« April 17, 2005 - April 23, 2005 | Main | May 1, 2005 - May 7, 2005 »
April 29, 2005
'Waiting for Torino 2006' - Olympic promo film
a screen grab from 'Waiting for Torino 2006'
World Short Track has launched a new mini-movie... if you've been missing the excitement of short track during the off-season, go check out this 90-second film and start dreaming about Torino! Available for download at worldshorttrack.com.
Posted by noelle at 6:14 PM | Comments (16)
Money, money, money part 1
A couple news reports are out this week that directly affect the short track programs in Colorado Springs and in Marquette.
The first article discusses how budget reforms underway at the USOC translate to athlete support and funding. Although some summer athletes in particular have seen substantial reductions in their support, the USOC states 'we show no wavering in our support for our (Turin) athletes'. The article concludes with specific discussion of Apolo:
Cold-weather star Apolo Ohno, a short-track skater who earned one gold and one silver medal at the Salt Lake City Games, still sleeps and eats at the training center in Colorado Springs and routinely hits the sports medicine clinic for massage therapy, exercise recovery and aid with any nagging injuries. It's all central to his preparation for Turin, he said.
Athletes commit themselves to the Olympic movement not to get rich or appear on "The Tonight Show," Ohno said, but to fulfill dreams and uplift their country.
"I don't have some beach home in Miami that I go to. We may be flying to 'The Tonight Show' (after earning a medal), but then we are flying out right after, back to the dorm," Ohno said last week, while palming an apple at a dining hall table. "I choose to live right here, just down the hall."
What a guy!
Denver Post | Budget chops from top but athletes see little gain
Posted by noelle at 10:09 AM | Comments (9)
Money, money, money part 2
The other news regards the US Olympic Education Center in Marquette. Over a year ago we heard the USOEC was in danger of closing down due to loss of financial support. Thanks to the efforts of Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak, the center has received grants totalling over $400,000, ensuring the continuation of the program for at least the short term.
Marquette Mining Journal | $436,480 grant helps USOEC
Posted by noelle at 10:05 AM | Comments (4)
April 25, 2005
New video: Apolo's 3000m victory in Beijing
Here's another thrilling race from Beijing! This clip shows the last 15 or so laps of Apolo's 3000m victory that cemented his amazing comeback at the World Championships. Love hearing those screaming fans! As ever, thanks to Sonia and Maggie for doing the honors in bringing us this clip.
Other skaters in the race (in order of finish) are Hyun-soo Ahn, Seung-hoon Lee, Charles Hamelin, Francois-Louis Tremblay, Takafumi Nishitani, Jiajun Li and J.P. Kepka.
Download the clip here. [update: link is now working!]
Posted by noelle at 9:49 PM | Comments (33)