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Post by quietpirate on Jul 13, 2011 12:44:23 GMT -8
US Speedskating Athletes Follow the Fast Track to Learning with Ashworth CollegeUS Speedskating Announces Partnership With Innovative Leader in Online Education KEARNS, Utah, July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Balancing a challenging training and international competition schedule with their studies has just gotten easier for US Speedskating's athletes. Today, US Speedskating is honored to announce a new partnership with Ashworth College, which will provide free tuition for the federation's elite-level athletes including continuing education, high school, college degrees, and course certifications. "The opportunity to access a distance learning program through Ashworth College, either as an inroad to a particular interest and subsequent transfer to a bricks and mortar institution, or to pursue a complete degree in a particular field is an amazing new addition to what we offer our high performance athletes," said US Speedskating Executive Director and two-time Olympian Mark Greenwald. "Having spent many years in a variety of academic institutions across North America myself, I fully appreciate what a potential benefit this relationship will be for those who choose to take advantage of it." Several of US Speedskating's national team athletes have already enrolled with Ashworth. "My skating career is extremely important to me and so is my education. The opportunity to pursue my degree through Ashworth means I don't have to choose between the two," said Emily Scott, 2011 Short Track Relay World Cup Gold Medalist. "With our rigorous practice and competition schedule, Ashworth gives me the flexibility to take classes and study at my own pace that would not be possible with a traditional university." Link: www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-speedskating-athletes-follow-the-fast-track-to-learning-with-ashworth-college-125512568.htmlQP
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jul 13, 2011 13:49:26 GMT -8
Nice article, QP - the skaters really have to be creative with their educations, don't they? Here's a related video, announcing the partnership (the athletes - L to R are: Erin Bartlett, Jessica Smith, Emily Scott, Morgan Izykowski, and speaker long-track skater Patrick Meek). Did I hear right? They're providing FREE tuition for our speedskaters? This is fantastic! It means that they won't have to choose between sport and education - it apparently applies to high school certification as well as college, so the younger skaters who are invited into the program won't have to halt their education to train! As the USOEC is losing funding, I wonder if this may be able to fill in the gaps? ----------------------- On another note... can y'all believe that it's been 2 years since we started ramping up for the upcoming Olympic Trials? This also means that it's a short 2 years until we'll be buzzing about the process again! Who will be the front-runners? How many veterans will be strong contenders? How many new faces will be strong challengers?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2011 14:51:57 GMT -8
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Post by quietpirate on Jul 21, 2011 6:19:27 GMT -8
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jul 26, 2011 13:23:31 GMT -8
Thanks, QP - the link also contains an accompanying video! The team left Marquette on Sunday, gets a week off, then returns to Salt Lake City. --------------------------- Here's another link from a few days earlier (also with a video) - apparently lightning struck the rink's dehumidifier, leaving the skaters 'in a fog'. US short track speedskaters train through foggy conditions in MarquetteJuly 19, 2011 www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?id=642040Tags: Short Track Speedskating
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jul 27, 2011 17:30:24 GMT -8
ISU Communication 1681 (National Results 2010-2011) ranks the USA skaters using the following criteria:
In accordance with Rule 104, paragraph 13 a), b) and c) we publish herewith the following results for the season 2010/11: i.e. the five best Short Track Speed Skaters of the Member over the distances 500, 1000, 1500, 3000 meters and Relay based on the results from International Competitions or National Championships
USA Ladies 500 meters 1. Alyson Dudek 2. Jessica Smith 3. Katherine Reutter 4. Emily Scott 5. Sarah Chen
Ladies 1000 meters 1. Katherine Reutter 2. Lana Gehring 3. Jessica Smith 4. Emily Scott 5. Alyson Dudek
Ladies 1500 meters 1. Katherine Reutter 2. Jessica Smith 3. Lana Gehring 4. Emily Scott 5. Alyson Dudek
Ladies 3000 meters 1. Katherine Reutter 2. Lana Gehring 3. Jessica Smith 4. Emily Scott 5. Allison Baver
Men 500 meters 1. Simon Cho 2. Jeff Simon 3. Kyle Uyehara 4. Travis Jayner 5. Kyle Carr
Men 1000 meters 1. Simon Cho 2. Travis Jayner 3. Jeff Simon 4. Jonathan Garcia 5. Kyle Carr
