U.S. JR ST Champs/World Team Trials - 11/14-11/16

[bubblebuttsbabe]

I figured I might as well make a thread since there will probably be more articles on this and I will have no idea where to post them, so...

First off - the skaters.

Female
Eleanor Poore 10/20/2008 11:58:13 AM
Jerebelle Yutangco 10/20/2008 5:42:05 PM
Lana Gehring 10/22/2008 11:22:51 AM ;D
Lillian Swarts 10/23/2008 5:42:51 PM
Lauren Ziegelmayer 10/24/2008 7:27:52 AM
Shelby Comeau 10/27/2008 5:49:48 PM
Alyson Dudek 10/28/2008 7:39:51 AM ;D
Taylor Grefsheim 10/28/2008 6:31:19 PM ;D
Katherine Ralston 10/31/2008 8:21:22 PM
Melissa Dziadosz 11/1/2008 11:07:04 AM
Chloe Chepigin 11/3/2008 6:08:38 AM
Kelsey Schiel 11/3/2008 6:43:12 AM
Alexis Burkholder 11/3/2008 7:08:57 AM
Elizabeth Looby 11/3/2008 9:24:51 AM
Rachel Stewart 11/3/2008 10:41:00 AM
Andrea Dehnke 11/3/2008 3:49:54 PM
Melanie Bradley 11/4/2008 10:12:46 AM
Juhee Kim 11/4/2008 10:19:55 AM
Juhee Kim 11/4/2008 10:19:55 AM
Boston Shields 11/4/2008 10:39:45 AM
Elizabeth Hauser 11/4/2008 2:48:27 PM
Maddie Watton 10/3/2008 12:08:29 PM
Petra Acker 10/6/2008 4:01:28 AM
Alaina Fiorenza 10/6/2008 11:19:39 AM
Katie Welsh 10/7/2008 6:57:31 PM
Mary Grace 10/8/2008 10:39:33 AM ;D
Kathleen Russell 10/8/2008 5:38:19 PM ;D
Lydia Conaway 10/9/2008 4:00:46 PM
Morgan Izykowski 10/9/2008 5:37:26 PM ;D
Rachel Skrocki 10/12/2008 6:12:11 PM
Sarah Burg 10/14/2008 8:11:23 AM ;D
Tamara Frederick 10/14/2008 7:26:37 PM ;D
Kendal Pumphrey 10/15/2008 4:17:03 PM
Vicky Labourdette 10/15/2008 4:22:08 PM
Erin Bartlett 10/16/2008 5:55:10 PM ;D
Sarah Lehman 10/20/2008 8:31:42 AM

Male
Matthew Rittenhouse 9/28/2008 10:36:42 AM
Casey Mullarkey 9/29/2008 6:49:25 AM
Julian Wood 9/29/2008 4:25:32 PM ;D
Patrick Choi 9/30/2008 11:23:11 AM
Simon Cho 9/30/2008 9:55:12 PM ;D
Daniel Fiorenza 10/6/2008 11:17:38 AM ;D
Kyle Uyehara 10/7/2008 2:12:45 PM ;D
J.R. Celski 10/14/2008 7:41:29 PM ;D
Barry Winslow 10/16/2008 2:08:24 PM ;D
Ian Quinn 10/17/2008 8:04:45 AM
Eduardo Alvarez 10/17/2008 12:35:07 PM
Eric Peckham 10/18/2008 2:59:20 PM
Robert Lawrence 10/20/2008 12:02:31 PM ;D
Andrew Astalos 10/22/2008 4:28:58 AM
Joshua Cummings 10/26/2008 4:44:09 PM
Benjamin Gertner 10/27/2008 2:50:06 PM
David Gertner 10/27/2008 2:52:47 PM
Luke Tweddale 10/27/2008 3:18:40 PM
Alexander Hopp 10/28/2008 4:00:10 PM
Lucas Grefsheim 10/28/2008 6:41:37 PM
Matthew Ferguson 10/29/2008 12:10:55 PM
Thomas Bernacki 10/31/2008 9:45:29 AM
Jonathan Sermeno 11/2/2008 4:16:06 PM ;D
Mitchell Conley 11/3/2008 9:25:11 AM
Kyle Haun 11/3/2008 9:31:57 AM
Joshua Burton 11/3/2008 10:28:22 AM
James Rodowsky 11/3/2008 10:33:14 AM
Landon Hatfield 11/3/2008 11:07:07 AM
Michael Burdekin 11/3/2008 11:17:23 AM
Walter Rusk 11/3/2008 11:59:47 AM ;D
Claude Gilbert 11/3/2008 3:41:36 PM
Gregory Bliss 11/3/2008 3:53:06 PM
Nathaniel Green 11/3/2008 6:46:22 PM
Cole Krueger 11/3/2008 7:29:49 PM
John-Henry Krueger 11/3/2008 7:39:25 PM
Brett Perry 11/3/2008 10:27:38 PM
Cody Young 11/3/2008 10:32:28 PM

