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April 28, 2006
Apolo at the Wedding Singer premiere
Thanks to Michelle for writing in!
Apolo and Michelle outside the Al Hirschfeld theater in NYC
Writes Michelle: "Thanks to Ohnozone.net, I knew Apolo was going to be at The Wedding Singer opening night performance!!!! I had received an invitation to attend the opening night performance prior to knowing he was going to be there, so I was thrilled to hopefully meet him. I kept my eyes out for him while waiting outside before the show, but didn't see him because there were so many people. Then to my surprise, I ran into him on the red carpet while I was trying to get to the box office to pick up my ticket. He was very, very gracious and oh so very nice."
Posted by noelle at 5:14 PM | Comments (35)
More Apolo at Wedding Singer premiere
photo by Walter McBride / Retna Ltd. via broadwayworld.com
Posted by noelle at 5:11 PM | Comments (30)
Video clip: Fox & Friends
Thanks to Zenith for making a video clip of Apolo's appearance on Fox & Friends available on Ichiban. Enjoy!
More from Fox & Friends:
Yesterday was 'Take Our Kids to Work Day' around the country (we had loads of short folks on hand at my office for the occasion!) and Steve Doocy of F&F brought his daughter Sally in with him. He mentioned on the air how nice Apolo had been to Sally and writes more about her experiences here. As a bonus, there's a great shot of Apolo posing with Sally:
Posted by noelle at 9:33 AM | Comments (40)
April 27, 2006
Apolo in DC, report and photos by Tammy
Note: Check out more of Tammy's beautiful shots in her AAO gallery.
Finally one of my dreams had come true and it was meeting Apolo Anton Ohno!
I wouldn’t have known about his trip to Washington D.C. for Raytheon if it wasn’t for the Ohno Zone. Thank you Noelle and Todd for the news about his visit!
At first I wasn’t sure what kind of opportunity I was going to have by going to the park to check out the event. I didn’t know if it was going to be open to the public or not. When I got there, it wasn’t what I expected since I was able to get close to the event location. I was really thrilled about it. The event had started and there were several speakers and I was like, “Where’s Apolo?†until I saw a woman telling a student to look over there - she was pointing her finger to someplace and she had caught my attention. I looked over where she was pointing to and saw Apolo!
Apolo was skating down the path on a small hill in the park and went past us toward the water fountain. I was speechless when I saw him. My hands were busy taking pictures of him! He went around the fountain then I think he went straight to the podium.
After getting to the podium, Apolo started to talk to the students. A lot of people were taking pictures of him. After his speech he went skating again. We all moved toward the fountain and Apolo went around it again and again. After he stopped skating, he had some photo ops with the students and was signing autographs.
He skated again and this time he was high-fiving people in the line. He had done this several times and I didn’t put my hand out the first time. When he was doing it the second time, I put out my hand and he high-fived my wrist. It was a strange feeling being touched by him! So, when he did it again for the third time, he got my hand! That was a great feeling! After that, he did more signing and I finally decided that I was going to be brave and go up to him and ask for his autograph. His agent (or manager?) was telling him that he needed to get going so that made me really nervous because I hadn’t asked Apolo yet! Anyway, I made sure that he saw me and I asked him if he could sign his name just one more time. He was smiling and said, “Sure†and I was so thrilled! I’m just grateful that I had a paper and pen with me. After he signed his name, I thanked him. He smiled and said, “You’re welcome†in the most beautiful way. The way he said it had melted my heart! This meant a lot to me because I’m deaf and of course I wouldn’t have been able to hear him and I got to read his awesome lips! I will never forget how he said it! I didn’t want to leave after this so I hung around a little bit longer and was watching him.
About 10 minutes later, there were less people and I saw that he was still being asked for pictures with some of them. So I bravely went up to him again and asked if it was okay for us to be pictured together. Again, he said, “Sureâ€. We put our arms around each other and I cannot describe how wonderful it felt to have his arm on my shoulder and having my arm around his back. My hand was on his left waist and boy, his waist felt very lean! Anyway, I asked someone to take a picture of us with my second camera. After the woman took a picture, she said something to me that I wasn’t able to understand until I saw my camera. I was SO crushed…the stupid camera was saying, “Please replace the battery packâ€. AHHHH!! No! No! No! I couldn’t ask Apolo for another chance with my other camera because I felt so guilty since he was supposed to be getting going. Oh well, at least I have his autograph, over 300 pictures (yes, 300! A digital SLR camera is a great toy to have!), and a fond memory of the event.
