Michelle's Visit to Colorado Springs

Michelle's Visit to Colorado Springs (July 2003) Report and photos courtesy Michelle
At first I didn't think that this was going to happen at all. At Noelle's suggestion, I had emailed [Coach] Tony Goskowicz, asking permission to attend as well as a schedule of practice. Understandably busy, he did not write back until the night before I left. I did end up making it to practice (obviously) and this is my report. U.S. short team practice in Colorado Springs At 5:46 on Thursday, we arrived at the Arena and walked across the parking lot and up to the building. 30 feet away, I saw some people stretching out together. And then I saw it: it stood out immediately, it stood out so much, I could have seen it 100 feet away - yes, I saw Derek's bleached blonde hair. The team was stretching out, and practicing what I think was resistance training, or dry land technique, by wrapping what looked like HUGE rubber bands around one person, while another athlete held the other end in one place. The person wrapped in a rubber band would stretch low, as if they were going around a corner on the ice. Derek was partnered with Rusty, while Caroline worked with Apolo. We watched them do that for a few minutes, until one by one, the athletes all came inside and into the locker rooms. Apolo worked with Tony outside a few more minutes, and was the last one to come in. A minute later, I was in the stands with my friend and my sister, watching the team slowly get on the ice, and warm up, talking to each other. While my sister and friend took pictures, I just watched. For an hour and a half, I hardly ever took my eyes off the team. There were about 16 people practicing, some of whom, I have to admit I didn't know. They practiced every race distance. My favorite to watch was relay. U.S. short team practice in Colorado Springs Near the end of practice, the team started to kind of just mess around. At one point, the athletes were just standing in the middle, talking. While Apolo was bent over, messing with his skate, Tony came up from behind and pushed him. Laughing, Apolo slid on his knees a few feet before getting up and charging after Tony, who was now in defense. Another time, Rusty skated a few feet, then suddenly dropped totally flat onto his stomach, arms and legs outstretched, screaming "WWEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" all the way to the wall, which he lightly hit, only to get up and do it again. It was hilarious! In the last couple minutes of practice, Rusty must have challenged Apolo, because all of a sudden the two shot off down the ice - what made it funny was how the two would repeatedly sort of ram each other while racing - they laughed the entire time. It was great! After that the athletes got off the ice and went back to the locker rooms. Everyone else wanted to leave, but I kept stalling ("look at this zamboni - we have to get a picture!!!" Somehow I just had a feeling that the athletes would be coming out really soon. Luckily, my feeling proved right. While trying to convince my parents to get a picture by a random "Welcome to the Ice Arena" sign, who should walk out but Rusty, wearing regular shorts and a t-shirt. He walked over to a table and sat down to put on his Nikes. Knowing that this was my only chance, I walked up to him, feeling pretty nervous. "Rusty?" he looked up and smiled at me. "Yes?" Immediately I wasn't nervous anymore - Rusty seems to have a talent for that. "Umm, I was wondering if I could get a picture with you." He smiled again. "Oh yea sure!! What is your name?" "Michelle" I answered, as I grabbed my bag and pulled out a permanent marker." "Well hey Michelle, how are you doing?" I heard him ask my friend and sister where they were from. I said, "Also, if you don't mind, could you autograph my bag?" He was happy to. He and I talked for a few minutes before we took pictures. I thanked him, and as we were about to go he said "hey, wait a second, Michelle, I have something for you guys." He walked over to his backpack, opened it, and pulled 3 pictures of the official Olympic short track team, and handed them to us! HOW SWEET IS THAT?!!! "Thank you so much Rusty! This is really nice." "You are very welcome. It was nice meeting you guys!" We said goodbye, and he took off jogging with J.P. Kepka, Derek, and another guy I didn't recognize. Michelle, Rusty Smith and friends in Colorado Springs That experience had convinced everyone to wait around a while. Caroline walked out. I really wanted to say hello, but I didn't for some reason. After about 2 minutes, everyone else had come out except for two people. Finally, Apolo and Tony walked out, talking. He (Apolo, not Tony) had ice taped onto his left knee, and he walked with a slight limp. I waited until he was finished talking to Tony and was looking around in his bag. I really wasn't even nervous; Rusty was so nice, fun, and sincere that I was actually pretty relaxed. "Apolo?" "Yes?" he said, looking up. "Umm, I was wondering if I could get a picture with you." "Sure." He smiled and walked over. By now several members of the team were watching, which did make me a little self-conscious. His eyes are brighter and his hair is so much lighter outside. He and I talked for a minute or two. While talking, I said, "I don't know if you would remember this, but I met you in New York, at your book signing - I gave you a flag-print bandana..." "Oh YEAH! Ok, ok, yea." He said that he remembered me, but who knows if that was real, or just being polite. Then he suggested a picture with the World Ice Arena sign and Pike's Peak in the background. While we got pictures he asked me what I was doing in Colorado Springs. With the team still watching, I said "Well, my mom came out here for her high school reunion, but, uh, I really came out here to see you guys!" The team smiled, and a few laughed when I said this. "Ok, that's cool, that's cool." Apolo also was happy to sign my bag, although I found that he had trouble putting the lid of the marker back. We thanked Apolo and the team, said goodbye, and left while they went off jogging. Two days later, I went to Apolo's house - well, OTC. It was really cool - I did not see any short trackers, but I did see the synchronized swimming team, the swimmers, the weightlifters, and the volleyball team. Useless Fact #369 (AAO's helmet # for the Olympics, just in case you were wondering): did you know that different athletes' diets can vary from some eating 3000 calories to some eating as much as 9000 calories in one day?! Obviously, they burn it all off in their workouts, but still. Ok, on my last day in CS, I went to a little Chinese restaurant, right across the street from the OTC. I asked the waitress if the athletes ever came over and ate there- "all the time! We deliver to them in their dorms too!" when I asked who, she said all different athletes, but esp. "Oscar the vegetarian man! He always orders the same tofu and vegetable plate, so we always have it ready for him!" DOES ANYONE KNOW WHO "OSCAR" IS?! Oh well, so ends this report. One last thing before we go - Useless Fact #370: four months ago, Olympic wrestler Rulon Gardner lost his toe due to frostbite. Recently he returned to training. It is rumored that he keeps his toe in a jar of formaldehyde next to his gold medals, in his glove compartment in his truck - ewww.

