I have a new name to replace Mommy. For the next 11 days, please refer to me as "Zommy". That would be Zombie and Mommy combined to form what I have become while watching the Vancouver Olympic Games.
This is Olympic snowboarder Ben Kilner of Great Britain. If a picture could capture how exhausted I feel by the end of the day I think this would be it. I have no idea if he is exhausted, but it looks like it!
I am tired for many reasons...mainly because the coverage of my said passion (speedskating) has been moved from primetime coverage to wee-hours of the morning coverage. I have many issues when it comes to the coverage of these games by NBC, but I will save that soap box moment for when I can put my thoughts down in a coherent sentence or two. Just know this viewing fans...you are not alone in your frustration.
So a quick recap of what I could see through a few blinks last night:
Men's Long Track 1000m Speedskating:
Give the USA men some props! All 4 skaters finished in the top 10! What a great night on what has been slow "worker" ice at the Richmond Oval. 10th went to my friend Trevor Marsicano, who looked great last night! I watched the replay again this morning because I missed seeing most of his race as my eyes were darting from TV screen to my laptop as I watched his splits. It did not prevent me of course from screaming and clapping my encouragement of "Come on Trevor! Go Go Go!" Very, very proud of him! 7th went to Nick Pearson who also skated an amazing race, one that he should be very proud of! 3rd went to Chad Hedrick who gritted through the 2-lap race with quite the fight. 1st went to Shani Davis for the first ever back to back gold in the 1000m! Shani knew what he needed to do and he went out there and did it. Congratulations!
Short Track Men's 1000m & Relay Semis:
Both Apolo Ohno and JR Celski moved through to the 1/4 Finals. Apolo looked very fluid and easily qualified. JR had a little more work cut out for him. After sitting in the back of the pack he made his move to the front and stopped in third. With two laps to go, JR tried to move into second, but NO! The door got closed on his opportunity. So what did JR do? He went on the outside for a brilliant pass and made it across the line to join Apolo for his place on the line for the chance to make it to 1000m Finals.
The relay lived up to utter chaos for teams to place in the Finals. Simon Cho, Travis Jayner, Apolo Ohno and JR Celski made up the USA team. After Team Italy took out Team France, Team USA and Team Korea only needed to stay upright to secure their place in the Finals. Italy ended up with a DQ (Disqualification) and France was advanced for the Finals which will be skated against USA, Korea, China and Canada.
Women's Short Track 500m
Ok..this will be a soapbox topic. NBC, why are you not sharing the love for our USA Women Short track and long track skaters?? We want to see them too!
I watched the 500 heats on the computer this morning and watched Katherine Ruetter skate wire to wire in her race skating a 43.834, which gave her an Olympic Record to savor- for a little while at least! The USA did not make it through to the A-Finals, but skated very well!
Katherine's OR was later broken in the very next heat by Meng Wang of China (43.284).
I briefly woke to watch the Final race in the Ladies 500m and could not believe the lead that Meng Wang had over the field. She is like the Women's version of Apolo Ohno. She is fast and furious! I thought I may have been dreaming that race, so I once again viewed it on replay. I was not in dream land- Meng really did have that big of a lead on the field.
The race ended with Meng Wang (CHN)-Gold, Marianne St. Gelais (CAN)- Silver and Arianna Fontana (ITA)- Bronze.
If NBC listens to the masses, then I will be as happy as St. Gelais (below) when I can stop holding my eyelids open with toothpicks to watch some exciting racing!
For now, "Zommy" is going to take a nap and get some much needed zzzzz's.
I have been glued to my television for the past 3 days hoping to soak in as many Olympic moments as possible and have been treated to many incredible stories, especially those that have happened for the first time.
Here are some of the Highlighted "Firsts" that I have found to show the true spirit of the Games and the incredible athletes that are living the dream:
Nordic Combined: Not sure what this sport is? I wasn't quite sure either until I watched it for the first time yesterday. I was in the middle of watching online stats on the Womens 3k speedskating event (more on that later) and TV coverage of this event at the same time. I found I was cheering simutaneously for two completely different sports at almost a rabid pitch! I did a little homework this morning and found that this event is ski jumping and cross country racing combined in the same day. The athlete soars from the ski jump and earns points for style and length of jump. The total points earned will dictate the starting position in the 10k cross country ski course, which loops through a stadium and up steep hills through the woods and back to the stadium. I did not know the names of the athletes that were pushing their bodies to the VO2 max with each loop, but their struggle to climb those hills and position themselves just right for the finish line sprint completely drew me in. I was screaming at my television screen "GO GO GO GO GO GO!" The outcome? After being passed at the last moment on the finish line, Johnny Spillane (USA) earned a Silver medal, a first in Olympic history for the USA in this discipline. Truly amazing!
