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Post by aaosmts19 on Sept 21, 2008 12:28:35 GMT -5
canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hwMSLTe6Q8ELjGBGDScBM0OmNqAwNational speed skating team hits ice for first time at Richmond Oval 4 days ago RICHMOND, B.C. — The building is still a couple months away from completion, but the ice is in at the Richmond Oval and four star members of Canada's national speed skating team gave it a whirl. Their verdict of the venue and site of speed skating at the 2010 Winter Games? It passes with flying colours. "I saw it a year and a half ago when it was at its bare bones," said Clara Hughes. "To be here and step into the rink and know that the Olympics are going to be held here in 16 months and I have a chance to compete in front of the Canadian crowd was a really, really beautiful feeling inside." Hughes attended an informal news conference Tuesday at a nearby hotel to talk about the team, and especially about the speed skating site on the banks of the Fraser River. Canada hopes to win a lot of medals at the 2010 Games and one advantage will be using the sites well ahead of their competitors. The oval won't officially open until December, but the ice was put in last week and the national team tried it out Monday. "The facility is incredible, esthetically it is beautiful, and the views . . . it's been made with a lot of care and thought and you can really see that already," said Hughes. "I think Canadians are going to be very proud of this rink." Hughes was joined at the news conference by skating great Jeremy Wothersthingy as well as Kristina Groves and Denny Morrison. The team's 2008-2009 season begins later this month at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver with the fall World Cup selection. They agreed that another highlight was not only getting on the ice but being able to perform for the construction workers still at the site, who stopped and watched them during their lunch break. Wothersthingy, who won a dozen World Cup medals - including eight gold - after taking the entire 2006-07 season off, liked what he saw. "It was an exciting opportunity to get out here yesterday and be part of the first group of people ever to train on the ice," he said. "The design is really nice. It's a warm-feeling building and there's so much natural light coming in the windows." He said the ice felt good. "It was the first day so they will be getting a lot of feedback from us about what we're feeling on it and how it's changing during training." Morrison was equally enthusiastic about the building but doesn't think the ice will ever compare to the oval in Calgary. "It's not as fast as Calgary," he said, explaining that the Richmond Oval is at sea level, where the atmospheric pressure is greater and therefore skaters will face more resistance. He said it's unlikely that world records will be set at the 2010 Games, although Olympic records may fall.
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Post by *^padfoot^* on Sept 22, 2008 21:55:19 GMT -5
I went to go vote....and it says speedskating is at 1% ....lol talk about flawed!
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Post by number1fan on Sept 26, 2008 17:35:03 GMT -5
Olympic Winter Games ticket requests start one week from today!
www.vancouver2010.com
In just one week the Request Period for Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games tickets begins! Here is a quick look at the timeline for Phase 1 and a few tools to help you plan your once-in-a-lifetime Olympic experience:
Phase 1
October 3-November 7, 2008: Request Period
*Visit vancouver2010.com to build and submit your ticket request anytime during this five-week window.
November 8-November 23, 2008: Lottery Period
*Where ticket demand exceeds the available supply, an automated, random selection process (lottery) will ensure the fairest possible ticket distribution.
By December 5: Notification period
*All applicants will be notified by e-mail regarding the status of their ticket request and which sessions and/or packages they may have secured.
December 8-22: Priority access period
*Remaining tickets will be re-released on a first-come, first-served basis exclusively to those who submitted a request during the Request Period.
Planning Tools (and a couple of fun extras)
Have you checked out the new vancouver2010.com yet? The recently launched website contains all you need to know about Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games ticketing. The site offers an enhanced, in-depth and interactive experience for virtual visitors worldwide.
Schedule and prices by day - we've posted the day-by-day schedule and included ticket prices to make your planning easier.
New pictograms and sport illustrations - have a look at the 24 pictograms depicting the 2010 Winter Games sports.
With Glowing Hearts video - This one-minute spot features Canadians from all walks of life and all regions of the country celebrating the newly announced Vancouver 2010 motto.
Vancouver 2010 video podcasts - These podcasts offer a great way to learn more about the sports of the 2010 Winter Games.
Vancouver 2010 Ticketing Team
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Post by bubblebuttsbabe on Sept 27, 2008 17:09:20 GMT -5
Olympic Winter Games ticket requests start one week from today!
www.vancouver2010.com
In just one week the Request Period for Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games tickets begins! Here is a quick look at the timeline for Phase 1 and a few tools to help you plan your once-in-a-lifetime Olympic experience:
Phase 1
October 3-November 7, 2008: Request Period
*Visit vancouver2010.com to build and submit your ticket request anytime during this five-week window.
