2008 Nationals, St. Louis, Dec 19-21

[debbief]

Here is an article about Apolo and the event in St. Louis this weekend:

Top skater Ohno learned to live meaningful life
Column By STEVE PORTER
The Telegraph
December 17, 2008 - 5:08PM
Let's skate. That'll be the directive for all participants this week in Chesterfield, Mo. Bring on the ice, but hold the sleet and snow.

The U.S. Short Track Championships run today through Sunday at the Hardee's Iceplex and the event showcases some of the country's top speed skaters. It's something akin to roller derby - minus the muscling. rolling and tumbling - on frozen water.

Ohno? Oh yes!

Two-time Olympic gold medal champion Apolo Anton Ohno leads a pack of talented skaters vying to represent the U.S. in World Cup matches and the 2009 World Championships. It's an array of show-stoppers.

"We want this event to elevate the awareness of short track speedskating in the St. Louis area," said Russ Owen, president of the Missouri Speedskating Association.

Anne Parker of the local organizing committee added: "Speedskating is a very family-oriented sport and this event is a premier one."

Ohno, 26, and a five-time medalist, beings that kind of regal attention to the skating. He's the reigning U.S. short track speed skating championship and has been King of the Ice since 2001.
"He never fades," fellow skater Ryan Bedford said. "We're all trying to get to where he is."

Yet not necessarily where he once was - out of control. Ohno once carried on like a problem child. He freely admits drifting away from skating and floating toward contemporaries involved with drugs, theft and violence.

"This sport helped me build my character to make good choices," Ohno said Wednesday. "I didn't have any direction and I thought I was free to do anything."

The Seattle native, son of an American mother (Jerrie Lee) and a Japanese-born father (Yuki), started skating 15 years ago. He won several events, but then took on the personality of a reckless punk.

You might call him a composite of Josh Hamilton and Keith Richards. Been there, done that. And lived to tell his tale.

"I kept going down a path where I did whatever I wanted to do," Ohno said.

His father finally coaxed him into joining the Lake Placid, N.Y., Olympic Training Center for full-time preparation in short track speed skating. It wasn't an easy conversion.

Ohno reluctantly agreed to train and his commitment to the program bordered on lukewarm. However, his enthusiasm heated up when was good enough at age 14 to win a national speed skating championship.

Yet that didn't automatically lead to the happy ending of his story. Ohno vividly remembers the turbulent times.

In short, Ohno excelled as the youngest-ever U.S. short-track speed skating champion, but after returning home to Seattle, he reverted to his former ways. Overweight and under-trained, Ohno finished last in the trials for the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.

"I was devastated," he said.

Yuki refused to give up on his son. He decided tough love would either make or break Apolo Anton.
"My dad drove me to a remote cabin in Iron Springs, Wash., told me to think about speed-skating and what to do with my life," Ohno said previously. "He left me there (with provisions) for eight days."

Ohno, upset and bewildered, slowly began to take stock of his life. "I realized that unless I'd straighten up, I would end up like some of friends."

Since neither jail nor death appealed to him, he chose a third alternative - training. Ohno initiated a commitment to skating and vowed to become dominant in the sport by feverishly working at it.
He hasn't backed away from that pledge and intends to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver.

"I feel like I've been blessed with a gift," Ohno said. "Hopefully, I can lead this young team. It's an honor to have people looking up at me," he said.

It's better than having them look down at him.

"I always keep it with me," he said of those teen troubles. "It has made me who I am today. All of it is true - absolutely. But it has helped me to adapt to different situations."

He's passing on the message. "I speak a lot to (troubled) kids and it's easy to relate to them," he said.

Lesson learned. It's one that has been taught through the ages. Don't discard your talent, whatever the gift. It'll always define you.

OUT AND ABOUT: Skate-in time trials unfold this afternoon, then resume Friday morning. Competition in the 1,500-meters starts Friday night.

At noon Saturday, skaters will go at it in the 500-meters. Come Sunday, action begins at 10 a.m. in the 1,000-meters and 3,000-meters. There will also be relay competition sprinkled into the mix of things...

.....Jeffrey Simon, Travis Jayner, Charles Ryan Leveille, Ryan Bedford, Champaign native Katherine Reutter, Allison Baver, Lana Gehrning, Alyson Dudek and Mary Grace are some of the other featured skaters...

