SLC WORLD CUP Group - Let's DO This! - Pt 2

[skaterswaltz]

Wow, mtnme, I love the idea you're describing about a website to help support and fund the struggling US Speedskating athletes. Can't wait to hear more about it.

[musicalmom]

Here we go as promised to Ruff; Wildfire, Mountain Me, No 1 Fan, et al......

FOR CANADIAN SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING FANS
SUMMARY & INTERVIEWS FROM CBC BROADCAST OF WORLD CUP IN QUEBEC CITY:

Commentators : Steve Armitage and Catrina La May Doan

the 1500 final
Joining Ho Suk Lee and Lee seung Hoon is CHARLES HAMELIN of Canada who has won a silver and bronze in the 1500 so far this year and 4th in this event at the Olympics..he is also the defending champion of 500 meters...(cameras show race...)
Great race by Charles Hamelin with a bronze metal but it shows that the Koreans are a force to contend with....final standings...Ho Suk Lee-gold;
Seung-hoon Lee silver; Charles Hamelin-bronze; Jordan Malone -4th.

Here's Steve with CHARLES HAMELIN
HAMELIN: ...I wanted to be near to the front to be able to do the move what I want to do and that's what I did, but in the end the ice was a little bit soft and I slid like a couple of times and that's what make me die a little bit earlier than I was supposed to.
STEVE: Well , he died for a bronze medal!

KALYNA ROBERGE-after Women's 1000 meter final
STEVE: The final standings in the women's 1000 meters required a photo finish to determine. Kalyna Roberge of Canada won the gold, Bulgaria the silver and Korea-the bronze. Another Korean was DQ'd.
Kalyna, how special was it to win a gold medal here in Quebec City?
KALYNA:I think its very special because it's my home, so I think with this I can show what I can do with the Korean people, the Chinese people and so I'm really happy!
STEVE: Did you know how close it was at the finish?
KALYNA: Yeah, I know, because I lost the feet there, so I said, "Ok, go, go, go to cross over and turn the corner and close the block finish" and I said
"urgh.....ok!"
STEVE: Gold medal for Kalyna Roberge...Strike Up The Band here at Carnival in Quebec City! ( lots of pictures of snow men, ice sculptures & winter Carnival decorations )

MENS 1000 FINAL
STEVE: Nobody could touch China's Zhang who won the gold but Canada did well with a silver for MARC-ANDRE MONETTE & a bronze for GUILLAUME BASTILLE.
STEVE TO MARC: Were you satisfied with that skate?
MARC: Yeah, I skated well today. Good quarter final, good semi-final, good final, nice posititon in the pack today....yeah, it's good...for the World Championship good start for it today.
STEVE: What does it do for your confidence?
MARC: A lot! A lot! 'cause that kind of skater....un...I will skate with them at the world championships.
GUILLAME: I was coming here for improvement and to gain experience and it's really unbelievable I finish 3rd like that so, I'm really, really, happy about that!
STEVE: And Happy he should be!

and now the long awaited Hamelin brothers interview!!!(please forgive my translations if a bit stilted, hard to decipher the French Canadian accent, charming though it is, so a few words required guessing

STEVE: It's rare in Canadian sport to find a brother combination competing at the National or Elite level. The Canadian short track speed skating Association has 2 brother combinations: the Monettes and the Hamelins. Today, we focus on CHARLES & FRANCOISE HAMELIN.
(big sign on screen saying BROTHERLY LOVE
FRANCOISE: I always want to be as good as him...I want to be better!
CHARLES: If there are no opportunities for me to pass or for him is the same thing, like, we don't pass, we just let in like it's the place. We don't want to take him down for a race with like (?) four feet to go (?)
FRANCOISE: I skate different from him and we have different friends. We (?) miss (?) different things ....I just want to be myself.
CHARLES: My brother has always had good technique for skating since he was very young and that makes him a very good skater for that. I think if he continues in this way, he can be the best in the world!
FRANCOISE: Charley is very strong...he is the strongest skater in Canada and in the world!

(big sign on screen VANCOUVER 2010
CHARLES: My brother has always had this dream and for him right now this dream is to be at the Vancouver Olympics...So to be there together is
I think its (?) great perspective (?)great prospect (?)
FRANCOISE: I'm pretty satisfied with myself and I think I'm on a good way to do it and I have to still work hard and maybe we'll be together at the Olympics!!
STEVE: And what a dream that would be for both of those talented young men and as I said, the first family of Canadian short track speed skating!

500 MENS FINAL RESULTS
There's Charles Hamelin on the inside and Ely of Great Brittain, the tallest man in short track, out in front skating really fast -I think unexpected-
Kwok from Korea now takes the lead, Hamelin comes in second for the silver!
CHARLES: (after the 500) I did some great 500 today and I think the way that I was skating, it's a really good day!
STEVE: Did the home town fans help you?
CHARLES: (BIG GRIN) :-*Yeah, like always, people cheering for us on the rink...IT'S AWESOME!!