Michelle's Visit to Colorado Springs (July 2003)
Report and photos courtesy Michelle

At first I didn't think that this was going to happen at all. At Noelle's suggestion, I had emailed [Coach] Tony Goskowicz, asking permission to attend as well as a schedule of practice. Understandably busy, he did not write back until the night before I left. I did end up making it to practice (obviously) and this is my report.

U.S. short team practice in Colorado Springs

At 5:46 on Thursday, we arrived at the Arena and walked across the parking lot and up to the building. 30 feet away, I saw some people stretching out together. And then I saw it: it stood out immediately, it stood out so much, I could have seen it 100 feet away - yes, I saw Derek's bleached blonde hair. The team was stretching out, and practicing what I think was resistance training, or dry land technique, by wrapping what looked like HUGE rubber bands around one person, while another athlete held the other end in one place. The person wrapped in a rubber band would stretch low, as if they were going around a corner on the ice. Derek was partnered with Rusty, while Caroline worked with Apolo. We watched them do that for a few minutes, until one by one, the athletes all came inside and into the locker rooms. Apolo worked with Tony outside a few more minutes, and was the last one to come in.

A minute later, I was in the stands with my friend and my sister, watching the team slowly get on the ice, and warm up, talking to each other. While my sister and friend took pictures, I just watched. For an hour and a half, I hardly ever took my eyes off the team. There were about 16 people practicing, some of whom, I have to admit I didn't know. They practiced every race distance. My favorite to watch was relay.

U.S. short team practice in Colorado Springs

Near the end of practice, the team started to kind of just mess around. At one point, the athletes were just standing in the middle, talking. While Apolo was bent over, messing with his skate, Tony came up from behind and pushed him. Laughing, Apolo slid on his knees a few feet before getting up and charging after Tony, who was now in defense. Another time, Rusty skated a few feet, then suddenly dropped totally flat onto his stomach, arms and legs outstretched, screaming "WWEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" all the way to the wall, which he lightly hit, only to get up and do it again. It was hilarious! In the last couple minutes of practice, Rusty must have challenged Apolo, because all of a sudden the two shot off down the ice - what made it funny was how the two would repeatedly sort of ram each other while racing - they laughed the entire time. It was great!

