May 25, 2009
Apolo has a deal with Coke
Although I think we'll have to wait for details, since the article's behind the pay-wall of the Sports Business Journal: "Coca-Cola has signed a six-pack of athletes for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The company will be featuring snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, figure skater Evan Lysacek, hockey player Angela Ruggiero, speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno and the pairs figure-skating duo of ..."
Posted by noelle at 6:20 AM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2009
Happy 27th birthday, Apolo Anton Ohno!
Posted by noelle at 7:01 AM | Comments (0)
May 20, 2009
AAO in the news - great new stuff!
KOMO News | 'It's the biggest challenge of my life'
This is great - includes 5 minutes of footage of Apolo doing dryland workouts with his trainer.
Also, watch the complete 11-minute interview here.
Universal Sports has a cool new photo gallery of Apolo - promotional photos taken recently in Los Angeles. Click the image to see the full gallery:
More photo galleries available featuring:
Allison Baver
J.R. Celski
Kimberly Derrick
Katherine Reutter
Posted by noelle at 6:43 PM | Comments (0)
May 17, 2009
Apolo was on Jay Leno Thursday night!
I was just watching a DVR'ed episode of the Tonight Show from Thursday, May 14 and nearly fell off my sofa when I discovered Apolo made a guest appearance on a segment called Man Vs. Machine. Clip is below!
It should have been Yuki doing the hairdresser part played by Tabitha! Anyway, it's a photo finish - reminds me of that Michael Phelps race from Beijing last summer, where you see one result with the naked eye and another on the slo-mo replay. I still think Apolo had it!
Posted by noelle at 8:22 AM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2009
Remembering Janet
I am sad to report that long-time OZer Janet Eaton passed away on Sunday after a brief, brave battle with cancer. Janet was one of the so-called 'original OZers' who coalesced around this site at the time of the Salt Lake City Games in 2002; she quickly became a big part of our little community. Janet could always be counted on for unwavering enthusiasm, support for Apolo, and was a valued calming influence among an often-fractious fan base! I imagine we provided her some endless entertainment in those days!
Janet and the furry Apolo
Janet was a huge booster of Apolo, going so far as to name her beloved Golden Retriever puppy after our favorite skater. She derived an extra measure of pride in Apolo (the athlete, that is!) because of their mutual connection to Seattle. Janet was a longtime Seattle resident and ardent booster of Mukilteo, where she lived with her family, and of the entire Seattle region. She shared this passion through her blog, Mukilteo Musings, where her OZ friends (and people around the world) discovered Janet's incredible talent for expressing herself in writing. Whether reading her 'only in Seattle' posts or admiring her photos of the gorgeous scenery she so admired, I was struck by Janet's deep affection for her home.
After spending time talking with Janet or perusing her blog, it became apparent that her pride in Seattle was exceeded only by the pride she took in her family - two children and a husband to whom she was devoted. All of us who had the pleasure of knowing Janet have Dave, Lucas and Kaley in our thoughts.
I am regretting more than ever that the OZ comments are out of commission because I'm sure many of you could share some great Janet stories with us all. The comments are open on her blog, however, and I imagine her family would welcome any thoughts you'd like to share with them.
I came across something Janet wrote on her blog last December, and it's really stayed with me: Look for the gifts in your daily lives. They are there if you are paying attention.
Just a few highlights from Janet's involvement with the OZ community:
Janet was instrumental in the early years in helping us get video footage of Apolo's races to watch here on OZ. She would record the coverage shown on CBC, a channel she received in Seattle, and so we had a nice pipeline of footage in those pre-YouTube years as a result of her efforts.
Back in 2003, Janet and her daughter Kaley were on hand when Apolo spoke at the Seattle announcement that Vancouver would play host to the 2010 Olympics. She was excited to share her experience with us.
Even earlier, Janet outlined some very clever, tongue-in-cheek tips (although not completely!) for fans visiting Seattle for the first time to see Apolo in the 2002 Seafair parade.
Posted by noelle at 4:43 PM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2009
Further thoughts from Vienna
Joyce sends some additional reflections along with some Team USA practice photos. Thanks for sharing this bounty with us!
Still in the afterglow of this great and exciting competition, I was privileged to be able to attend. It will be the yardstick from which I will judge all future competitions. While no large international event is ever problem-free, it was so graciously and expertly executed with a high degree of European sensibility and attention to detail. ASSA deserves high praise.Venue - While seating was not within "ice chip" range, it did not deter my total enjoyment nor hinder my visual field. The running track that separated the rink from seating actually provided a second "stage" to the rink itself. It was a beehive of activity before and during the races, with athletes, former athletes, coaches, trainers, media and ISU officials engaged in their various activities. The athletes particularly enjoyed this "space" as they could jog, stretch, work out, relax, socialize and still be in the "thick of things" by watching the races live. They had their own athletes section below the rink but seemed to favor this upper level.