*Schedule hasn't been posted yet.

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Second - Articles.

Top women ready to battle for World Team spots
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
By MIKE SPENCER
[e-mail] | 895-3541

Lana Gehring, Aly Dudek and Mary Grace - three senior members on the American women's speedskating team - will battle each other for the top honor in the U.S. Junior Short Track Speedskating Championship/World Team Trials in Bay City this weekend.

Gehring is the defending women's champ. Dudek was runner-up a year ago and Grace, who did not compete in the junior nationals last November, is recovering nicely from a broken left ankle.

''Depending on whether or not anything odd happens, the girls side could turn out to be a real battle for No. 1 and No. 4 spots,'' said Al Izykowski, Bay County Speedskating Club president and meet director. ''But Aly and Lana have been clearly a notch above the rest of the field thus far.

''Nonetheless, all of the others have made significant gains since last year and the race is definitely on.''

Two Bay County skaters - Morgan Izykowski and Rachel Skrocki - also will be in the mix for the four World team spots up for grabs along with Vicky LaBourdette, of Salt Lake City, Utah; Erin Bartlett, of Lakewood, Ohio; and Tamara Frederick, of Park Ridge, Ill. Iyzkowski finished sixth last year and Skrocki was seventh.

A year ago, Gehring swept the first three events and claimed the 1,000-meter time trial on her way to the Junior title.

''I'm pretty excited about the nationals and racing in Bay City again,'' Gehring said. ''I've known Aly and Mary all my life and I'm glad to see that we're still at the top.

''Hopefully, we'll all make the Junior team and have a strong showing in the World Cup."

An illness caused the 18-year-old Gehring to start the season ''rough,'' but ''I am a lot stronger now than I was last year and hopefully I'll continue to get better,'' she said.

Although the Glenview, Ill., skater has fared well in all events - the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters - her best could be the 1,000.

''I feel a lot better in the 1,000,'' Gehring said. ''My endurance has come a long ways since I moved out to Salt Lake City to train.''

Dudek, 18, of Hales Corner, Wis., kept Gehring from sweeping the Junior Championships a year ago. She skated off with the finale, the Super 1,500s.

''I've never won a Junior championship,'' said Dudek, who was in second place in the regular 1,500 when she hit a turning block and fell out of the mix. ''I'm going to try my hardest.

''Lana and Mary and I have been training together and are going to be each other's competition. It's going to be difficult to win, but it's short track and anything can happen.''

Dudek recently set a new personal best in the 1,000, 1 minute, 31.7 seconds. She also has had good times in the 500 (44.5) and 1,500 (2:24).

''All the races so far this year have gone well,'' Dudek said. ''But the 500 is probably my favorite.

''Ever since I started training in Salt Lake City, I'm skating better.''

Grace, who broke her ankle just before the U.S. Championships/World Team Trials last year, is eager to make a World team.

''The goal is just to get on the team,'' Grace said. ''I'd love to win the title, but that would just be a bonus.''

Grace, 17, expects it'll be a three-legged race to the title between Gehring, Dudek and herself.

''It's going to be a good competition and I'm not trying to be mean to anyone, but it's going to come down to Lana, Aly or me.''

Grace's strong suit is expected to be in the longer races.