November 8-November 23, 2008: Lottery Period
*Where ticket demand exceeds the available supply, an automated, random selection process (lottery) will ensure the fairest possible ticket distribution.
By December 5: Notification period
*All applicants will be notified by e-mail regarding the status of their ticket request and which sessions and/or packages they may have secured.
December 8-22: Priority access period
*Remaining tickets will be re-released on a first-come, first-served basis exclusively to those who submitted a request during the Request Period.
Planning Tools (and a couple of fun extras)
Have you checked out the new vancouver2010.com yet? The recently launched website contains all you need to know about Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games ticketing. The site offers an enhanced, in-depth and interactive experience for virtual visitors worldwide.
Schedule and prices by day - we've posted the day-by-day schedule and included ticket prices to make your planning easier.
New pictograms and sport illustrations - have a look at the 24 pictograms depicting the 2010 Winter Games sports.
With Glowing Hearts video - This one-minute spot features Canadians from all walks of life and all regions of the country celebrating the newly announced Vancouver 2010 motto.
Vancouver 2010 video podcasts - These podcasts offer a great way to learn more about the sports of the 2010 Winter Games.
Vancouver 2010 Ticketing Team *Remember that as a US citizen, you must go through Jet Set Sports - www.jetsetsports.com/flash - or CoSport - www.cosport.com - for your Olympic tickets. The above timeline is the same for the US. FOR INDIVIDUAL TICKETS: * October 3, 2008: Ticket Request Phase starts (credit card authorized, no payments collected) * November 7, 2008: Ticket Request Phase ends * Mid-December 2008: Ticket Allocation and Confirmation (payments charged to credit card) * Spring 2009: Live Ticket Sales commence (first-come, first-served sales of remaining available tickets) FOR HOSPITALITY PACKAGES (tickets, airfare, accommodations, etc.): * October 10, 2008 - on-going |
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Post by number1fan on Oct 2, 2008 1:20:10 GMT -5
found this at OZ...
some disappointing news for the Canadian team...from The Vancouver Sun
Skaters to train mostly in Quebec
Scheduling conflicts force 2010 short-track athletes to use Montreal's Richard Arena
Gary Kingston, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, October 01, 2008[/size]
A Giant-sized scheduling problem means Canada's short-track speed skating team won't be able to fully capitalize on "home field" advantage preparation in Vancouver before the 2010 Winter Olympics.
But national team executives hope to at least replicate Pacific Coliseum conditions in Quebec after finally securing the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal as a dedicated short-track facility.
Speed Skating Canada has been sharing the Olympic-sized ice surface at Maurice Richard -- the only one in Montreal -- since the mid-1990s with minor hockey and figure skating clubs.
On Tuesday, the federation announced an agreement with the Quebec government and local and provincial hockey authorities that will see the arena turned over to short track by next June.
The $5.5-million project will see hockey boards -- a hazard for skaters who crash on corners -- removed and replaced by a self-standing mat system similar to what will be in place in the Coliseum for the Olympics. A new refrigeration and ventilation system will also be installed to allow for upgraded ice.
"The hardness and density of the ice is something really important," Yves Hamelin, short track high performance director, said in a telephone interview.
"The fact [the athletes] are turning at a high speed ... to turn at that speed and avoid any fall and injury, the ice has to have the appropriate density."
The national team did spend 10 days at the Coliseum earlier this month for a training camp and 2008-09 World Cup team selection trials. It will get two weeks at the arena in late June and early July and a few days in early August for part of the team's next selection trials.
But they can't get the same unlimited training access their long track colleagues will get at the Richmond Oval.
"For sure, being on the ice more often would have been a good addition to our home field advantage planning," said Hamelin. "But we need to deal with the environment we have. With the PNE, the [WHL Vancouver] Giants ... we understand they have users that have to use the [building]."
The improvements to Maurice Richard are being covered by the Quebec government ($2.6 million), the city of Montreal ($2.4 million) and Speed Skating Canada ($500,000).
The agreement was two years in the making and was only concluded after arrangements were completed to move minor hockey programs to nearby arenas.
While getting more time on Coliseum ice might have been preferable, keeping the national team based in Montreal will help Speed Skating Canada's budget, as 26 of the 30 national team athletes already train in the city. The other four train in Calgary.
