ST World Cup 1 - SLC - Oct 17-19, 2008

[aaosmts19]

Interesting that the Candians have to 2 sponsors on their skinsuits: Bell and Cheerios.

And the US has.........?

[daisymomma]

he is having trouble with one of his skates is what Andy Gable said!The look on his face at the end of the semi said it all ,he was not too happy.

[evie5]

In the second semi finals for relay, Korea came in 1st and USA 2nd.

They talked a lot about Apolo's skate giving him problems from his earlier fall. They said he is so strong that it did not affect him as bad as it would anyone else but he was not at his best. They also said he would be making adjustments to his blades tonight and would be back to normal tomorrow. All the USA men looked good and skated well.

[August]

Awesome relay! That's always one of my favorite races. Team USA did great and our boy was really fighting those blades!

[aaosmts19]

Some notes the commentators made on the men's relay, and Apolo's heroic attempt to stay on his skates...for those who didn't see it....

Men's RElay: Commentator saying that AO's Right skate not tracking as good as it normally does....they think he may be having a problem with his skate or blade...His first 2 laps of the relay were a bit tentative, possibly checking out his skate... You can see the look on Apolo's face trying to stay on his skate...He'll have some work to do tonight on his skates but tomorrow he'll e fine..He's figuring out how to work with those skates as he progresses thru the relay...he's that good. YOu can see that he comes out of the corner staying on his left skate much longer than he normally would, and tentatively putting his right skate down to break out of the corner. More experienced skaters would have gone down...HE'S THAT GOOD...

-----------------

Goodnite all!
See you tomorrow!

[skaterswaltz]

I had someone call me and I missed Apolo's fall...but saw the great relay that he fought through. I'll see all of you tomorrow!

[aaosmts19]

Here is tomorrow's schedule, from www.sportresult.com/federations/ISU/ShortTrack/

Remember that you can see the official results/times here, too.

19.10.2008 09:00 Ladies - 500m - Rep Heats Scheduled
Men - 500m - Rep Preliminaries Canceled
Men - 500m - Rep Heats
Ladies - 500m - Rep Quarterfinals
Men - 500m - Rep Quarterfinals
Ladies - 1500m (2) - Rep Quarterfinals
Men - 1500m (2) - Rep Quarterfinals
Ladies - 500m - Rep Semifinals
Men - 500m - Rep Semifinals
Ladies - 1500m (2) - Rep Semifinals
Men - 1500m (2) - Rep Semifinals
Ladies - 500m - Rep Final B
Ladies - 500m - Rep Final A
Men - 500m - Rep Final B
Men - 500m - Rep Final A
Ladies - 1500m (2) - Rep Final B
Ladies - 1500m (2) - Rep Final A
Men - 1500m (2) - Rep Final B
Men - 1500m (2) - Rep Final A

19.10.2008 15:02 Ladies - 500m - Quarterfinals Scheduled
Men - 500m - Quarterfinals
Ladies - 500m - Semifinals
Men - 500m - Semifinals
Ladies - 1500m (2) - Semifinals
Men - 1500m (2) - Semifinals
Ladies - 500m - Final B
Ladies - 500m - Final A
Men - 500m - Final B
Men - 500m - Final A
Ladies - 1500m (2) - Final B
Ladies - 1500m (2) - Final A
Men - 1500m (2) - Final B
Men - 1500m (2) - Final A
Ladies - 3000m Relay - Final B
Ladies - 3000m Relay - Final A
Men - 5000m Relay - Final B
Men - 5000m Relay - Final A

© 2008 ISU. All Rights Reserved.

[dopeyrn]

Hey guys! I have attended family weddings 2 nights in a row and got up at the crack of dawn this morning to work my son's cross country tournament. I am exhausted and cannot research and read a lot here. Help me please. Is Apolo skating tomorrow in light of his fall? If so, when does he skate and how is everyone watching it online? Thanks in advance for your help!

