From the Friday, May 3, 2002 Seattle PI newspaper:
"...It's a big weekend for fans of Apolo Anton Ohno. The skater/heartthrob appears in the 25th "Superstars" competition against other athletes tomorrow (1P.M.) and Sunday (2 P.M. on KIRO/7. Later Sunday he shows up on The WB's "Jamie Kennedy Experiment" (10:30 P.M., KTWB/22)." ...John Levesque, PI television critic [times, of course, are Pacific]
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Skater plugs arts, education Olympic golden boy Apolo Anton Ohno made it clear he was speaking to the future Thursday when he met with fourth- and fifth-graders at Morningside Elementary School in Atlanta. The short-track skater was in town to take part in a benefit for Art Atlanta, an international arts festival running through Sunday at the Cobb Galleria. He spent most of Thursday touring the city and meeting with media types -- Steve and Vikki at Star 94, WAGA's Good Day Atlanta and, later, the folks at WXIA. But he took a break in the morning to talk with the students at Morningside. Along with principal Catalina Pescatore, a bit shaky on skates, Ohno shared a few thoughts about his life and future. He isn't married, training is his real job and, yes, he does have a girlfriend. And then there's the future. Stretching out his arms, his gold and silver Olympic medals dangling around his neck, Ohno told the excited youngsters that school is very important, especially since they represent the future.
posted by todd stuart |
11:04 AM
Thursday, May 02, 2002
State of the Ohno Zone Address
Proudly, we have passed two months of steady growth here in the Ohno Zone. What started as a small area with only the tiny shreds of information and photos available to the wider public in February, has become one of the premier resources for fans of Apolo Anton Ohno worldwide. Our growth has been staggering, our traffic...astonishing. The Ohno Zone is a wonderful community because everyone contributes to it...photos, links, information and, yes, even friendship. When I started the Ohno Zone, it was merely to redirect people looking for AAO information. Never in my wildest imagination could I have guessed we would have accomplished this truly remarkable place...a true community. I am proud of what we've all built...and I'm proud of everyone who visits here and appreciates AAO...and all the people who make this place possible. Without all of you submitting information and participating regularly, the Ohno Zone would be gone by now...a flash in the pan fan site. I just wanted to let you know that I don't take you for granted...not for one minute.
As we go forward, I ask you to respect one another. This isn't so much a gossipy message board as it it a living, breathing community. I encourage you to share facts and information, not conjecture, judgement or cynicism. Treat each other with kindness. Remember that there are many different people who visit here with many different perspectives and opinions. There is room for everyone here. I consider your presence, your humor and participation a gift to me. This space is my gift to you. Namaste
FYI to all those in Atlanta. Apolo appeared on Star 94 this morning. You can see the pics at www.star94.com. He'll also be making an appearance at the Art Atlanta event taking place at the Cobb Galleria.
posted by todd stuart |
11:06 PM
Wednesday, May 01, 2002
Christie wants to know if anyone who has an autographed AAO item can email her a picture of his signature. She is trying to authenticate autographs being sold by an autograph company.
I would like to inform all of you that the book coming out on May 7 is NOT an official book. An official book for Apolo will be coming out this fall. It has not yet been titled. I'll keep you all updated.
It was the most-imitated facial hairdo of the Winter Olympics, but the truth can now be told: Apolo Ohno's soul patch is more serendipitous than calculated. "That's the only place hair grows on my face," admits the 19-year-old gold and silver medalist. His wayward whiskers are about the only thing in his life that lacks discipline. Just five years after a penchant for pizza earned him the nickname Chunky, the 5'8" Ohno gained focus -- in the gym and on the ice -- and started winning U.S. and World Cup titles. Now, says U.S. Olympic strength coach Tony Bellofatto, "He's unstoppable." Fellow Olympian Michelle Kwan also thinks the gym time paid off. "He has everything a guy represents, strength and power," the champion skater says. Even his name, derived from the Greek, defines his drive: " 'Apo,' meaning steering away from, and 'Lo,' meaning 'Look out, here he comes,' " explains hairstylist father Yuki, 57, who raised Ohno alone in Seattle when his mother left before his first birthday. Yuki still cuts his hair, and Ohno trims his own patch, leaving disposable income for other things. "I love to shop," he says. "Clothes, electronics, and I love jewelry, especially yellow gold."
