Thoughts on Vancouver (discuss)

[gasp]

In Apolo USA's opening comments on this thread she reflects about celebrating an event such as "the most decorated athlete".

The US Athletes know how to celebrate each victory regardless of it's color. Such is the nature of the Olympic games. The media keeps the count total hyped up, it's their job and it keeps people watching.

Our athletes celebrate their coaches too in a long standing ceremony. Along with my friends, I was lucky enough to see these coaches honored by the athletes as described below. The comments were heartfelt and sincere. The coaches were proud of THEIR accomplishments as acknowledged by the athletes.

So medal counts and titles aside, here's a glimpse into what happens when the NBC cameras are not rolling:

The Order of Ikkos

The medallion, which will be presented to the personal coaches of future U.S. Olympic/Paralympic medalists, represents the athlete's appreciation for the integral services the coach has provided. Following the medal award ceremony, the athlete will then present the coach of their choice with the medallion and the coach will be inducted into the Order of Ikkos.

The Order of Ikkos gets its namesake from Ikkos of Tarentum, the first recorded Olympic coach in ancient Greece.
Ikkos won the pentathlon at the 84th Olympiad in 444 B.C. and later became known for his coaching ability as he led two fellow Tarentine athletes to gold in the same event.

"The Order of Ikkos medal officially recognizes the knowledge, hard work and personal commitment of those coaches whose athletes achieve the greatest success at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Given on behalf of the athlete and the USOC, the medal serves as a token of appreciation for a job well done."

During the ceremony at the USA House on 2/26 these medals were awarded by:

Individual Silver Medalist, Katherine Reutter to Jae Su

Individual Silver Medalist, Apolo Ohno to John Schaffer

Relay Bronze Team Captain, Travis Jayner to Jimmy

Getty Images of course has great pics of some of the coaches with their medals. They are just as impressive as the Olympic medals too! I'm not the photo-shop person here, so if you want to see the medal, somebody else will have to grab & post them.

[mrsrobinson]

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the ice being a factor in some of the poor (?...I don’t know if I’d call ‘em poor) performances in the Vancouver games. (It was also mentioned as effecting the hockey games.) I know it was mentioned several times before some of the races, as in, “don’t expect to see any records set in these games, the ice is not good.”) I know that in such a temperate area as Vancouver, there’s a lot of humidity in the air and humidity is the enemy of hard ice. Dry and cold is what works. There are things that can be done to improve it, though, and I wonder whether those steps were taken in Vancouver.

I know that here in Detroit, whenever the Wings are in the playoffs, the Joe Louis Arena facility brings in a lot of extra equipment to make sure the ice is in good shape for the games. Our ice is good all winter, but when it starts warming up outside, its harder to keep in great shape. I believe some of the equipment brought in are extra dehumidifiers. We are often complimented as having some of the best ice in the league. I think Vancouver could have done a lot more to make the ice faster and more skate-able.

Anyhooo…these are just some things I’ve been thinking about. I notice that Sochi, Russia is a resort town on the Black Sea, with temperatures in February being fairly mild, from 50 as the average high to 38 as the average low…those aren’t even freezing temps. Seems to me like slow ice could be an issue in the 2014 games, too.

[number1fan]

to elaborate on Gasp's post above ^^

Coach Jae is staying with Team U.S.A. partly because Katherine has committed through 2014! (i guess he's been receiving other offers ).

also...Shani Davis also presented the Order of Ikkos to two of his supporting coaches, Ryan Shimabukuro and Jimmy Jang. ;D ;D

The Order of Ikkos was established by the USOC in 2008 as a way to recognize coaches who contributed to an athlete's medal-winning performance.

[badromance]

Mar 4, 2010 17:11:53 GMT -5 aaosmts19 said:

Mar 1, 2010 18:41:03 GMT -5 dopeyrn said:

I've seen some pics of him with the team at the USA house 'after party', and while he didn't have the medals on, he was plenty whoopin' it up.

Get ready for the medal shots.....

Hey, can I see the pictures too? : )

[lilyover76]

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I've been gone sooo long.

I have a question. I do have photos from VanCity that I posted on Facebook. If I post Olympic pics here on this site, is it to be only Apolo photos???

I'd like to post pics of the other athletes too... but didn't know where y'all wanted them.

Lily

[trisha]

Mar 5, 2010 12:16:54 GMT -5 mrsrobinson said:

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the ice being a factor in some of the poor (?...I don’t know if I’d call ‘em poor) performances in the Vancouver games. (It was also mentioned as effecting the hockey games.) I know it was mentioned several times before some of the races, as in, “don’t expect to see any records set in these games, the ice is not good.”) I know that in such a temperate area as Vancouver, there’s a lot of humidity in the air and humidity is the enemy of hard ice. Dry and cold is what works. There are things that can be done to improve it, though, and I wonder whether those steps were taken in Vancouver.

