal School District at Louisville Elementary.

CARTHAGEBrooke OMalley Stuart, a secondary education/English major, completed her teaching internship in the Scott County School District at Sebastopol Attendance Center and Scott Central Attendance Center.

CONEHATTATaylor Fulkerson, an elementary education/middle school major, completed her teaching internship in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District at Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary.

CORINTHHeather Marie Pannell, an elementary education/middle school major, completed her teaching internship in the Corinth School District at Corinth Elementary.

DALLAS, TexasZara Mishler, an elementary education/middle school major, completed her teaching internship in the Frisco Independent School District at Clark Middle School in Frisco, Texas.

FAIRHOPE, AlabamaZoey Gibson, a special education major, completed her teaching internship in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District at Armstrong Middle School and Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary.

HOULKAJ.T. Washington, a kinesiology/physical education and coaching major, completed his teaching internship in the Houston School District at Houston Upper Elementary and Houston Middle School.

HOUSTONSydney Ramirez, a music education/vocal major, completed her teaching internship in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District at Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary and Starkville High School.

KILNJadyn Saucier, a special education major, completed her teaching internship in the West Point Consolidated School District at South Side Elementary and West Point High School.

Established in 1903, MSUs College of Education is home to six academic departments, one research unit and numerous service units. For more about the college, visit http://www.educ.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippis leading university, available online at http://www.msstate.edu.

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MSU College of Education recognizes outstanding teacher interns - Mississippi State Newsroom

Todays regional news: Reflections on Putins career; an anguishing prisoner swap; more legal trouble for Hungarys MOL; Sputnik out of Estonia; and Polish education policy. 2 January 2020

It Was 20 Years Ago Today ...

The anniversary of Vladimir Putins stunning accession to the Russian presidency is prompting plenty of retrospectives. On New Years Eve 1999, Russias increasingly erratic President Boris Yeltsin told the nation he was resigning so that political rookie Putin, only recently named prime minister, could take power. Ahead of the March 2000 elections which returned him for a full term, Putin delivered a powerful message: Russians have had no sense of stability for the past 10 years. We hope to return this feeling, he said, Moscow-based journalist and author Marc Bennetts writes for Politico. During his first two terms especially, he seemed capable of delivering. The economy provided the stage for some of his greatest successes. Inflation began a decade-long fall and trade ballooned as the energy sector flourished, according to an RFE/RL data report. Putins approval ratings hovered between 70 and 80 percent throughout his first two terms, before sinking as the 2008 financial crisis set in but never falling below the mid-60s then shot to record highs after Russias intervention in Ukraine. On the down side, the Russian population continued to shrink and life expectancy for both men and women fell during his first term, although it has since recovered. Mens expected lifespan has increased by seven years since Putin took office, RFE says. According to Al Jazeera, critics respond that Putin and his allies failed to address Russia's most fundamental problems its dependence on energy exports, plummeting birth rates and industrial production, brain drain, an HIV/AIDS epidemic, and corruption.

Controversy Hits Ukraine Prisoner Swap

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy defended his difficult decision to include members of the now-disbanded Berkut police unit in a New Years prisoner swap with separatists. "If we hadnt exchanged Berkut fighters, we would not have returned our people living people," Zelenskiy told reporters after greeting released prisoners in Kyiv on 29 December, RFE writes. In the swap, agreed at last months meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany, separatists handed over 76 prisoners, and the government freed 124 prisoners, among them five Berkut officers charged with shooting unarmed demonstrators during the 2014 Euromaidan uprising against former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. The swap included two RFE contributors held by separatists since 2017. As the Kyiv Post reports, joy over the return of prisoners, some held for almost five years in the separatist Donbas region, was tempered by anger at Zelenskiys decision to free the Berkut officers. The country has to return its heroes but not at the price of diminishing the values for which these heroes fought, said Oleg Sentsov, the filmmaker who was freed from a Russian jail as part of a prisoner exchange in September.

Bribery Convictions for Hungarian Businessman, Former Croatian PM

The strained relations between Hungarys MOL energy group and the Croatian state hit a new low yesterday, as a Croatian court convicted MOL chief executive and chairman Zsolt Hernadi of bribery. Former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader - previously sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison for accepting a bribe from MOL as the company acquired almost 50 percent of Croatian oil company INA - had his sentence cut to six years for health reasons, Court president Ivan Turudic said, Reuters reports. The verdicts are not final and can be appealed. MOL released a statement denouncing the courts baseless accusations, Hungary Today reports, and noted a Budapest courts refusal to execute a European arrest warrant for Hernadi on concerns that his right to a fair trial in Croatia might be infringed. Sanader, who served from 2003 to 2009, has been tried or convicted of a raft of crimes, from war profiteering to siphoning off state funds.

