Post by Lindsey on Mar 28, 2006 16:49:33 GMT -5
I just found an article I hadn't read before. I love the last paragraph...
Q&A: Apolo Ohno on fame, training, and international competition
By Megan Gabby // usolympicteam.com // September 30, 2005
Visit USA Speedskating
Apolo Anton Ohno skated into the lives of millions during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Ohno was thrust into the limelight by claiming a gold medal in the 1500m and a silver medal in the 1000m. Nearly four years later, the overall short track World Cup champion for the third time in the last five seasons, is preparing to skate his next World Cup circuit in Asia and Europe, before he takes the ice at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy.
Apolo is carrying America’s gold medal hopes on his shoulders, but doesn’t seem to mind. He knows that anything can happen at any moment in his sport which he calls, “A chess match that involves human bodies.” But, one thing is for sure. He is hungry to win, and will let nothing stand in his way.
Q1: How much and in what ways has your life changed since the 2002 Olympics?
APOLO OHNO: My life has changed not so much in how I live my lifestyle. I still live here on complex at the Olympic Training Center. I still have my home away from home, my family away from family. But, I think recognition is the number one thing. People just recognize me. I’ll be in the airport, I’ll be out to eat, they just say, “Oh, you’re that speedskater guy Apolo Ohno”. It is pretty cool to know that such a small sport a couple years ago has really escalated throughout the world, and especially throughout the United States as being considered a top-notch sport. That’s really special to me.
Q2: How has your approach to these games changed from 2002? Prior to Salt Lake City you were on the cover of Sports Illustrated, did a Nike ad campaign, and a GQ photo shoot. Are you still doing those kinds things?
APOLO OHNO: I am. In fact I feel like it has tripled this time around, to be honest with you…quadrupled. My name recognition, and obviously my face have been expanded so much more since the last games. I am a little bit older, but my thoughts going in to these next games are still the same. I am still hungry to win. I still want to be the best short track speedskater that I can be. I really try to focus on the things that make me perform well, so that I can go compete overseas and do the best that I can. So, in terms of that aspect I really haven’t changed that much. Maybe I have tweaked some things and maybe learned some things, but other than that, everything is pretty similar.
Q3: You are the face of the Olympics for a lot of fans. What’s the pressure that comes along with that? How hard has that been to deal with since 2002?
APOLO OHNO: I think the only pressure that I really honestly have to deal with is the pressure that comes from myself. Usually I put enough of that on myself to do my best. There’s not really any need to add pressure. But in reality there is. Fans want you to win every single time, regardless. But, I’m only human. I can only be the best that I can be at every competition, and sometimes it’s just not my time to win. I’ve always said my journey…my path is all about how I prepare and doing my best to reach that point, and then everything else will hopefully fall into play.
Q4: Are you comfortable being not only the face of your sport, but in some ways the face of the Olympic Games?
APOLO OHNO: I don’t know if I am comfortable. I don’t really have a choice. I’ve got to look at it like this…it beats the opposite. It definitely beats not being known, so I cannot complain. NBC has done an unbelievable job of displaying the Games to Americans all over. They really show the best of what is to come during the competition. So, I am very happy and honored to be a face of short track speedskating and be a part of this whole Olympic movement.
Q5: Can you describe what it is like to skate at a short track World Cup in Korea and in China; the atmosphere, what you see, what you hear, and what people are doing?
APOLO OHNO: Sure, it’s hard to sum up in just one word. I think the number one thing is excitement…energy. Both countries have always had very successful events whenever they have hosted World Cups. Korea obviously being the number one place for short track in the world, and has been like that for a long time. They have some die-hard fans. They have some fans that know a lot about the sport, that follow the sport intensely, and are very involved. Both countries, whenever we have gone, have packed the arena. That’s awesome for us. The more people the better. It’s no Super Bowl size, obviously, but at the same time, I really think short track fans get the loudest. I don’t know why, but they are just awesome. I think it is going to be no different this time.
Q6: Is it like college basketball in North Carolina? Is it like an NHL game? How noisy and how big are the arenas? Are they 7,000 seat arenas or are they 14,000 seats?
APOLO OHNO: Some vary, some are only 3,000, and some go all the way up to 16,000 to 20,000 thousand. Sometimes the 3,000, when they fill up a 3,000 people-seating arena, it’s just as loud, maybe just because they are so much closer. It is an awesome, awesome experience. The fans have chants, they have songs written out, they have got the whole deal. They make it a fun time for themselves as well.
Q7: Can you talk a little bit about the kind of training you have been doing the last year and a half?
APOLO OHNO: I had a great season last year. I was really happy. It is taking a big risk in changing the way I train this year. I feel like I could squeeze out a little more extra performance. I could get a little stronger, a little faster, if I could just change some things. I just really try to dial in everything-- from my nutrition to my weight-training program, to how I treat my body. It’s been working pretty well so far. The guy I have been working with, his name is John Schaeffer. He is an excellent strength and conditioning coach. He has really helped me out with a lot of aspects of the physiology of the body. The best test will be these next four competitions.
