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Post by skaterswaltz on Dec 31, 2008 1:10:56 GMT -5
Happy holidays to all! I had some family over earlier today for a Christmas brunch. We started talking about short track and then we decided to watch some various DVDs of short track coverage and everyone was just mesmerized. My niece got so into it that she almost forgot she had to leave my place to go to her friend's for a Christmas party! It was a lovely morning! That's so cool debbief! Maybe your niece will join you on one of your short track excursions! |
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Post by number1fan on Dec 31, 2008 2:57:30 GMT -5
Anthony Barthell decided to sit this one out, as they are having coaching issues and he didn't feel he was skating well enough at the moment to justify entering. Better to get his coaching and skating to a place he can feel proud of. (...but Anthony - you were missed)   Thanks ao for the link and great photo Number1 - thanks for finding and posting! Yep - it was pretty ding-dang cold in there! And there was this constant whoosh and vortex of cold as the skaters flew round-and-round the ice.  Oh Goodie...just what I've always wanted - another photo on the internet with a hideous picture of me in it... 
wow...do you know how long it's been since i've done multiple quotes? miss ya LEXI! |
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Post by Lori on Dec 31, 2008 12:47:15 GMT -5
Skaterswaltz, y'all DID have the 'mother of all rooms'. There's nobody like Wags for a festive mood, is there?  BTW - Skaterswaltz, Mtnme and I are all vying for the title of 'jinx', as far as running into Apolo at odd moments. It seems to happen to everyone but the three of us, and it's become a running joke among the GA/OZ group as to which one of us is the true Dark Cloud of Misfortune... it's an unspoken rule in this 'competition' that we don't ride the Skater-Vators without good reason, or engage in lobby or parking lot stake-outs and such, 'cause that would be cheating, and it would skew the final results... any bets as to who will win (or lose, depending on your perspective)   You'd be proud, though, of those in the 'Posse' who HAVE experienced that 'serendipity' - if the OFF does indeed exist, you'd never know it - they maintain admirably! The one regret I have is that when I rode the Skater-Vator once with Jeff Simon, I 'maintained' a bit too well. As he limped in, cringing, I wanted so badly to ask how he was feeling, but I figured he'd already been asked the question ad nauseum, and one look at him gave me the answer, so I just smiled sympathetically as he got on, but didn't say a word. I wish now that I had told him how proud we were of his gutsy performance all weekend. I know that all of the skaters 'play through pain', but after the back spasms this year and the broken collar bone last year, Jeff gets my vote as the Cal Ripken Jr. (Iron Man) of Short Track. Lily, your pic of his joy in the midst of his pain was amazing - to play on the Wide World of Sports quote... "The Agony of Victory"...  Aofreak, they haven't posted the sign-up list for the AmCups on USS yet, and I don't know if they will, but I'll keep checking. RE: Jerry Search's pic upthread, I hope you won't shoot me, Mtnme, but it's most def a candidate for Rocker U's ' Fan Album' section, but don't worry, names will be withheld to protect the guilty (or the embarassed). And as for 'who those cameras are all pointed at' - too funny! All 3 ladies were our photogs extraordinaire - and after one look at their lenses, I hardly took a shot all weekend ('decided to leave it to the experts). We're still waiting for more of their Treasure Trove of pics! *tapping foot... tapping foot... tapping foot* DebbieF, so glad you're out there cultivating new fans - as you know, that's a subject near and dear to my heart. I took my sons and their sweethearts to a SoCal practice last month, and they were so amazed at the speeds that they travel in such close quarters. It's so cool to see people's reactions to their 'virgin' ST experience. I do hope that we will continue to be fed. We should all let USS, Universal Sports, Andy Gabel, etc., know how much we appreciate ANY effort to bring the sport to the masses. (And if you don't get Universal Sports - call your cable company and tell them you're interested in getting it!)