After that the athletes got off the ice and went back to the locker rooms. Everyone else wanted to leave, but I kept stalling ("look at this zamboni - we have to get a picture!!!" Somehow I just had a feeling that the athletes would be coming out really soon. Luckily, my feeling proved right. While trying to convince my parents to get a picture by a random "Welcome to the Ice Arena" sign, who should walk out but Rusty, wearing regular shorts and a t-shirt. He walked over to a table and sat down to put on his Nikes. Knowing that this was my only chance, I walked up to him, feeling pretty nervous. "Rusty?" he looked up and smiled at me. "Yes?" Immediately I wasn't nervous anymore - Rusty seems to have a talent for that. "Umm, I was wondering if I could get a picture with you." He smiled again. "Oh yea sure!! What is your name?" "Michelle" I answered, as I grabbed my bag and pulled out a permanent marker." "Well hey Michelle, how are you doing?"

I heard him ask my friend and sister where they were from. I said, "Also, if you don't mind, could you autograph my bag?" He was happy to. He and I talked for a few minutes before we took pictures. I thanked him, and as we were about to go he said "hey, wait a second, Michelle, I have something for you guys." He walked over to his backpack, opened it, and pulled 3 pictures of the official Olympic short track team, and handed them to us! HOW SWEET IS THAT?!!! "Thank you so much Rusty! This is really nice." "You are very welcome. It was nice meeting you guys!" We said goodbye, and he took off jogging with J.P. Kepka, Derek, and another guy I didn't recognize.

Michelle, Rusty Smith and friends in Colorado Springs

That experience had convinced everyone to wait around a while. Caroline walked out. I really wanted to say hello, but I didn't for some reason. After about 2 minutes, everyone else had come out except for two people. Finally, Apolo and Tony walked out, talking. He (Apolo, not Tony) had ice taped onto his left knee, and he walked with a slight limp. I waited until he was finished talking to Tony and was looking around in his bag. I really wasn't even nervous; Rusty was so nice, fun, and sincere that I was actually pretty relaxed. "Apolo?" "Yes?" he said, looking up. "Umm, I was wondering if I could get a picture with you." "Sure." He smiled and walked over. By now several members of the team were watching, which did make me a little self-conscious. His eyes are brighter and his hair is so much lighter outside. He and I talked for a minute or two. While talking, I said, "I don't know if you would remember this, but I met you in New York, at your book signing - I gave you a flag-print bandana..." "Oh YEAH! Ok, ok, yea." He said that he remembered me, but who knows if that was real, or just being polite.

Then he suggested a picture with the World Ice Arena sign and Pike's Peak in the background. While we got pictures he asked me what I was doing in Colorado Springs. With the team still watching, I said "Well, my mom came out here for her high school reunion, but, uh, I really came out here to see you guys!" The team smiled, and a few laughed when I said this. "Ok, that's cool, that's cool." Apolo also was happy to sign my bag, although I found that he had trouble putting the lid of the marker back. We thanked Apolo and the team, said goodbye, and left while they went off jogging.

Two days later, I went to Apolo's house - well, OTC. It was really cool - I did not see any short trackers, but I did see the synchronized swimming team, the swimmers, the weightlifters, and the volleyball team. Useless Fact #369 (AAO's helmet # for the Olympics, just in case you were wondering): did you know that different athletes' diets can vary from some eating 3000 calories to some eating as much as 9000 calories in one day?! Obviously, they burn it all off in their workouts, but still.

Ok, on my last day in CS, I went to a little Chinese restaurant, right across the street from the OTC. I asked the waitress if the athletes ever came over and ate there- "all the time! We deliver to them in their dorms too!" when I asked who, she said all different athletes, but esp. "Oscar the vegetarian man! He always orders the same tofu and vegetable plate, so we always have it ready for him!" DOES ANYONE KNOW WHO "OSCAR" IS?! Oh well, so ends this report.

One last thing before we go - Useless Fact #370: four months ago, Olympic wrestler Rulon Gardner lost his toe due to frostbite. Recently he returned to training. It is rumored that he keeps his toe in a jar of formaldehyde next to his gold medals, in his glove compartment in his truck - ewww.