Meantime, Hamelin said Speed Skating Canada is hoping for a full house in the Coliseum's lower bowl (8,000 seats) for the Samsung ISU World Cup, Oct. 24-26.
"Our hope is to really create the best environment to get Vancouver the feeling of what short track is all about," said Hamelin of the dynamic, high-tempo sport.
"The level of racing is going to be very good, with the best athletes from all over the world."
gkingston@vancouversun.com
ONLINE: You can comment on this story at vancouversun.com/sports
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
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Post by mtnme on Oct 3, 2008 10:55:24 GMT -5
I'm assuming this is for the Canadians, since the rest of the world doesn't get a crack at the tickets until later...
Here's the direct link to the article:blogs.thenewstribune.com/olympics/2008/10/02/tickets_go_on_sale_friday________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2010 Winter OlympicsA look inside the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAYPosted by Craig Hill @ 02:11:35 pm There are still 498 days until the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but it’s already time to prepare for the games if you’re looking for tickets. Starting this morning Olympic organizers are accepting ticket requests for the games scheduled for Feb. 12-28, 2010, in Vancouver and Whistler. Tickets range in price from $25 to watch cross-country skiing to $1,118 for the opening ceremonies. HOW TO REQUEST TICKETS: Ticket requests can be submitted at cosport.com or 877-457-4647 until Nov. 7. A credit card is required to request tickets, but no payments will be collected during this time according to the cosport.com website. THE LOTTERY: Regardless of when ticket requests are submitted they are considered equally when ticket sales will be confirmed in mid December. Those win the right to buy tickets will have their credit cards billed at this time. Tickets will be shipped in January 2010. OTHER TICKET OPPORTUNITIES: Any remaining tickets will go on sale on a first-come, first-served basis in February or March according to cosports.com. CREDIT CARD INFO: Credit cards are accepted if they have an expiration date of February 2009 or later. COST: Opening Ceremonies ($185-$1,118), alpine skiing ($85-150), biathlon ($25-70), bobsleigh ($30-85), cross-country skiing ($25-70), curling ($65-125), figure skating ($50-525), freestyle skiing ($65-125), hockey ($26-775), luge ($35-85), Nordic combined ($50-120), short track speed skating ($50-150), skeleton ($30-85), ski jumping ($80-210), snowboarding ($50-150), speed skating ($95-185) and closing ceremonies ($185-793). MORE INFO: vancouver2010.com Categories: Ticket Information
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Post by lilyover76 on Oct 3, 2008 11:39:19 GMT -5
I'm assuming this is for the Canadians, since the rest of the world doesn't get a crack at the tickets until later...
Here's the direct link to the article:blogs.thenewstribune.com/olympics/2008/10/02/tickets_go_on_sale_friday________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2010 Winter OlympicsA look inside the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAYPosted by Craig Hill @ 02:11:35 pm There are still 498 days until the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but it’s already time to prepare for the games if you’re looking for tickets. Starting this morning Olympic organizers are accepting ticket requests for the games scheduled for Feb. 12-28, 2010, in Vancouver and Whistler. The up-coming First Phase sale date is for Canadian residents only. Also, the ticket prices listed above has been updated at VANOC.com For instance, short-track is not sold by each race, they are sold per sessions. Such as: Wed., Feb 17 has 3 races and this is ONE sessionCost of this ONE session: Category A = $160 (highest price); Category B = $120; Category C = $56 So far, there are 4 dates with 3-race sessions and 1 date with a 2-race session. This is a change from what was posted at VANOC heretofore. VANOC offers packages also, but these might include events that you might not be interested in attending. The ticketing info is quite long so I won't post all of it here. Check out the site: www.vanoc.com, then click 'ticketing information' at the left of the home-page. Also, keep checking back for updates b/c they say the information is subject-to-change. You can also use: www.vancouver2010.com... it goes to the same site. I received the update from VANOC about a week ago. Again, this is the only site with official information. |
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Post by lilyover76 on Oct 3, 2008 12:08:38 GMT -5
I went back to the website to 'copy and paste' some of the info here. (This is only a small amount.)
There is so much data to decipher that it took me a while to digest it all when I got the last update... so I thought the data below will help anyone who will be buying tickets.
Session
A session describes a single or number of events happening within a set time period. A single ticketed session may include one or more competition events. For example, a ticket to a short track speed skating session includes up to three events.