Q8: Can you take us through what you go through during a typical day of workouts?
APOLO OHNO: Alright…We skate anywhere from 2-3 hours in the morning. We’ll come back to the Training Center, eat a little bit, take a little break, maybe an hour or two. We have our next workout, whether it is dry lands, jumps, running, bike sprints, plyometrics, or weight room, and that’s for another couple hours. Eat again, take a little break, maybe go for a recovery jog, get a massage in sports med, ice bath, and probably another activity. Then we eat dinner, get our skates ready for the next morning, and get ready to go. We’re on a pretty routine schedule. Obviously there is some flexibility in there somewhat, but for the most part it is pretty boring.
Q9: Can you be specific about what sort of tweaks you made in your training program without giving away too much of your game plan?
APOLO OHNO: I guess the time tested physical abilities of a speedskater is; become light, increase the power. That’s very hard to do, obviously, because you lift weights and gain a little extra muscle mass. The key has become the strength to weight ratio. You want that to increase tremendously. Some of the strongest guys in the world are 125 lbs. I mean…these guys are skinny, but they are so strong. They are just as strong as a guy who weighs 165 or 175. So that’s really the key, and that’s something we have been working on. Obviously, there is a mental aspect of this whole thing. I can only train so hard physically without my mind saying “Okay that just hurts way too much. You need to stop doing what ever you are doing right now and just go take a nap or something.” So, for me mentally, I have to learn how to push through that. Athletes deal with pain on an everyday basis, and the ones who are able to cope with it are the ones that can really handle the volume and training.
Q10: In terms of staying motivated, it seems that elite athletes are always looking for something to use as motivation. Do you feel like you have anything left to prove?
APOLO OHNO: No…I don’t think I have anything left to prove. I never really did to begin with. I have always competed for myself and my country, and just tried to be the best that I can be. Short track is something where anything can happen at any moment. A little bit of luck plays…obviously fair play is pretty heavily influenced. It’s just about a bunch of guys going out and competing at a chess match that involves human bodies. It is absolutely amazing in the way that the races turn out sometimes. Sometimes you have a two-time World Champion, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a World Champion, and a World-Record holder all in the same race, and the guy who never won a World Cup, or even made a World Cup final wins the race. You know…that’s the type of sport we are in, and that’s what makes it really cool.
Q&A: Apolo Ohno on fame, training, and international competition
By Megan Gabby // usolympicteam.com // September 30, 2005
Visit USA Speedskating
Apolo Anton Ohno skated into the lives of millions during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Ohno was thrust into the limelight by claiming a gold medal in the 1500m and a silver medal in the 1000m. Nearly four years later, the overall short track World Cup champion for the third time in the last five seasons, is preparing to skate his next World Cup circuit in Asia and Europe, before he takes the ice at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy.
Apolo is carrying America’s gold medal hopes on his shoulders, but doesn’t seem to mind. He knows that anything can happen at any moment in his sport which he calls, “A chess match that involves human bodies.” But, one thing is for sure. He is hungry to win, and will let nothing stand in his way.
Q1: How much and in what ways has your life changed since the 2002 Olympics?
APOLO OHNO: My life has changed not so much in how I live my lifestyle. I still live here on complex at the Olympic Training Center. I still have my home away from home, my family away from family. But, I think recognition is the number one thing. People just recognize me. I’ll be in the airport, I’ll be out to eat, they just say, “Oh, you’re that speedskater guy Apolo Ohno”. It is pretty cool to know that such a small sport a couple years ago has really escalated throughout the world, and especially throughout the United States as being considered a top-notch sport. That’s really special to me.
Q2: How has your approach to these games changed from 2002? Prior to Salt Lake City you were on the cover of Sports Illustrated, did a Nike ad campaign, and a GQ photo shoot. Are you still doing those kinds things?
APOLO OHNO: I am. In fact I feel like it has tripled this time around, to be honest with you…quadrupled. My name recognition, and obviously my face have been expanded so much more since the last games. I am a little bit older, but my thoughts going in to these next games are still the same. I am still hungry to win. I still want to be the best short track speedskater that I can be. I really try to focus on the things that make me perform well, so that I can go compete overseas and do the best that I can. So, in terms of that aspect I really haven’t changed that much. Maybe I have tweaked some things and maybe learned some things, but other than that, everything is pretty similar.
Q3: You are the face of the Olympics for a lot of fans. What’s the pressure that comes along with that? How hard has that been to deal with since 2002?