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Oct 18, 2008 23:00:21 GMT -5 dopeyrn said:

Hey guys! I have attended family weddings 2 nights in a row and got up at the crack of dawn this morning to work my son's cross country tournament. I am exhausted and cannot research and read a lot here. Help me please. Is Apolo skating tomorrow in light of his fall? If so, when does he skate and how is everyone watching it online? Thanks in advance for your help!

dopeyrn:

since apolo's fall was in a final, it won't affect his other race(s) which is the 1500m #2 and i assume, the team relay.

apolo will skate anytime after 3pm utah time. i don't know the exact time, but it will go in order of the races they have posted.

to check the results online: www.sportresult.com/federations/ISU/ShortTrack/

to watch them: www.universalsports.com/mediaPlayer/media.dbml?CLIP_ID=44450&_MODE_=COUNTDOWN&db_oem_id=23000

I HOPE THAT HELPED! ;]

[mtnme]

Well, we're all here in the room having a group pm...Susie, Lori, Debbief, JL and Number1 fan. Yup, you saw our guy fall, and you should have seen it from our end. Those new pads really do amazing things for the skaters. They stretch and move when the skater hits them, which absorbs the impact instead of their whole bodies taking the unmovable wall head on. When Apolo hit the pads, they moved so forcefully, that a photographer or coach on the other side of them where he hit was practically BOUNCED into the bleachers ! The crowd of course gasped in amazement...he just doesn't fall...there was just stunned silence. But he got up, and finished the race.

He wasn't too happy obviously after falling, but after he finished his race, he did skate around and cracked the biggest, "yeah, I screwed up, I fell" grin to the crowd you ever saw! and this is a guy who rarely does an ear to ear smile (with the exception of the Olympics) when he wins! Game Face all the way!

We heard afterwards from Andrew, that the blades were so bent, they were literally pounding them with a hammer after he got off the ice. He knew his blade didn't feel right when he got on the ice, and it just gave out underneath him. He had to do the relay shortly after, so they had to make them somewhat skateable, but as you can see...team USA really stepped up, all blade problems aside. They'll be working on those blades tonight for sure. Ryan was having the same problems on friday, and every race, just as he was nearing the end, his blades would slip out from underneath him, and he would just look down at his feet and shake his head. Not a happy boy! They would be working on his blades to get them worked out.

For those of you wondering about the 'masked man'....our contention is he wears it so we will never get a photo of him cracking a grin! LOL But truth be told, you guys guessed it! When you breathe chilled air continuously, and with high intensity exertion, your lungs tend to want to constrict. With the mask on, he is warming his own breath before it enters his lungs. Carly Wilson was doing the same thing at American Cup.

So enough blathering, I know what you all REALLY want to see, is some photos, so put a cork in it mtnme, and get down to business!

So without further ado...it would not be a typical mtnme post of a picture if it wasn't totally blurry and unrecognizable.,,, so here ya go...





Name that skater!





I just LOVE this photo of Charles Hamelin!






....OK, I'm done messin' with ya! LOL
The new camera did make for some much better shots!

So here ya go!

This is what happens when you guys don't show up.
The skaters are in front of empty stands...IT'S JUST NOT RIGHT!!!!





Here's the guys warming up for their races.





Apolo and Anthony




I'm still trying to get the hang of the apeture/vs the exposure/ vs the frikking shutter doesn't fire anywhere near fast enough to catch the photo shot I thought I was getting and was totally surprised at what it actually shot...but here's a decent attempt at it.





Nice Shot of Allison





OK, here's my 'money shot'. Apolo with his chin on his arms, looking at the competition. This got an 'ahhhh, great shot' from everyone. I'll clean this up and crop it when I get home, and hopefully it will be a little sharper, but for now, this will have to do.

[aaosmts19]

www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_10760355

World Cup Speedskating

By Tony Jones
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 10/19/2008 02:26:21 AM MDT


KEARNS - This isn't the way Apolo Ohno envisioned starting the international short-track speedskating season.

Ohno, the five-time Olympic medalist, hoped to earn a World Cup gold medal at the Olympic Oval in Kearns. But that hope was dashed on Saturday night when he took a spill in the men's 1,000-meter finals, effectively ending any chance of him earning a medal on the evening. He will have another chance at an individual medal today at 3 p.m. with the 500-meter finals.

The race was Ohno's to win, as he was in second place at the time and challenging South Korea's Yoon-Gy Kwak for the lead. But Ohno lost his balance on a turn and slid into the wall, much to the dismay of the sizable crowd that turned out to see the second day of the event.

Ohno wasn't made available to the media following the event.

"It was a tough fall for him," said Ohno's USA teammate, Jeff Simon. "Apolo's an unbelievable talent and a great athlete. It was just a mistake. He's going to take this and prepare for tomorrow."

On a night that was dominated by Korea and China, two USA skaters medaled for the first time in international competition.

