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Post by evie5 on Sept 13, 2009 11:27:54 GMT -5
That is great news!!! ;D ;D
Thanks Justsayin for the update.
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Post by epiphaniii on Sept 13, 2009 12:34:29 GMT -5
Thank you, Justsayin!  New (?) AP article about J.R., including Apolo's comments about a text conversation with him after the crash: (possibly disturbing thumbnail photo at link -- same one as in earlier articles) www.universalsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=13052&DB_OEM_ID=23000&ATCLID=204793218Celski recovering after surgery, still set to compete in Games Sun Sep 13, 2009 By Associated Press MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) -- The family of short track speed skater J.R. Celski, injured in a crash at the U.S. nationals, is “very optimistic” about a full recovery that will allow him to continue training for the Vancouver Olympics. U.S. Speedskating executive director Bob Crowley said in a statement early Sunday that he spoke to Celski’s family, which was at a hospital where the skater had surgery on his left leg after crashing during the semifinals of the 500 meters Saturday night. “They’re very optimistic for a full recovery,” Crowley said, quoting the family. “He’ll be flying back to Salt Lake on Monday and will visit with Dr. Eric Heiden. They’re hoping to have him back on a bike in three weeks to continue training for the Olympic Games.” U.S. Speedskating did not provide details on the type and extent of Celski’s injury or give a timetable for his rehabilitation. Celski trains with the national team in Salt Lake City. Heiden, an orthopedic surgeon, won five gold medals in speedskating at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. Celski hit the boards coming out of a turn and bounced off them. The first few inches of his right skate blade sliced into his left leg near the knee, spilling blood on the ice and stunning the crowd into silence. The race was stopped while emergency personnel tended to Celski before he was removed on a stretcher. The 19-year-old skater from Federal Way, Wash., finished second behind Apolo Anton Ohno in the overall point standings, enough to qualify him for a spot on his first Olympic team. Ohno texted with Celski after the crash. “He sounded like he was OK and in good spirits,” Ohno said. “I’ve heard it’s not as bad as it looked on the ice. He’s one of our guys, he’s skating amazing. I’m sure J.R. will be back very soon. He’s a strong kid.” U.S. Speedskating did not provide an update on 2006 Olympian Maria Garcia of Carson, Calif., who crashed into the boards in her 500 meter semifinal heat. She was taken to the same hospital as Celski for evaluation. Garcia did not qualify for the Olympic team. |
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Post by number1fan on Sept 13, 2009 14:17:39 GMT -5
thank you all for the links, articles, updates...
thrilled to hear JR is already on the mend and that he'll be back training soon! 
allison baver YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!! 
congrats to the 2010 olympic team 
and my heart goes out to jeff simon...personally i feel he should be the 5th member not just because of total points but because of the way the 500M #1 race ended. 
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Post by A.O.Freak on Sept 13, 2009 17:03:31 GMT -5
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Post by evie5 on Sept 13, 2009 17:33:22 GMT -5
Glad you had a good time Aofreak. Looking forward to seeing your pictures.
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Post by number1fan on Sept 13, 2009 18:11:57 GMT -5
aofreak...i am GREEN with envy...but really happy you had this awesome experience! 
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Post by number1fan on Sept 13, 2009 18:22:11 GMT -5
GREAT NEWS AND PHOTO from www.shorttrackHD.com
"US Team heading to the World Cups
Men: Apolo Ohno, JR Celski*, Jordan Malone, Travis Jayner, Simon Cho
Women: Katherine Reutter, Alyson Dudek, Kimberly Derrick, Allison Baver, Lana Gehring*
*because JR Celski is currently injured and we can still send six skaters, Jeff Simon and Anthony Lobello
will be skating with the men and Jessica Smith with be the sixth skater for the women"
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
today...beautiful as ever!!! ...thank you Tony!
