The next three shots are from Cleveland and come courtesy of Cheryl. Thanks for sending them!

Jennie's Cleveland Pics

I know a lot of people have been waiting for this -- Jennie has updated Sk8er Boy with her fabulous photos from Cleveland. Check them out!

World Championships Epilogue, Part 2

I know we're all about ready to move on, but there are just a couple more things that I want to say about Sweden. Luckily the FUBAR-ness of it all has been well summarized already in the comments!

Sweden's world champion synchronized skating team performs

First, I'd like to thank Jack Mortell for his efforts. Not only did he have his team to take care of, but he really went out of his way to look after all us Americans who made the trip to Sweden. No request was too trivial, no question too silly, and he made sure we had everything we needed, from transportation to banquet tickets to team postcards. Just try resisting his pitch to travel to Beijing next year for the Worlds! (Although personally, I think World Cups are more my speed.)

I'd also like to thank my fellow fans, Denise (aka Liz), Jennifer G, Julia, Ruthie, Sooz, Susan G and Torrie for putting up with me. I get in my own zone when I'm covering these things, almost everything comes second to doing my OZ 'job', and no doubt that makes me a moody biotch at times.

Sooz and Julia came armed with flags and banners!

Just to elaborate on a couple points, that others have mentioned also:

Gothenburg was awarded the World Short Track Championships on the basis of holding them at a nice, new, regulation-size ice facility. A hockey tournament scheduled for the same weekend took precedence, however, so the Frolundaborg arena was pressed into service instead. Why did no one verify the substitute venue's compliance with ISU size standards? The venue change was known for some months, so there was certainly time to investigate its suitability.

The most disturbing legacy of this World Championships, of course, are the number and severity of injuries, which are probably attributable in large part to the inadequate rink.

We heard that the ISU is unhappy with the Swedish federation and organizing committee for not putting on a first-class event, and is going to demand reimbursement from the Swedish federation for the money the ISU provided to stage this event. The organizing committee undoubtedly had many shortcomings. Nevertheless, it's the ISU that needs to accept responsibility for allowing this event to be contested in a sub-standard rink. I don't know if the ISU will ever publicly acknowledge what happened, but I hope skating federations are asking some hard questions of the powers that be.

The 'full' side of the rink. There was no crowd energy and next to no cheering at the World Championships.

I should say something about the races. For me, I don't really care who won or lost or who was DQ'ed, because the excitement of short track started to fade when Rusty got hurt, and it vanished altogether when I watched Jo Guilmette's body contorting in pain on the ice on Sunday. My feeling is that this was an invalid World Championships -- and certainly the 1000m men's final, the 3000m races and both relays cannot be considered totally legitimate races. Maybe I'm going overboard, but I hope lots of footnotes are entered in the record book for this event.

Yes, on one level it's disappointing that Apolo didn't make a single final -- that was the biggest surprise of the weekend -- and that the guys didn't get to skate their relay semi. It was a real shame about the bad luck Allison had this weekend. Caroline had some strong races, which I've been gently (and quite rightly) chided for not reporting on. Apolo, Caroline and Allison in particular all skated from the back of the pack at various times. This displeased their team leader and coaches, as the poor ice conditions made relying on passing to move into qualifying position too risky a strategy.

It seemed that Apolo skated somewhat tentatively all weekend, except for his 1000m races. The ice conditions were so bad for him there. And he had to have been affected by witnessing Rusty's accident right in front of him just moments before his own 500m quarter final. The refs thought so too. I overheard them saying as much while they were waiting for a ride to their hotel on Saturday. One of the refs added, 'Ohno is a really clean skater, though.' I wanted to kiss him for saying that in front of me!

Mainly I'm just relieved that Apolo is safe. Had he made it to the 1000m final on Sunday, he would absolutely have been a marked man.

I was able to speak with Apolo at some length on Sunday night. He said that a lot of changes are in order for next season, and while he had many challenges and frustrations this season, he feels that this is the best time to be dealing with them. Next season is extremely important for him, and for all the skaters, as it's the last full season prior to Torino.

Apolo also agreed to do an off-season interview for OZ, time TBD, but it will be some time after April. I invite you to submit questions. I can't think them up all by myself!

Tony Goskowicz, Scott Koons, Apolo Ohno

Update on Jo Guilmette: Short-track skater has back surgery

via TSN.ca: Short-track speed skater Jonathan Guilmette underwent back surgery Thursday to repair a fractured vertebra suffered during last weekend's world championships... Screws and rods were inserted during the three-hour operation to repair and stabilize the vertebra and to avoid spinal cord injury. Doctors said there was no sign of paralysis, that Guilmette's prognosis is good and he could return skating in about three months.

"He's in good spirits," [Coach Guy] Thibault said of Guilmette. "He realizes that feeling sorry for himself will not help in his recovery and it won't change his situation. The operation is something that needed to be done." Full article

Thanks to Tex for the link!

Mike Kooreman.com Contest: How Much Ya Bench

Just in time for the off-season, Mike Kooreman is having a contest over at his web site. Guess how much Mike Kooreman benches and win a prize. Visit MikeKooreman.com for details!

