« September 11, 2005 - September 17, 2005 | Main | September 25, 2005 - October 1, 2005 »
September 23, 2005
Always innovating
Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Ohno looks sharp as Games near
Ohno, 23, is coming off a strong season leading up to the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy, having won the 1,000 and 3,000 at the world championships in March and being the No. 1 ranked short-track speed skater in the world for 2004-2005 -- for the third time in the past five seasons.
He is hoping to improve on that with a new training program that emphases nutrition and innovative weight training to increase his strength-to-weight ratio.
"It's taking a big risk to changing kind of the way I train this year," he said. "But I feel 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."
Posted by noelle at 11:20 AM | Comments (3)
September 22, 2005
USA Today writes about Apolo's return to Korea
USA Today | Ohno will skate in S. Korea after controversy in 2002 Olympics
For all of us watching and worrying about Apolo and the U.S. team's return to South Korea for World Cup #2 next month, today's USA Today feature offers some reassurance. Yuki will accompany Apolo to the event for moral support, and US Speedskating, the US Olympic Committee and Korean organizers have all conferred and coordinated on the issue of Apolo's safety in Korea:
Ohno met for an hour last week with USOC officials, including chief security officer Larry Buendorf and chief executive officer Jim Scherr.
"We are going to provide support and assistance to help him deal with the media, and there are other areas of support we will provide, as well," says USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel, declining to add details.
"Hopefully some of the fans will have calmed down and kind of understand the real situation. But that's out of my control. I'm just an athlete trying to perform my best at competitions," Ohno says of the Oct. 7-9 event in Seoul that is part of the World Cup circuit. "It'll be a good test for me mentally."
This is a really nice article, although I kind of wish USA Today had held off until after the Korean World Cup. In my opinion, the key to keeping things calm is not publicizing this in the media -- especially the Korean media. So far the Korean media appears to have held off for the time being -- as opposed to their role two years ago where their coverage seemed to inflame negative sentiment among Korean 'netizens' that affected this and other web sites.
Don't miss the sidebar on Hyo-jung Kim, returning to her native country for the first time as an American team competitor. Hope she too is received correctly! This will be just the second time her parents, Seoul residents, will have seen her compete since her move to the U.S.
photo by Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY
Posted by noelle at 9:45 AM | Comments (15)
September 21, 2005
Have dinner with Apolo and Yuki!
This is so awesome -- Apolo is serving as the honorary event chairman for the 30th anniversary celebrations of Nikkei Concerns, a Seattle-area Japanese-American elder services organization.
As part of their anniversary celebrations, called 'Celebrating 120 Seasons,' Nikkei Concerns is having an auction. One very tempting item up for bid is a private dinner to take place June 4, 2006 with Apolo and Yuki, prepared by an award-winning chef. They provided this description:
Have dinner with Apolo!
We have an exciting new item to add to the 30th Anniversary Auction
Join Apolo Anton Ohno and his father, Yuki, for a private dinner party on Sunday, June 4, 2006, at the renowned Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar. Award Winning Chef John Howie will prepare dinner for you and 17 other guests in Seastar's private dining room. You will enjoy three delicious courses, fine wine, a photo with Apolo and a small gift. Guests already committed include Seattle notable, Tomio Moriguchi. Be a part of this exceptional evening!
We are pre-selling this item for $500 per person. For more information, please contact Darlene Suyematsu at (206) 726-6462 or darlenes@nikkeiconcerns.org
Full details from Nikkei Concerns here.
More on the dinner with Apolo and Yuki here.
photo courtesy Nikkei Concerns
Posted by noelle at 9:43 PM | Comments (8)
Articles on Kimberly Derrick
Detroit Free Press | Training boosts skaters
Not that it mattered what anyone thought, but Kimberly Derrick had heard some of the talk -- how her training group in Marquette would be too tuckered out for last weekend's ADT American Cup in Wausau, Wis.
For this early in the season, the short-track speedskating competition was more important than most. At stake were nine spots on the U.S. World Cup team -- and the only athlete assured a berth on the 10-person team was two-time Olympic medalist Apolo Anton Ohno.
Grand Rapids Express | Ice is nice for former inline skater Derrick
Shortly after the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Derrick walked into a training session of the West Michigan Speedskating Club. Three and a half years later, she now lives and trains at the Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
Posted by noelle at 9:35 AM | Comments (4)
September 20, 2005
Photos from American Cup 1
Kristen Biondo, Amy Peterson, Bridie Farrell
Shani Davis leads Travis Jayner and Rusty Smith - 1500m A final
Top 8 guys skate in the 3000m: Alex, Shani, Rusty, Anthony, Ryan, Misi, Travis, JP
photos by Phil Bedford
Posted by noelle at 5:12 PM | Comments (8)
September 19, 2005
New Jonathan Guilmette interview
'Trials and Tribulations': See what Jo had to say about his performance at the trials, his goals for the 2005/2006 season and competing against his best friends for a chance to skate at the Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. Read the interview on JonathanGuilmette.com
Posted by noelle at 10:24 PM | Comments (3)
September 18, 2005
2005-06 U.S. World Cup team
[Update] - Amy Peterson has decided to forgo her spot on the World Cup team in favor of focusing on training for the Olympic trials; Caroline Hallisey replaces her. Details
The World Cup team for the season was finalized today at the conclusion of American Cup 1. Here's the lineup for all 4 World Cups this fall:
Men
1. Apolo Ohno (pre-qualified - did not compete in Wisconsin)
2. J.P. Kepka (swept all 3 distances)
3. Rusty Smith
4. Travis Jayner
5. Alex Izykowski
Women
1. Hyo-jung Kim
2. Allison Baver
3. Kimberly Derrick
4. Kristen Biondo
5. Amy Peterson Caroline Hallisey
Congratulations to the new World Cup team! Now go kick butt in Asia and Europe... :)
American Cup 1 - Day 2 Results
J.P. Kepka won the men's 1000m A final and Shani Davis won the 3000m. Hyo-jung Kim won both distances for the women. Additional details at US Speedskating.
Click for complete results: Points | Classification | Times
Minneapolis Star-Tribune | Never too old for Olympic gold
Thirty-three years old and looking at a sixth Winter Olympics, Amy Peterson, the grand dame of U.S. speedskating, smiled broadly at the notion that she is the sport's senior citizen.
Fun fact: Hyo-Jung Kim hadn't yet been born when Amy competed in her first Olympics.
Posted by noelle at 12:46 PM | Comments (25)