Seat Assignment Period
The seat assignment period will take place in summer of 2009. Seat locations are determined once venue configurations have been finalized and are assigned, in part, by the date or time a request or purchase was made.
Request Period
The Request Period (October 3–November 7) is part of Phase 1 of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games ticket program and offers the best chance for Canadian residents to secure the tickets they want, especially for high-demand sessions. Requests must be completed and submitted within the request period to be eligible. All requests received during this time will be weighted equally.
Resident
The term ‘resident’ should not be confused with ‘citizen.’ Canadian residents can purchase tickets through vancouver2010.com or through other authorized sales channels. Non-Canadian residents must purchase tickets through the Official Ticket Agent for the National Olympic Committee in their country of residence.
Phase 1
Phase 1 of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games ticket sales program runs from October 3 2008 through to December 22, 2008. It consists of the Request Period, Lottery (as necessary), Notification Period and the Priority Access Period.
Phase 2
Phase 2 of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games ticket sales program will begin in early 2009. During this time, remaining tickets from Phase 1 will be available for public sale. Canadian residents who missed the initial request period can purchase at this time.
Phase 3
Phase 3 of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games ticket sales program begins in fall of 2009 once the seat assignment period is complete. At this time, any remaining tickets will be available for purchase and will be sold directly into available seat locations. Phase 3 also includes the seat assignment period which will take place in summer of 2009. Seat locations are determined once venue configurations have been finalized and are assigned, in part, by the date or time a request or purchase was made.
Phase 4
Phase 4 of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games ticket sales program runs during Games Time – February 12 – 28, 2010. All venue box offices will open on the first day of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Available tickets can be purchased through vancouver2010.com or at any box office during Games time.
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Post by mtnme on Oct 4, 2008 10:40:57 GMT -5
Here is a beautifully written - and oh so painfully true blog entry on the athletes who aspire to Olympic podiums. (Those google alerts DO come through every once in awhile...)  __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Summer & Winter Olympics If you think a summer's worth of hope lost in three nights in the baseball playoffs is cruel, try four years of preparation gone in one heartbeat in the Olympics. In the sports we most closely associate with the Olympics themselves - track & field, swimming, gymnastics, speed skating & figure skating - young athletes devote their entire lives for one opportunity on four year intervals. The Olymics are the one and only time those sports receive any sort of attention; then an athlete can go from total obscurity to the cover of Sports Illustrated and you don't have to be Michael Phelps to do it. You can make fun of me for watching women's figure skating if you want, but you cannot deny that there's no bigger trade-off in all of sports than watching four years of someone's entire life hang in the balance of whether or not she sticks one landing in one moment. It's an all or nothing, be remembered or be forgotten moment. And what holds true for each of these is even stronger in the Olympics: it's incredibly cruel if you lose. But it's even more joyous if you win. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That one line says it all, doesn't it?
The rest of the post:southeasternsportsblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/five-most-cruel-events-in-sports.html
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Post by number1fan on Oct 11, 2008 9:49:40 GMT -5
Tickets on sale for Vancouver 2010 Olympics
Mercury News Staff and Wire ReportsArticle Launched: 10/10/2008 04:18:27 PM PDT[/size][/b] Mercury News Staff and Wire Reports
Tickets for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics have gone on sale, but organizers promise purchasers won't have to race like Apolo Anton Ohno to get seats.
Instead, requests will be taken via an online process designed to thwart scalpers trying to snap up tickets to the best events.
"There are people who are experts at getting to the front of the line, and they make a living doing that," said Caley Denton, vice president of ticketing for the Vancouver organizing committee. "We have a built-in reason why that's not important. It's not a race."
CoSport (www.cosport.com), the only company sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee to sell tickets to Americans, is accepting ticket requests through Nov. 7.
"For any event that is oversubscribed — like the opening ceremonies or hockey finals — it would go to a randomized computer selection, a lottery process," said Michael Cucci, sales manager for CoSport. "We try to keep it fair."
Still, there are no guarantees — unless you purchase a package that includes hotel accommodations and event tickets. CoSport started selling those Friday, and they are first come, first served.
In late November or December, those who hope to buy individual tickets will be notified by e-mail whether they have been successful.
Around 1.6 million tickets will be available to the public, with prices ranging from $25 for some Nordic events to $1,100 for the most expensive seats at the opening ceremonies. That doesn't include service charges, taxes or delivery fees.