.....Ticket prices start at $5 for each session and are available by calling [phone]. Fans can also purchase tickets at the Iceplex each day of the championships.

[gasp]

Mtnme said:

As Gasp and Breidy found out the hard way last year, make sure you bring some boots with tread on them. It's really icy here, and as Susie said, they're expecting freezing rain tomorrow. No need for anyone to end up on their tail because of slippery shoes.

Gasp says: Excuse me Mtnme. If I had landed on my tail the need for trained medical professionals would have been averted. But alas.....

LOL at my own expense and stupidity. Never wear your "airport" shoes until you KNOW you are truly headed to the airport.

Everybody have a great time.

[musicalmom]

Safe travels to all of you going to Nationals this weekend! I'll be joining you in mind and spirit if not in body...Peri wrote me that coverage will be by Universal Sports which likely means I"ll be blocked from seeing it since I'm in Canada...She said she'd ask but that they have no say...hopefully, the flashing numbers will still be available...hoping those with video access will write good descriptive reports to add to the flashing numbers. Would be much appreciated by those of us north of the border

Glad to see you're all planning on dressing warmly and wearing good boots. No crash pads in the stands Be safe and have
a rousing good time...I'll be cheering from up here in snowy Vancouver.
(yes , we've had a few inches this week and it's quite cold..lots of black ice...very unusual this early in the season...but quite beautiful.) MUSICAL MOM

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Fans' guide to the U.S. Short Track Championships at Hardee's Iceplex
By Kathleen Nelson
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
12/18/2008

Watching from the comfort of one's living room, short track speed skating appears akin to NASCAR, right down to the explanation for the bumping and crashing.

"That's racing," Carl Edwards said with that impish grin, after knocking himself, teammate Greg Biffle and rival Dale Earnhardt Jr. out of the championship at Talledega.

"That's short track," Apolo Anton Ohno or Allison Baver might say after a fall on the final lap of the 1,500 meters of the U.S. Short Track Championships this weekend at Hardee's Iceplex.

St. Louisans have a chance to appreciate firsthand the speed, strategy and bumping. The action happens fast, so if you come prepared, you stand a better chance of keeping up. Following are a few basics to help.

SURFACE

An Olympic-sized hockey rink, 30 by 60 meters, or about 98 feet by 196 feet. One lap around the rink is about 111.12 meters, or about 364 feet. The inner boundary is marked by a series of blocks. Like long track skaters, short trackers prefer a hard ice surface. Figure skaters prefer softer ice.

SPEED

The world record in the 500 meters is 41.051 seconds, roughly 29 mph, in that tight little circle.

QUALIFYING FORMAT

Skaters race nine laps against the clock, two at a time, starting at opposite ends of the oval. The 16 skaters with the fastest times advance and are seeded based on time.

EVENTS

Qualifying skaters advance to individual events of 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters. Men will race a 5,000-meter relay, women a 3,000-meter relay.

RACE FORMAT

Determining the overall champion is all about points and the pack.

The final 16 will race pack-style, four to six at a time, depending on the event. Though the races seem chaotic, skaters often have a strategy. Some set a fast pace to tire opponents. Others sit in the pack and launch a kick in the final laps.

The top two in each heat advance in the A bracket, the remainder to B and C brackets. Competitors in the A final will earn more points for their finishing position than the skaters in the B and C races.

After the races are completed Sunday, each skater's points will be totaled, based on his or her finish in each race.

INTERNATIONAL SELECTION

U.S. Speedskating is using the nationals to select its representatives at the World Cup events in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Dresden, Germany, in February, the world championships in Vienna and world team championships in the Netherlands, both in March. Skaters placing first in an event will earn a berth on the World Cup team. The remaining World Cup spots will be filled based on the overall final classification in descending order of the selection competition.

The top five overall contenders will qualify for the world championships and world team event.

COMMON INFRACTIONS

On-ice officials have their hands full watching the competitors. The following infractions lead to disqualification:

1. Intentionally pushing, obstructing or colliding with another racer calls for the offender's disqualification.

2. Improperly crossing the course, known as cross tracking, in attempt to block an opponent.

3. Kicking a skate across the line to finish first.

4. A second false start.

FALLS

The pack style of racing in close quarters inevitably leads to falls. A competitor who falls isn't disqualified, though he or she has little chance to come back and win the race. Skaters can still place well in the final classification with strong finishes in the other events.

