Didn't copy the URL...bad girl, no biscuit! LOL
But thanks for the heads up, at least I knew where to look for it!
Here ya go everyone:
Keeping it light during heavy trainingBy CURT KEMP Journal Sports Writer
POSTED: June 25, 2009
MARQUETTE - Even Olympic athletes get tired, and Wednesday in Marquette, the United States Speedskating Team was on day three of its most intense training before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Judging by the complaints of soreness and the frequency of falls, the team members had started to wear down from pushing their bodies to the extreme, balancing on 1.1-millimeter skate blades while traveling at speeds around 25 miles per hour on the ice, and enduring long dry-land workouts off it.
It was the perfect time for Jordan Malone to step in.
Leading three teammates through the last leg of a timed workout at the Berry Events Center, Malone crossed the finish line like he'd won Olympic gold, arms extended and head back, smiling ear to ear. During high-intensity workouts such as these, it's Malone's energetic personality that keeps the team going.
"It doesn't necessarily work on everybody," Malone said. "But there's a few (teammates) where they look to me to still be kind of crazy. And if I'm down, you know that everybody's tired.
"I try to just keep it lighthearted."
And his teammates appreciate the effort.
"He's great. He's a joker every practice," teammate Ryan Bedford said. "There's not a practice Jordan comes to that he's not happy about being there."
There's certainly a few ways the 25-year-old keeps things interesting: He hides snacks in his room until Apolo Anton Ohno sniffs them out, sneaks up behind teammates and bites them ("It just kind of breaks things up a little bit," Malone said) and most noticeably, the Denton, Texas-native never takes off his headphones, a quirk that has given him the nickname "Headphone Malone."
"He sleeps, eats, skates with his headphones on," Bedford said. "It just keeps him occupied I guess. He's got so much energy built up, he's got to keep it somewhere."
At least it's easy to spot Malone on the ice. He's the one with the Apple iPod shuffle clipped to his collar.
"Life needs a soundtrack," he said.
Malone's playlist consists of mostly Texas hip-hop, with artists like Bun B., Paul Wall and Chamillionaire motivating him toward his Olympic dream.
"It's not my favorite type of music," Malone said, "but it just kind of gets me in the mood."
Already a decorated veteran in the inline skating community - Malone was the 2001 Inline World Championships' Most Decorated Man with seven golds and three silvers in 10 races and the 2003 World Championships' Most Decorated Athlete with four gold, one silver and one bronze- he's now looking to make the 2010 Games as a speedskater after narrowly missing a bid to 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy, with a fall during the Olympic Trials in Marquette.
Back to the Upper Peninsula for the first time since those Olympic Trials, Malone's glad things are a little different this time around: less pressure, less attention and a completely different mood.
"The first time I came here last time, you're a little nervous. It's not some place you've been before. You come here just for Olympic trials and that's it, and the atmosphere is different, people are here, everybody's attitudes are different. You come here and you've got a different feel, and this time I come and I'm a little more relaxed," Malone said. "I'm able to joke around with people."
For Malone, the hope is that the more relaxed atmosphere of training camp provides him with the edge that'll get him a trip to Vancouver in February.
Malone listens to music while taking a break during the practice session. (Journal photo by Julia Woehrer)
Jordan Malone leads his teammates in a lap around the ice during the United States speedskating team’s practice session at the Berry Events Center at Northern Michigan University in Marquette Wednesday. Malone keeps things light during heavy training for the team, which is working toward the 2010 Olympic Games. (Journal photo by Curt Kemp) www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/529263.html________________________________________________________________
1) I can attest to the headphones. My connection last year to Am Cup I was through SLC. Jordan was also waiting for the flight, headphones on, dozing in the chair and oblivious to the world. The reservation desk at the gate kept calling his name, to no avail. I finally went up to the desk and pointed him out to the attendants so they could go rouse him from his reverie for whatever it is they needed from him. LOL
He was also on my flight, headphones still on, dozing away and still oblivious to the world - for which he can be grateful that I didn't whip out my camera. Those would have been some really good blackmail photos.
2) As to Apolo sniffing out snacks. I guess trying to get another 10 pounds off his already lean frame is proving a bit difficult, since it sounds like he goes scrounging for hidden treasures (ie: food) wherever he thinks there is a possible morsel. LOL
~Lori