Pairs Figure Skating: I enjoy seeing the fluid motions and grace of figure skating. I found myself drawn in to yet more athlete's stories last night as I watched the short program of Pairs Figure Skating. The first couple on the ice was Shen Xue & Zhao Hongbo (CHN) who set the bar so high for those that followed. With the highest score ever given in the short program of 76.66 no one came close to their near perfect performance. When you see something magical, you know it, even if you don't follow the sport on a regular basis. This will most likely be the couple's (in real life too) last Olympic Games and hopefully the first time they will acheive Gold, a color that has elluded them for 18 years.
Most of you who read this blog know that I kind of like speedskating. (Haha) There were quite a few firsts happening here in both the Men's & Women's races. What I realized for the first time: I have a love/hate relationship with NBC and the coverage of this sport. Hate:They claim to offer coverage of speedskating and when tuned in for 5 hours, not one bit of coverage until primetime rolled around and even then it was of 1 race pair! (Hint NBC: in the women's 3k, the three American skaters were back to back of one another. You could have at least shown that much.) Love: They are offering replays of the races online, some in their entirety. Click Here to see video.
Men's Speedskating: In the Men's 5k race there were a few firsts. My friend Trevor Marsicano skated his first Olympic race. We were screaming at the TV "GO TREVOR!" and jumping up and down. My son dryly said to me afterward "Mom, he can't hear you." My reply was "Yes he can!" A very proud moment indeed.
But I must say, hats off to Sven Kramer (NED), for skating a gutsy and fantastic race to his first Gold medal. Sven threw it down and skated a 6:14.60, a new 5k Olympic Record! To see him clear the barriers and leap into the sea of orange-clad Dutch fans and embrace his family was amazing. However, once again, NBC and their reporter missed the mark by showing their lack of speedskating knowledge by asking Sven this question after returning from his family: "Can you tell us who you are and what you just won?" Truly a first.
Women's Speedskating: In the Women's 3k, Jilleanne Rookard took to the ice in her very first Olympics. I could only watch the online splits (as indicated above) as Jill skated a great race. What I didn't realize, until seeing the replay of her race was that she slipped in her final lap and somehow saved herself from crashing, finishing 12th overall! Amazing!
However, the 3k Gold medal went to Martina Sablikova (CZE) in an outstanding time of 4:02.53. Her technique sent her to the record books by awarding her country the first medal ever in the sport of speedskating. Her joy was so overwhelming that the fans in the Richmond Oval joined in her celebration cheering her on as she skipped with her country flag draped on her shoulders.
Men's Short Track Speedskating: Apolo Anton Ohno (USA) secured silver in the 1500m final after two Korean teammates took eachother out in the last corner before the finish. The Bronze went to J.R. Celeski(USA) who competed in his first major competiton since sustaining a severe injury to his leg in September. What a way to begin your first Olympic Games!
Men's Freestyle Moguls: This post could not go without this acknowledgement. Canada has made no bones about stating that they want to "Own the Podium" at these Winter Games. Canada has hosted the Summer Olympics in Montreal, and Winter Olympics in Calgary and has not won a single gold medal on home turf. Last night, Alexandre Bilodeau (CAN), ended that 34 year old quest for home soil gold in 23.17 seconds. The only word I could say was "WOW!" I am not a skier, but I could even tell that this guy was smoking down the mountain as he pounded his knees into each mogul and soared through the air with flips and turns.
If these first few days are any indication of what is to come, I will be a hoarse, happy, heaping mess by closing ceremonies.
Yesterday I had the extreme pleasure of going back to the second grade and sharing my own version of Speedskating Show and Tell.
Kids at this age are so eager to learn. They are full of wonder and soak everything in like little sponges. Knowledge is still exciting.
I was asked to come to this class to share information on speedskating and the Olympics and I have to admit, I was a little nervous going in. Second graders are eager to learn, but they are also a tough audience. If you don't know what you are talking about, they will smell the fear and eat you alive with questions.
I started by placing photos of a long track team pursuit (featuring the Italian Team) and a short track race (featuring Apolo Ohno). We made our way through what differences they could see between the two pictures. When we finished with the comparisons, I pointed to Apolo and asked the class "Do you know who this is?" In unison "Nooooooooo." I had my work cut out for me.