Men 1500 meters 1. Jeff Simon 2. Anthony Lobello 3. Jonathan Garcia 4. John-Henry Krueger 5. Cole Krueger
Men 3000 meters 1. John-Henry Krueger 2. Cole Krueger 3. Adam Callister 4. Jeff Simon 5. Jonathan Garcia
Relay Ladies 3000 meters 1. National Team: Lana Gehring, Katherine Reutter, Emily Scott, Jessica Smith, Morgan Izykowski
Relay Men 5000 meters 1. National Team: Simon Cho, Jeff Simon, Travis Jayner, Anthony Lobello, Kyle Carr, Kyle Uyehara
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 11, 2011 14:21:36 GMT -8
Here is the list of short track skaters who made Category 1 status this past spring - I've also included the names of the skaters who were invited to train with the National Team in Salt Lake City:
Cat 1 - Senior Men: Simon Cho Jeff Simon Travis Jayner Anthony Lobello Kyle Carr Ryan Bedford Robert Lawrence Kyle Uyehara Jonathan Garcia Jordan Malone
Cat 1 - Senior Ladies Katherine Reutter Lana Gehring Jessica Smith Emily Scott Alyson Dudek Sarah Chen Morgan Izykowski Tamara Frederick
Cat 1 - Junior Men John-Henry Krueger James Rodowsky Cole Krueger Adam Callister Soo An Yoo Claude Gilbert Brett Perry Joshua Cummings
Cat 1 - Junior Ladies Alexis Burkholder Katherine Ralston Rachel Stewart Kendal Pumphrey Sarah Burg Alaina Fiorenza Sally Chea
Automatic Invites - Men Simon Cho Jeff Simon Travis Jayner Anthony Lobello Kyle Carr Jonathan Garcia
Automatic Invites - Ladies Katherine Reutter Lana Gehring Jessica Smith Emily Scott Alyson Dudek Erin Bartlett
Discretionary Invites - Men Kyle Uyehara Levi Kirkpatrick James Rodowsky Eddy Alvarez J.R. Celski Shani Davis** **Training partner for summer
Discretionary Invites - Ladies[/b] Sarah Chen Morgan Izykowski Katherine Ralston Sarah Burg
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Post by lilyover80 on Aug 13, 2011 17:20:18 GMT -8
Thanks for the lists of skaters, Lori! Now that it's time for the new season (soon), I need to bring myself up-to-date! We won't make it to American Cup this year, but we'll be in SLC for WC1 and also US Championships in Jan.!
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 18, 2011 10:40:19 GMT -8
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Post by quietpirate on Aug 22, 2011 14:47:25 GMT -8
Chippewa Hills student Kazia Cooper spends summer training at Olympic center
By NATE SCHNEIDER Sun Sports Writer
Most kids would shy away from such a grueling schedule.
Kazia Cooper, however, took the challenge head-on.
Cooper, who will be a freshman at Chippewa Hills High School, spent the entirety of her summer crafting her speed skating skills at the Olympic Training Center in Marquette.
For a 13-year old less than a year into her speed skating career, it was about as intense of a daily schedule as could be imagined.
Early morning wakeup calls were the routine and each day presented new challenges for Cooper. In addition to two two-hour skating sessions each day, other training activities included swimming as well as climbing mountains and sand dunes.
Not exactly your typical summer vacation.
"It was pretty overwhelming at first," Cooper said. "But I got used to it after a while. It was definitely worth it because I've only been speed skating for less than a year and I learned something new every day there."
Speed skating certainly was not Cooper's introduction to the world of skating as she began skating at age 3 and has competed in figure skating in the past.
But Cooper has found a new passion in speed skating and she has excelled during her short time competing in the sport.
Among her accomplishments prior to her time in Marquette were a first-place finish at the Long Track State meet in Petoskey, first at the Regional Short Track meet in Midland, and second in the Short Track State meet in Lansing.
That earned her a trip to Nationals in Wisconsin, where Cooper broke all of her personal best times which she has continued to do this summer.
"I never really was interested in speed skating, but my figure skating coach in Detroit brought it up and I decided to do it," Cooper said. "My first day doing it in Grand Rapids, I realized I was a natural and now I just keep getting better."
Cooper recently received an offer to attend the Junior Olympics in Austria, an invitation she jumped at.
But with that event in January not too far away, Cooper and her family are working hard towards fundraising for the trip.
"We've started asking businesses to help with fundraising and sponsorships," Cooper said. "It's definitely a lot of work, but it will be worth it."
During her time in Marquette, Cooper had the opportunity to meet and train with a couple of United States Olympic speed skaters in Kimberly Derrick and Jordan Malone.
"Training with two Olympic skaters was awesome," said Kazia, who will turn 14-years old next month. "They are definitely two speed skaters that I really look up to."
This fall, Cooper will run cross country at Chippewa Hills which she knows is going to help her speed skating endurance.
"Running cross country will be a big help for me. I'm looking forward to it," said Cooper.