- - - - - -

Have fun, everyone! Travel safe! :]

[sk8on]

Just some info on today's 'skate-in'...

3 qualify for time trials in US meet

ST. LOUIS (AP) Ryan Bedford led a trio of qualifiers on a light opening day at the U.S. Short Track Speedskating championships Thursday.

Bedford, a member of the national long track team from Midland, Mich., was one of six skaters participating in individual time trials. Walter Rusk of Corona, Calif., and Carly Wilson of Jefferson City, Mo., also beat the qualifying standard.

Skaters were timed over nine laps on the Olympic hockey-size surface at the Hardee's Ice Plex, a former training site for the NHL's St. Louis Blues. Bedford had a time of 1:28.147, Rusk was timed in 1:30.806 and Wilson, a member of the U.S. national short track training program, was timed in 1:36.976.

Those three join an exclusive field of 26 men and 21 women, which will be whittled down to 16 men and 16 women during time trials Friday. The qualifiers will compete at 1,500, 500, 1,000 and 3,000 meters, plus a 3,000-meter relay event for men and 1,500-meter relay for women.

The 1,500 is the lone event set for Friday, with the 500 on Saturday and the final three events Sunday. The 3,000 meters is a grueling 27 laps.

The top five finishers in each event qualify for the U.S. team that will skate in the 2009 World Cup and the 2009 World Championships.

Apolo Anton Ohno, a five-time Olympic medalist from Seattle, heads a field that includes the country's top short track skaters. There are four other Olympians in the competition.

The United States has won 12 medals, four of the gold, since short track speed skating became an Olympic event 1992.

cbs13.com/sportswire/22.0.html?type=national&serviceLevel=t&category=s&filename=SPE--ShortTrackChampi.xml

[aaosmts19]

Dear USS Members,


Starting Friday, December 19, make sure to visit the USS website (www.usspeedskating.org) to watch a webcast of the 2009 U.S. Short Track Championships in St. Louis, MO. The schedule for the event is as follows (times are for the central time zone):

Friday, December 19: 9:40 a.m.-- Ladies Time Trial
11:54 a.m.--Men's Time Trial
7:00 p.m.--Ladies and Men's 1500m

Saturday, December 20: Noon--Ladies and Men's 500m

Sunday, December 21: 10:00 a.m.--Ladies and Men's 1000m, 3000m and relays









--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peri Kinder

U.S. Speedskating
5662 South 4800 West
Kearns, UT 84118
phone [phone]
fax [phone]
[e-mail]
www.usspeedskating.org

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Jefferson City skater Carly Wilson advances in U.S. Short Track Nationals
By Kathleen Nelson
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
12/19/2008

CHESTERFIELD — Carly Wilson performed her solo act Thursday at the Hardee's Iceplex.

Surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids had kept Wilson out of competition this fall, meaning she had to qualify to get into this week's U.S. Short Track Championships. As fate would have it, she was the only woman who needed to qualify, and she finished nine laps in 1 minute, 36.9 seconds, comfortably within the time needed to advance to this morning's time trials. The top 16 from the time trial then advance to the event heats and finals, today through Sunday.

"This just gives me more confidence that I'll do well this weekend," said Wilson, a native of Jefferson City. "I got a feel for the ice before it really counts."

The solo performance was more akin to figure skating than the crowded world of short track speedskating, in which four to six skaters compete against one another at a time. Wilson, in fact, started as a figure skater through third grade until switching ice sports.

"My brother played hockey, and I chased him everywhere," she said. "One of his friends was a speed skater and saw me skate and said I should try it because I was so fast. The technique came naturally. I was blessed, in that respect."

Her curse was that she also was a natural soccer player at Jefferson City High, earning all-district and all-region honors. So through high school, Wilson maintained a dual identity. As a member of the Jefferson City Speed Skating Club, she competed "in every meet, every year here." The club had just two hours of ice time a week at home, so Wilson traveled to St. Louis to train "every weekend I wasn't playing soccer."

She spent the first half of her senior year training in the national program in Marquette, Mich., competing in the 3,000-meter relay at the world championships. She then returned to Jefferson City for her senior year of soccer. The Jays qualified for the state tournament before falling to Nerinx Hall in the opening round.

"Until I graduated, I asked myself, 'Will it be soccer or skating?'" she said. "I liked them both a lot."