posted by todd stuart |
4:17 PM
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
the USA Today article from Megan
Ohno's Ascension Was No Easy Glide (USA Today, 1/31/02, Debbie Becker) Apolo Anton Ohno's big break in life came at 14 when he was asked to live at the Olympic Training Center at Lake Placid, N.Y. It was a chance to escape a troubled adolescence and begin a promising athletic career. But he blew it off. Ohno's dad,Yuki, dropped him off at the Seattle airport for his trip East and his new start on life. But the moment his father left, Ohno called a friend and asked to be picked up. Days later, Yuki found out his son hadn't bothered to get on the plane. They went back to the airport. This time, Yuki buckled his son in and accompanied him all the way to Lake Placid. "He wasn't taking any chances," says Ohno, now 19. That fateful trip helped Ohno in ways he could not imagine those first few miserable weeks away from home. Now, eight days from the start of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Ohno stands on the brink of stardom. He could win four gold medals in short-track speedskating, the daredevil sport often thought of as roller derby on ice. No American male has won a medal in short track since the sport was introduced at the 1992 Olympics. And Ohno is no sure thing: The capricious nature of the sport means favorites sometimes get taken out in collisions. Ohno was embroiled in a controvery last week when 1998 Olympian Tommy O'Hare concluded that Ohno and Rusty Smith conspired to fix a race at the Olympic trials so friend Shani Davis would make the team. An arbitrator absolved Smith and Ohno of the charges. Apollo, a Greek god, could see the future. Apolo, an American skater, thinks he can, too, in at least one limited way. "I can see myself on the podium," Ohno says. "But getting there -- that's the hardest part, the struggle." Troubled Times Ohno was 1 year old when his mother left, leaving Yuki, a hairstylist in Seattle, a suddenly single parent of a toddler. Neither father nor son has any contact with her and have professed no desire to. "I didn't know what I was going to do," Yuki says. "After working all day, I'd come back home and put little Apolo in the shopping cart at 8:30 at night to get food. You get so depressed." Each Mother's Day when Ohno was young, Yuki asked his teacher to have Apolo write him a Mother's Day card, "Because I'm half mom," Yuki says. "I didn't want him to feel left out." After school, Ohno stayed in day care until his father could pick him up. At age 8, he became a latchkey kid, making dinner, doing his homework and going to sleep before his father came home. As a teenager, Ohno began hanging out with older kids, some of whom drank,used drugs and belonged to gangs. "There were times I would go spend the night at a friend's house, and I wouldn't come home until three days later," Ohno says. "It was that kind of lifestyle that would have led to something a lot more severe. I was totally rebellious against anything, my dad or anyone with authority." That's when the U.S. Olympic Committee extended its unusual offer to allow Ohno to begin training in Lake Placid. The normal age to join the training center is 15. Initially, he was miserable. When his teammates went for 5 mile runs past Pizza Hut, Ohno ducked in for lunch, then rejoined his team on the way back. He lived up to his nickname "Chunky" before his coach convinced him he could be one of the greatest athletes in his sport. Olympic Disappointment Ohno's first Olympic experience was supposed to take place four years ago in Japan, the birthplace of his father. He blames his lack of motivation and training for failing to earn a place on the Olympic team. When Ohno returned home, he spent a solitary week in a cabin in a remote area of Washington. It was there he rededicated himself to a sport he says he was born to do exceedingly well. "During that week, it just came to me that this was something I was meant to do," Ohno says. "I was given a gift to skate and this is something I want to do. I came back so much stronger, hungrier, with more desire." Yuki wasn't sure what to expect. "Four years ago it was devastation," says Yuki, owner of Yuki's Diffusion hair salon in downtown Seattle. "Seeing your own son fall off the top of a cliff straight down was so hard. Either he's going to come back strong or be so damaged he won't be any good anymore. Now I can see he is strong. This kid will be on the podium in the Games." The defending World Cup champion, Ohno has the perfect build for short-track. He's 5-7, 165 pounds, and short and powerful enough to handle 35 mph turns on the ice on 1-millimeter blades. In short-track speedskating, slips, falls, and disqualifications are something every athlete endures from time to time. "During the race, if I make a mistake, I slip a tenth of a second, I've lost the race," Ohno says. The potential for disaster each time the starting gun sounds makes all the talk of four gold medals seem foolish. Still, U.S. short-track coach Susan Ellis says Ohno has the talent to pull it off. "Like Muhammed Ali was born with boxing gloves, Apolo was born with skates on. It's funny. Sometimes when Apolo's not in a rhythm, I use the Ali analogy: 'Float like a butterfly.' It's about rhythm, flow and basic movements. "He has superb endurance, agility like crazy. He can do things on skates that figure skaters have a hard time doing," Ellis says. "Just the way he uses his edges. We train right after the ice dancers, I look at them and say, 'Apolo could do that.'" The ultimate test comes in eight days. "Life is just one long journey and I think a lot of people look toward the destination and the results more than they look at the journey," Ohno says. "For me, the journey is where I find my excitement and the thrill."