STEVE: ( WRAP UP)
9 metals total for the Canadians on home ice raising the season's totals to 26.
The pace now intensifies for Canadian short trackers from whom so much will be expected just 2 short years from now at the Olympics in Vancouver. Can you say pressure? This is now a young team that can and should deliver.

from MUSICAL MOM - Feb. 18 - 7:45 p.m.

[mtnme]

Thank you musicalmom. It's nice to hear about the other players in ST as well as our own, home grown, USA athletes. Oh, and to have seen and heard that interview for ourselves. But at least we have you to keep us in the loop.

[number1fan]

mm.....thank you soooo much! you are a very special person to do this for us .

i think it's apolo's presence that brings and keeps all you wonderful people from all over the world here in one place!

[linmiste]

Hey, musicalmom, thanks for taking the time to translate and type all that! I took French in college, but I remember one teacher demonstrating Quebecois French. Sometimes, it was hardly recognizable to me; the accent is so different from European French. So "good on you" for trying! It's also a challenge, as you mentioned, to translate the SENSE of the words, and not just the literal words. You did great! We got the gist.

The Hamelin brothers seem like great guys. I thought it was interesting how they said they won't push it to pass each other if there's not a clear opportunity. I wonder if maybe that's what the Koreans do, but to an even greater extent. Not exactly team skating, but a feeling that it doesn't matter which of you wins, as long as one of you does.

[sumac108]

hi....i am a frequent visitor and rare poster. i do so enjoy this site and feel i have gotten to "know" so many of you. thank you to all for the information, photos and comments. really bringing it to all to share with us!
question regarding the universal nbc televising the world cup tonight. has anyone been able to have access to this channel? i have tried and is not availiable. is anyone going to tape it? able to copy? thanks for your help!

[Lori]

Here's a VERY interesting article about Ryan Leveille, who competed last week in SLC. It was written just before the '06 Olympics, where he competed as a long-tracker. What a story!

Broken Home, Broken Back, but Skating Still
A Mother's Love Sustains Leveille

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/07/AR2006020701659.html

BTW, Sumac, I PM'd you about the WC broadcast...

[mtnme]

Great article Lori on Charles Ryan Levielle. Here's a picture. Charles is the one in the center with the grey hat. I'm pretty sure that's also Ryan tucked in front of Apolo in the second picture.

[jennaceeta25]

MusicalMom, you're here! I was wonderin where you went!

Wonderful interview..were you scared? You're a natural! Thanks for writing it down for us all. I enjoyed it very much!

[UT Guest]

wildfire said:

Update: So some other reporter asked me some questions on the phone, and I have no idea where/when/if this will turn up anywhere (except here!), but here's what I said anyways (what I can remember, LOL!):

Q: What do you think of speedskating in general and do you think Apolo is a big draw to the sport?
-I think speedskating has something for everyone...it's fast-paced, intense, unpredictable, and just fun to watch. I think it combines several elements to make it a really amazing sport.
And yeah, definitely Apolo's a big draw...I think his natural appeal and celebrity status from Olympics and DWTS has helped take ST to a whole new level of recognition and fan support that it's never had before and brought it to a much wider audience.
Q: Tell me about this group coming to the World Cups?
-There are several online sites (namely OhnoZone) that have come together since the 02 Olympics just to talk about Apolo and speedskating in general. It's fun and we've made friendships with each other. So there's a group of us coming from all over the country this weekend to support the US Team and just have fun with the whole experience. I can guarantee we'll raise the roof at the Oval! This is my first time to see ST in person and I am really excited! I am a local so I want to take advantage of the fact that the Oval is here and support the athletes who live and train here as well. And I'm hoping other people will do the same. Thanks for your time, I appreciate it.
-Thank you. It was fun!

EDIT: I just realized this was my 100th post too-woah that's funny! LOL.

To this individual I interviewed...I lost you contact info. but thanks for your time and you did a wonderful job! Because of your honest, engaging interview, we heard the ticket sales increased and are confident that you (and your friends) had a hand in packing the Oval with more fans and supporters than it could hold!! The athletes should feel very grateful for what you've all done and proud to call you all fans/supporters of their sport. You have inspired more people than you know! Thanks again. Please feel free to post this in the appropriate spot if it's not!

[skaterswaltz]

UT said:

wildfire said:

Update: So some other reporter asked me some questions on the phone, and I have no idea where/when/if this will turn up anywhere (except here!), but here's what I said anyways (what I can remember, LOL!):

Q: What do you think of speedskating in general and do you think Apolo is a big draw to the sport?
-I think speedskating has something for everyone...it's fast-paced, intense, unpredictable, and just fun to watch. I think it combines several elements to make it a really amazing sport.
And yeah, definitely Apolo's a big draw...I think his natural appeal and celebrity status from Olympics and DWTS has helped take ST to a whole new level of recognition and fan support that it's never had before and brought it to a much wider audience.
Q: Tell me about this group coming to the World Cups?
-There are several online sites (namely OhnoZone) that have come together since the 02 Olympics just to talk about Apolo and speedskating in general. It's fun and we've made friendships with each other. So there's a group of us coming from all over the country this weekend to support the US Team and just have fun with the whole experience. I can guarantee we'll raise the roof at the Oval! This is my first time to see ST in person and I am really excited! I am a local so I want to take advantage of the fact that the Oval is here and support the athletes who live and train here as well. And I'm hoping other people will do the same. Thanks for your time, I appreciate it.
-Thank you. It was fun!