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Post by wildfire on Oct 17, 2011 12:51:59 GMT -8
All I can say is yes, it's about dang time!! (ya think they're finally catching on to what we've known all along?!) It is Time For Short Track Speed Skating to Break into The Mainstreamdailyhouse.com/2011/10/17/it-is-time-for-short-track-speedskating-to-break-into-the-mainstream/The international short track speedskating season begins in just four days at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, UT. The 2011 ISU Korean Air Short Track World Cup circuit will feature the best short track skaters in the world and with the retirement (temporary?) of Apolo Ohno, America’s newest short track stars have a chance – with a great season – to propel themselves onto the world’s stage. Short track has always been a thrilling sport to watch and in the last five years or so the US has finally developed a real depth that makes the entire team, not just one or two stars, worth watching. One of the traits that makes a smaller Olympic sport become a big Olympic sport is consistant medals won by multiple athletes over time. For as much as Ohno has done to raise the awareness of the sport, and his contribution has been HUGE, it takes more than just one superstar to attract the kinds of grassroots numbers necessary to launch a sport into the everyday consciousness. Breakout StarsThe time could very well be arriving for short track to begin to bridge the gap to more mainstream success. It’s stars are marketable and consistant. J.R. Celski and Katherine Reutter have both won Olympic and world cup medals, both are young and attractive, and both could potentially have long careers. The US short track team is training harder than ever and at this world cup, thanks to relay success, several other athletes that most people haven’t yet heard of will be competing AND have won Olympic medals (Jordan Malone, Alyson Dudek, and Lana Gehring). Gehring in particular is worth keeping an eye on – she won the first America’s Cup race overall point total with a gold and two silvers. Ultimately, and this is the most important thing from a fan perspective, short track is just awesome to watch. It’s exciting, it’s fast, it’s great on TV, and one never knows what the outcome will be ahead of time. All this week DailyHouse will be posting articles heading into the Short Track World cup to help bring you up to speed on what is an amazing and thrilling sport.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Oct 17, 2011 21:57:59 GMT -8
If I'm not mistaken, dailyhouse.com was created by none other than Joey Cheek, Long Track Gold Medalist. Good on ya', Joey!!! Thanxxx for this 'gold nugget', Wildfire!
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Dec 19, 2011 19:25:56 GMT -8
I alluded to this in one of my posts on the World Cup 1 thread in October. The night before the Salt Lake City World Cup started, we were invited to attend the kick-off event for the new USS Foundation. Everything we heard that night sounded really promising - a very grounded, realistic approach to funding the team in the long-term. Rather than HUGE donors making short-term commitments, it relies on smaller donors making longer-term commitments. As it was presented to us, it seems that there will be an avenue for fans to get involved as well. I'll continue to look for more information about this, but the following article is the best info I've seen since our initial exposure: U.S. Speedskating seeks consistent fundingOrganization wants to create board of trusteesBy Gary D’Amato of the Journal Sentinel / Dec. 16, 2011 www.jsonline.com/sports/etc/us-speedskating-seeks-consistent-funding-i33fess-135771968.htmlU.S. Speedskating is in the process of making fundamental changes in how it raises and secures funds to support its programs and athletes. The organization plans to establish a board of trustees so that it doesn't have to rely solely on a handful of corporate sponsors who come and go depending on the state of the economy. The initiative is being modeled after a successful program at U.S. Skiing and Snowboarding, whose 65 trustees raise $7 million to $8 million annually, according to Mark Greenwald, executive director of U.S. Speedskating. "We want to diversify the funding aspect of the organization so we have many pockets of resources coming to us, so that we don't ride these ups and downs," Greenwald said. "We build something really great and then the economy collapses and we've got to fold all that stuff. That doesn't work for us. That doesn't work for our athletes. "We want to build partnerships that we hope last two or three Olympic cycles. Not just somebody who pops in for one or two years and leaves. We want long-term relationships with people who believe in what we're doing and believe in our athletes." The board of trustees is still in the planning stages but could be a reality by spring, Greenwald said. Trustees would make donations or raise funds for U.S. Speedskating and in return would participate in functions and events. "People are part of the organization through contributions," said Tom Frank, president of U.S. Speedskating. "They'll have one position on our board of directors. That's in the plans as well. So they'll have a voice and they can bring their concerns to the board." Greenwald and Frank said they hoped the board of trustees would help solve the problem of under-funded programs and athletes in a sport that has produced 85 Winter Olympic medals. "We hopefully will have a base amount of money that we know is going to be there year after year after year," Frank said.
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Post by sk8er on Dec 20, 2011 16:54:05 GMT -8
Thanks Lori for this info. Consistent funding has long been a problem, who will ever forget Stephen Colbert bailing out USS at the 11th hour? This seems to be an excellent idea.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2011 23:08:35 GMT -8
Merry Christmas Short Track Friends. and a Happy New Year! The grandkids are "in house", so I may not post until next year! Cut-out cookies on tomorrow's list of things to do!
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