''I'm not a sprinter. I like the distance races,'' Grace said. ''The 1,000 and 1,500 are my favorite races.''

- - - - - -

That's some confidence. I like it! ;D

- - - - - -

SPEED ON ICE
Monday, November 10, 2008
By Mike Spencer
[e-mail] | 895-3541

J.R. Celski has a target on his back heading into the U.S. Short Track Speedskating Championships/World Team Trials that begin Friday at the Bay County Civic Arena.

Not only is the 18-year-old phenom from Federal Way, Wash., the defending men's champ, he's one of the nation's elite senior team members.

Last month, Celski was on the winning American 5,000 meter relay squad in World Cup II in Vancouver, British Columbia.

''It's been a good season so far and hopefully it will get better,'' said Celski, a fifth-year speedskater who earned his spot on the senior World Cup Team by placing third in the American Cup I event in Minneapolis, Minn., in September.

Celski, who swept all the events a year ago while winnning the U.S. Junior Championships in Bay City, is fourth in the 1,500 and 10th in the 1,000 afer two Senior World Cups.

''I like the 1,500 event more than the others,'' said Celski, whose personal bests are 2 minutes, 13.4 seconds in the 1,500, 1:25.4 in the 1,000 and 42.5 in the 500. ''I'm more of a distance skater and I just find it easier to race.

''I've still got work to do on the 500, but it's starting to come around.''

Celski is hoping to follow a path similar to America's most famous short track speedskater, Apolo Anton Ohno, who also grew up in Washington state.

Just like Ohno, an Olympic gold medalist, Celski was a natural on inline skates and switched to the ice.

''When Apolo made the transition to ice, I thought maybe I could do that, too,'' Celski said.

Since he stepped onto the short track, Celski has fared well. He's made three other junior world teams.

If he's one of the top three skaters at the end of Sunday, he'll be on his fourth junior team and headed to Sherbrooke, Quebec on Jan. 9-11.

Celski, who was too young to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, expects some tough competition from California's Kyle Uyehara and Walt Rusk, who placed second and third in last year's Junior Championship, and South Carolina's Robert Lawrence and Midland's Barry Winslow, who were among the top five last year.

Also among the elite men are Simon Cho, 17, Laurel, Md., and Eddie Alvarez, Miami, Fla.

''Many of the skaters participating here will ultimately develop into world-class athletes and someday realize their own Olympic dreams,'' said Al Izykowski, Bay County Speedskating Club president and meet director.

Friday's competition will consist of 1,000-meter qualifying time trials that determine the fastest 16 men and women who will advance into the U.S. Junior Championships, which will have feature the 1,500 and 500 races Saturday and the 1,000 and Super 1,500 on Sunday.

''This is the only time in short track speed skating when skaters race against the clock and not against one another,'' Izykowski said.

''The time trials are important, but it's just for seeding in the top 16,'' said Celski, who recently moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to train with other U.S. Speedskating team members. ''But I'd love to win the title again because you get a chance to move on and skate in international competition.

''And some of those skaters have proven to best Olympic medal winners.''

Rusk, who trains with a private coach in Corona, Calif., and Winslow, who trains at the Olympic Training Center in Marquette, could be two of Celski's toughest challengers.

''Things have been going very good,'' said Rusk, who has recovered nicely from a chipped left ankle bone and the 26 stitches he got from a fall in the finals of the 500 at the American Cup. ''I'm looking for some good times.''

Rusk, who picked up some valuable international experience by making the Junior World team last year, is more of a sprinter.

''My favorite race is the 500,'' Rusk said. ''It's the most thrilling event that we do.

''It's a tough race, very fast and high energy and high adrenaline.''

Rusk's best time in the 500 is 43.3. He also done a 2:13 in the 1,500 and a 1:28.4 in the 1,000.

''It's very important for me to make this junior team,'' said Rusk, 19. ''It's my last year in juniors and it's another stepping stone to making the Olympic Team in 2010.

''But it won't be easy. There are a lot of tough competitors.''

Winslow, 18, missed a shot last year to make his first Junior team and is looking for redemption. He was third heading into the final two events and was disqualified in both.