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Post by wildfire on Sept 13, 2009 19:14:23 GMT -5
Just gotta get on here and say a HUGE thank you to everyone for posting their experiences at Trials, photos, updates, links, etc. And to those who were fortunate enough to attend in person, I am very happy for you!!!! Speedskater's could not have a better and more amazing group of fans and supporters than all of you (us)...for real!!! I hope it was an unforgettable experience for y'all. Can't wait to hear more about it and see some more pics-- I am VERY happy to hear encouraging news about JR! Thank you tons for posting that and the picture, number1!! |
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Post by dopeyrn on Sept 13, 2009 19:21:26 GMT -5
Just gotta get on here and say a HUGE thank you to everyone for posting their experiences at Trials, photos, updates, links, etc. And to those who were fortunate enough to attend in person, I am very happy for you!!!! Speedskater's could not have a better and more amazing group of fans and supporters than all of you (us)...for real!!! I hope it was an unforgettable experience for y'all. Can't wait to hear more about it and see some more pics-- I am VERY happy to hear encouraging news about JR! Thank you tons for posting that and the picture, number1!! Ditto!!! |
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Post by tdav on Sept 13, 2009 20:36:23 GMT -5
Now only if there was video! *stabs NBC*
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Post by LurkerB5 on Sept 13, 2009 20:38:58 GMT -5
Just gotta get on here and say a HUGE thank you to everyone for posting their experiences at Trials, photos, updates, links, etc. And to those who were fortunate enough to attend in person, I am very happy for you!!!! Speedskater's could not have a better and more amazing group of fans and supporters than all of you (us)...for real!!! I hope it was an unforgettable experience for y'all. Can't wait to hear more about it and see some more pics-- I am VERY happy to hear encouraging news about JR! Thank you tons for posting that and the picture, number1!! Ditto!!! Ditto that ditto!!! |
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Post by gasp on Sept 13, 2009 21:57:08 GMT -5
Yeah. Wouldn't it be nice of NBC and Universal Sports could be COOPERATIVE and post the videos at Universal? Maybe in the next millenium.
On another note:
Everybody got delayed out of Mqt today or they got delayed out of Chicago.
Luckily a few of us made it out before Mqt got socked in but when we hit Chicago we sat on the tarmac for about 45 minutes making most everyone late for their next connector. The next group got motored in to Green Bay to catch flights--how crazy for everyone!
It's so good to see the pic of JR with Tony Chung. And best wishes for that swift recovery. Three cheers for Dr. Eric Heiden,
Three more cheers for Walter Rusk. Too bad he wasn't being timed for his rush to the ice to assist JR. He would definitely have made the Olympic Team. Running on ice, taking his shirt off to use as a tourniquet, apply pressure, stop the race, yell for help, all in about 3.5 seconds, or so it seemed.
When I tell you he appeared like a phantom, I'm not kidding. One second he wasn't on the ice, the next second he was.
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Post by aaosmts19 on Sept 14, 2009 0:51:35 GMT -5
On another note: Everybody got delayed out of Mqt today or they got delayed out of Chicago. Luckily a few of us made it out before Mqt got socked in but when we hit Chicago we sat on the tarmac for about 45 minutes making most everyone late for their next connector. The next group got motored in to Green Bay to catch flights--how crazy for everyone! It is 1:30 AM on Monday morning, and I just walked in the door, having left the hotel 16 hours ago for 4 1/2 hours of flight time. I was one of the ones that was shuttled by van to Green Bay with about 39 others, including Jeff Simon's dad, Sue Ellis, Eddy Alvarez and Morgan Izzy. Yes... 3.5 hours in a 3-caravan caravan. As the day progressed I started to think about the last verse of Hotel California...it reminds me of trying to get out of Marquette..' Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
?relax,? said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