EDIT: I just realized this was my 100th post too-woah that's funny! LOL.

To this individual I interviewed...I lost you contact info. but thanks for your time and you did a wonderful job! Because of your honest, engaging interview, we heard the ticket sales increased and are confident that you (and your friends) had a hand in packing the Oval with more fans and supporters than it could hold!! The athletes should feel very grateful for what you've all done and proud to call you all fans/supporters of their sport. You have inspired more people than you know! Thanks again. Please feel free to post this in the appropriate spot if it's not!

Wow - thank you UT Guest for coming to this forum and tracking down wildfire and thanking her for the interview -- we are very proud of her! Was this exclusively a radio interview? When did it air? Is there a way to post it here so we can all enjoy it? Was it ever in print?

Thank you again -- that was really thoughtful of you to take the time to let her know what a great job she did and how she positively influenced those ticket sales.

P.S. And welcome to this forum!! Thanks for visiting!

[mtnme]

UT said:

wildfire said:

Update: So some other reporter asked me some questions on the phone, and I have no idea where/when/if this will turn up anywhere (except here!), but here's what I said anyways (what I can remember, LOL!):

Q: What do you think of speedskating in general and do you think Apolo is a big draw to the sport?
-I think speedskating has something for everyone...it's fast-paced, intense, unpredictable, and just fun to watch. I think it combines several elements to make it a really amazing sport.
And yeah, definitely Apolo's a big draw...I think his natural appeal and celebrity status from Olympics and DWTS has helped take ST to a whole new level of recognition and fan support that it's never had before and brought it to a much wider audience.
Q: Tell me about this group coming to the World Cups?
-There are several online sites (namely OhnoZone) that have come together since the 02 Olympics just to talk about Apolo and speedskating in general. It's fun and we've made friendships with each other. So there's a group of us coming from all over the country this weekend to support the US Team and just have fun with the whole experience. I can guarantee we'll raise the roof at the Oval! This is my first time to see ST in person and I am really excited! I am a local so I want to take advantage of the fact that the Oval is here and support the athletes who live and train here as well. And I'm hoping other people will do the same. Thanks for your time, I appreciate it.
-Thank you. It was fun!

EDIT: I just realized this was my 100th post too-woah that's funny! LOL.

To this individual I interviewed...I lost you contact info. but thanks for your time and you did a wonderful job! Because of your honest, engaging interview, we heard the ticket sales increased and are confident that you (and your friends) had a hand in packing the Oval with more fans and supporters than it could hold!! The athletes should feel very grateful for what you've all done and proud to call you all fans/supporters of their sport. You have inspired more people than you know! Thanks again. Please feel free to post this in the appropriate spot if it's not!

UT Guest. Thanks for stopping by and giving Kudos to 'our gal' Wildfire. We had a blast at Worlds, and we can't wait to do it again! We hope the athletes enjoyed themselves as much as we did rooting them on.

Wow Wildfire, You're a Hero, a Star - a one woman PR person!!!
....AND Apolo was checkin' you out! LOL! (See SLC photos thread) What more could you want for your first ST outing? (Other than meeting 'the man' himself?!) Your time will come.

[daisymomma]

It is so encouraging to see what a few short track fans can do!That article on Ryan was great.And to think he has come back after an injury that almost paralyzed him truely amazing.

[Lori]

Way to go, Wildfire! So glad you did the interview!

Just to let y'all know, though, we have yet another celeb in our midst... I don't know how many of you saw the World Cup broadcast on UniversalHD last Wednesday, but several times during the show there was an ad for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Do those of you in my car in SLC remember Mari saying her Corgi was in a commercial??? Well, I checked with her and she said that was the one! Mari's 'puppy' was in an ad during the World Cup - 'Scotty' shared TV time with Apolo! LOL - what a coincidence!

[maricorgi]

Indeed my "Scottie", AM CAN CH Brogan Canadien, was filmed in Brooklyn well before the show in a huge sound stage with a crew of about 20 people, including a British director. The shoot took all day because they were doing lots of different things with different breeds. The creative process took forever. Scottie had his own dressing room with his name on the door. I am not kidding. An animal agent got him this gig and I got the money. . . and yes he has head shots. All he cared about were the treats for doing what he was asked to do. Such a deal. I am hoping he will be cast on the next So You Want to Be A Supermodel.