APOLO OHNO: I think the only pressure that I really honestly have to deal with is the pressure that comes from myself. Usually I put enough of that on myself to do my best. There’s not really any need to add pressure. But in reality there is. Fans want you to win every single time, regardless. But, I’m only human. I can only be the best that I can be at every competition, and sometimes it’s just not my time to win. I’ve always said my journey…my path is all about how I prepare and doing my best to reach that point, and then everything else will hopefully fall into play.
Q4: Are you comfortable being not only the face of your sport, but in some ways the face of the Olympic Games?
APOLO OHNO: I don’t know if I am comfortable. I don’t really have a choice. I’ve got to look at it like this…it beats the opposite. It definitely beats not being known, so I cannot complain. NBC has done an unbelievable job of displaying the Games to Americans all over. They really show the best of what is to come during the competition. So, I am very happy and honored to be a face of short track speedskating and be a part of this whole Olympic movement.
Q5: Can you describe what it is like to skate at a short track World Cup in Korea and in China; the atmosphere, what you see, what you hear, and what people are doing?
APOLO OHNO: Sure, it’s hard to sum up in just one word. I think the number one thing is excitement…energy. Both countries have always had very successful events whenever they have hosted World Cups. Korea obviously being the number one place for short track in the world, and has been like that for a long time. They have some die-hard fans. They have some fans that know a lot about the sport, that follow the sport intensely, and are very involved. Both countries, whenever we have gone, have packed the arena. That’s awesome for us. The more people the better. It’s no Super Bowl size, obviously, but at the same time, I really think short track fans get the loudest. I don’t know why, but they are just awesome. I think it is going to be no different this time.
Q6: Is it like college basketball in North Carolina? Is it like an NHL game? How noisy and how big are the arenas? Are they 7,000 seat arenas or are they 14,000 seats?
APOLO OHNO: Some vary, some are only 3,000, and some go all the way up to 16,000 to 20,000 thousand. Sometimes the 3,000, when they fill up a 3,000 people-seating arena, it’s just as loud, maybe just because they are so much closer. It is an awesome, awesome experience. The fans have chants, they have songs written out, they have got the whole deal. They make it a fun time for themselves as well.
Q7: Can you talk a little bit about the kind of training you have been doing the last year and a half?
APOLO OHNO: I had a great season last year. I was really happy. It is taking a big risk in changing the way I train this year. I feel like I could squeeze out a little more extra performance. I could get a little stronger, a little faster, if I could just change some things. I just really try to dial in everything-- from my nutrition to my weight-training program, to how I treat my body. It’s been working pretty well so far. The guy I have been working with, his name is John Schaeffer. He is an excellent strength and conditioning coach. He has really helped me out with a lot of aspects of the physiology of the body. The best test will be these next four competitions.
Q8: Can you take us through what you go through during a typical day of workouts?
APOLO OHNO: Alright…We skate anywhere from 2-3 hours in the morning. We’ll come back to the Training Center, eat a little bit, take a little break, maybe an hour or two. We have our next workout, whether it is dry lands, jumps, running, bike sprints, plyometrics, or weight room, and that’s for another couple hours. Eat again, take a little break, maybe go for a recovery jog, get a massage in sports med, ice bath, and probably another activity. Then we eat dinner, get our skates ready for the next morning, and get ready to go. We’re on a pretty routine schedule. Obviously there is some flexibility in there somewhat, but for the most part it is pretty boring.
Q9: Can you be specific about what sort of tweaks you made in your training program without giving away too much of your game plan?
APOLO OHNO: I guess the time tested physical abilities of a speedskater is; become light, increase the power. That’s very hard to do, obviously, because you lift weights and gain a little extra muscle mass. The key has become the strength to weight ratio. You want that to increase tremendously. Some of the strongest guys in the world are 125 lbs. I mean…these guys are skinny, but they are so strong. They are just as strong as a guy who weighs 165 or 175. So that’s really the key, and that’s something we have been working on. Obviously, there is a mental aspect of this whole thing. I can only train so hard physically without my mind saying “Okay that just hurts way too much. You need to stop doing what ever you are doing right now and just go take a nap or something.” So, for me mentally, I have to learn how to push through that. Athletes deal with pain on an everyday basis, and the ones who are able to cope with it are the ones that can really handle the volume and training.
Q10: In terms of staying motivated, it seems that elite athletes are always looking for something to use as motivation. Do you feel like you have anything left to prove?
APOLO OHNO: No…I don’t think I have anything left to prove. I never really did to begin with. I have always competed for myself and my country, and just tried to be the best that I can be. Short track is something where anything can happen at any moment. A little bit of luck plays…obviously fair play is pretty heavily influenced. It’s just about a bunch of guys going out and competing at a chess match that involves human bodies. It is absolutely amazing in the way that the races turn out sometimes. Sometimes you have a two-time World Champion, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a World Champion, and a World-Record holder all in the same race, and the guy who never won a World Cup, or even made a World Cup final wins the race. You know…that’s the type of sport we are in, and that’s what makes it really cool.