She decided to stick with skating, which worked pretty well for a time. Wilson finished second at the 2005 U.S. junior championships and fourth at the senior nationals. She then skated on the relay team that finished fifth at the world championships. Yet she walked away from the 2006-07 season.

"I wasn't happy where I was," she said. "My mind was all over the place. I even thought about college and going back to soccer. But without that break, I wouldn't be where I am now."

Wilson returned refreshed for the 2007-08 season and moved to the training center in Salt Lake City. After competing in the fall world cup events, she finished fifth overall at last year's nationals, qualifying for the remaining world cup events and the world championships.

Late last season, however, Wilson began having breathing problems, exacerbated by the hours on the ice, and had to have the surgery.

The stops and starts in her skating career seem to have made Wilson, 22, more patient. She said she would love to place in the top five here, which would secure a spot in the world cup events in February and world championships in March. But she'd be pleased to take a few steps forward, as long as her momentum keeps her pointed toward Vancouver, site of the 2010 Winter Games.

"With everything that set me back, the Olympics are my real focus," she said. "Anything else is just extra."

Ice chips: Also advancing from the skate-in to the time trials were Ryan Bedford of Midland, Mich., and Walter Rusk of Corona, Calif.

PHOTO:



- - - - - -

Speed skating: Malone tries to skate back into top form
11:24 PM CST on Thursday, December 18, 2008
By Todd Jorgenson / Sports Editor

Strong results would be a measure of redemption for Jordan Malone this weekend.

Beginning today, the Denton native will compete at the U.S. Short Track Speedskating Championships in St. Louis looking to rebound from a recent string of injuries and from a subpar showing at nationals a year ago.

For Malone, the meet will launch an important season that leads into the U.S. Olympic Trials in September. Malone’s long-term goal is a spot on the U.S. squad that will compete in Vancouver.

“This is the important one besides the Olympic trials,” Malone said. “It is much bigger for me.”

Malone, 24, said he feels strong after rehabilitating a broken foot suffered while jogging in August, which came on the heels of hip surgery in April and nose surgery over the summer. He was forced to wear a walking cast and was unable to skate for two months, though he stayed in shape by cycling.

“It was really hard,” Malone said. “I couldn’t do anything, but I was really anxious to be out there.”

Eventually, Malone began training with a club skating team in Virginia, and competed for the first time this season at an American Cup meet in Cleveland in early November, where he won three of four events.

“I showed that I was ready to compete at the World Cup level, and that’s what I wanted to do,” said Malone, who switched over from inline racing to short track about five years ago. He now spends most of his time in Salt Lake City, where he trains at the U.S. team headquarters.

The American Cup meet, however, did not feature the top six skaters in the country, making the U.S. Championships his first chance to compete against the top U.S. skaters, including two-time Olympic gold medalist Apolo Anton Ohno, in almost a year.

The stakes also are high this weekend because it is the only opportunity for Malone to qualify for spring World Cup meets in Bulgaria and Germany, and for the World Championships in March.

Last year, Malone did not qualify for any individual events at Worlds after suffering through a series of bad breaks and questionable officiating decisions at nationals. He raced for the U.S. as part of the relay team at Worlds instead.

“I skated well last year. I was in position to be in the top three but I wound up fifth,” he said. “It’s part of the sport, and I just have to accept that.”

One key for Malone in the upcoming season is to avoid the types of injuries that have plagued his career.

He missed out on a chance to compete at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, because of an ankle injury. In 2003, Malone bounced back from severe head and ankle injuries to win a world inline title.

Malone said he is confident heading into this weekend, when he will compete in five events at various distances in three days. He said he has improved his strength and technique since last season despite the late start to the season.

A top-five finish would place Malone back on the U.S. World Cup team for the spring season and would give him momentum heading into the Olympic Trials.

“This is the last chance to show your guns before the big one comes around,” Malone said. “I’ve got everything in my sights. I know what I need to do, and I’m pretty sure I can do it.”

- - - - - -

Welcome back, Carly and Jordan! Good Luck!

GOOOOOOO JORDAN! ;D

[gasp]

I Agree BBB--go Jordan-- Glad to see he is getting some local press from his hometown.