Sputnik Shutters Estonian Bureau as Sanctions Bite

Russias Sputnik news agency announced yesterday it was closing its Estonian bureau after pressure from the authorities. The state-controlled agency said its 35 staff in Tallinn had resigned, The Moscow Times reports. Estonian authorities last fall froze the bureaus assets and said the bureau would have to leave its rented offices by the end of February, and in December warned that its staff could be prosecuted on the basis of EU sanctions against Russia. Russian state-controlled media have come under pressure in the Baltics in recent years. In May, Lithuania expelled the chief editor of Sputniks local bureau to Latvia, where he holds citizenship, and banned him from re-entering Lithuania for five years. Dmitry Kiselyov, the head of Sputniks parent media group Rossiya Segodnya, is on the EUs list of individuals subject to sanctions for violating Ukraines territorial integrity, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reports. Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told ERR that Estonias actions against Sputnik were financial sanctions only. The authorities have not taken measures against the portals media content, he said.

PiS Education Policy Comes Under Renewed Criticism

Polands ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) began reconstructing the primary and secondary education system three years ago, in part to reverse changes it said were undermining traditional educational values. Now, a parent group plans to file a collective lawsuit against the state for damaging the prospects of its children, Balkan Insight writes. The nationalist governments most dramatic change was the elimination of gymnasia, academically-oriented three-year schools introduced in 1999 as a step between primary and high school. PiS cited cases of aggression and misbehavior among gymnasia students as proof that the institutions were dysfunctional, Balkan Insight says. In their place, the government brought back eight-year primary schools. The introduction of gymnasia had also been controversial, but by the 2010s, excellent results on the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) student skills tests convinced many the new system was working, Wojciech Kosc wrote for TOL. The parents opposed to PiSs educational policies also say high schools are now overcrowded as they try to accommodate both the last crop of gymnasia students and those coming directly from primary school.

Compiled by Ky Krauthamer

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Around the Bloc - 2 January - Transitions Online

Caldwell University in Essex County has agreed to pay the United States more than $4.8 million to resolve its role in a scheme to defraud a federal education benefit program for veterans, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced Friday.

"Caldwell University tried to hoodwink the Department of Veterans Affairs and, worse, veterans themselves, by claiming to offer online classes developed and provided by Caldwell that were in fact marked-up offerings by an online correspondence school, Carpenito said in a statement. "Our veterans should never be treated this way, and we will continue to work to ensure that they receive all of the benefits that they deserve as a result of their service to the country.

Under a deal marketed by Ed4Mil, a Pennsylvania-based company, veterans could use their Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition benefits to enroll in online courses offered by Caldwell, authorities said. The bill was designed specifically to help veterans who served in the armed forces following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The online classes were not offered by Caldwell University or taught by the universitys staff, according to court documents. Instead, they were low-cost correspondence courses that were not eligible for the GI Bill.

But Caldwell University submitted false claims for payment for the courses to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from Jan. 1, 2011 through Aug. 8, 2013, Carpenito said. The agency administers the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Three people previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to the scheme, federal prosecutors said.

Lisa DiBisceglie, the former associate dean of the office of external partnerships at Caldwell, and Helen Sechrist, a former employee of Ed4Mil, pleaded guilty in 2017 in federal court in Newark to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The womens guilty pleas followed the indictment of David Alvey, 40, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the founder and president of Ed4Mil, one year earlier.

Alvey was sentenced on June 4, 2018, to five years in prison and DiBisceglie and Sechrist were each sentenced on June 5, 2018, to three years of probation, according to the statement. The trio were also ordered to pay $24 million in restitution.

Ed4Mil falsely claimed on government applications that the classes offered to the veterans were approved Caldwell classes and not correspondence courses taught by an online company, according to court documents.

The government was charged between $4,500 and $26,000 per course, instead of the $600 to $1,000 per course the correspondence company charged for the same classes, federal prosecutors said.

The $24 million in tuition benefits collected through the GI Bill was allegedly paid to Caldwell University, which then turned over between 85 percent and 90 percent of the money to Ed4Mil, according to court documents.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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N.J. university will pay millions for role in defrauding government program for veterans - NJ.com

Despite the controversies in Maszlee Maliks tenure, a large number of Malaysians have banded together to urge Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to reinstate him as education minister.

Maszlee publicly resigned from his post on Thursday (Jan 2), after consultation with the PM.

Just hours after the announcement, an online petition on change.org titled Keep YB Maszlee Malik as Minister of Education Malaysia was started by a netizen identified only as Tuah Kencana.

In less than 24 hours, it had already garnered 297,977 signatures.

According to a translation by the Malay Mail, Tuah wrote in the petition that Maszlees contributions and efforts were shadowed by unfavourable reportssensationalised by parties with a vested interest.

