American Cup III, One For the Record Books

This photo is courtesy of : weblogs.marylandweather.com/forecasts/

Little did I know that the post I had scheduled for yesterday would turn out to be one for the record books.

Short track skaters from around the country made their way to Dale City, VA through THE largest winter snow storm on record for that area. Terms like "Snowpocalypse" and "Snowmageddon" were flying through the air like the heavy, wet flakes that piled inch after inch on every surface, including the Prince William Ice Center's roof.

I finished my post and within an hour, started seeing reports on Facebook that the skaters were sent home...too much snow....bent beams. Then my friend Hans, who was a starter for this meet, called me from his hotel and asked if I heard what happened. I said I had and I posted his account on the blog. He was glad everyone got out ok and as a true upstate New Yorker, was headed out into the snow to find something to eat! (A side note here: we have had zero, nada, zip snow fall this year. Yeah, a few inches here and there, but all the "big one's" have just missed us and have stayed to the south. Maybe mother nature is giving us a little reprieve after freezing us out last year with a killer ice storm, but we are missing the snow! Who would think we would have to travel SOUTH to get snow!) :) I was glad to hear that Hans was ok and wished him safe travels home. Little did we know that as we talked on the phone, the roof was actually collapsing at the rink in which he just came.

Mike Looby's daughter Liz was skating at this meet and he has written a great post on the happenings as they unfolded yesterday. Check out his post on It's Not Too Late to Skate.

I am so glad that all got out safely and averted what really would have been a disaster.

Some of us have had this very conversation while waiting in the heat box."What would we do if we had to get out of here right away?"  I remember a meet where the heat box was set set up just outside the door we used to enter the ice. I was sitting on a bench that flanked a cement wall and could hear something that sounded like a sporadic "sizzle". You know when you hear something and you just can't place where it is coming from? I heard the bell (last lap indicator) and stood up to prepare entering for my race, placing my coat and sneakers in the bucket for the runners and forgot all about the noise. When I came back for my next scheduled race, I once again heard the sound, only this time I could place it, because the sound also had visual! In the middle of the cement wall was an electrical outlet box that was sparking bright white flashes and now emitting small trickles of smoke with each sizzle. The scary thing was you couldn't smell it. All of us sitting on the bench seemed to notice this at the same time and jumped off the bench (electricity and metal blades do not make a good combination) and all at once yelled at the heatbox attendant while pointing at the plug. Luckily, they were able to turn the power off that fed that outlet without disrupting the rest of the rink. That particular bench remained empty for the rest of the meet.

The last thing you think about when you are at a competition is being faced with a circumstance that would make you exit quickly while wearing your skates. I'm glad that the skaters that were laced up and ready to start racing were able to remove their gear and exit the facility safely with fellow competitors, family, friends and volunteers. There is a saying (among many) that one hears every now and then with this sport. "Never a dull moment in Short Track."

This story is definitely one that these skaters will tell for a long, long time. "Remember when we went to Virginia for the AmCup race and..."

Short Track Speedskating American Cup III, Long Track Masters Sprint Games & Vancouver

Photo by Jerry Search

Get ready for some fast skating this weekend on both the Short Track and Long Track ice!

Short Track:

If folks can make their way through the winter snow storm happening in Dale City, VA, they will be treated to the American Cup III racing series! Most of the competitors arrived yesterday, some just making the last flights in before mother nature blanketed the area in wintery white. Practice ice was held last night and skaters will be sharp and ready to begin their racing card today and tomorrow. A "good luck" goes out to all the skaters, especially to those from my club: Katy Ralston and Josh Cummings. I will keep an eye on results and post when available.

***Update as of 2:30pm EST***
American Cup III has been officially canceled.  After warm-ups were completed this morning, skaters were getting ready to begin races and starters were taking their places. At this time a loud "Bang" could be heard from above and when eyes looked over-head, it was noticed that one of the support beams holding the rink's roof had bent and collapsed. The rink's occupants were safely evacuated. Upon inspection, it was found that the heavy, wet snow that has crippled the area had now claimed the integrity of the roof. For the safety of all involved, officials have closed the rink. Never a dull moment in Short Track!!