I thought it would be a great idea to bring my gear with me so the kids could have something tangible to go with what they saw in the pictures and were hearing with my words. I passed around both a long track skinsuit, pointing out the hood and then a short track skin pulling half the suit inside out so they could see the cut proof material sewn in. They liked knocking on my helmet and ooh-ed over the pirate sticker that is stuck to the front. I then passed around my Marchese short track boots with "Whoa's!" and then the long track boots where they enjoyed clapping the blade with giggles. I shared different medals that I have earned and started asking them questions about the Olympics.
We talked about Lake Placid (host to two Winter Olympic Games, 1932 and 1980) and tied in local talent Trevor Marsicano. We played a few YouTube videos of Trevor skating long track and Apolo skating short track. The buzz grew in the classroom to a fever pitch and it was great! One student came up to me and in a whisper said "I am Soooooooo glad you are here!"
In wrapping up I asked the kids to send their "Good Luck" message to Team USA and of course they obliged! The only problem with this was me being technologically challenged. I had my phone video set to the wrong setting, leaving the file too large to pass along to Trevor. So, it is saved for when he returns from Vancouver and I will play it for him.
The room was preparing to go to gym and the greatest thing happened; the entire class suddenly dropped into a squat and low walked their way down the hall!
Olympic fans are definitely evident in second grade and who knows, maybe a seed of inspiration was planted and a future speedskater will be making their way to the ice.
Hero is a term that carries a lot of weight. The first time that I said this to Trevor was during a meet in Rochester, NY after doing something for me that was so heroic, I found "thank you" could not quite capture how grateful I felt, so "Trevor, you are my hero!" came out.
What was this deed of great proportion? He cracked my back.
After years of bike riding (being hunched over) and speedskating (being hunched over) and long car rides to meets or vacation spots (semi-hunched over) my husband and I have suffered through back issues and have mastered crackin' to a science. It looks like we are about to give eachother a big hug only our arms are to the side as if someone said "stick 'em up". A nice squeeze and we can sound like a zipper! When my back is in such a knot, it makes my whole shoulder/neck area tighten up so bad that I am in pain. To have this "hug" does not hurt (although it may sound like it does), but brings instant relief with an "ahhhhhhhhh" and a smile.
My husband was not at this particular short track meet and I was in so much pain from a long car ride that I could not relax before my first race. I could feel the tightness taking hold. Trevor and his dad were walking out of the rink area as I was walking in. I stopped him and asked "Can you please do me a huge favor?" He replied "Sure!" I explained "This will look like a hug, but can you help me crack my back?!" Both Trevor and his father raised their eyebrows, but after sharing the process with him, Trevor grabbed his hand around my back, squeezed between the shoulder blades and "Poppopopopoppop" went my spine. Ahhhhhh. Smile. My hero.
Trevor and I both found the sport of speedskating around the same time, yet skated for different clubs. We would not meet until my 2nd season, when my coach Paul Marchese suggested I start skating & training with the Saratoga Winter Club. Here, I got to know this shy kid who would smile and laugh at jokes on the ice, but you could tell he was still finding his way and how he would fit into this group of skaters. He did not have to search for long. The most amazing qualities of speedskaters are acceptance and camaraderie shared with one another and Trevor was quickly embraced by this supportive group.
What became very apparent to us floating around the middle of the ice between sets is that we were witnessing the growth of an Olympian. Trevor had the drive and focus to keep getting better. At our club, we have different level groups that will go out on the track in sets based on time. The main group is the "blue" group and depending on how many skaters are at practice can be sub-divided into A, B or C or 1, 2 or 3- A being the fastest group, B the next fastest and so on. In a short amount of time, Trevor was starting to break free of the 'A' group and created the 'Trevor' group.
Then the skater nightmare happened. Trevor had a horrible crash at a Jr. National Short Track meet in Michigan which left a wound from another's blade so deep into his right thigh that he could see his femur and caused him to lose half the blood in his body. He spent the holidays in a hospital. A few weeks into January, Trevor made his way on crutches into the rink and stood in the coaches' box to watch his team practice. I remember asking his sister Sam, who was skating with us at the time, if being here bothered him. Her reply surprised me a little, but also showed me his determination. "Nope. He couldn't wait to get here!"