Simon took home the bronze medal in the men's 1,500 meters, while Kimberly Derrick bronzed in the women's 1,000 meters. Neither had challenged for medals before Saturday night. Both were ecstatic to compete on such a high level.

"This is a big improvement on last year," Derrick said. "This is definitely a big step for me and I'm very excited with the results. I have to improve even more now because the rest of the world knows that I'm here now. But I'm very happy to be on the podium for the first time."

Simon's sentiment was pretty much the same. He had a chance to win his race, and was challenging for the lead with a few laps remaining. But Si-Bak Sung from Korea and Canada's Charles Hamelin proved to be a bit too much down the stretch.

Four events were decided on Saturday night. China's Meng Wang won the women's 1,000 meter race with a time of 1:29.766. Yan Zhou, also of China, won the women's 1,500 race with a time of 2:21.445. Sung took the men's 1,500, while Kwak emerged victorious in the men's 1,000-meter event.

The American relay team of J.R. Celski, Anthony Lobello, Simon and Ohno will have a strong chance to challenge for the gold medal in today's 5,000-meter final

[aaosmts19]

deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705256484,00.html

Rough day on ice for Americans

By Jared Eborn
Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 12:31 a.m. MDT
0 comments E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - Page: 1 2 Next >

KEARNS — The odds were decidedly against Apolo Anton Ohno.
The reigning world champion was lined up against three Koreans in the finals of the men's 1,000.

While team tactics are officially against the rules in short track speedskating — impeding another skater and preventing him from advancing by blocking his path is grounds for disqualification — it wasn't anything the Koreans did that prevented Ohno from landing on the podium.

It was his own skates.

With four laps remaining in the race, Ohno lost the edge of a skate on a turn and slid into the protective pads as the three Koreans skated ahead, eventually landing on each step of the podium.

The trio of Kwak Yoon-Gy, Lee Ho-Suk and Lee Jung-Su won gold, silver and bronze, respectively, in front of the stunned crowd of Ohno supporters.

Jeff Simon turned a strong move past China's Sui Bao Ku with two laps remaining into the first podium finish of the weekend for the Americans in the men's 1,500. He finished third behind Korea's Sung Si-Bak, who blazed around four competitors on the back stretch with three laps to go and never looked back as he won comfortably ahead of Canada's Charles Hamlin.

"I've had several fourth places," Simon said. "Too many to count as far as I'm concerned. So to get up there (on the podium), I'm pumped."

In the women's 1,000, Kimberly Derrick appeared destined to finish fourth, just off the podium, when she fell off the pace with a few laps left. But when China's Liu Qiuhong was disqualified for impeding the progress of Korea's Shin Sae-Bom on the final sprint, Derrick's fourth-place finish became a third-place finish and earned her valuable points in the World Cup race. China's Wang Meng took gold.

"I'll take it," Derrick said after earning her first-ever individual World Cup podium finish. "I honestly didn't think they were going to call it because it was so close to the finish. I didn't really even see it because I was back around the turn."

American national champion Katherine Reutter was bumped on a passing attempt and lost her momentum in the quarterfinals of the women's 1,000 and failed to advance.

Overall, it was a rough day for the American skaters with only two podium finishes, a slew of crashes and several finishes off the back of the leaders.

Allison Baver had a shot at placing in the women's 1,500 but was closed off by China's Zhou Yang and Korea's Jung Ba-Ra and Yang Shin-Young. Baver led several laps early in the race but couldn't keep up with Zhou and finished fourth.

In the relay semifinals, the U.S. women finished second behind China, which set a world record in the 3,000 relay.

The U.S. men also advanced with a second-place showing in the 5,000 relay They'll get a chance for an improved showing today during the final races of the weekend. Winners will be crowned in the 500 and relay races as well as a second set of 1,500 races.
Competition starts at 3 p.m.

Short Track World Cup


Women's 1000

1. Wang Meng, China

2. Shin Sae-Bom, Korea

3. Kimberly Derrick, USA


Men's 1000

1. Kwak Yoon-Gy, Korea

2. Lee Ho-Suk, Korea

3. Lee Jung-Su, Korea


Women's 1500

1. Zhou Yang, China

2. Jung Ba-Ra, Korea

3. Yang Shin-Young, Korea


Men's 1500

1. Sung Si-Bak, Korea

2. Charles Hamlin, Canada

3. Jeff Simon, USA



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[aaosmts19]

www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/winter/2008-10-18-4008341360_x.htm

Ohno falls in World Cup opener
Posted 8h 11m ago | Comment | Recommend E-mail | Save | Print |


By Doug Alden, AP Sports Writer

KEARNS, Utah — Apolo Anton Ohno crashed Saturday in the opener of the short-track speedskating World Cup season and world champion Wang Meng of China got off to a fast start with a victory in the women's 1,000 meters.