But you can never leave! At the airport I found that I had left a camera lense and ipod in a drawer back in the hotel room. During my whole time in Marquette, I couldn't get any cell phone reception, so using my phone to try to find someone at the hotel was a no-go. Then at the large Marquette airport, there were only 4 payphones, of which 3 were broken. I tried calling the cell phone #'s I had for folks back at the hotel, but people had either checked out, had the phone turned off, or were unable to retrieve voicemail if I had left a message due to dotty cell phone coverage. Finally mtnme walked into the airport and was able to get ahold of Lori, who tracked down my items back at the hotel (many, many thanks, Lori!) We were stuck in Marquette because the inbound plane couldn't land. Fog was the reason you say? well indirectly....the airport radar was on the fritz and only flights could arrive who could do so visually. THe magical mystery bus ride supplied at least some sleep time. IN greenbay I was rerouted thru Minneapolis/St. Paul and the onto Boston. (NO offense to anyone in the midwest, but tomorrow I will get out the map and see where Marquette, Greenbay and MSP are in relation to each other...!) On the plane to Boston I sat next to an unkempt gentleman who had a medical mask on his face, kept hacking and sneezing, but never put the medical mask OVER his snout...he wore it like an attractive accessory around his neck. I tried not to breathe or touch anything for 2 1/2 hours. On the ground in Boston, airport bus back out to the 'burbs. Getting of the bus I realized that my house keys and car keys hadn't been seen in a few days...could they be with the ipod and camera case? Hm...midnight now...what to do? get my neighbor out of bed? Try to get into the holiday in 3 miles down the street? then call my neighbor in the am? I even thought of taking a cab to my house and slpeeing outside, knowing I had a few quilts in the garage. FInally made the decision to wake my neighbor, who had copies of my hosue/car keys. Like I said.... Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
?relax,? said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
But you can never leave! On another note...that pic of JR is sure a sight for sore eyes! |
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Post by number1fan on Sept 14, 2009 1:08:56 GMT -5
Ohno wins 2 events at short track nationals
By BETH HARRIS - USOC via AP September 11, 2009
MARQUETTE, Mich.(AP) Apolo Anton Ohno left trouble in his tracks and returned to a place he knows best: the winner's spot on the podium.
The five-time Olympic medalist swept the 1,000 and 1,500 meters at the U.S. short track speedskating national championships on Friday night, earning his first victories in six events.
“I felt more comfortable,&rduo; he said. “I feel more settled. It's been 10 years since I raced in September. My body is not acclimated to it.&rduo;
Ohno was not in favor of U.S. Speedskating's decision to move the trials up three months, making them the first meet of the season. Officials said it would give the Olympic team more time to prepare for the Vancouver Games in February.
But Ohno worried the quality of the team could be compromised if skaters who peak in the fall and then tail off early in the Olympic year were to qualify.
His two titles moved Ohno into the overall points lead with one night remaining at the meet that awards Olympic berths to the top five skaters. He overtook J.R. Celski, who had led through the first two nights and is 160 points behind Ohno's total of 4,912.
“It was important,&rduo; Ohno said. “Just to be consistent is the name of the game. J.R. is skating fantastic. It's kind of anybody's race. It's a strategy game.&rduo;
Jordan Malone was third overall with 3,188, followed by Travis Jayner (2,670) and Simon Cho (2,504).
Ohno held off Jayner at the finish of the 1,000 on the hockey rink at Northern Michigan University. He was timed in 1:29.963 to 1:29.998 for Jayner.
Ohno returned later for a wild and woolly 1,500 jammed with seven skaters, creating the potential for plenty of trouble.
But he steered clear, making a successful pass on leader Celski with two laps to go to win. Ohno pumped his right arm and clapped his hands, ending a string of second-place finishes in the first two days. He was timed in 2:17.486. Celski crossed in 2.17.733.
“I just wanted to be safe,&rduo; Ohno said.
Ryan Bedford and Malone wiped out just before the finish line. Both were disqualified, Bedford for impeding and Malone for crosstracking.
Celski finished second. He was third behind Ohno in the 1,000.
Charles Ryan Leveille and Bedford were eighth and ninth, respectively, and will need to make a serious push Saturday night to keep alive their bids to make both the short and long track Olympic teams.
The lead in the 1,000 was traded back and forth before Ohno sneaked inside Celski to go in front for good with four laps remaining.
Ohno had finished second in the 500 and 1,500 individual events and in the nine-lap time trial and was fourth in the four-lap time trial.
On the women's side, Katherine Reutter swept the 1,000 and 1,500 races, giving her four victories in three days of competition.
The 21-year-old skater from Champaign, Ill., leads the overall standings with 5,152 - 974 ahead of Alyson Dudek.