The decision to resign is a huge loss to the nation, the petitioner wrote. Representing community groups, we request that YB Prime Minister, as the foremost statesman, to reinstate Maszlee Malik to shoulder responsibilities as Malaysias education minister.

The petition reportedly had an initial target of 75,000 signatures, but this was later increased to 500,000, after it crossed the 100,000 mark at 9pm on Thursday, and then the 200,000 mark an hour later.

Possible replacements for Maszlee

In a separate report, Malay Mail also cited sources as saying that former Umno minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed andBersatu secretary-general Datuk Marzuki Yahaya were both likely replacements for Maszlee.

Mustapa was also said to be Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysias favourite candidate, Malay Mail reported.

Maszlee, who was appointed education minister in 2018,wasreported by The Staras saying in a media conference that he was subject to public criticism over issues that were played up, despite the successes his ministry had.

I have been seen to be the cause of many crises, including the Jawi calligraphy issue, Internet at schools and the free breakfast programme.

However, I believe I have placed a foundation and a clear framework for the ministry to follow, The Star reported him as saying.

Meanwhile, The Star quoted Prime Minister Dr Mahathir as saying that he was thankful for Maszlees service, and will announce his successor soon.

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Less than a day after resigning, almost 300,000 people have petitioned for Maszlee to return as Education Minister - Business Insider

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The Colombian sprinter wants to put the bumpy 2019 season behind him as he targets a return to the Tour de France in his second season with UAE-Team Emirates

The 2019 season wasnt bad for Fernando Gaviria, but it wasnt that great, either. And the Colombian sprinter is the first to admit it.

The Colombian star ended 2019 well below the level he had grown accustomed to after emerging as a top sprinter with Deceuninck-Quick-Step. Although for the vast majority of his colleagues in the peloton, six wins would be a dream come true, Gaviria feels his haul for 2019 reflects a sub-par year.

I am not happy with my season, he told VeloNews. It was a very difficult year from start to finish.

What happened? Things started off well enough in his high-profile move to UAE-Team Emirates, but things soon came off the rails during the Giro dItalia. He scooped one victory courtesy of the relegation of first-across-the-line Elia Viviani on stage 3, and abandoned with knee pains a few days later.

We were heading to the Tour in a good way, but the injury I suffered in the Giro complicated everything. I spent a lot of time off the bike, he explained. I was unable to ride a bicycle because of the pain. I couldnt enjoy cycling because of being away from racing. The recovery was very slow and when we came back, we wanted to hasten everything and that was another mistake that we should not have made.

He returned to race the Vuelta a Espaa without a win, but won twice at the Gree-Tour of Guangxi to put a nice shine on an otherwise lackluster season.

Was it the Quick-Step curse? Gaviria just laughed. One could say that all the big names that have left Quick Step for other teams often suffer a kind of curse and end up not winning as much, something Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere likes to remind everyone. Just like what happened to Gaviria, many other top names have not been able to reach their own numbers outside the Belgian team.

The Colombian sprinter does not dare to rule out the curse, but admitted that Quick-Step knows what its doing.

Phew! I do not know what to tell you. It is somewhat complicated, he said.

Quick-Step is a winning team. They win a lot of races and that makes them win even more. That is why all their cyclists want to win even more. Each team has its methodology. In UAE we have been improving a lot in that. We no longer run just to do things right, but we are looking for victories. In that sense, we have been improving and I think that next year will be much better.

Now, with only a few weeks left to start what will be his second year at UAE-Emirates, Gaviria considers that his starting point for 2020 is much better than last year. Twelve months ago, I had shoulder discomfort from the crash in Turkey, where I broke my collarbone. Therefore, right now I am well above how I was last year.

Gaviria also knows its not so easy to be a pure sprinter in the modern peloton.

The grand tours arent as sprinter-friendly as they used to be and sprinters know these days they have to suffer to get their chances to win. Next years Tour de France is packed with climbs and will offer the pelotons fast men just a few chances at glory.

Thats fine with Gaviria, who wore the yellow jersey in 2018 and is champing at the bit to get back to grand tour racing following a frustrating 2019 campaign. His big dream: to win on the Champs-lyses. He knows that a victory in the grande boucle would be more than enough to justify a whole season.

On the Tour, even if you only have one option, that of Paris, it is one of the most important stages of the year, Gaviria said. It is worth suffering the entire Tour to try to win the last stage.

Even if it only comes down to that one sprint, Gavirias season will be largely focused on the Tour de France. With teammates Alexander Kristoff and Jasper Philipsen heading to the Giro dItalia and Vuelta a Espaa, the Tour is all for Gaviria. And with a climb-heavy Olympic road race on tap in Tokyo, he confirmed to VeloNews he wont be racing for a gold medal, either.