As you may have seen, there are many older fans of Apolo at the OZ site. Well, in one of the comments, we were talking of having a Yahoo Group for the DOWS. hehehe I am sure you are aware of who and what the DOWS on your site are. hehehe
Well, here is the Yahoo Group. I was hoping you wouldn't mind letting me start the group.
They can subscribe at this addie: Apolo-DOWS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Thanks for the great site again! Trust me, your site is the first thing I check every morning and every evening when I get home from work! You do such a wonderful job and I hope you know you are greatly appreciated!!
Hey this is my little story from chicago, anyways i am not sure if you want the story, but i got my pics back and have them, there are on this site...so i thought i should post that link...anyways thanks for your time! Jill I just got back from chicago, i went up friday night and spent the night, although i don’t get any sleep! i went up the night before cause i live like 4 hours away! anyways me and my friend got to the store at like 10:30am today! it was actually fun in line cause we had fun girls around us and we just talked and joked around the whole time! Then this manager came around and gave us a post-it and wrote our name on it, that way apolo could personalize our photo. Anyways when apolo came to come to the desk and stuff where he was going to sign they played the olympic music(they played like normal music for the rest of the time)and he came up the escalators surrounded by like 4 security guys! But it was sooo cool cause we were right across from the escalators so we saw him right away he kinda looked around and waved he looked kinda shocked at all the people! Anyways then he went and sat down and started signing autographs it took us like 10 minutes to get up there then they would send like one person at a time and you would give your post-it to this lady next to apolo and she would put it on the desk. i was soo excited when i got up there i thought i was going to faint! anyways i got up there and he goes hi Jill, (he read the post-it) and i said hi, then he said so how are you doing? and i said i was good... then he gave me my photo back, and i said thank you very much. and then it was funny cause he just kinda looked at you and like does this little nod and smiles... it was like he wasn't sure what to say to end the conversation, he seemed really rather shy, which was cute! anyways then i walked off and went to where this huge group of people were who were just taking pics and stuff, and i go to the front and stood there for the rest of the time (about an hour) and just watched him and took photos,,, i took like3 rolls! Okay then like half way through the signing shani davis came and sat with apolo for like 15 minutes.. it was really cool cause like apolo and him were talking and apolo was laughing and smiling, it lo oked like he was having a lot of fun! Then when there was only like 15 minutes left apolo just started handing out the photos cause he didn't have sign to autograph them, but it was cute cause when someone would ask him to sign it he was like i'm sorry i can't. i was so lucky to get mine personalized! It was cool though cause people were yelling stuff like chunky and yelling his name to get him to look at them, two of the girls i hung out with in line yelled if he wore boxers or briefs, he said it depended! me and this girl yelled we drove 7 hours between us to come, and he looked up and said what? and then he just smiled and laughed,,, i got a pic of that too!! yeah! anyways then when it was time to go they played the Olympic music again and then he stood up and waved and then like 4 guys surrounded him again and he walked away surrounded by them and went to a back room! He waved like one last time as he walked away! anyways you could really tell that apolo was rather shy, and kinda taken away by the whole thing! He looked kinda overwhelmed at times, which was cute. He was really good looking in person,, i think better then in pics and on tv! he was really nice too, and was very sweet! His voice was so cute and adorable,, hearing him say my name like made me melt!! i am like 100 times more in love with him, even though i thought that was impossible!