Contact Linda Zavoral at travel@mercurynews.com.
www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10690806?nclick_check=1
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Post by 2010orbust on Oct 23, 2008 21:50:21 GMT -5
I live in AZ and bought my 2010 tickets as individual tickets (not packaged with rooms) last night. I used the www.cosport.com website. Of course we bought all of Apolo's events up to and including the 20th, but I was surprised that the ST tickets were listed as "low demand" tickets. That bodes well for anyone requesting good seats. The very high demand and expensive tickets were figure skating and ice dancing (over $500 ea for A ticket). I'm going to all, but would value ST way above figure skating. Cosport immediately confirmed my order via email, and a rep also wrote to me about a question I had about my order. The response was immediate. I think there has been confusion between VANOC (for Canadians) and CoSport (for lots of other co. including US). CoSport is taking orders now for US. Now on to the Hospitality Packages (rooms with guaranteed tickets). Apolo's events are not included in those for the most part. The room packages (even "flex packages") were expensive and disappointing in their ticket offerings. So I didn't pay for a package. Now the difficulty will be in independently finding rooms and having transportation lines to events. Lordy! What have any of you found out about that? Hotels I've called aren't taking reservations until a year out. By the way, I'm taking my videocam. They allow those at Olympics, right? |
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Post by number1fan on Oct 23, 2008 22:03:50 GMT -5
WOW! that's great news 2010orbust...i'm thrilled for you! 
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Post by lilyover76 on Oct 23, 2008 22:31:35 GMT -5
Regarding Hotel rooms:I've been inquiring here in Vancouver... talked to 3 different hotels... they are not releasing any rooms yet for reservations. Also, the Olympic Committee has bought up a certain percentage of rooms at many of the hotels, leaving that much less for the general public. I've been told to keep checking back frequently! 
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Post by 2010orbust on Oct 24, 2008 19:48:52 GMT -5
Here's what CoSport wrote back to me re: ticket phases and hotels: "Phase I Ticket Request through CoSport is for US residents. The Phase I through Vancouver 2010 is for Canadian residents only. Both CoSport and Vancouver 2010’s Ticket Request Phases have the same timeline October 3, 2008 – November 7, 2008. Ticket allocation confirmations will be emailed to the Account Holder in December. Please review the Need to Know, FAQs, and Terms and Condition documentations at www.cosport.com for more information. CoSport is not offering Accommodations Only options as this time, as we have not received sufficient hotel rooms to provide such as offering. We are working directly with VANOC to obtain more hotels that would allow us to offer an Accommodations Only option. CoSport has always had Accommodations only option, however this is typically not offered until about 12 months before the start of the games. It is still early in the process for CoSport to offer this. Please be advised that hotels during the Olympics will be competitively priced and demand will be high." |
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Post by bubblebuttsbabe on Oct 25, 2008 15:47:47 GMT -5
www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/olympics/articles/2008/10/25/us_olympic_hopefuls_gearing_up_for_2010/US Olympic hopefuls gearing up for 2010By John PowersGlobe Staff / October 25, 2008 The Alpine skiers are back on the Austrian glacier, where winter begins before Halloween. The figure skaters are in a Seattle suburb to begin the jet-lag pilgrimage that is the three-continent Grand Prix tour. And the short-track speedskaters already are into their second World Cup weekend. With the Vancouver Games just one winter removed, this season's Cup circuits and world championships will provide the Olympic form chart and, in some sports, determine entry slots. The Americans, who had their best Olympic overseas performance in history two years ago (25 medals, nine gold), have improved significantly since in several sports - Alpine and Nordic skiing, skeleton sledding, and women's ice hockey. In others, most notably long-track speedskating, bobsled, luge, and curling, there's been a significant downturn. If the Yanks want to catch the Germans in 2010, they'll need to start upgrading now. What will help is having four world championships in the States - bobsled, skeleton, and luge in Lake Placid and figure skating in Los Angeles. Here is a sport-by-sport glimpse of the upcoming winter. Figure skating - The Hello Kitty Generation (teen ingenues Mirai Nagasu, Rachael Flatt, and Caroline Zhang) were too young to compete at last season's world championships, but they've come of age. At least one figures to make the medal stand in LA. With Canadian world titlist Jeff Buttle and Swiss two-time champion Stephane Lambiel retired since the summer, the door is open for the first