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Post by skaterswaltz on Dec 31, 2008 16:33:46 GMT -5
BTW - Skaterswaltz, Mtnme and I are all vying for the title of 'jinx', as far as running into Apolo at odd moments. It seems to happen to everyone but the three of us, and it's become a running joke among the GA/OZ group as to which one of us is the true Dark Cloud of Misfortune... it's an unspoken rule in this 'competition' that we don't ride the Skater-Vators without good reason, or engage in lobby or parking lot stake-outs and such, 'cause that would be cheating, and it would skew the final results... any bets as to who will win (or lose, depending on your perspective) Oh, Lori - this is so sad but true. And SOME people are like an Apolo magnet...lucky! But-- hey, it's gotta happen sometime (doesn't it...??!!!). |
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maricorgi
Full Member
I've gone to the dogs.
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Post by maricorgi on Dec 31, 2008 18:09:50 GMT -5
If y'all want to meet folks just do as I do and trail Wags everywhere. She is either unbelievably lucky or very very clever but she meets everyone. Who can forget her having coffee in the SLC Starbucks with the Jamaicanadian?? Personally I have never ridden a skater-vator with anyone of interest.
BTW we had lovely new snow today and I am trying hard to get interested in attending a NYEve party. ugh. Now if there were skater folk there I'd be out in a shot. Happy New Year to you all.. looking forward already to 2009. Go Team USA!
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Post by mtnme on Jan 2, 2009 20:48:09 GMT -5
I can't resist this plug for the Senior Skaters: watch John Diemant blast the competition off the ice for the ummteenth year as the Men's 50-59 age group champion. He just won some sort of world competition in long track in Europe recently. We can't figure out how he just keeps getting faster the older he gets. We also have Tom Carney skating in men's 60-69. Tom just started skating 6 years ago! And Kazumi and I (who started in our 50's) are still poking slowly along in that group, so get on out there ladies. There's no excuse for anyone not to skate if we can  So True SusanG!!! and so I took your advice and went up to the top of Squaw Valley and took a spin!. (I'll post the rest of these photos on the 'where do you live' thread.) apoloohno.proboards92.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=unrelated&thread=900&page=29This rink just screams 'missed opportunity'. It's the only Olympic sized rink for a hundred miles (and often more) in any direction - and they made it an outdoor rink. Great views, but wouldn't it have been awesome if they enclosed it in glass (still get the views) with some bleachers. What an incredible sports venue it would be.... (but noooooooo, Squaw didn't think this rink through and as a result, it's vacant most of the time- which is great when peeps like me want the thing all to themselves!)  But enough about short-sighted, non-planning entities... Back to short track. I figured someone else would post some of Jerry Search's incredible pictures, but since no one else has, (and I'm getting snowed in again today- LOL) I'll do the honors.  Anthony Lobello, Eddie Alvarez and Apolo. Can you believe these freakin' angles??? Eddie is about as close to the ice as he could get without actually falling. Here's a close up.  (JR told us Eddie is an amazing all around athlete, in fact was offered a scholarship for baseball, he is so good. JR said they're just going to be part of Eddie's entourage once he hits the big time! LOL Given how good J.R. has been this year, it might eventually end up the other way around...) Too funny. The wild 500m - round one..... Ohhhhhh Noooooooo, Mr. Bill......  (...or is that Mr. Ohno? mmmmm, that doesn't have quite the same 'ring' to it....)   How did Jordan make it past this mess? I'm still amazed.  ....but everyone else wasn't so lucky....  Flying J.R. ... ouch.   Smashed Apolo....double ouch.  Jordan- the last man standing- Travis picking himself up in the background.  But wait! It's not over yet! In argueably the most bizarre 500m ever raced, we start all over again. (and Jerry has a sense of humor)  (... after seeing that crash - Eddie's rethinking that baseball scholarship....)  OH~NO! (literally) NOT AGAIN!!!    ...smashed Apolo, part deux....  ... followed quickly by smashed Jordan, part one. (Come on guys! We just got Jordan back from the last injury... try not to break him again - OK?)  And Travis takes all.... (and no, this blurry photo isn't Jerry's)  Just a few more shots:  Ryan Leveille didn't make the team this time around, but he does have moments of brilliance.  Anthony didn't make the team either, but not for lack of trying. Apolo in front, Anthony coming up on Eddie on the inside. |
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sk8er