His recovery was a long one, but Trevor once more proved his mettle as he continued on the road to big things. Summer training (called dryland) was brutal; conditioning and heat wise. That was also the summer that Trevor started using a weight vest for some of the exercises. I can remember being in so much pain during a set that I would want to stop. Then I would look over at Trevor still working hard -with weight on his back- and I would think to myself: If he can do it, you can do it. Quit whining and finish this set. Even during these training sessions, he was setting himself apart from the rest of the group. Paul would always save the "dessert" for us...a long low walk would be served up after a two hour practice. Put yourself in a squat position. Good. Now, get lower. Start walking in this balled up position (if done correctly, your knees should scrape the ground with each step) for one minute. Not as easy as it sounds. By the end of summer we worked our way up to a 15 minute low walk. Trevor had more. He would have one or two others that would be able to hang with him, but the rest of us would finish our set and cheer him on to the finish.
Shortly after this, Trevor went to the 2006 US Short Track Olympic Trials. It was so exciting for us to watch him on Live Feed as he toed the line with Apolo Ohno, Shani Davis and many others. He did not make the team that year, but he did start a buzz.
(L-R) Trevor Marsicano, Misi Toth, Ryan Bedford, Shani Davis
Photo by: Jerry Search- 2006 US Short Track Olympic Trials
Then the most exciting short track race I have ever seen, took place in our very own home rink. Saratoga was hosting the American Cup Series and Trevor was back in great form. I had skated the Eastern States Championship being held in conjunction with the AmCup. My family was there to watch and cheer me on. I finished my day and had time to watch the rest of the day's racing. Trevor's sister Sam was also our babysitter for a couple of summers and my kids were anxious to go see her and visit a little bit in the stands, so we made our way over to where Sam and the rest of the Marsicano's were sitting. We were chatting away and realized that Trevor's 3000m race was coming up. The 3000m is 27 laps. It takes a while to get through the distance and is usually a yawner until about 7-5 laps to go. Not this time. After the start, you could see Trevor building (going faster) and we were saying to ourselves, 'What is he doing?', 'It's too fast'. He knew exactly what he was doing. He pulled a "flyer". He broke out and lapped the field by the third go around. That threw the crowd into a roar. What happened next threw us into a complete frenzy: he did it again! It was so loud in the rink, you couldn't hear yourself think! We were screaming so much that I lost my voice and I think everyone else did too. When Trevor crossed the finish line the place was cheering like I have never heard before or since. Amazing! People started saying "Who is this kid?" You see, we knew he was under most of the radar and that great things were coming, the rest of the world just needed to catch up.
Trevor began the switch to long track and eventually he settled in Milwaukee to train. We all knew this progression would happen and were so happy when last year, Trevor was the first person to beat the 1:07 World Record in the 1000m distance. The other amazing feat? Trevor returned from the World Single Distance Championships as the first American skater with four medals; Gold-1000m, Silver-1500m, Bronze-5000m, Bronze- Team Pursuit!
Video of Trevor breaking the World Record!
We trained together for a few short months this past summer as he prepared to make his Olympic dream a reality. It was fun having him back in the group again, still laughing and cracking jokes, only now, not so shy.
In October, I traveled to Milwaukee to help support Trevor and other skaters that were beginning their journey to Vancouver. This meet was the World Cup Team qualifier (and the first of two Olympic Trials). It was the first time I had seen him since the summer. It was also the first time I have ever gone to watch a long track event. I've skated in them, but I have never sat in the "fan" seat. I was keeping stats and a close watch to the inner and outer clock (which gives the time splits for the pair skating) to see how things would unfold and who would fill the open spots.
Over those three days I rode that emotional roller coaster ride that seems to go with speedskating. Trevor was struggling. When leaving the rink the night before the rest day, I watched Trevor sitting on the bench after his race concluded. It was not what he was expecting. You could see it in his face and also in his body language. As a skater, I knew exactly what he was feeling and I also knew there were no words that you could say to make it better. The best I could do was to send him a text that said "you are still my hero!"
Sometimes a Rest Day Equals a Good Day and gets you back on track. Trevor came back and skated a gutsy race that secured his spot on the World Cup team. He said "It wasn't pretty, but it worked!"
I find myself sometimes sitting in the audience of parents and friends who have gathered to watch a school band concert or sporting event trying to hold back tears. When I see my children doing what they love to do I feel a sense of pride so intense that I can become pretty emotional. When in Milwaukee, I felt that same sense of pride for my friend Trevor as he made the World Cup team and then again when I heard the offical announcement he made the US Olympic Team.