i heard about Apolo being at the Oakbrook mall first from your website, so i thought you would like to here my story about meeting him!! here it is: i just got back from the Oakbrook mall in IL( i live 20 min away from it), where Apolo was signing autographs!! there were sooooooo many people there, but i got there kind of early so i got his autograph!! he's soo cute in person!! i seriously took more than 50 pics of him!! he autographed a glossy pic of himself at the olympics, when he won the gold and he has his hand over he heart and is kind of looking upwards!! i waited in line for about 2 hours. and he was on this little stage thingy, sitting behind a desk. my sister went up first and said hi to him, but i don't think he heard her because he didn't say anything back. but then i went up( i was totally nervous) and i didn't say anything at first, and he took a while to autograph it(because his names soo long), which was a good thing because i just stood there staring at him, and then i was watching him write it and his hands are soooo sexy!! and i looked him in the face and he has the most wonderful skin tone and everything about him was great! then he was done and he handed the pic to me and looked me STRAIGHT in the eye (he has the most beautiful eyes) and i said "thank you so much", and he shook his head and said "yeah", and gave me this HUGE smile. i almost died!! then right after we walked away from the stage Shani Davis came and sat next to him! Apolo still had about an hour left of signing to do so my sister and i stayed by the stage and took a ton of pictures! he kept on looking and smiling like he always does, and running his fingers through his hair! then at three they said he was leaving and he got up and, with about a 100 guards around him, went down an escalator, to the bottom level. all the fans, including me, tried to follow him but the guards wouldn't let us! he walked to some offices and was gone! my sister and i wanted to find "secret" door ways, but we couldn't. so that was the last i saw of Apolo. i just wonder where he is now! but it was soo much fun and i'm soo excited that i got to meet him, (he's so small in person), and i hope you guys meet him really soon because it's soo worth waiting for hours in a long line! thanks for listening (reading) my wonderful story! (sorry if it's sloppy i'm so excited)
posted by todd stuart |
10:13 PM
Monday, April 29, 2002
posted by todd stuart |
2:09 PM
Sunday, April 28, 2002
from Navjot
i went to the oakbrook mall and waited 2 hours in a long line but got to meet him. shani davis was there too! i asked if he could sign the same pic that apolo signed but he told me he couldn't. someone told him he wasn't supposed too. oh well. apolo was really nice. i had a card for him and walked up there and handed to him. i go "hey man this is for you" he says "for me? naw! you shouldn't have! thanks girl!" then he signed the pic, high fived me, and said thanks again. i go "thanks! see ya later!" apolo's like "later!" the whole time, shani was whispering something to apolo and apolo was all giggling and stuff. it was so cool that shani was there! well i met apolo! i'll send pics later!
well we got to fields at like 12:00. people were already lined up and the line was super long. So we got to a break and the line and thought that was the end of the line. WRONG it was not even close. We still had to walk around to the shoe/handbag dept. So we waited in line and were talking to some fans. The people at fields were real nice, they passed out purfume, water, and frango mints. So I got up to get food at the marketplace and my friend ashley was waiting in line. When I got back we ate a little, then apolo came in and everyone was screamin. We started freakin out and I ran to get pics of apolo. So while I was up at the podium I got the bright idea to yell APOLO whille he was signing the larger pics. SO while he was signing and after he was done he looked right at me. So my friend ashley and I alternated going back to see apolo. When I got back to see him at the podium, I yelled out "APOLO I LIKE YOU IN YOUR SKIN SUIT!" he looked at me AGAIN and everyone started laughin at me. So I went back to the line and waited. We soon had a scare... the security guards were tellin us apolo would only have time to sign 200 more autographs, and we were like 210. So we were mad and ready to get violent. Then we found out that we WOULD have time to get autographs. when we were finally on the last straightaway, we started screaming when we knew we would meet him. So we finally got to the front and were taking pictures like crazy, my friend and I walked up to the table. I was just standing there mute and ashley actually said hello. I was just staring at him, and she was hypervenilating. So he signed our pics, and my friend started to walk away. I was just looking at him and he looked me STRAIGHT IN THE EYES! omg his eyes were so beautiful.... jesus i almost peed on myself (damn free water) so we were waiting next to an elevator where we assumed apolo would go. he went the other way, and My friend and I darted towards him. I was sooo close to him and dident realize, im not even sure the security guard saw me.. So he got on the escalator and I was trying to squeeze next to the security guards. My friend and I wanted to see him leave, and we ran outside in the POURING rain... It was soo cold and i crumpled my pic. ah well it was wonderful! We were going back in and this man STOLE the Coke can apolo was drinking from. he dident directly drink from it, but his prints were all over it.