I have spoken with my Italian teammates [on UAE-Team Emirates] who went to see the parcours and they have told me that it is very hard, so the Olympic Games are completely ruled out for me, he said.

Other objectives loom as well, including Milano-Sanremo. More than anything, Gaviria wants to get his groove back. Injuries and setbacks saw him struggling last year. For 2020, Gaviria wants to get back to being the same Gaviria who won more than 30 races in the Quick-Step jersey.

Hell debut at the Tour de San Juan, skip the mountainous edition of the Tour of Colombia, hit the UAE Tour in February before carrying what he hopes is momentum into Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-Sanremo.

When asked if he prefers quality or quantity in terms of triumphs in 2020, Gaviria says that it is a difficult issue, but I would love to have that monument [with Milano-Sanremo]. That said, I would also say that winning a single race in a year, even if it is a monument, is not enough.

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Gaviria motivated to get back into the fast lane - VeloNews

Cole Tucker was selected with the 24th overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Mountain Pointe High in Phoenix. Now six years later, another Tucker has a legitimate shot of being a first-round selection.

Coles brother Carson is a senior shortstop at Mountain Pointe and is one of the top prep players in the 2020 MLB draft class. Carson will have a chance to embark on a professional career in June and already is considered a top-100 prospect entering the spring, according to MLB.com.

Despite having to follow his brother, who made it to the major leagues with the Pirates last season, Carson isnt putting pressure on himself to live up to his brothers success. Instead, hes motivated to improve his skills in hopes of having a strong senior season of high school baseball.

I used it to my advantage, Carson Tucker said. It motivates me more. Of course I want to be better than him. I want to do everything better than him. It started when we were younger with little, stupid games around the house. I just want to be better and compete at his level. Hes made it to pro ball and to the majors, and I want to be that guy and the best I can be.

Carson is skilled and possesses a high ceiling, making him a desirable and intriguing draft prospect. Hes leaned on his older brother for advice throughout the early stages of the draft process and on what to expect in the pro ranks, if hed bypass his commitment to the University of Texas at Austin and sign with a major league team this summer, he said.

There is a whole lot of different things you have to look at depending on where you are picked or how much money youre offered or whether the college route is better, Tucker said. Any way that he can help me helps because hes been through it. Any way that he can help me to put me in the better position to be on TV or in The Show and doing my thing is my main goal, whether thats college or straight out of high school.

Tucker, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound shortstop, hits from the right side of the plate with an upright stance. He has a short, compact swing and consistently barrels up pitches.

Defensively, he has all the tools to stick at shortstop long term. He has the agility, arm strength and a quick release to make all the necessary throws required at shortstop.

I think my consistency in the game offensively and defensively is my biggest strength, Tucker said. Defensively, I feel like I make the routine plays, and I can make some crazy plays with my athleticism. I feel like I have the skills to be an everyday big league shortstop in the future.

After his junior season, Tucker had a busy summer competing on the showcase circuit. He played in the Perfect Game National Showcase, MLB High School All-Star Game in Cleveland and the Area Code Games. Besides those three events, he also attended the inaugural PDP League, whichis a three-week, invite-only developmental event put on by MLB and USA Baseball at IMG Academy in Florida.

The PDP League features 80 of the top prep players in the country. The event allows the players to compete in a high-level environment that resembles the pro ranks while receiving instruction from former professional players.

Once he was done with the showcase circuit, Tucker turned his attention to the offseason and improving his strength and speed. He currently is more of a gap-to-gap hitter but believes with time, he can add muscle to his frame and improve his power-hitting ability, he said.

Tuckers top priority is to remain consistent in all facets of the game, and he hopes with his work this offseason that he can have a strong showing this spring.

I dont try to be the cool power guy and yank everything because I dont feel that helps you in the long run, Tucker said. I do pull balls and have the juice when I need it, but I think staying simple and consistent is important.

In about six months, Tucker will have to decide between turning pro or attending Texas, which boasts the top-ranked recruiting class in 2020.

Tucker verbally committed to Texas over Arizona State on Sept. 30, 2018 and signed his national letter of intent Nov. 13. Although playing in his home state was attractive, Texas stood out to Tucker, he said.

Its a winning program, Tucker said. They have a great history. I fell in love with Austin and the place is sweet. The coaches are amazing. I just thought it was a perfect fit for me to get better and win a national championship over there.

Dan Zielinski IIIhas covered the MLB draft for five years. Hes interviewed191 ofthe top draft prospectsin that period, including three No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including BaseballAmerica, USA Today and The Arizona Republic, have quoted his work, while hes appeared onradiostationsas a MLB draft expert. Follow him on Twitter@DanZielinski3.

Read more:
Carson Tucker motivated by brother's success - Baseball Prospect Journal