I know that here in Detroit, whenever the Wings are in the playoffs, the Joe Louis Arena facility brings in a lot of extra equipment to make sure the ice is in good shape for the games. Our ice is good all winter, but when it starts warming up outside, its harder to keep in great shape. I believe some of the equipment brought in are extra dehumidifiers. We are often complimented as having some of the best ice in the league. I think Vancouver could have done a lot more to make the ice faster and more skate-able.

Anyhooo…these are just some things I’ve been thinking about. I notice that Sochi, Russia is a resort town on the Black Sea, with temperatures in February being fairly mild, from 50 as the average high to 38 as the average low…those aren’t even freezing temps. Seems to me like slow ice could be an issue in the 2014 games, too.

Equipment and ice problems are rampant at Short Track events. They even had one World Cup a few years ago where the ice was actually DIRTY in places. They took the zamboni outside between races, evidently. When they brought it in to resurface, it scattered dirt on the ice.

[trisha]

Thanks, Mellie, for the beautiful article.

For those who think Apolo, at 31, will be too old for the Olympics only need to look to Andy Gabel. He was 33 in his last Olympics and won a silver medal in the relay. If it hadn't been for an unfortunate slip in the semi-finals of one of his races, he might have won an individual medal as well.

And Apolo is a better skater than Andy (sorry, Andy. It's true).

[mellie]

Mar 5, 2010 19:37:02 GMT -5 lilyover76 said:

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I've been gone sooo long.

I have a question. I do have photos from VanCity that I posted on Facebook. If I post Olympic pics here on this site, is it to be only Apolo photos???

I'd like to post pics of the other athletes too... but didn't know where y'all wanted them.

Lily

Would love to see pics from VanCity. I think pics other than AAO should be posted in the Un-Apolo related board because that's why it was put up because many back in 2006 wanted to talk about the Canadian skaters, so that's where the pics and stuff about them was posted at that time.

[lilyover76]

Mar 5, 2010 23:11:42 GMT -5 mellie said:

Mar 5, 2010 19:37:02 GMT -5 lilyover76 said:

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I've been gone sooo long.

I have a question. I do have photos from VanCity that I posted on Facebook. If I post Olympic pics here on this site, is it to be only Apolo photos???

I'd like to post pics of the other athletes too... but didn't know where y'all wanted them.

Lily

Would love to see pics from VanCity. I think pics other than AAO should be posted in the Un-Apolo related board because that's why it was put up because many back in 2006 wanted to talk about the Canadian skaters, so that's where the pics and stuff about them was posted at that time.

Thanks Mellie! I'll segregate my pics in the next few days, as we just arrived home last Sunday from our ski week, going there directly upon return to LAX from VanCity. Most of the 'other' athletes are Apolo's fellow teammates.

[susie]

Mar 1, 2010 14:33:25 GMT -5 mtnme said:

Apolo got 'short tracked'. Plenty of contact, more so than usual, and if it hadn't been for those speed robbing jostles, he'd have those gold medals you wanted. The Koreans have stated they came into this Olympic with another objective other than winning for themselves. Keeping Apolo off the podium. They did not succeed on that count. I do believe if Francois hadn't given him a bit of a push, he'd have that gold. If he could stay on his feet let alone come from dead last to third after that slip, just imagine what he could have done without it. He had plenty of gas in the tank, I have no doubt he could have done it.

This. ^^^

Apolo was skating as well as I've ever seen him skate. He looked great at Olympic Trials and at the Montreal World Cup. The gold that he won at the Marquette WC speaks for itself. On any given day, he's a contender for gold or any other medal. If the Olympics were another World Cup, we would think that with three medals, he had an outstanding meet. Why is this any different?

Gold didn't happen for him in Vancouver, and it's no reflection on him. Apolo seems to be a master of knowing what he can control and what he can't control (including bad or missing calls by refs.) He learned long ago to let go of the outcome.

The push by Frank Hamelin was so blatant that I don't think I'll ever think about Frank in quite the same way. He put his hand on Apolo and then clearly shoved him. He was looking out for his big brother, I guess.

The 500...what a roller derby. Apolo was so slow off the starting line that I knew he lost it right then and there. Flou didn't go down because of Apolo's touch (Flou booted out,) but Apolo touched him at the wrong place/wrong time. Although it was a bad call, I understood it. Apolo was not going to be given the benefit of the doubt in that particular case. I didn't understand the lack of a call against Charles, though, because to me that was far more clear cut. Oh, well. I do like and admire Charles quite a bit, and it was nice to see him strike gold on home soil.

I don't see any chance of Apolo competing in Sochi. Could he? Sure. It seems that skaters are pushing the age limit due to advances in training, nutrition, and sports medicine. But he's already accomplished everthing he's ever wanted to accomplish in the sport. And as much as he's loved it, it's a hard lifestyle. I think he's ready for something different. I think you can see by his behavior that he was on his "farewell tour" in Vancouver. He was more lighthearted after races, and more carefree...as if a weight (a pleasurable weight, but nonetheless a weight) had been lifted off of him. He was enjoying it in a way that you enjoy something when you know that it will be the last time for you. There was no bandana on the relay medal stand, and a recent photo shoot of him had him wearing a three-piece suit. When he showed up at the Oval a while back to cheer on Shani, he was dressed in sophisticated woolens and not sports gear. I think that all of that signals a shift in focus.