''This is definitely one of the biggest meets of the year for me,'' said Winslow, who has been skating competitively since he was 8. ''I'd like to be one of the top guys going to the worlds, but the competition is ridiculous.

''It's like there's a large group of guys that are dead even.''

Winslow who was disqualified a year ago in the 1,000 and Super 1,500 said the difference between making or not making the world team is so slight.

''It's not just all the conditioning, it's using your head and smarts,'' Winslow said. ''And it's knowing when to set up paces and when to make a move.''

Winslow, second in the 1,000 meter time trial, is hoping to pull a fast one again.

''The trial is extremely important,'' said Winslow, who has a career best 1:28.7 in the 1,000, a 2:20.8 in the 1,500 and a 43.8 in the 500. ''You get half as many points in the trial that you do for a regular race.''

- - - - - -

I already posted this in the Apolo Articles thread, but it works here as well.

[gasp]

This just in:

Qualifiers advance to Jr. world championships

Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 9:51 p.m.


BAY CITY -- America’s future stars of short track speed skating are coming to Bay City. The Bay County Civic Arena in conjunction with U.S. Speed Skating and the Bay County Speedskating Club will be hosting the U.S. Junior Short Track Championships November 14 – 16, 2008. This meet will determine the top 4 men and women who will go on to represent the United States at the World Junior Championship.

This competition features all the best skaters in the U.S. under the age of 19 and is a crucial component in the development of our promising young athletes and the continued success of U.S. Speed Skating at future World Championships and Olympic Games. Many of the skaters participating here will ultimately develop into world-class athletes and someday realize their own Olympic dreams. This event provides us with a unique opportunity to play a role in the realization of those dreams, and to be a part of America’s most successful Winter Olympic sport!

The first day of the competition consists of 1000 meter qualifying time-trials used to determine the fastest 16 men and women who will advance into the U.S. Junior Championships. This is the only time in short track speed skating when skaters race against the clock and not directly against one another. Based on their performance in the time-trial, the top 16 will then be seeded against each other in pack-style races featuring 4 to 6 skaters per race over distances of 1500 meters, 500 meters, and 1000 meters. The skaters must race through qualifying heats, semi-finals, and ultimately the finals for each distance. The skaters earn points in descending value from first place through last for their finish in the final of each distance. Upon completion of the final event, the skater’s points are tallied up determining the U.S. Junior Champions and overall rankings 1st through 16th place. The top 4 men and women will go on to represent the United States at the Junior World Championships on January 9 – 11, 2009 in Sherbrooke, Canada.

Short track speed skating is fast, action packed racing with unbelievable passes, dangerous crashes, and dramatic finishes. These racers will reach speeds approaching 30 mph and seemingly defy gravity as they carve the tight corners of the 111meter track. Unlike long track speedskating where just 2 skaters race at once for the best time, this is short track racing where packs of 4 to 6 skaters go head to head from start to finish. It’s like NASCAR on ice!

Did Apolo coin that phrase, "it's like NASCAR on ice"?

[gasp]

...more updates...I recongize a few of these names! LOL

Midland junior speed skaters compete at Jr. Championships
By Midland Daily News
Published: Saturday, November 15, 2008 12:00 AM EST
Four members of the Midland Speed Skating Club competed Friday on day one of the 2009 U.S. Junior Short Track Championships at the Bay County Civic Arena.

The top 12-18-year-olds in the country are vying for the U.S. Junior World Team. The top four females and top four males will compete in the Junior World Championships Jan. 9-11 in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Midland’s Barry Winslow took seventh in the men’s 1000-meter time trial, and Midland’s Brett Perry was 21st.

The top finishers in the time trial were J.R. Celski, last year’s overall champion; Robert Lawrence, Eddy Alvarez and Kyle Uyehara.

On the female side, two Midland skaters advanced to the championship round. Midland’s Kelsey Schiel was 14th and Midland’s Sarah Lehman took the 16th and final position. Top finishers were Lana Gehring, Mary Grace, Alyson Dudek and Vicki Labourdette.