At the moment, it still feels like the whole experience is a dream and I still cannot believe that I saw him. He’s such a patient and friendly athlete and I’m so lucky to have met him. I cannot wait for the next time to see him again and I’ll be sure to have a back up battery with me!
Posted by noelle at 8:57 PM | Comments (40)
Local news coverage of Apolo in DC
A short article by the Washington Post and some Reuters photos from yesterday:
U.S. short track speed skating gold medallist Apolo Ohno shares a laugh during a group picture with students from the Freedom Middle School during a promotion of the importance of math and science education on Capitol Hill in Washington April 26, 2006. Ohno made an appearance to help push U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy's American Competitiveness plan, billed to move the country forward and restore America's advantage in the workforce, education, health care and research. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Washington Post | Ohno, It's Math!
Would you rather clean your room or do math homework? In a recent survey, 84 percent of middle-schoolers picked cleaning, eating their veggies, taking out the garbage or going to the dentist over math.At MathMovesU.com, they want to change that. And they've enlisted the help of big-name athletes including Tony Hawk, Lisa Leslie and Mia Hamm.
Speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno got things moving yesterday by skating around a fountain on Capitol Hill.
How is that math?
The distance around the fountain is 460 feet. Ohno is the current Olympic champ at 500 meters. How many times did he have to skate around the fountain to equal his gold-medal distance?
It helps to know that there are about 3.28 feet in a meter.
So, Ohno had to circle the fountain 3 1/2 times.
U.S. short track speed skating gold medallist Apolo Ohno skates past cheering students from the Freedom Middle School during a promotion of the importance of math and science education on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 26, 2006. Ohno made an appearance to help push U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy's American Competitiveness plan, billed to move the country forward and restore America's advantage in the workforce, education, health care and research. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Posted by noelle at 9:19 AM | Comments (59)
April 26, 2006
Apolo appearances
I guess this is East Coast Tour week! New appearances posted today on AAO.com:
1) Apolo will appear on the Fox News program 'Fox & Friends' 7:30-8am Thursday, April 27.
2) Apolo will attend the Broadway premiere of 'The Wedding Singer' musical in New York City on April 27.
[update] Oh boy, that Fox & Friends show is a bit too much for me at 7:30am. The show hosts have obviously had way too much coffee already... anyway, they bantered quite a bit about People's 100 Most Beautiful, and I was certain that was the set up to have Apolo on the show, but no... they did mention that Apolo was standing off stage and HE should be on the list, so I guess that means he's not. He was on the list 4 years ago though! Obviously a big mistake by People this year...
Apolo talked all about the MathMovesU program with a lot of enthusiasm. He explained what the program is all about it and talked about his math problem on the web site which involves calculating his speed per lap in the 500m.
He said it feels good to be in New York again and mentioned his new management company, Brillstein-Grey. It was a short but sweet appearance (over by 7:43). Nice job, Apolo!
Posted by noelle at 10:09 PM | Comments (29)
Apolo in DC, report and photos by Rosh
From Susie's and Rosh's reports, it seems that the OFF* was in full effect today on Capitol Hill.
Rosh's report, accompanied by pics from her cell phone:
My digital camera decided to die on me right when I got there and I didn't bring a backup battery! When I got there I found a group of students wearing blue bandannas so I just followed them to the area. I got there just in time to see Apolo being introduced. He skated down a small hill, around the fountain and to the stage on his Land Rollers (which by the way, are awesome!).
It was so cute to see the kids get excited when he came down. Who am I kidding, I was excited too! He gave a speech about using math in his everyday life, asked the kids about math & then skated by the fountain. The kids lined up on two sides and he skated back & forth while someone clocked him with a radar gun. He was great about it, smiling and high-fiving everyone.
Afterwards, he let everyone crowd around him for pictures and autographs. I hung back and got to talk to some of the teachers and people from Raytheon, who were just as excited as the kids! I also met fellow OZers Susie & Blair, which was great. After the crowd and the interviews, died down, Susie & I approached him so she could take a picture with him.
Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous talking to him. He's so laid back & friendly that it was like talking to one of my friends. I think I said I enjoyed watching him skate & then told him that SusanG from OZ made me promise I'd try speed skating. He asked if I lived in DC and when I said yes, he told me about some of the clubs and said I should give it a try. I thanked him for his time and then headed back to work. I didn't think to ask to get a picture with him on my camera phone until afterwards but it's ok. I loved getting to meet Apolo & it definitely made my day. I only hope I get to see him skate on the ice next season!