Yes, Apolo Anton Ohno was in Oakbrook, Illinois. And your's truly met him. Here's the 411. ^^ I waited in line for about two hours early before he was due to appear, chatting it up with some younger fans who were actually quite cool. And then he appeared, and I ran up to the podium thingy where he was, but there was a crowd of people taking pictures. SO I got back in line, and slowly, but surely, made it up to him. I was like, three feet away from him, and he was smiling, and talking with the woman next to him who was acting as a guard. And Jesus H. Christ on a folding chair, his eyes were all sparkley, and he was just beautiful. *-* SO .. I walked up to him, and he gave me this broad grin, and I kinda smiled back, and said, " Hi. " As he was signing the photo ( 8x10 Glossy, colour. :D ), I leaned over, and went, " So! .. Do you like Linkin Park? " ( Me and one of the fans were discussing that in line earlier if he did or not ). He looked up at me, smiled, and said, " Yes, I do! " I grinned, foolishly, and scrambled off. Later on, I met Christine ( Miss Yano ), and we were looking for Shani ( He was there, and had gotten on the stage thing with Apolo; And I talked to him before he went up ) .. But we got lost, said screw it, found my parents, and parted. End.
Not sure if you want to share ANY of this from my visit to Oak brook today??? Well, here goes......
I just got back from seeing Apolo in Oakbrook! And I have the answer to two questions that have been nawing at OZers for quite some time!
#1 What is the key on his necklace for? I wasn't sure WHAT in the world to say to Apolo! Ok, I was really freaking out and was even wondering if I'd be able to say anything at all! But I have been dying to know the answer to this question, as I know alot of OZers have been too, so I asked! He said it was for SUCCESS. And when I asked him who gave it to him he said he gave it to himself! So there, ya go! The secret of the key, revealed on the OZ!! :-)
The second question is a doozy, and one I thought I'd ever know the answer to...
#2 Boxers or briefs?!?
Lol!! A group of girls were standing near me after we had gotten our autographs and I encouraged them to yell this out to our dear boy! Yes, I AM corrupting the young!!....... LOL! Apolo laughed and looked up at us. And then he looked down kind of bashful and said "it depends". AGHHHHHH!! Don't you just LOVE IT!!
I will not bore you with all the details. It was the typical celebrity appearance: Apolo came out and sat down behind a table to sign autographs for his fans who (myself included!) were going wild at the fact that our baby was actually right in front of us! He was signing a nice 8x10 glossy of the pic that everyone has probably seen: the one when he won the gold and was looking at the American flag with his hand over his heart. He was NOT signing anything else so all of use who brought our Rolling Stones and SIs were outta luck. But there's still Sports Fest!
We all know that Apolo has broad appeal, well today proved it! Mind you, most of the people there were teenies, but there were also alot of DOWS and even a fair number of guys! Amazing!
As Noelle said, it is very apparent that Apolo is really overwhelmed with all of this attention. He is very nice and friendly (he smiled and laughed ALOT!,) but he doesn't maintain eye contact for very long and you can tell that he is nervous. It was really too cute and very enduring!
I took a lot of pics (about 30-35) but will not get them back until Wednesday! *waah* But if any of them turned out, I will send them to the OZ!! I actually took one pic when I was only a couple steps away from him, but now that I think about it, I can't remember if I really looked though the viewfinder to aim?!?? Argh!!!!!!!! It will definitely be agony until Wednesday! Lol!
Thanks for visiting OHNO ZONE: Web resources for fans of Apolo Anton Ohno with the latest Ohno news, competition info, photos, appearances and more. Most of our photos,
fan encounters and comments are contributed by visitors. Many thanks to everyone who has contributed so far!
- Todd & Noelle
Comments by: YACCS