The Richmond Oval
Photo Courtesy of Ryan Shimabukuro
Through all these years, I have watched the growth of an amazing athlete both inside and out. Through all the challenges he has faced, he has made his dream a reality. My son often says "It is so cool that I know an Olympian!" When Trevor steps to the line on Saturday for his first race, I know it will be a moment of pure happiness and pride for me as well as his family and friends who have all supported his journey.
"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."
Can you believe that the Winter Olympic Games are only 43 days away?! I am so excited to see the games this year as I have a vested interest! I have friends that have literally gone through blood, sweat and tears to make this dream a reality and experiencing the Olympics this February will have special meaning.
As I mentioned a couple days ago, the second half of Olympic Trials were taking place in Salt Lake City, UT. The final team spots were fought for with great fervor. All the years of training and sacrifice came down to a single moment in time of make or break and skaters left it all out there.
This photo was taken by Jerry Search in which he called this "witnessing 110%"
Rebekah Bradford had one shot left to make her dream come true. During her 1000m race, she fell coming up to the finish line. One thing about this sport of speedskating, it can bring you down to the lowest of lows and then just as quickly to the highest of highs. The Low: you try to come to grips with "ok, this is it. My shot for this year is done." You cry for the loss of all the months of training and sacrifice and the pain you put your body through for just this moment. You cry because you feel like you let your family and friends down, which of course is not the case, but as an athlete you feel that way when you don't perform up to your own expectations. The High: you are extended a reskate. You try to come to grips with "ok, this is it. My last shot for this year." You wipe your tears and refocus with an intensity that you yourself didn't know you had. "Bekah" skated and earned her spot on the Olympic Team with a 1.16.36 (which is FAST), breaking her own personal record by .3 seconds. The opposite happened to Kelly Gunther, who skated a 1.17.12, which before Rebekah's reskate, had her as an Olympian. The High: I made the team! The Low: watching your spot pass you by for your teammate.
So many of these high's and low's took place at the oval that it gives everyone cause to deal with the conflicting feelings of elation and heartbreak.
Vancouver will welcome the following US Long Track Olympic Team members:
Shani Davis 500, 1000, 1500, 5000, 10,000
Chad Hedrick 1000, 1500, 5000, Team Pursuit Trevor Marsicano 1000, 1500, 5000, Team Pursuit
Nick Pearson 500, 1000
Brian Hansen 1500, Team Pursuit
Tucker Fredricks 500
Mitchell Whitmore 500
Ryan Bedford 10,000
Jonathan Kuck Team Pursuit
Jilleanne Rookard 1500, 3000, 5000, Team Pursuit
Jen Rodriguez 500, 1000, 1500, Team Pursuit
Heather Richardson 500, 1000, 1500
Elli Ochowicz 500, 1000
Catherine Raney Norman 3000, Team Pursuit
Nancy Swider-Peltz, Jr. 3000, Team Pursuit
Lauren Cholewinski 500
Rebekah Bradford 1000
Maria Lamb 5000
I have had the honor of meeting many of these skaters, some from short track meets a long time ago and some from the World Cup meet in October. The USA will be well represented in Vancouver, that's for sure!
I have been helping with a blog for my friend Trevor Marsicano. If you have a chance, check it out sometime to see what he is up to on his journey to the Olympic Games.
If you are on Facebook, then become a fan of US Speedskating to get the latest updates and stories of your USA athletes! US Speedskating is also on Twitter! Follow them @usspeedskating .
This weekend, speedskaters are pouring their hearts and souls into last ditch efforts to make the Olympic Team and to represent the USA in Vancouver come February.
I know I said I was taking a few days off from blogging, but I just got news via Twitter and phone call that my friend and fellow speedskater, Trevor Marsicano has just added another distance to his Olympic skating card! Just a few moments ago, he won his 5000m distance, earning him a spot on the team! I just had to share this great, great news! I am so proud of him.
I will be back in the next day or two and will be sure to let you know how Trevor and the rest of your USA team did this weekend in Salt Lake City!
Colbert Nation has stepped up to the plate to help sponsor the athletes of U.S. Speedskating!
DSB Bank has pulled its sponsorship of the team after announcing its recent bankruptcy situation leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars gone.
Speedskating is not exactly a "household" sport here in America. Did you know that the most medals won during the winter games and brought back to U.S. soil are from the sport of speedskating?
Our athletes are better known on the streets of other countries for the sport in which they excel. It is great to see that a public forum which is viewed by so many will allow this sport to attain more notoriaty and have their home country cheering them on as they step up on the podium in Vancouver. We have many medal contenders ready to take their place in the history books and with the generosity of the Colbert Nation support, dreams are still within reach.
