Celski, Malone return to skating for US in 1st short track World Cup after year to clear headsBy Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, October 20, 1:16 PM
KEARNS, Utah — Rather than race the World Cup circuit last season, speedskater J.R. Celski hit the road as a pseudo groupie, following Seattle-area hip-hop musicians on tour for a 90-minute documentary set to debut at film festivals next year.
Fellow Olympic bronze medalist Jordan Malone used his respite from racing to hit the books, becoming a 27-year-old college freshman.
Now, after a year off, both are back competing internationally again. They headline a U.S. team at the season’s first World Cup event for short track at the Utah Olympic Oval. Qualifying races start Friday and more than 200 athletes from 23 countries will compete over three days, with Olympic medalists Lana Gehring, Alyson Dudek and Katherine Reutter among the top women.
“I got my head clear and now I’m back in the game,” said Celski, who turned 21 in July.
The time away gave him a chance to rest after a roller coaster year leading up to the Vancouver Games, where he won bronze in the 1,000 meters and men’s relay. It also allowed him to pursue a passion for film production by starting his own company, M.A.D. Northwest, intended to showcase the vibrant music and arts scene in the Seattle area.
Hanging up the skates, however, did something that surprised even Celski.
“I developed a second love for the sport that I haven’t felt before,” he said. “Before I left, I was just kind of that kid out there having fun, doing what I did best and didn’t really take it seriously outside of the rink. Now, coming back, I want to do everything right. I want to be consistent for the next three years and know I can be the best in the world.”
He already is showing flashes, winning all four men’s events at the American Cup 1 competition three weeks ago in Missouri. The event served as the U.S. Fall World Cup team trials.
Malone took third in the overall classification to earn a chance to compete this weekend.
The Texas native explained his decision to get away like Celski.
“It’s a stressful time after the Games for everybody. You have a mixture of athletes that were satisfied with their year and those that weren’t,” said Malone, who took bronze in the men’s relay.
He said athletes who fared well often take a breather to decide what’s next.
“Nobody goes into speedskating for just a year,” said Malone, who has been competing since he was 5, first as an inline skater. “So you take a step back and decide if you want to go for that four-year commitment.”
He also wanted to give surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament time to heal.
The self-professed team “nerd” said school came easy at his age. There was no zeal to party like other freshmen, only a zeal to learn. He maintained a 4.0 GPA in electrical engineering at Northern Michigan University, and even ventured into classes that ranged from programming to welding.
“The joke is I want to be a mechanical engineer and electrical engineer then learn programming so I can build a robot and take over the world,” said Malone, who lists carbon fiber as his other “interest” on his Facebook page.
He has built the carbon fiber “tips” that skaters wear on their fingers to help in turns, and carries enough high-tech equipment on the road to power a small nation — or at least the U.S. team.
He has a tablet computer, a laptop, a couple of MP3 players and even a Wi-Fi router so he can clone a hotspot the whole team can use.
“His second backpack is full of batteries,” Celski quipped.
While Malone went geek squad, Celski simply went M.A.D. — for music, art and dance.
It started with a desire to show the world that Seattle is more than just coffee and rain, and fueled a passion for filmmaking he has had since he was young.
People thought he was crazy at first, even some in the music industry. “Do we really want a speedskater making our documentary?” he heard.
“But you’ve got to do things when we can because a lot of doors are opened because of the Olympics,” he said.” Why not go through those doors?”
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Source:
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/celski-malone-return-to-skating-for-us-in-1st-short-track-world-cup-after-year-to-clear-heads/2011/10/20/gIQAjv1l0L_story.html QP