In the 1500-meter competition, Gehring, Grace, Dudek and Labourdette were the top four in the A Final. Schiel and Lehman placed second and fourth, respectively, in the C Final. Two skaters from Bay City who have spent time training in Midland, Rachel Skrocki and Morgan Izykowski, are ranked eighth and ninth after day one.

Winslow won the men’s B final and is seventh overall. Leaders after day one are Celski, Alvarez, Lawrence and Jonathan Sormeno. In the Group 2 men’s competition, Brett Perry finished fourth in the A Final.

Racing continues today with the 500 meter preliminaries and finals and the relay races. Taking place Sunday are the 1000 meter races and the 1500 meter Superfinals.

The top four point finishers after all of the distances have been completed will determine the overall champions and a place on the Jr. World Team.

[mtnme]

Current Standings after day 1. (I haven't seen a live feed for this event, has anyone else?)


2009 US Junior ST Championships
Class Standings- first day

Junior Ladies (group 1)


1 Gehring, Lana

2 Grace, Mary

3 Dudek, Alyson

4 Labourdette, Vicki

5 Bartlett, Erin

6 Acker, Petra

7 Watton, Maddie

8 Skrocki, Rachel

9 Izykowski, Morgan (TRF)

10 Frederick, Tamara

11 Stewart, Rachel

12 Welsh, Katie

13 Ralston, Katherine

14 Schiel, Kelsey

15 Fiorenza, Alaina

16 Lehman, Sarah



Junior Men (group 1)


1 Celski, JR

2 Alvarez, Eduardo

3 Lawrence, Robert

4 Sermeno, Jonathan (TRF Skater)

5 Uyehara, Kyle (TRF Skater)

6 Cho, Simon

7 Winslow, Barry (TRF Skater)

8 Haun, Kyle

9 Krueger, Cole

10 Gertner, David

11 Hatfield, Landon

12 Rodowsky, James

13 Rusk, Walter

14 Gertner, Benjamin

15 Choi, Patrick

16 Fiorenza, Daniel (TRF Skater)

[gasp]

I cant' find a live feed either, Mtnme, and it's not for lack of trying. Wonder if there might be a Canadian resource for that?

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Nov 15, 2008 12:15:37 GMT -5 mtnme said:

Current Standings after day 1. (I haven't seen a live feed for this event, has anyone else?)


2009 US Junior ST Championships
Class Standings- first day

Junior Ladies (group 1)


1 Gehring, Lana

2 Grace, Mary

3 Dudek, Alyson

Mary Grace is psychic! (at least so far! ;D)

Nov 15, 2008 16:43:59 GMT -5 gasp said:

I cant' find a live feed either, Mtnme, and it's not for lack of trying. Wonder if there might be a Canadian resource for that?

I doubt the Canucks have it since it's a USS-sanctioned event.

[susie]

Nov 13, 2008 23:04:11 GMT -5 gasp said:

Short track speed skating is fast, action packed racing with unbelievable passes, dangerous crashes, and dramatic finishes. These racers will reach speeds approaching 30 mph and seemingly defy gravity as they carve the tight corners of the 111meter track. Unlike long track speedskating where just 2 skaters race at once for the best time, this is short track racing where packs of 4 to 6 skaters go head to head from start to finish. It’s like NASCAR on ice!

Did Apolo coin that phrase, "it's like NASCAR on ice"?

I think so, Gasp!

The last time I was at my auto mechanics' shop, I was picking up my car from a repair. A few hours later I would be on the plane to WC #1. They know that I'm a short track fan, and they had been working hard to get my ailing car ready for me to take to the airport. All the guys there are fans of auto-racing , including NASCAR. I was describing short track to them, and I mentioned the "NASCAR on ice" analogy. One mechanic asked, "Are there crashes in ST?" I replied yes, but that no one wants to see a crash happen since the consequences can be so dire. He ruefully replied, "Then it's not like NASCAR."

Thanks for the updates, 3B, Mtnme, and Gasp. The top three ladies and J.R. are not a surprise. It's nice to see TRF skaters performing so well.

[mtnme]

Barry Winslow is in 7th place going into todays competition. He needs to pull himself up in the standings to make the Jr Team. Let's all send him some good vibes for today, along with all The Rocker fund skaters!