***
The Ohno Force Field (OFF) is a power emanating from Apolo that erases all non-essential data from the brains of those in close proximity. Most commonly manifests itself in the inability of fans to recall their conversations with Apolo. Also causes digital cameras to malfunction.
Posted by noelle at 9:13 PM | Comments (24)
Apolo's visit to DC, by Susie
Sounds like Apolo was a hit and the OZers in attendance had an awesome time! Read on for Susie's report:
It was a lovely, crisp, cool day in Washington, D.C., with the sun dipping and darting in and out of the clouds -- perfect weather for skating in the park. About 100 middle schoolers, attired in matching "Raytheon" tee shirts, with many of them sporting bandanas, sat on the blanketed ground in expectant attention. Assorted younger children, Raytheon executives, Hill interns, photographers, videograpers, reporters, fans, and yes -- OZ'ers rounded out the cozy scene.
Senator Kennedy appeared, wisely bringing his two dogs with him, both of whom served as a bridge from the Senator to the kids. Professor Farley (...or just "Jonathan", as he later insisted) introduced some clips from from "Numbers" and "Medium", two shows for which he has done math related consulting. At last, Apolo was introduced, and the lone skater that I had just spotted off in the distance came zooming towards us, taking a lap around the fountain to the excited cheers of the children.
He was attired in casual skating gear -- sweatpants, the ubiquitous "Raytheon" tee (underneath which one could spot a "USA" tee) and white bandana. He looked healthy, rested, and lean with little trace of his recent outings in the sun. Apolo seemed very comfortable on the Landrollers despite the lack of smoothness of the pavement. He circled back to the podium, and briefly addressed the kids, touching on the usefulness of math to his life in skating. I think that was the only time that I've ever seen him be just the tiniest bit shy or uncertain... perhaps he was wondering how he was coming across to the kids, but he need not have worried... he had them in the palm of his hand.
Apolo then took off for the course that had been set up, and after a brief bit of urging, the super-polite kids took off after him. They lined both sides of the course while Apolo skated four laps -- I'm going to presume that the kids were doing their math measurements at this point, but I personally was too absorbed with looking at the gorgeous man in question to notice. Then they mobbed Apolo, while he patiently and kindly answered their questions, signed their bandanas, posed for pictures, etc. He was absolutely fabulous with them. I saw one of their teachers, perhaps concerned about Apolo, try in vain to direct the group away from him. She looked to me and any other adult in sight for assistance, but she wasn't about to get any from me, lol. I saw that Apolo was fine, and that the kids were thrilled. Who was I to interfere with their happiness?
I recognized fellow OZ'er Rosh, and I introduced myself. We both followed Apolo around like two little lost puppies, lol.
At a certain point, a local newstation (WJLA, channel 7) grabbed him for an on-camera interview, and I watched fascinated as he obliged them. Despite having dozens of people staring at him and taking pictures, his eyes never once strayed from those of the reporter, who was the recipient of the type of focused attention for which Apolo is well known.
At long last, the students got organized along one of the lines. Apolo skated by repeatedly, holding his hand out to lightly slap the hands of the delighted kids reaching out to him. After the children dispersed, Apolo stuck around to chat and take pictures with any remaining bystanders who cared to meet him, myself included. At one point, after most people had left, he did an interview with a sweet girl who is an official reporter for the publication, Time For Kids. She asked about his skates, and he told her about the Landrollers. In response to one of her questions, he told her about his own childhood, and he elaborated by talking to her about not being afraid to be genuine with people...to be yourself, to be true to yourself. The time and quality of attention that he gave to her was no different than that which he gave to the Channel 7 reporter (or anyone else for that matter.) What a great guy!
Finally, I stepped up and asked him if I could take a picture with him (...and did I bother to greet him or introduce myself? Augggh! I'm going to plead mea culpa that just about every rational thought fled my brain when I was even remotely close to him.) I watched the pupils of those beautiful, greenish-hazel eyes contract in the bright sunlight... someone once described them as cat-like (in a nice way) and I would have to agree... there is something about the markings around his pupil, along with the way they contract which gives a vertical appearance to the pupil... very feline, like staring into the eyes of a puma or jaguar. Purrrrrrrr. I told him about how emotional I got during the 500 meter medal ceremony, and he talked about how TV can connect people... help them to share the same experince... even if they are half a world apart. *Sigh*
I just caught snippets of other conversations that he had with reporters and fans, but enough to hear that his future plans are still up in the air. I did hear the phrase "long track" that I believe was raised as a future possibility. I also think he said something about not being sure if he was ready to "hang up his skates"... a phrase that made me grin... just yet.