We could easily view the 2 heat boxes. There was even an area set up with stationary bikes. Armed with a pair of binoculars, you had a glimpse of the backstage world of short track and international competition, and of your favorite athletes. This only enhanced my SST experience.
Athletes - More than any other event, I was impressed by the respect and friendliness the athletes demonstrated with each other, particularly the US and Korean teams. Only shared humor, smiles and easy exchanges whenever they met. The same can be said of all the athletes and coaches who intermingled easily with each other. There is a global lesson to be learned here.
US Team - Personally speaking and in no way speaking for the athletes, I did not think the race results reflected the high abilities of our team. They skated strong and clean, looked really good on the ice. It's just the nature of the sport that not everyone can come in top 3 all the time. While some athletes are always harder on themselves than others (and this goes for all athletes everywhere), they all know how to move on. Many had obtained a personal best and skated their best lap times.
Here are some photos from the practice sessions - Team huddle around the coaches and Apolo choosing an appropriate squeegie for his requisite ice maintenance duty! (top)
Posted by noelle at 4:59 PM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2009
OZ operative reports on Vienna!
Joyce just got home from what sounds like an amazing trip to Vienna where she attended the World Championships in person. Here's her report:
Vienna is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in!! March is the rainy season and it was cloudy and overcast, but this in no way detracted from the beauty around us. Temperatures were comfortable although changeable throughout the course of the day. The US team arrived early enough to do some sight-seeing and although most places are closed on Sunday - you can see all the beautiful churches. AND they did find a Prada store that was open. Most indulged in the famous Sacher torte at the Hotel Sacher. Internet access [at the host hotel] is expensive - 22 Euros/24hrs. The athletes were given a number of access codes to bypass this expense, so you can imagine the difficulty of logging in during the peak evening hours!The Albert-Schultz-Hall was the original venue chosen for Worlds; however, Austria's hockey team had advanced further than expected and this necessitated the need to revert the venue back to the hockey team. I believe both events were scheduled for the same weekend. The Ferry Dusika Hallenstadion was the new venue - it is in fact a velodrome used to host cycling, handball, and volleyball championships. They have also hosted Davis Cups. For short track they brought in a portable rink. I am not familiar with portable rinks, but if I had not known it was portable I don't know if I would have realized it. The athletes seemed very satisfied.
The stadium is beautiful and huge. The seating was not "up close" but I had no complaints about the viewing - I was able to see everything. The Austrian Speedskating Association did a tremendous job and I felt it was probably the best competition I have been to. All of the ASSA members and volunteers were exceedingly gracious and eager to help in any way. The skaters said that the "ice was really good." I believe it did get softer during the afternoon of the first practice session on Wed. (the skaters practiced at the Albert-Schultz-Hall on Mon/Tues). ASSA was very attentive in remedying any of these technical problems. The USS officials were particularly kind and generous to the American fans and appreciated our presence there.
The host hotel was a very easy 5 minute walk away from the stadium and shuttle buses were available every 30 minutes. It was nice to have this proximity and choose walking or riding as it suited us. There was also a very nice shopping mall built right alongside the stadium and an U-bahn station. The set-up could not have been more convenient or pleasant, and allowed so much flexibility.
I was able to attend the US teams' practice session on Weds/Thurs right up by the pads and also saw the athlete's facilities - they were all first-rate. Had my first "ice chips" experience with the ice flying right at me - that was thrilling!!
Jim Hewish was the chief referee and has the reputation of being one of the best. Again I thought the officiating was extremely fair and perhaps the best to date. It was rumored that they were mindful of the large percentage of DQ's during the European WC's and took extra care to examine all video footage carefully. They did a superb job.
While there was not a full house, you would not have realized it for all the enthusiasm and energy in the air. Korea and China had the largest fan bases. The Chinese ambassador attended and participated in one of the medal ceremonies. Every country had a fan base that enthusiastically supported their skaters. There were no patriotic divisions as spectators applauded and cheered for ALL winners. There was always respectful applause for all athletes who fell and were able to stand and for athletes who needed to be "carried" out. All in all, it was a most enthusiastic and respectful crowd!!
Here are pictures of the stadium - the huge "blue" portions of the interior are actually huge expanses of blue tarp to cover the curved sides of the velodrome. Also a photo of state of the art zamboni!
Posted by noelle at 6:09 PM | Comments (0)