As for why Apolo's not announcing his retirement...dunno. It could be for sponsorship reasons, or more likely because it's not in Apolo's nature to close the door on anything/anyone unless he's absolutely forced to do so.

As for the Koreans...with other countires catching up with them, they're not able to team skate quite as much as they used to.

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Mar 5, 2010 16:14:29 GMT -5 number1fan said:

Coach Jae is staying with Team U.S.A. partly because Katherine has committed through 2014! (i guess he's been receiving other offers ).

i've been waiting to hear about the coaches. this has normally been a nerve-wrecking time in USS history with ST coaches. thank you, jae, for sticking around. :] and you too, number1!

[bubblebuttsbabe]

since we talked about coaches and vancity performances...

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source: www.jsonline.com/sports/etc/87630112.html

U.S. shuffles speedskating officials
Disappointment in Olympic results cited
By Gary D’Amato of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: March 14, 2010 |(0) COMMENTS

Bob Crowley has resigned as executive director of U.S. Speedskating as part of sweeping changes by the organization in the wake of a disappointing performance by the long-track team at the Vancouver Olympics.

Brad Goskowicz, president of U.S. Speedskating, confirmed the resignations of Crowley and high-performance director Guy Thibault in a phone interview Sunday.

Goskowicz said Bradley A. Olch, former mayor of Park City, Utah, would serve as interim executive director until the board of directors names a permanent successor to Crowley.

In addition, U.S. short-track coach Jae Su Chun, whose team won six medals in Vancouver, signed a four-year contract extension that will take him through the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

U.S. Speedskating was expected to announce the moves Monday.

"It's the normal transition after each quadrennial," said Goskowicz, a Wauwatosa native. "It's fairly typical."

Goskowicz said Crowley resigned by "mutual agreement." Crowley, hired as executive director in August, 2006, could not be reached for comment.

The long-track team won four medals in Vancouver, down from seven in Turin in 2006 and eight in Salt Lake City in 2002. The women's team was shut out for the second consecutive Winter Games.

"I think it's fair to say that we're evaluating the programs," Goskowicz said. "We really need to recruit more ladies. I think part of the issue is we just don't give the coaches enough to work with.

"But we do expect performance and we were a little bit disappointed with the performance in Vancouver."

A new board will be seated at the organization's annual meeting May 1 in Richmond, Va. Goskowicz said he hoped there would be a short list of candidates for the executive director position by then and added that Crowley will stay on to help with the transition.

Jack Mortell, U.S. Speedskating vice president and short-track Olympic team leader, will assume Thibault's duties until a replacement can be found, Goskowicz said. One of those duties is preparing the organization's four-year plan for the U.S. Olympic Committee.

"At the end of each quadrennial you see a lot of things you did well and a lot of things you could do better," Goskowicz said. "We came out with 10 medals (combined short- and long-track) and we left Vancouver a little disappointed. We feel like we left a couple on the table.

"So how are we going to be even better in the next quadrennial?"

Though the board will determine the direction of the program, Goskowicz said U.S. Speedskating must find ways to better utilize the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee. The national team based at the Utah Olympic Oval in suburban Salt Lake City produced just one medal-winner in Vancouver: Chad Hedrick.

Shani Davis, who won gold in the 1,000 meters and silver in the 1,500, and three of the four members of the silver medal-winning men's pursuit team train in Milwaukee.

"No question a great number of our medals and athletes came out of the Milwaukee area," Goskowicz said. "They did not come out of programs in Salt Lake City. It points to the fact that we have something no other country has: an enclosed sea-level facility and a high-altitude facility. The Koreans and Canadians don't have that; even the Dutch don't have that.

"How do we make better use of the Pettit National Ice Center? We've got a bunch of really, really good long-track coaches in Milwaukee. We want to make those programs stronger as opposed to usurping what they've accomplished."

He said he envisioned a plan in which programs and support staff would be based at both the Olympic Oval and the Pettit Center.

"If we have trainers and nutritionists in Salt Lake, how do we have them in Milwaukee?" he said. "Let's make the most out of both. Maybe we have people who are venue-based that coordinate the programs with the local coaches."

Goskowicz said the re-signing of Jae Su was important for the continuity of the short-track program. All 10 members of the short-track team earned medals in Vancouver, including athletes on relay teams.

"Quite honestly, there were some other countries chasing Jae Su, including Russia, with some significant dollars," Goskowicz said. "We're really happy to have him with us."

Goskowicz is the chief marketing officer of MicroBioLogics Inc., based in St. Cloud, Minn. His four-year tenure as president of U.S. Speedskating ends May 1 but he will remain on the board as immediate past president.

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not guyyyyy! :/