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November 5, 2005
US Junior Championships Day 1
Juniors got under way today in Midland, MI with 9-lap time trials following by the 1500m and 500m heats.
Last year's runner-up Carly Wilson has a sizable lead so far after posting the fastest time in the time trial and winning the 1500m A final. Katharine Reutter (who like Carly trains in Marquette) took 2nd in both events for 2nd overall and SoCal's Alice Kim is in 3rd. Carly is the lone member of last year's ladies' junior world team who is still competing as a junior.
Leading the overall standings for the men is SoCal's Jeff Simon, who won the 9-lap TT and finished 2nd in the 1500m. Fifteen-year old phenom J.R. Celski won the 1500m A final and sits in 2nd overall so far. In 3rd is Joey Lindsey, another rising star from SoCal who was on last year's junior world team.
Last year, J.R. was 2nd overall at this event but was too young to represent the U.S. at Junior Worlds.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery go out to Kyle Carr, last year's bronze medalist overall. Kyle is unable to compete this weekend after fracturing his ankle at training on Friday.
Ladies 1500m A final: 1. Wilson, 2. Reutter, 3. Kim, 4. Lana Gehring, 5. Alyson Dudek, 6. Sophia Milan
Ladies top 5 overall standings: 1. Wilson, 3. Reutter, 3. Kim, 4. Gehring, 5. Milan
Men 1500m A final: 1. Celski, 2. Simon, 3. Lindsey, 4. Ryan Bedford, 5. Levi Kirkpatrick, 6. Trevor Marsicano, 7. Barry Winslow
Men top 5 overall standings: 1. Simon, 2. Celski, 3. Lindsey, 4. Bedford, 5. Marsicano
Full day 1 results here: Time standings | Class standings
Also: Wilson, Simon Get Jr. ST Championships Off to Great Start
Posted by noelle at 9:55 PM | Comments (3)
Photos from Junior Nationals, Day 1
Men's 1500m final
JR Celski, Ryan Bedford, Jeff Simon, Levi Kirkpatrick, Joey Lindsey
Sophia Milan, Lana Gehring, Carly Wilson, Katherine Ruetter, Alyson Dudek
Alice Kim on the outside, Carly Wilson leading, Lana Gehring on the far inside
photos courtesy Phil Bedford
Posted by noelle at 8:08 PM | Comments (1)
Alta Valtellina Trophy in Bormio
There are 18 countries competing this weekend in Bormio prior to next weekend's World Cup event. The Canadian A and B teams are both there, with the opportunity for B team members in particular to gain valuable international racing experience. Canadian skaters are finding a lot of success so far.
On Thursday, Canada won 5 of the 6 medals awarded, with Olivier Jean winning 1500m gold ahead of teammates Marc-Andre Monette in 2nd and Mathieu Giroux in 3rd. France's Stephanie Bouvier won gold on the women's side, with Canadians Nita Avrith 2nd and Kalyna Roberge 3rd.
Yesterday, Steve Robillard won gold in the 500m and Remi Beaulieu and Monette tied for 3rd. Annik Plamondon won bronze in the ladies 500m.
Canadian Press: Montreal's Robillard wins gold at short track speed skating competition
Full results and photos available on the Alta Valtellina Trophy web site.
Posted by noelle at 8:52 AM | Comments (1)
November 2, 2005
Win a trip to Torino for the Olympics!
Every fan dreams of seeing the Olympics in person, but between the expense and many short track event tickets being sold out already, it's a tough dream to realize. So here's your chance to win a FREE trip. US Speedskating sponsor Qwest is holding a sweepstakes to win a trip for two to the Olympics next February.
For more details and to submit your entry, visit the Qwest Race to Italy Sweepstakes.
It would be great to see a true speed skating fan win this thing -- not some random person who doesn't know long track from short, so go enter now! (Bonus -- there are athlete diaries on the site, with contributions from Hyo-jung Kim, Bridie Farrell, J.P. Kepka and Rusty Smith.)
Fine print: You must be a resident of one of the following states where Qwest does business to enter the sweeps: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming
Posted by noelle at 10:18 PM | Comments (16)
Rocky Mountain News | Ohno not exactly living the good life
Somehow missed this article when it came out in mid-October.
Speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno, who won two medals and became the glamour boy of the Salt Lake Olympics, is leading a decidedly less fabulous life these days.