[susie]

Thanks to my pal, justsayin, who found this:

Celski, Gehring on way to U.S. Short Track title defense; men's World team in limbo

The Bay City Times
Sunday, November 16, 2008
By Mike Spencer

The women quietly went about fielding their team Saturday to represent the U.S. in the Junior World Championships.

It's all but official - Lana Gehring, Aly Dudek, Mary Grace and Vicki LaBourdette.

The men's squad, however, turned upside-down when its leader got knocked down in the 500 meter final of U.S. Junior Short Track Speedskating Championships/World Team Trials at the Bay County Civic Arena.

Luckily, J.R. Celski, the defending Junior champ, got back up from the hit from behind by Simon Cho on the first lap of the 500 meter A final and went on to win the event after the restart in 43.046 seconds.

''Simon just had so much speed and he didn't know what to do,'' said Celski. ''I was worried, but everything turned out OK.''

Cho, 17, of Laurel, Md. was disqualified and slipped to fifth overall. Only the top four men and women after today's 1,000 and Super 1,500 meter races will make the team that will compete Jan. 9-11 in the Junior World Championships in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

''I was fourth on the line so I was pretty desperate to get up to the front row and I saw an opportunity to pass on the first straightaway, but I came up short,'' said Cho, a 2006 Junior World team member who didn't make the team last year. ''J.R. went real wide on the turn and I couldn't measure my speed to get right behind him.

''Now I've got my work cut out to make the team.''

Celski, with wins in the first two races and the time trial, leads with 2,500 points. Eddie Alvarez, 17, Miami, Fla., and Jon Sermeno, 17, Montabella, Calif., who benefited from Cho's DQ are second (1,920) and third (1,316), respectively.

''I just need to race smart, no dirty passes, avoid disqualification and skate as hard as I can,'' said Sermeno, who was right behind Cho when he ran into Celski. ''I saw Simon on the inside of me and I thought, 'Oh my God! This isn't going to be good.' So I backed off and sure enough they went down. Luckily nobody was hurt.''

South Carolina's Robert Lawrence is fourth (1,250), just ahead of Cho (1,043). California's Kyle Uyehara, a Junior team member last year, is sixth (834)

Midland's Barry Winslow stayed in seventh (721) after winning the B final (2:24.742). Walter Rusk, Corona, Calif., who made the Junior team a year ago, is ninth (522) after winning the C final.

''It's a big race for the final spots,'' said Celski, a senior team member preparing for another World Cup in two weeks in Beijing, China. ''Something is going to happen with everybody fighting for a spot.

''I'm just going to skate like I normally do ... safe and smart.''

In the women's field, Gehring, 18, of Glenview, Ill., just about wrapped up her title defense with a win in the 500 (45.169).

''I was worried about the 500,'' said Gehring, who now has 2,500 points after taking the time trial and the 1,500. ''It's the one race that I was worried about because it's a fast race and if you get a bad line position, anything can happen.

''But I was very happy. I had a good lane position.''

Dudek, Hales Corner, Wis., is second (1,840) overall, followed by Grace (1,760) and LaBourdette (1,188). The trio also finished the 500 in that order behind Gehring.

Bay County speedskaters Morgan Izykowski and Rachel Skrocki started the day in a tough position. They squared off in 500 meter quarterfinal heat that also included defending champ Gehring.

''Morgan and Rachel are kind of getting used to racing against each other, but it's nothing I'll ever want to get used to,'' said Joe Rohraff, Bay County Speedskating Club coach. ''It's hard to say anything.''

Izykowski took second and advanced to the semis, however, Skrocki finished third. Izykowski finished third in the semis and went on to get second in the B final. Skrocki fell in the C final and wound up fourth.

''Morgan and Rachel skated pretty good in their heats, some fast times, but it's pretty hard competition,'' Rohraff said.

The two local skaters have their work cut out today to make the Junior World team. Izykowski is seventh (657) and Skrocki is 10th (459).

''They'll need to get to an A final, that's for sure,'' Rohraff said.

www.mlive.com/sports/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/122683411363060.xml&coll=4&thispage=1

ETA: We'll need to keep an eye on Sherbrooke at the World Jr. Champs. I know that Sherbrooke has put in a bid with SSC to host a World Cup event next season.