American men's champ since Todd Eldredge a dozen years ago, if either Evan Lysacek or Johnny Weir literally can elevate his game. Keauna McLaughlin, who also was born too late to go global last season, is the most promising US-born pairs skater in years and she and partner Rockne Brubaker could be among the planet's top half-dozen. If dancers Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto can bounce back from a rare off year, the Yanks should be good for at least three world medals. Alpine skiing - For the first time in 25 years, the Americans begin the World Cup season with the reigning men's (Bode Miller) and women's (Lindsey Vonn) champions. The primary goal, though, is grabbing a few medals at the biennial world championships in the French Alps in February, where the Austrians, Swiss, and Germans will pose the usual obstacles. Miller and Vonn could win two apiece in the downhill and combined and Ted Ligety will be favored in the giant slalom, where Olympic champ Julia Mancuso will be in the chase on the women's side. Nordic skiing - Getting closer to the global medal stand all the time. Kikkan Randall last season became the first US woman to win a World Cup cross-country race and Andy Newell earned a silver. The Yanks still can't go the distance with the Europeans, but they sprint superbly. Bill Demong, who made six podiums and won a gold, will be a threat every week in Nordic combined. Now if they can just get the jumpers aloft. Freestyle skiing - The rest of the world - Aussies, Canadians, Chinese, et al - have caught and passed the Americans, who've been losing ground for a decade. Patrick Deneen and Nate Roberts are contenders in men's moguls, as is Emily Cook in women's aerials, but the US may get shut out at the world championships and possibly in Vancouver. Snowboarding - With or without the Flying Tomato (Shaun White), whose whereabouts are whimsical, the boarders still rule. Olympic champs Hannah Teter and Seth Wescott are still in the game, as are silver medalists Lindsey Jacobellis and Gretchen Bleiler. A reliable, if eccentric, medal machine. Biathlon - It's been two decades and more since the Americans have had anyone in the global medals, but Tim Burke is within range of the podium after posting four top-10 finishes on last season's World Cup circuit. There's a mob of Norwegians and Russians in his way, but Burke has more promise than any Yank since Josh Thompson. It'll be a couple of quadrennia, though, before an American woman can challenge the Germans. Ice hockey - The American women, who'd played second banana to the Canadians forever (with one golden exception in Salt Lake), now rule, having won two of the last three world titles. If they can prevail again in Finland next spring, they'll go to Olympus favored to win on their archrivals' home ice. That's highly unlikely for the US males, who haven't made the global podium since 2004 and were sixth last year. Long-track speedskating - Last year was the Shani Show, with Mr. Davis essentially a one-man team as distance ace Chad Hedrick showed signs of slippage. Davis still is the world's best in the 1,000 meters and a sure medalist in the 1,500, but there's little depth behind him. With Jennifer Rodriguez coming out of retirement, the women have the star they've been lacking, but they're still nowhere near the Germans, Dutch, and Canadians.  Short-track speedskating - Apolo Anton Ohno comes in as world champion after elbowing his way through a Korean thicket last season and there's some decent depth behind him with Ryan Leveille and Jeff Simon. The women don't have a superstar, but Katherine Reutter is on the rise and Olympians Kimberley Derrick and Allison Baver are solid. Bobsled - Decidedly uncool runnings for the Yanks last season, with no world medals for either the men or women. Steve Holcomb, the former World Cup champ, was off form, finishing fourth in the overall standings, and Olympic runner-up Shauna Rohbock was blocked by the Germans. Home ice will help for the world championships, where unretired three-time Olympian Todd Hays could have a reprise. Luge - It's been downhill, literally, since Salt Lake, where the Yanks won a couple of medals on their home track. Last season was a wipeout, with no World Cup podiums and nothing at the world championships. Erin Hamlin and the double of Chris Niccum and Dan Joye are solid top-10ers, but they're still well up the track from the Germans, who own all three events. Skeleton - With reigning World Cup titlist Katie Uhlaender and former world champion Noelle Pikus-Pace (back from maternity leave), the US has a powerful 1-2 punch that could KO the Germans. Britain's Kristan Bromley is the top male belly-flopper, but both Zach Lund and Eric Bernotas could end up on the world podium at Placid. Curling - The Brazilian men have challenged the US for a berth in this season's world championships. Such is the comedown for the Yanks, who dropped from third to seventh last year on home ice in North Dakota. The women, who once were solidly silver, also slipped to seventh, missing the playoffs for the first time in six years.
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