"My lifestyle is pretty boring," he said during the final day of the U.S. Olympic Committee media summit.
Posted by noelle at 9:46 AM | Comments (4)
November 1, 2005
SI revisits Ohno
Sports Illustrated | Apolo Ohno is back to prove his big '02 was no fluke
While I disagree with the premise of the article title -- anyone can look at Apolo's results for the past 3 seasons to see he's proved himself again and again, thank you very much -- it's exciting to see SI catching up with Apolo as he prepares for another Olympics!
Here's a giggle-worthy snippet:
President Clinton asked for a recommendation on which shoes to wear. President Bush informed him that that White House staff had come down with Ohno-Mania. Five Ohno-specific Web sites, including Ohno Zone and Sk8er Boy, tried to outdo each other with behind-the-scenes snapshots, no matter how distant and blurry, from his latest public appearance.
As if! Our photos may have been blurry, but they were up close and personal, darnit.
Posted by noelle at 10:00 PM | Comments (6)
USA Today | Olympic hopefuls focus on final push to Torino
Tuesday marks 100 days to go till the Opening Ceremonies in Torino on Feb. 10. USA Today marks the milestone by looking at some of America's top medal hopefuls, including Shani Davis and Apolo Ohno, and what hurdles stand in their way between now and next February.
Apolo Anton Ohno, Speedskater Claim to fame: Ohno won gold and silver medals at the 2002 Olympics and has finished atop the World Cup rankings in three of the past five seasons.
Mission for next 100 days: Ohno, 23, cleared a hurdle in earning the overall title at last month's World Cup in Seoul despite battling the flu, an ankle sprain and a nation's ire.
It was his first competition in Korea since his highly controversial 1,500-meter victory at the 2002 Games, in which a Korean competitor crossed the finish line first but was disqualified for a blocking move on Ohno.
"I was really happy I could still perform under the circumstances," says Ohno, who might have to draw on that experience to overcome anything that might arise during the U.S. short-track trials Dec. 12-16. Despite his accomplishments, he still must perform well there to make the 2006 Olympic team.
Posted by noelle at 9:30 PM | Comments (3)
More on Junior Nationals
Midland Daily News | Midland hosts first national speed skating meet in 23 years this weekend
While Midland (Michigan) has boasted one of the most successful speed skating clubs in the Midwest in recent years, the last time the city hosted a national event, Ronald Reagan was in his first term as president and Ryan Bedford wasn't even born yet.
That will change next weekend when the 2006 Dow U.S. Junior Short Track Championships come to the new Midland Civic Arena.
"It's a lot of work, but it's exciting to finally have a national meet here in Midland," said Beth Bedford, coach of the Midland Speed Skating Club and meet director for the Junior nationals. "The last one we had here was back in 1982 (the North American Championships)."
Posted by noelle at 2:16 PM | Comments (0)
October 30, 2005
60-second interview
Contra Costa (CA) Times | 60-second interview
Thanks to Sonia for sending in this brief interview that appeared today in her Sunday newspaper!
From some of the questions and answers, I can recognize this as having taken place at the Olympic Media Summit in Colorado Springs. Apolo sheds new light on his nickname as well as some of the favorite and least favorite experiences fame has brought him since 2002.
Click the image to the left to read a larger version of the interview.
Posted by noelle at 5:55 PM | Comments (4)
Midland (MI) Daily News | For speed skater Bedford, the pain comes with the territory
This article on Ryan Bedford details the short track-induced injuries he's suffered over the years. At 19, he's been through a lot already! Ryan will compete at next weekend's U.S. Junior Championships, looking to defend the title he won at the same event last year.
One nice point: Juniors are being held in his hometown of Midland this year. The top 3 male and female skaters from this event will represent the U.S. at Junior Worlds next January in Romania. Good luck to Ryan and all the skaters competing next weekend!
(Thanks to Deb for the link!)
[Update]
Midland Daily News | New arena gets speed skating meet this weekend
How's this for confidence? You propose to host a national event in a building that is still under construction. That's exactly the situation Phil and Beth Bedford were in earlier this year when they submitted a proposal to U.S. Speedskating to hold the U.S. Short Track Championships at the new Midland Civic Arena this coming weekend.
The Bedfords, long active in speed skating at the national level, submitted the bid in March of this year on behalf of the Midland Speed Skating Club. At that time, the arena was scheduled for completion in September.
Posted by noelle at 5:37 PM | Comments (5)