I found Apolo to be everything that that I had heard about him and more. He is the nicest, kindest man and in terms of appearance, I don't think any picture, however good, can really do him justice. That must surely be his picture by the word "charisma" in the dictionary. And as for the kids... well, if Apolo can't inspire them to do their homework, then *no one* can!
Posted by noelle at 5:42 PM | Comments (42)
April 25, 2006
Photos from Worlds - day 2
Still working my way through the backlog of World Championship and Torino photos. The latest gallery is from the 500m events skated on the 2nd day of competition in Minneapolis.
I always laugh when I look at sthe sequence of shots from the comical start to the 500m heat featuring Rusty Smith, Eric Bedard, Polish skater Jakub Jaworski and Germany's Sebastian Praus - here's one of them:
Lots more photos including Teams USA and Canada in the gallery!
Posted by noelle at 8:09 PM | Comments (61)
Honors for Amanda Overland
Congratulations to Canada's Amanda Overland (one of the friendliest people in short track!) who won athlete of the year honors from her home region in Ontario:
Waterloo (ON) Record| Overland wins top honour
Following in the footsteps of two older siblings, sister Cindy and brother Kevin, Overland came into her own on the international scene last year and was a silver medallist in the 3,000-metre relay in her first Olympics in Turin.The 24-year-old who trains in Montreal is already thinking ahead to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
Posted by noelle at 5:40 PM | Comments (13)
April 24, 2006
Gold Medalist Apolo Ohno Skates Onto Capitol Hill and Lends His Talent to Math Education Awareness
[update 4/25] More details about Apolo's appearance tomorrow on Capitol Hill in this press release.
Quote: "Math is very relevant in my career and in my life," Ohno said. "From counting laps around the rink and calculating speed to determining the shortest distance between me and the finish line, math is vital to what I do every day -- I think some kids will find that surprising!"
Wow, if anyone can make math fun, it's Apolo. Check this out!
WHAT: In a nationwide effort to make math cool and show how math moves people in exciting careers, Raytheon, a leading technology company, created MathMovesU as part of its mission to show American middle schoolers that math can lead to cool careers. The company along with Apolo Ohno is launching the Hippest Homework Happening, a program giving students the opportunity to do their math homework online with their heroes on April 26. Thousands of students across America will go to mathmovesu.com and do their math homework with kid-cool celebrities including Apolo Ohno, Mia Hamm, Lisa Leslie and Dave Mirra. PLUS, teachers get a night off.
VISUAL: Ohno will skate into Upper Senate Park and around the fountain to demonstrate how math helped propel him to a Gold Medal in Torino. Through the help of student volunteers equipped with radar guns and stop watches, Ohno will preview his homework problem, which will be live on www.mathmovesu.com that evening.
WHO:
-- Apolo Ohno, Olympic Gold Medalist
-- 100 Students from Freedom Middle School, Fredericksburg, VA
-- Senator Edward Kennedy, Member of Congress
-- Prof. Jonathan Farley, Founder, Hollywood Math and Science Film Consulting
WHEN: Wednesday, April 26, 10-11 a.m.
WHERE: Upper Senate Park, at the fountain, across from Russell Senate Office Building, Corner of Constitution Ave. & Delaware Ave. NE, Washington, D.C.
WHY: Because less than one-third of eighth graders reach a level of proficiency or higher in math. The fundamentals -- like homework -- are at the core of the issue. Raytheon surveyed more than 1,000 middle schoolers and found that a combined 84 percent of American sixth to eighth graders would rather do one of the following: clean their rooms, eat their vegetables, take out the garbage or go to the dentist than sit down with their math homework.
Posted by noelle at 2:26 PM | Comments (87)
April 23, 2006
New version of the Flipsyde video
Hey all - here's a version of Flipsyde's video for 'Someday', featuring Apolo and several other Olympians, that I don't remember seeing before. Thanks to Dano for the link! (Press the Stop button to disable.)
Also, Taryn sent in this link to Google video where you can see a ton of clips featuring Apolo from NBCOlympics.com. Happy viewing!
[update] If you haven't yet seen it, video of Apolo's appearance on Jimmy KImmel's April 21 show is now available on YouTube.com.
Posted by noelle at 9:02 AM | Comments (56)