Apolo Ohno skates in his 1000m heat Sunday in Sweden

Sweden 1000m prelim: Apolo Ohno (USA), Mark Jackson (NZL), Jon Eley (GBR)

Tony Goskowicz and Apolo Ohno at warmups Wednesday, 3/17 in Sweden

Notes from a Canadian fan

Yesterday I received the following letter from a long-time Canadian observer of short track. The letter is in response to OZ coverage of the World Championships and includes a lot of insight from a referee's point of view. It is printed with permission; personally identifying details have been omitted.
***

Saturday and Sunday morning I watched the races on Live CyberScoreboard. With many years of experience as a Canadian short track referee (over 10,000 races), I can see a lot in the tempo of the racing and the timing of the results posted. So, reading the spaces, I sensed that something extraordinary had happened in Jonathan Guilmette's 1000m final. And then all the DNS's of the Canadians in the 3000's -- if Alanna Kraus and Jo were hurt (saw the DNF's in the 1000's), then why weren't Anouk Leblanc-Boucher and Steve Robillard racing? And then where were the relay teams? Even with 2 men out, the Canadians could race a 3-man team like the Italians did. Something was amiss.

I spoke with someone close to the Canadian national team in Montreal, who had heard the Eurosport sportscaster describe Jo's horrific fall and collision with Seung-jae Lee over the Internet. This person said I should check out Ohno Zone, and endorsed your previous coverage of short track events.

The skaters' network is a lot more dynamic than the officials' network. To see the pattern of 'team skating' requires some continuity and networking among officials. They are so far flung, and have their own rivalries, that determining team skating is very difficult for them.

The road to becoming an ISU referee is filled with sport politics... and in the rarefied world of the ISU Council, the technical committees and officials are far below in the foothills. Each ISU member country names 3 referees, starters, etc each year. These nominations must be accepted by the ISU technical committee, and then the official must be selected to work at a particular ISU-sanctioned event. In my opinion, this process does not foster collaboration among the officials.

In addition, it is at the ISU Council level that competition venues are selected -- a political process too. What has happened to the skaters and the fans in this big picture? What was the size of the ice surface, why wasn't it noted in the announcement? Questions...

So why did the Canadian team really withdraw? I haven't heard anything yet. All that I've seen in the Canadian press mirrors the Speed Skate Canada press release. Although, one of the Montreal TV stations has posted a letter from Jo Guilmette's sister at its website, www.rds.ca.

Thanks for your insightful reporting of the events in Sweden. Keep up your candid reporting and be true to your journalistic standards!!

-- A Short Track Fan

Here are a couple shots from just before Apolo's 1000m semifinal.

Apolo and Italian skater Fabio Carta

World Championships Epilogue, Part 1

I want to address some of the controversy arising from my reporting of the World Short Track Championships in Sweden. I don't mind it - these issues are controversial, after all. What bothers me is that I'm reporting these things, and nowhere do you see an AP report stating that the rink was too small or that Lee was given a yellow card. You do see a Korean press report mentioning that Apolo Ohno was DQ'ed for 'interrupting' Seung-jae Lee, but nowhere do they mention that Lee was later DQ'ed himself and then thrown out of the whole competition. I start thinking, 'They're the real media. Is the stuff about the rink not really an issue? Should I have just ignored it?'

I suspect that the 'real' media just didn't know about the rink or about Lee's ejection, and that's why they haven't reported it. I'm fortunate that people in the know let me know what was going on. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known about the rink failing to meet ISU size requirements.

Could those people be putting their own spin on what they tell me? Sure. But I ask questions. I ask other people for their opinions. I weigh it against what I see with my own eyes. Nothing was made up here. Can it be proven that the small rink led to so many serious injuries? No, but it's reasonable to conclude it was a significant factor, and the Canadians' withdrawal Sunday speaks to that more eloquently than I ever could. I was glad at that point that the Americans had no such decision to make.

Similarly, can it be proven that Seung-Jae Lee set out to eliminate Ahn's main rivals on Sunday? Of course not. But his actions in the 1000m semi and final were consistent with such a strategy, and similar tactics have been employed by Korean skaters many times over the years, according to those in the know. One prominent short track skater told me Sunday night that Korean skaters have pulled far worse stunts than what Lee did to Guilmette yesterday - but they never resulted in such a serious crash and injury before. I am certain that Lee didn't set out to injure or maim Jonathan Guilmette. It's all fun and games until the strategy backfires, as it did on Sunday in Sweden.

You could say that it's a North American or European bias against Koreans, or a way of making excuses for 'our' skaters not beating Koreans. But what do you make of the Korean reporter, one who follows the Korean short track team, who said to me after the 1500m on Friday: 'You know what their strategy really was, right? It was to make sure Ahn wins.'

I followed up with him on Saturday, after Song beat Ahn to win the 500m final. I asked him why Song won instead of Ahn. 'Well, that race is too short to control who will be the winner, that's why Song won.' Ahn was DQ'ed in that race, not an unusual result for him in the 500m and a fact that isn't likely to show up in any Korean reporting of that event.