Full Member
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Post by sk8er on Jan 2, 2009 22:48:00 GMT -5
Thanks for Jerry's pix and the background info. I didn't know anything about Eddie and JR just gets cuter On my knees! I hurt for Apolo. I hope they have extra padding over what comes in the skinsuits, unless they have more than the VO2 Max suits had. Even compression pads won't save ya from pain at those speeds. Poor Apolo....the real miracle is that he's never been badly hurt. Or hurt badly enough to take him out of competition for any time. I don't know what's going on with him this year. Bubblebuttsbabe would probably agree that he's never had a season like this since 2002. I'm SO glad to see Jordan back on the team. He's won my heart with his own gutsy skating.....his Mom said he had a horrendous injury in Europe on the inline circuit before he started shorttrack. They basically had to put his jaw back together and more. The guy knows no fear. I'm also hoping Jeff Simon can get in some recovery time. Soft tissue injuries are much longer to heal than fractures, and the last thing a young person needs (or anyone) is problems with the discs in their back. On the other hand anyone with an ounce of sense wouldn't be out there doing such a difficult and dangerous sport! Thanks everyone for the comments and insights. More rain coming your way today mtme....it was very foggy and rainy in the Bay Area today. SusanG |
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Post by skaterswaltz on Jan 2, 2009 23:36:35 GMT -5
Mtnme - thank you for posting Jerry's "Bowling for Skaters" pictures. It was hard enough watching it happen - it's so painful seeing it in "stop motion." These guys really are "men of steel." Someone had mentioned how Rusty kept telling Apolo, "Don't leave the ice!" while they were deliberating what to do...and I saw footage of this picture and the referee was trying to physically back Apolo off the ice and Apolo was standing his ground/ice. Man - they are just nose-to-nose! Wow - what drama that day. You go Apolo!!! |
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Post by chla22 on Jan 3, 2009 0:01:29 GMT -5
WOW...Thanks for all the new pics....  I needed a dose of ST and that helped. Happy New Year to all of you. Maybe this next year I can meet you all at one of the competitions! Really enjoyed reading all about your adventures!!  |
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Post by gasp on Jan 3, 2009 0:19:20 GMT -5
Bowling for Skaters--too funny!
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Post by aao2010 on Jan 3, 2009 3:20:56 GMT -5
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Post by A.O.Freak on Jan 3, 2009 10:13:15 GMT -5
Beautiful pics AAO,thnx for sharing |
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Post by EnElYaK on Jan 3, 2009 10:35:49 GMT -5
Very nice photos...thanks for sharing!
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Post by LurkerB5 on Jan 3, 2009 12:21:30 GMT -5
Thanks for Jerry's pix and the background info. I didn't know anything about Eddie and JR just gets cuter On my knees! I hurt for Apolo. I hope they have extra padding over what comes in the skinsuits, unless they have more than the VO2 Max suits had. Even compression pads won't save ya from pain at those speeds. Poor Apolo....the real miracle is that he's never been badly hurt. Or hurt badly enough to take him out of competition for any time. I don't know what's going on with him this year. Bubblebuttsbabe would probably agree that he's never had a season like this since 2002. SusanG I wonder if it's because he's been working on changing some fundamentals like he talked about in some early season interviews. For figure skating, when a skater changes their jumping technique "they" (ie thingy Buttons, Peggy Flemming) say it's a 2 year process, and it's really pretty ugly in the first year because the old technique has been broken down, but the new technique isn't there yet. I know they are vastly different sports. but I wonder if the re-training takes as long and is as difficult... |
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Post by mtnme on Jan 3, 2009 13:02:36 GMT -5
GREAT photos aao2010. Whoa! Talk about 'input overload'! LOL. Ya might want to ration us a bit on all those great photos...remember, we're gonna have a bit of a drought for awhile. Throw out a few at a time...just so we don't break down into a complete withdrawal ...  As far as them being blurry... you need a little more practice to really and truly achieve THIS level of artistic (?) blurriness.  forget about recognizing WHO it is.... when it reaches the level of not even necessarily recognizing WHAT it is - NOW you've really got the art of the blurry photo down. (...I may still be the undisputed master of this. LOL) ....but hey, keep practicing!
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~Lori