Safe travels to all!!

Long Track:

The 2nd Masters Sprint Games are being held in Milwaukee, WI at the Pettit National Ice Arena. Organizer Andrew Love has put together another top notch event that has attracted the fastest Masters Long Track skaters from around the world. The USA team is choc-full of talented skaters and will show that you can still skate fast, no matter what age you are. Good luck to Martin Haire and Masahiko Yanigahara.

Vancouver News:

Team USA Short Track and Long Track skaters have arrived in Vancouver! The Long Track Team has been practicing at the Richmond Oval and have stated that the ice is F-A-S-T and they look forward to racing! The Short Track team arrived yesterday and will have practice this morning. Both teams have been getting settled in their new "home away from home" and are very impressed with accomodations. Each team has gone through the "outfitting" of apparel that will be worn for opening, medal and closing ceremonies. The clothes have been provided by Ralph Lauren and Nike and these threads are sweet! The excitement is exuding from both first time and returning Olympians as they share these special moments. All are looking forward to meeting fellow athletes from around the world as they begin to arrive.

The world awaits to witness Vancouver's magic as Opening Ceremonies are only 6 days away!

Women "Go Red" to Raise Awareness

Today is Friday, February 5th and it is a day marked to celebrate awareness for heart disease! I have a few causes that I support Whole-heartedly (no pun intended) and to help show my support by wearing a certain color, well, how can I pass that up? Especially since I can easily include my nail polish obsession in such a fabulous color, say "California Rasberry" or "The Right Thing" or maybe "Ready to Wear Red"?

The "Go Red" campaign has family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. donning red to support the women in their lives and the fight against heart disease.

Share the love and today, "Go Red"! 

US Speedskating Names New Featured Bloggers

  

I received an email yesterday from US Speedskating's social media rep. She shared the news that Mom Got Blog was added to the "Featured Blogger's" tab on their Facebook page! Many thanks go out for this recognition!

Looking at the list of other bloggers, I am honored to be in such great & talented company. Here is the current list of the featured Blog Roll:

This Might Hurt Our Reputation: Lisa, Camille & Dorothy share a wonderfully written blog that takes you on the journey of three friends that share a passion for fun and skating. They have a way of pulling you into their world with stories and photos that makes you want to come back for more. A really great blog.

Ice & Times of Short Track Speedskating: Michelle has brought together all the latest news on Short Track Speedskating and shares on her blog. Expect to see great photos, videos and interviews with current and up and coming talent on the ice. Blog is an extension of The Rocker Fund, a grass-roots fan site focused on obtaining funding for US Olympic hopefuls. I am so glad to have found this site and you will be just as thrilled! Be sure to check it out.

Zen and the Art of Speedskating: If you are a speedskater, then you have already been reading this for years. If you haven't, well you should. Competitive speedskater, husband, father and all-round nice guy, Andrew Love has created the ultimate go-to site for speedskating. He shares his journey on training, competing and balancing family and work life with his passion. Andrew brings you along for the ride (literally) with his videos, shares his talents with photography and brilliant writing, making you feel like you yourself are training with those on and off the ice.

Lake Placid Skater: Christie has ceated a blog on figure skating and speedskating showcasing her talent not only as a competitive athlete, but also a writer! She covers a lot of happenings in Lake Placid, NY writing for a number of websites and blogs.

No Fact Zone: A fan blog that covers everything Stephen Colbert. "The Nation" stepped up to help sponsor the US Speedskating team, so to stop by and read the latest is a way to say Thank you!

Sara's Countdown to Vancouver: Sara takes each day and shares Olympic news. I can't wait to see what she covers for Opening Ceremonies!

This is the current list of the talent pool! Like I said, I am in great company and again I thank US Speedskating for including Mom Got Blog!

Looking for the latest updates, stories or results? If so, be sure to become a fan of US Speedskating on Facebook. You can also follow on Twitter @usspeedskating.

The Olympics are only 9 days away! GO TEAM USA!! 