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Junior Speedskating Championships continue
By Midland Daily News
Published: Sunday, November 16, 2008 3:23 AM EST

After two days of racing in the 2009 US Junior Short Track Speedskating Championships in Bay City, Midland’s Barry Winslow has his work cut out for him if he hopes to make this year’s Junior World Team.

Winslow, who is a freshman at Northern Michigan University and trains at the US Olympic Education Training Center in Marquette, is in seventh place going into today’s final events, needing to make the top four to qualify for the Junior World Championship team that will compete in January at Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.

In Saturday’s racing, Winslow advanced through the 500 meter quarterfinals only to place third in his semi-final heat. That put him into the B Final, where he placed second. A strong performance in Sunday’s 1000 meter distance would boost his chances to advance to the 1500 meter A Superfinal, which should decide the final outcome.

The top four places are held by JR Celski, Eddy Alvarez, Jonathan Sormeno and Robert Lawrence.

Brett Perry from the Midland Speed Skating Club placed seventh overall in the Men’s Group 2 competition. He placed first in the 500 meter C final on Saturday.

In women’s competition, Midland’s Kelsey Schiel placed second in the 500 meter C Final while Sarah Lehman took first place in the D Final, placing them 13th and 15th overall, respectively, going into today’s final rounds.

Lana Gehring is in first, followed by Alyson Dudek, Mary Grace and Vicki Labourdette.

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Nov 16, 2008 11:24:57 GMT -5 susie said:

The last time I was at my auto mechanics' shop, I was picking up my car from a repair. A few hours later I would be on the plane to WC #1. They know that I'm a short track fan, and they had been working hard to get my ailing car ready for me to take to the airport. All the guys there are fans of auto-racing , including NASCAR. I was describing short track to them, and I mentioned the "NASCAR on ice" analogy. One mechanic asked, "Are there crashes in ST?" I replied yes, but that no one wants to see a crash happen since the consequences can be so dire. He ruefully replied, "Then it's not like NASCAR."

LOL. That's too funny. Not surprising that a Nascar fiend would make a comment like that - I think it makes them feel like it's a manly sport. I don't know about them, but that's the only part of the race that interests me - watching a car go around for 200-something laps at 100 miles an hour with no movement (ie passing) at all...bores me.

[gasp]

Ditto 3B. Grew up with and dated some gear-heads. Street racing is fun. NASCAR bores me.

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Nov 16, 2008 23:56:18 GMT -5 gasp said:

Ditto 3B. Grew up with and dated some gear-heads. Street racing is fun. NASCAR bores me.

Ooo. I've never watched street racing before. My step-dad and his friends enjoy Nascar - they even go to some races. If I have to watch it then I only pay attention to the last ten laps. ;D

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Winslow skates to 7th at Short Track meet
By Midland Daily News
Published: Monday, November 17, 2008 11:44 AM EST

BAY CITY -- Midland's Barry Winslow fell short of making the World Team at the 2009 U.S. Junior Short Track Speedskating Championships Sunday.

Winslow, after falling in his 1,000-meter quarterfinal heat, won the C final and later finished fourth in the 1,500 meter superfinal. But it wasn't enough to garner the necessary points. Winslow finished seventh. The top four placers earned World Team berths.

Making the men's team were J.R. Celski of Federal Way, Washington; California native Jonathan Sormeno; Miami's Eddie Alverez and Robert Lawrence of South Carolina.

The women's team consists of Lana Gehring of Northbrook, Ill.; Alyson Dudek of Hales Corners, Wisconsin; Mary Grace of Northbrook, Ill.; and Vicki Labourdette of Salt Lake City.

The team will compete at the Junior World Championships in January in Canada.

Midland Speed Skating Club members Kelsey Schiel and Sarah Lehman finished in the top 16. Both made it to the 1,000 meters D final and the 1,500 C superfinal Sunday.

Brett Perry placed ninth in the Men's Group 2 competition.

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Congrats J.R., Jon, Eddie, Robert, Lana, Aly, Mary, and Vicki! ;D