Ohno, the five-time Olympic medalist and defending overall world champion, lost an edge during a turn in the men's 1,000 meters and tumbled into the new pads around the rink at the Utah Olympic Oval. Ohno got up after a few moments and skated the rest of the race, then smiled and waved to thank the U.S. fans for a polite round of applause.

Ohno was the only skater in the final who wasn't from South Korea, which got an easy sweep when Ohno wiped out with four laps to go. Kwak Yoon-gy was the winner, finishing in 1 minute, 30.821.

Ohno did not speak to reporters after Saturday's races.

Wang, who swept the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters at the World Championships last spring, opened the World Cup season with another win in the 1,000 with a time of 1:29.766. American Kimberly Derrick fell well off the pace in the final few laps, but she took third when Liu Qiuhong of China was disqualified after a collision at the finish line with South Korea's Shin Sae-bom, who finished second.

Derrick said she didn't see the crash because she was still making the turn, but she was happy to get a spot on the podium.

"I'll take it," she said. "I honestly didn't think they would call it because it was so close to the finish."

Zhou Yang of China was first in the women's 1,500 in 2:21.445. Sung Si-bak won the men's 1,500, beating Canada's Charles Hamelin and Jeff Simon of the U.S., who had never placed in a World Cup race.

"I'm happy how things turned out," said Simon, who turned 19 in August. "I made the podium on the senior circuit and I'm still a junior in age."

The World Cup continues Sunday with the 500 meters, another round of the 1,500 and the women's 3,000-meter relay and men's 5,000-meter relay.

The Associated Press

[skaterswaltz]

mtnme - thanks so much for the eyewitness report. Man, I'm so glad those new pads where there! I can't believe it about his blades being so bent and they were just pounding them with a hammer. How does that work - do you think they just replaced them last night or do they actually try to repair and rejig them?

In an great interview doonick posted on the "Skaters Fly into Utah" thread, the local NBC reporter talked to Travis Jayner, Kimberly Derrick and Jeff Simon about the new state-of-the-art 4' pads and Travis said they you "go as hard as you can - no reason to hold back" because of the new pads. Did you notice everyone going more full tilt this time?

And your "artistic" photos cracked me up! I have a slew of those, too, where you have to guess what the heck you're looking at. And thanks for the really great photos, too. Yeah - love the one of him surveying the competition.

aaosmts19 - thanks for all the news reports. I'll be watching again today and hopefully Apolo's skates will behave themselves today since they most certainly got a lot of attention last night!

So glad you guys are there! Thanks for the updates!

[Lori]

During the repechage rounds yesterday Sue P from SoCal was sitting with us quite a bit. She's there as the 'Team Leader' for the Dutch team (several of their skaters train in SoCal), so we got a good education on the Dutch skaters and got to meet several of them.

'Only thing I can add to Apolo's fall is that the pads are so high and thick that you can't see over them easily, and (thankfully) they absorb enough energy that the skaters don't bounce back out onto the ice - so you don't know what's going on with the skater for a bit after they hit. I was sitting there counting 'One - no Apolo; Two - no Apolo; Three - no Apolo; Four - no Apolo'... it was a relief to finally see him pop up uninjured.

Another fun post-race tidbit - at the end of the day yesterday they had a 'Puck Throw'... they had fans throwing a puck with their name on it into a couple of bins in the center of the rink. Anyone whose puck landed IN the bins had a chance to win a Samsung TV. They drew one puck out of each bin for the giveaway. One of the winners was Simon Cho!

Y'all would absolutely love Travis Jayner. He really enjoys playing to the crowd after a good skate, applauding US as we're applauding HIM... ;D

A couple of hours ago we lost track of Wags and wondered where she'd gone - then I got a text message - 'I'm sitting 6 feet from Jamaicanadian. Starbucks." We suddenly had an urge for a Pumpkin Spice latte. When we got there he was just finishing up, but he talked to us for a bit. What a nice guy, and I could have listened to his accent all day long - I'm wondering if he's saying the same thing to his friends about Wags' (heavy Southern) accent... *tee-hee*

...Well, we're off to the Oval now - we'll check in later!