She had already won the first of two 1,500 finals and the nine-lap time trial.
Reutter made an outside pass with two laps remaining and zipped from third to first in the 1,000. She was timed in 1:31.606.
“The outside pass is definitely the safest, which is why I mostly do it,&rduo; she said. “The biggest thing I wait for is an opening. You have to watch everyone in front of you. It's really a timing thing.&rduo;
Later, Reutter returned to win the 1,500 by picking off four skaters in front of her to take the lead for good.
“One of my goals was to be able to change strategy while racing,&rduo; she said. “That's one of my weaknesses. I wanted to be very flexible.&rduo;
Two-time Olympian Allison Baver was second in her first meet since shattering her lower right leg in a race in February. Baver solidified her hold on the fifth Olympic berth.
Kimberly Derrick finished second in the 1,000, but was disqualified for impeding. That moved Dudek up to second, with Baver third and Lana Gehring fourth.
Derrick is third overall, followed by Gehring.
teamusa.org/news/article/15883 |
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Post by number1fan on Sept 14, 2009 1:10:50 GMT -5
Ohno earns trip to third Olympics
BETH HARRIS - USOC via AP September 13, 2009
MARQUETTE, Mich.(AP) Apolo Anton Ohno earned a trip to his third Olympics, winning the 500 and 1,000 meters at the U.S. short track national championships Saturday night when crashes sent two skaters to the hospital.
The five-time Olympic medalist barely got his right skate blade in front of Jeff Simon in the 500 final at the hockey rink on the Northern Michigan University campus.
Ohno was timed in 41.928, with Simon crossing the line in 41.967. Travis Jayner was third and Jordan Malone fourth. The victory allowed Ohno to pad his first-place point total in the overall standings.
Ohno returned later to clinch a trip to his third Olympics, winning the 1,000 with an inside pass that overtook Anthony Lobello Jr. on the straightaway of the final lap. Ohno waved his right index finger in the air, signaling No. 1, even before crossing the final line. He was clocked in 1:33.306.
Jeff Simon was second, barely edging out Lobello. Simon Cho was fourth.
Ohno, the injured J.R. Celski, Jordan Malone, Travis Jayner and Cho earned spots on the men's Olympic team. Ohno finished with 6,912 points.
Celski underwent surgery after crashing and slicing open his left leg with his right skate blade in a 500 meter semifinal heat.
He hit the boards coming out of a turn and bounced off them. The first few inches of his right blade cut into his left leg near the knee, spilling blood on the ice.
Celski yelled as fellow skater Walter Rusk, who didn't qualify to compete, jumped out of the stands and rushed to Celski's side to apply pressure to try and stop the heavy blood flow. The race was cut off while he was tended to for several minutes before being removed on a stretcher.
U.S. Speedskating president Brad Goskowicz said Celski was undergoing surgery at Marquette General Hospital to determine the extent of his injury.
Simon hit the boards skates-first earlier in the heat, but he wasn't hurt. Anthony Lobello Jr., a 2006 Olympian, was disqualified for impeding Simon.
Celski was the second skater taken off by stretcher on the meet's final night. Maria Garcia, a 2006 Olympian from Carson, Calif., crashed hard into the boards in her 500 semifinal heat, forcing the race to be stopped.
Garcia was taken to the same hospital as Celski and was being evaluated, Goskowicz said.
Katherine Reutter won the women's 500 final in 44.303, beating out Allyson Dudek.
Reutter returned later to lead the 1,000 meters much of the way, but she was beaten to the finish line by 2006 Olympian Kimberly Derrick.
Derrick won in 1:32.096. Reutter got her left skate across ahead of Allison Baver, who finished third. Dudek was fourth.
Reutter, Dudek, Derrick, Baver and Lara Gehring earned spots on the women's Olympic team. Reutter led the point standings with 6,952. Baver made her third Olympic team just seven months after shattering her lower right leg in a racing crash.
Celski, a 19-year-old skater from Federal Way, Wash., finished second behind Ohno in the overall standings despite the crash.
He won the 1,500 earlier in the meet.
teamusa.org/news/article/15917
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