Post by aaosmts19 on May 27, 2008 22:55:42 GMT -5
Hello all,
I am spending a few days in SLC on vacation and wanted to check out the Oval to see what's going on. I arrived last night and headed on over this morning, getting there around 9:30.
I pulled in and I have to say that my heart about jumped into my throat.....the first parking space after the handicapped parking was none other than the white LEXUS.
And PLENTY was going on inside!
Looks like there were about 5 women and 5 men, along with Jae su CHun and Laurence Daignault. There were a few other coaches, as well, but I couldn't place them.
Unfortunately, the only skaters that I could place were Apolo, Shani; Allison and Katherine were there. Even checking out the bio pics at ussspeedskating.org, I can't place anyone else. Perhaps Jeff Simon was there. There's no bio pic of Charles Ryan L. so I don't know what he looks like.
They finished at 10:30 am and while I was there they were being coached on, what looked like to my untrained eye, how to hold a certain position when rounding corners. They weren't going quickly, concentrating on form and technique only.
Another drill that they did was the push offs for relay.
When they were done I pretty much headed out. I am really a chicken and didn't want to approach anyone, feeling that I was really infringing on personal time.
I mosied on over to the Park again around 3:00 to do some jogging in the immediate neighborhood. No Lexus. SO I did my thing, ending back at the parking lot and there it was again. SO I headed in and found that they were doing dry land training, which seemed to last about 3 hours.
I happened to be sitting at a table (the only spectator, or for that matter, the only other person in the entire oval) by the men's room when APolo needed a bathroom break. So he came right by me...I pretended to be setting something on my ipod...I am the true chickien....
The morning attire was the blue USA skinsuit that we've seen this past season, and when he finished he put on the red matching jacket (the one that he signed at the Jejung Island stopover). Everyone else seemed to be in their 'national' skinsuits, too. Shani had a gray one on with blue stars that I remember seeing in past years.
THe afternoon attire for dryland was the beanie, army-color t-shirt, black leggings and white sneaks. SHani was so funny....he just looked like your average joe, ready for a game of b-ball. Basketball shorts down to the knees and a tank top.
I found it interesting that Shani was training with the short track team, given this last season's success with long track. Perhaps he just wants to keep on top of his game.
There is no long track ice, it is just cement, so I guess the long track team doesn't have the same schedule.
The dryland drill that I saw them do was the one we've seen picture sof where they rap the band around their waste, attach it to something, and lean to the left. This exercise took them about 35 minutes to do, as they did reps of 10. My legs just started twitching watching this. The coach would yell 'down' and they would lean to the left, pushing with their right leg. The left leg would be bent at the knee and placed in back of the right leg and then they would squat down and hold it until they were told "UP"; they held it for about 10-15 seconds; did this about 8 or 9 times, with the last one doing a rapid down, up, down, up for 5 more. LIke I said, this took about 35 minutes. Apolo was soaking at the end. Oh, and he took some extra squats and bent into it so much that he was almost laying on the floor.
I got the schedule for the next 3 mornings and the times vary by day. Tomorrow am its supposed to be short: 7:15 am - 8:45.
I don't know what kind of pics I will be able to get. As I said, I was the only other person in the oval for both sessions, so if I make a mistake and set off a flash, obviously I am the one that will get called on it. I just bought a new Digital slr and am trying to read up on it, hoping to get some shots this week. But who knows how they will come out.
Tomorrow night I am hanging out with Andrew Love. He has told me that the short-track training is really intense May - SEptember, and they sometimes have 3 trainings a day. Then it backs off a bit in September and they just concentrate on speed.
More from your correspondent tomorrow evening!
I am spending a few days in SLC on vacation and wanted to check out the Oval to see what's going on. I arrived last night and headed on over this morning, getting there around 9:30.
I pulled in and I have to say that my heart about jumped into my throat.....the first parking space after the handicapped parking was none other than the white LEXUS.
And PLENTY was going on inside!
Looks like there were about 5 women and 5 men, along with Jae su CHun and Laurence Daignault. There were a few other coaches, as well, but I couldn't place them.
Unfortunately, the only skaters that I could place were Apolo, Shani; Allison and Katherine were there. Even checking out the bio pics at ussspeedskating.org, I can't place anyone else. Perhaps Jeff Simon was there. There's no bio pic of Charles Ryan L. so I don't know what he looks like.
They finished at 10:30 am and while I was there they were being coached on, what looked like to my untrained eye, how to hold a certain position when rounding corners. They weren't going quickly, concentrating on form and technique only.
Another drill that they did was the push offs for relay.
When they were done I pretty much headed out. I am really a chicken and didn't want to approach anyone, feeling that I was really infringing on personal time.
I mosied on over to the Park again around 3:00 to do some jogging in the immediate neighborhood. No Lexus. SO I did my thing, ending back at the parking lot and there it was again. SO I headed in and found that they were doing dry land training, which seemed to last about 3 hours.
I happened to be sitting at a table (the only spectator, or for that matter, the only other person in the entire oval) by the men's room when APolo needed a bathroom break. So he came right by me...I pretended to be setting something on my ipod...I am the true chickien....
The morning attire was the blue USA skinsuit that we've seen this past season, and when he finished he put on the red matching jacket (the one that he signed at the Jejung Island stopover). Everyone else seemed to be in their 'national' skinsuits, too. Shani had a gray one on with blue stars that I remember seeing in past years.
THe afternoon attire for dryland was the beanie, army-color t-shirt, black leggings and white sneaks. SHani was so funny....he just looked like your average joe, ready for a game of b-ball. Basketball shorts down to the knees and a tank top.
I found it interesting that Shani was training with the short track team, given this last season's success with long track. Perhaps he just wants to keep on top of his game.
There is no long track ice, it is just cement, so I guess the long track team doesn't have the same schedule.
The dryland drill that I saw them do was the one we've seen picture sof where they rap the band around their waste, attach it to something, and lean to the left. This exercise took them about 35 minutes to do, as they did reps of 10. My legs just started twitching watching this. The coach would yell 'down' and they would lean to the left, pushing with their right leg. The left leg would be bent at the knee and placed in back of the right leg and then they would squat down and hold it until they were told "UP"; they held it for about 10-15 seconds; did this about 8 or 9 times, with the last one doing a rapid down, up, down, up for 5 more. LIke I said, this took about 35 minutes. Apolo was soaking at the end. Oh, and he took some extra squats and bent into it so much that he was almost laying on the floor.
I got the schedule for the next 3 mornings and the times vary by day. Tomorrow am its supposed to be short: 7:15 am - 8:45.
I don't know what kind of pics I will be able to get. As I said, I was the only other person in the oval for both sessions, so if I make a mistake and set off a flash, obviously I am the one that will get called on it. I just bought a new Digital slr and am trying to read up on it, hoping to get some shots this week. But who knows how they will come out.
Tomorrow night I am hanging out with Andrew Love. He has told me that the short-track training is really intense May - SEptember, and they sometimes have 3 trainings a day. Then it backs off a bit in September and they just concentrate on speed.
More from your correspondent tomorrow evening!
~Lori
