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Canadian skip Cheryl Bernard feels she could still compete at an elite level for the next year or two. Shes just unsure whether she could still do it for a four-year Olympic cycle. That was one of the reasons why she announced her retirement from competitive curling on Tuesday, ending a career highlighted by four appearances at the national championships and an Olympic silver medal at the Vancouver Games in 2010. "When youve been there, thats really all you want is to get back," she said from her hometown of Calgary. "Its a funny thing, so I realize that." Bernard, 47, said she started to seriously consider retirement after losing the Alberta provincial final to Val Sweeting last January. "I really had to sit down and think," she said. "We came so close and that was a heartbreaker. Funny, Ive lost a few of them. And that one was without a doubt the worst because it would have just been a really neat way to maybe end the year and at least have a couple more years to look forward to." Bernard skipped Team Alberta at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 1992, 1996, 2007 and 2009. The best result for the Grande Prairie native was a runner-up finish in 1996 at Thunder Bay, Ont. One of her most memorable victories came over a decade later as she defeated Shannon Kleibrink in the final of the Olympic Trials in 2009 at Edmonton. At the Games, Bernard and her team of third Susan OConnor, second Carolyn Darbyshire (now McRorie), lead Cori Bartel (now Morris) and alternate Kristie Moore took top spot in the round robin at 8-1. They defeated Switzerland in the semifinal before dropping a 7-6 decision to defending champion Anette Norberg of Sweden in the final. Bernard had the final throw in the extra end but couldnt knock the two Swedish rocks out of the house and settled for second place. "I tried to really look at the positive that came out of that," Bernard said. "I really wanted to go through my life looking at it like our team won a silver and we didnt lose a gold." Both competitions provided lasting memories. "(The Trials) are kind of the pinnacle for Canada because its all the Canadian teams and its all your peers," she said. "Theyre both so up there in my memory and in my mind. Being able to stand on the (Olympic) podium in your own country. Ill never forget that, that was pretty neat." Now that shes retired, Bernard plans to spend more time with her family and continue her charity work and public speaking endeavours. She usually brings her silver medal along during her talks and the gold-medal game is a frequent discussion subject. "I relive it a lot," she said. "I talk about that and I have realized that sometimes youre lucky enough to win and sometimes youre lucky enough not to win. Because I think the things you get from a loss can sometimes be more educational, they can be more life-changing than the things when you win. "I think you look at a lot of different things after a loss and I think you can actually do a lot of good with that knowledge and see some really great life lessons. I really try to look at that as some great lessons I learned. I learned some amazing things about my teammates and about my family. You learn a lot when something doesnt maybe go exactly like you hoped." Bernard is excited to tackle some new challenges. She recently completed her first marathon and plans to work with World Vision and climb Mount Kilimanjaro to help children in Third World countries. "The marathon was something I really wanted to do and I trained the last five months for it," she said. "I absolutely loved focusing on a different sport. It felt so amazing to win a (participation) medal at a marathon. It was a nothing medal -- it was a completion medal, and it just felt so good. "I just thought, You know, Im missing trying to push myself at other things. So thats the next step." After a run of over two decades in the sport, Bernard is also quite proud of the friends she made along the way. "I always look back so much at the players," she said. "I look at the accomplishments of course and the highlights of winning the Trials and winning a silver medal and playing in an Olympics in Canada. I dont know if you can ever beat playing in an Olympics in your home country. "But I really look back at the people and the relationships that youve developed and the people youve influenced. I think those things maybe more make my career than the hardware." Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys Outlet . Right-hander Todd Redmond took the loss. Jose Bautista hit his second home run of the spring. Here are a handful of tidbits from around camp: Hutchison impressive The Blue Jays are being cautious when talking about their young arms but internally, excitement is building over the way Drew Hutchison is looking and performing this spring. Wholesale Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys . PAUL, Minn. http://www.jaguarscheap.com/.I shared with him how much I appreciated all he had done for us, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said of that Thursday night farewell. Stitched Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys . CSKA received the heavier punishment of playing its next European home game behind closed doors, after its supporters displayed racist and far-right symbols in the Czech Republic during a 2-1 loss to Viktoria Plzen on Dec. Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys China .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player.The Vancouver Canucks may have found a nice option to skate alongside the Sedins on their top line. Numbers Game breaks down the Canucks signing of Radim Vrbata. The Canucks Get: RW Radim Vrbata. Vrbata is a 33-year-old winger who has been quietly effective while toiling in the Arizona desert. Hes scored 110 goals and 232 points over the past five seasons, the 110 goals ranks 36th in the league. Hes a positive puck possession player and should be looking at a plum opportunity in Vancouver. If there is one enviable spot for a scoring forward to play in the Canucks lineup, it would be on right wing with the Sedin twins and thats where Vrbata is projected to start. Last seasons 51 points was Vrbatas third-best total of his career, and that came with a 7.6% shooting percentage, his lowest in a full season since 2006-2007. He also had an on-ice shooting percentage of 7.69%, which is relatively modest, and while the Sedins were in that range last season too, they have typically had better success finishing. There is justifiably some concern that Vrbata is 33 and the Sedins will be 34 by the time next season begins, so production may be declining as a function of age -- standard stuff -- but, based on their respective skills, Vrbata and the Seddins should be productive together.dddddddddddd An additional concern, when it comes to Vrbata in particular, is that hes had limited success while playing for a team other than the Coyotes. He has 288 points in 428 games with the Coyotes, 0.67 per game, but hes never been that productive anywhere else, averaging 0.48 points per game in 364 games with Colorado, Carolina, Chicago and Tampa Bay. Until they add another top-six forward, Arizona figures to miss Vrbata. They dont have a ton of skill up front and, unless Sam Gagner moves to the wing (opening up a hole at centre), the Coyotes current wingers on the top two lines would be Mikkel Boedker, Shane Doan, Martin Erat and Lauri Korpikoski. Thats a situation that needs to be addressed if Arizona is going to be competitive next season. Its reasonable to have hopes for Vrbata to remain productive, playing with skilled linemates, but there are a few risks involved too. The Canucks mitigated against those risks by keeping the term of Vrbatas deal short, signing him for two years and $10-million. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. 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