[olympia]

don't know if this has been posted over here--don't see it---great interview --courtesy of a Hawaii fan I know but I think it originated in St Louis

www.ksdk.com/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=162849&catid=6

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Champaign's Reutter glad to be skating in St. louis
Comments 0 | Recommend 0
December 18, 2008 - 11:54 PM
By STEVE PORTER
The Telegraph

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - Katherine Reutter takes pride and pleasure in competing at this weekend's U.S. Short Track Speedskating Championships.

The Champaign native said the four-day event, which concludes Sunday at the Hardee's Iceplex, is something special. It's close to her heart.

"It means a lot to me to skate here because I feel like I'm skating at home. It's a comfortable experience because I trained in Champaign," said Reutter, 20 and now a Salt Lake City resident.

It doesn't matter much where Reutter skates - she seems to be successful at about every venue. Reutter has dominated the U.S. competition the past two years in winning the 2007-08 Senior Ladies championship. Three years ago, she was the Junior National champ.

She participated in skate in, nine-lap time trials here Thursday and will race in time trials today. Female competitors hit the ice at 9:40 this morning. The men follow them at about noon. Then it'll be 1,500-meters skating for both, beginning at 7 tonight.

On Saturday, both men and women will partake in 500-meters action, starting at noon. Sunday's competition features 1,000-meters at 10 a.m. and 3,000-meters about 1 p.m. Men and women's relay events will cap the skating activities.

Tickets are available for the remaining sessions. Prices start at $5. Call [phone] or purchase tickets at the Iceplex.
Californian Jeffrey Simon, 19, a silver medalist at the 2007 World Junior Championships, said the nature of this week's competition is fierce.

"We're all out there to compete and do well. It's an individual sport," Simon said. "But we all remain close friends off the ice."

Allison Baver, 28, the 2007 U.S. Short Track champion, said the individuality of the sport makes it appealing. She has skated on four U.S. World Cup teams and earned a spot on a pair of Olympic squads.
"Everybody's situation is a little different," she added. "But we are all motivated to do better. I know I'm not satisfied with just being on the last Olympic team. I want to be on the next one."

Separating the quality competitors is no easy task. Just as Russ Owen, president of the Missouri Speedskating Association. He said there's a thin line between them.
"This event is about tremendous athletes with lot of talent," he said. "You have some of the top athletes in the world in action here."

Anne Parker of the Missouri group said St. Louis is a natural place to play host to a major speedskating event.

"You have three (skating) clubs in Missouri and two of them are here," Parker said. "What we try to do is incorporate the skaters and their families into the club."

That's all the more reason to make speedskating a part of the assorted two-state sports package delivering national championship-caliber events. Hockey, wrestling and basketball have set up shop in St. Louis in recent years.

"This is a class event," Parker said. "We haven't had something like this here since the World Team Championships in 1999."

Chris Weaver, head of the U.S. Speedskating Association, said it'll be fun by the time this weekend's finals are in full swing.

"You'll have new national champions in both the male and female competition," he said.
Apolo Anton Ohno, the face of speedskating and its most prolific winner, put it this way:
"The goal is to get to Vancouver (for the 2010 Olympic competition) and beyond," he said. "There are a lot of expectations."

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Dec 19, 2008 2:14:41 GMT -5 olympia said:

don't know if this has been posted over here--don't see it---great interview --courtesy of a Hawaii fan I know but I think it originated in St Louis

www.ksdk.com/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=162849&catid=6

thanks olympia! that was a cute interview. :]

[epiphaniii]

Thank you for sharing the information about the broadcast with everyone, Gasp and Aaosmts19.

Is anyone able to view it right now? I have been trying since about ten minutes before the reported start time (9:40 AM Central), but am just getting a black screen with no sound. I have been able to view their broadcasts in the past and am using the same computer I used then. I don't know if it's my computer or if they just haven't started yet.

[chla22]

I haven't been able to get any broadcast either!! I am wondering if they are going to start at 7:00 pm and not broadcast the time trials.......I hope not. I want to watch!!

[sk8on]

Dec 19, 2008 11:33:33 GMT -5 chla22 said:

I haven't been able to get any broadcast either!! I am wondering if they are going to start at 7:00 pm and not broadcast the time trials.......I hope not. I want to watch!!

I'm at work now so was wondering if the blank screen was on my computer's end...guess not. Peri's e-mail said the webcast was supposed to begin this morning at 10 central---so the webcam should be working...

[epiphaniii]

Thanks for confirming that it's not just on my end, ladies. I hope we're all able to see something soon.