I'm doing my best here trying to uphold journalistic standards but I play the roles of reporter, photographer, editor and fact-checker. If I make mistakes I hope people let me know so I can correct them. I have no interest in being irrationally biased in the 'Apolo is always right and everyone else is always wrong' way because that shuts the door to learning and understanding this sport and I don't think it helps Apolo in any way. Nor do I have any intention of being neutral on controversial issues or rooting for all skaters equally. That's a task for the 'real' media. Ohno Zone will always be first and foremost pro-Apolo Ohno and pro-U.S./Canada.

Update on injured skaters

Get well soon, Jonathan Guilmette!

Good news all around, I think.

+ Jonathan Guilmette has a compression fracture of the vertebra. According to what a Canadian coach explained to me, this means that Jo's major concern will be pain in the short term. He is expected to make a complete recovery and should be able to return to skating without problems. They still need to do additional tests on him tomorrow to make certain there are no other injuries, and Jo will remain hospitalized here in Sweden for a week or so.

Tonight at the awards banquet, when his name was read during the awards announcements, Jo received raucous and sustained applause. When I went to ask his coach how he was doing, I told him there were a lot of people in the U.S. rooting for Jo's recovery as well.

Click here to post your well wishes for Jonathan.
via JonathanGuilmette.com

+ Alanna Kraus emerged unscathed from a hard fall and she is just fine. She attended the awards banquet and came to the stage to receive her prize money. In her case, the trip to the hospital was strictly precautionary, thank goodness.

+ Rusty Smith was released from the hospital today at about noon and came back to the hotel. He also attended the banquet tonight and has something resembling a surgical mask covering his nose, but Rusty looks just like Rusty otherwise and seems to be doing very well. He'll fly home with the team tomorrow and Apolo speculated that he'll travel in first class to make him as comfortable as possible.

Click here to post your well wishes for Rusty on his web site.

I'm so relieved and thankful that they're all going to be okay! Now someone get me out of this place.

World Championship Horrorshow

It's been confirmed that the dimensions of the Frolundaborg rink here in Gothenburg, Sweden are too small for international short track standards. This arena should never have been eligible to host an ISU event. The smaller size is also the primary cause, more than the bad ice conditions, of all the falls and injuries (with the exception of Rusty Smith's injury yesterday).

Today two Canadian skaters were injured in bad falls -- Alanna Kraus and Jonathan Guilmette. Alanna fell in her 1000m quarter final while attempting to pass Tatiana Borodulina (RUS) on the outside and went hard into the boards. Borodulina was later DQ'ed. Alanna was taken off the ice in a stretcher and went to the hospital for x-rays, but preliminary reports are that she is expected to make a full recovery.

Jonathan was taken down by Seung-Jae Lee (KOR) in the last lap of the 1000m final. Lee probably cross-tracked Jo as Jo attempted to pass on the outside -- in any case, Lee definitely caused the collision. Both skaters fell, and Jo went headfirst into the boards, absorbing the full impact of Lee crashing into him as well. This occurred near the end of the day so it's too early to know what his condition is, but it is thought to be quite serious.

Not a good weekend for North American short track.

I've also just learned that Italian skater Evelina Rodigari was injured in a training session earlier in the week and has been hospitalized with broken vertebrae ever since -- in all probability this is a career-ending injury for her.

The ISU should do the right thing and call off this competition now. Canada has already withdrawn its teams from the relay in protest, and the eligible Canadian skaters did not participate in the 3000m either. In my opinion, the arena's failure to comply with ISU standards renders this World Championships invalid.

I never thought I would live to see the day I'd say that I'm happy that Apolo Ohno was disqualified. But I'm glad he didn't make it to the 1000m final and that we have no more skaters competing today and risking their safety.

The second scandal emerging from today's events: Seung-Jae Lee was given a yellow card and ejected from the World Championships after causing Guilmette's terrible crash in today's 1000m final. Lee also interfered with Apolo during his 1000m semifinal, though it was Apolo who was DQ'ed for impeding on Lee later in the race. Lee was then advanced to the 1000m final, where he is accused of inflicting grave damage. Lee's role in this competition was evidently to eliminate teammate Ahn Hyun-soo's main competitors. He appears to have succeeded brilliantly.

As a result of his ejection, Lee was not permitted to skate in the 3000m and won't be eligible to skate the relay for Korea as a result. Canadians Steve Robillard, and Amelie Goulet-Nadon, eligible to skate in the 3000m, did not skate their respective 3000m races due to Canada's withdrawal.

Jack Mortell, US Speedskating's Short Track Program Director on the ejection of Lee: "They threw out the right guy, but they threw him out a race too late."
***

More from US Speedskating: Ohno Finishes 8th in 1000 Meters and 9th Overall at World Short Track Championships

See also Ahn, Choi defend overall titles to lead South Korea

from US Speedskating: "[Rusty] was more bummed with the injury and with not being able to continue on," said U.S. Short Track Program Director Jack Mortell. "But Rusty's got a sunny character and he handled this as well as you can expect anyone to handle it. He's tough as nails."

Read more: Ohno 9th in 500 Meters at World Short Track Championships; Smith Suffers Injury