A Speedskater's Take on "The Perfect Race"

I was grabbing a t-shirt out of my drawer to go run. When I realized which one I was ready to place on my back, I decided to snap a picture and share.

If you click on the photo, you will get the whole picture.

This is a shirt that I bought while I was in Milwaukee competing in the Short Track National Championship in 2005. I always try to buy something from a meet so I can support the club that is hosting and it is usually a t-shirt. It was my second Nationals competition and my first time at the Pettit National Ice Center. I never really paid much attention to the list of names. Whenever I wear this to practice, I tend to find skaters following me around. I get that feeling, like someone is looking over your shoulder and when I turn around I hear " Oh, sorry...just reading your shirt!" I've always said to myself I should check it out, but I forget and it gets shoved in the bag after practice, goes through the laundry and back in the drawer until next time.

The year before, in Cleveland, I was a nervous wreck. It was my very first National competition and I had never skated a 3000m, that is 27 grueling laps. I had butterflies for days leading up to it and thought I was going to get sick while sitting in the heatbox.  I lined up at the start and off I went. I remember skating cat and mouse with another skater; I'd pass her and she would pass me, I would pass her and so on. Our skinsuits looked similar and our helmet numbers were very close. We were lapped a few times by three other skaters, so as a lap counter, it was probably hard to keep track of who was who and how we would finish. As a skater, there comes a point in this race that you stop counting the laps because you are focused on just get me to the finish. When you are in the "pain cave" (a term very aptly coined by Andrew Love) you focus on who is going to end your suffering; you find your counter, search for the outstretched hand showing how many laps of pain you have left and make eye contact to make sure they are talking to you.

The lap counter was calling out our helmet numbers...you have 3 laps to go.....helmet number....you have 3 laps to go.....could I be ahead??? When I came to the last lap, the bell rang as I passed. Then it rang again behind me. We finished and I was immediately given a hug from my teammate (winner of this race) and fellow competitor who was waiting in the center of the ice. I remember her whispering in my ear-"I am so proud of you! You did it! You rock!"
 
I eagerly awaited the results and when they were posted, I stood there in complete shock. Next to my name was a big DNF (Did Not Finish). My teammate told me to go to our coach and tell him to protest. When the heat card was presented, there were a lot of erased pencil marks...you could tell that the counters were confused. You could literally SEE it. Shoulders were shrugged and that was that. I was devastated. My competitor was gloating on her 4th place medal. I learned something about myself that day-missing out on a medal was not what bothered me. Having a DNF next to my name, knowing full well that I suffered through that race and DID FINISH bothered me much more. My coach and friends tried to make me feel better by telling me their stories of losing overall National Championships on calls just like this. It was just part of the game.

When it came time for Nationals in Milwaukee, I was focused. I was focused on one race and one race alone. I had trained all year for this 3k. There was going to be no doubt what-so-ever that I crossed that finish line. In a recent Olympic commercial spot, Apolo Anton Ohno speaks of a perfect race. He describes being so focused that time seems to slow down. This was my perfect race. I could hear nothing but my coach as I came into the turn telling me either go "deeper" into the turn or "good". I could hear breathing behind me. I lead my competitor for 25 laps. With two to go, my coach kept saying "pick it up- now, now!" With one lap to go, she passed me and I could not answer it. My legs were wood. I could barely walk off the ice to sit on the bench. She came up to me, still breathing hard and said "Wow! You trained hard this year-that pace was fast- I did all I could do to hold on!"  I did not win that race, but I consider that one of my perfect races. I improved my time from the previous year by almost 2 minutes and there could be no denying that I finished. I committed to skating a better race than the year before and I accomplished that. The slight nod and raised, impressed eyebrow from my coach, spoke volumes and that is when I felt as if I did win.

So, what does this have to do with my t-shirt? Well, I finally looked at all the skaters. If you look close at those listed, you will see many names that are competing in Vancouver, including Apolo who is only 15 competitor's away from mine. Some have remained in Short Track and some have moved on to Long Track. They have made an Olympic team! After years of hard work and many, many competitons, I hope that their journey this February will allow them (medal or not) to experience their own "perfect race".