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Post by mtnme on Feb 12, 2009 17:34:55 GMT -8
Jeff on the podium for World Cup 5, Bronze medal. Sofia, Bulgaria 2009
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Post by mtnme on Feb 24, 2009 11:26:07 GMT -8
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Post by mtnme on Feb 26, 2009 11:23:54 GMT -8
Simon says — Ohno is the man; he may be, too By Brad Rock Deseret Morning News Published: Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008 12:21 a.m. MST
KEARNS — The next Apolo Anton Ohno — or the first Jeff Simon, depending on perspective — was slightly bummed at the end of the first day of the Samsung ISU World Cup short track speedskating races, Friday.
"Not a good day for me," he said.
He had wiped out in a preliminary round of the 500 meters and failed to qualify in the 1,500 meters. He didn't compete in the 1,000 meters. Still, as part of the 5,000-meter relay, he advanced to the next round, along with teammates Charles Ryan Leveille, Jordan Malone and — who else? — Apolo Anton Ohno.
So his day wasn't a total loss.
On Saturday afternoon things were looking up as he qualified for the quarterfinals of the 500 and 1,500 meters.
"I just want to do well," said Simon.
Just how well?
Apolo well, naturally.
Isn't that how everyone wants to do?
"He's the man," said Simon. "This guy has done it all. He's still the main guy. I just want to be the first Jeff Simon."
Exactly how the first Jeff Simon and the made-for-TV Ohno comparisons came about were entirely my fault. I contacted U.S. Speedskating officials and told them I didn't want to do another AAO column; I'd been doing them since 2001. I wanted to do a column on the next Ohno, which, admittedly, is like asking to do a story on the next Aretha Franklin.
There may be only one.
Not only should he have the talent, I added, but I also wanted to see America's rock star speedskater-in-waiting.
Soon I was sitting across a table in the Utah Olympic Oval press room with Simon.
One of the first things I asked was whether he was tired of hearing about Ohno.
"No, not at all. He deserves it for all he's done for the sport," said Simon, "and he deserves all the things that go along with it. He's a man. He's done everything."
Truth is, though Simon is a promising 18-year-old, making the leap to the magazine covers and TV stardom is a ways off. Simon, a Las Vegas native, does have talent. In this year's World Cup competition he finished an impressive fourth once. He is ranked 26th in the world.
That may not seem like much in a country where first place seems the only option, but consider this: In Korea, short track speedskating is all.
In America, speedskating is an entertaining diversion. Yet the USA's short track team is still among the world's best, thanks in large part to the talent and profile of Ohno.
There are, of course, other differences. Ohno is bigger, in both height and weight than Simon. The man who recently won on "Dancing with the Stars" continues to be the face of the sport in America.
Simon doesn't have the layered rock-star hair of Ohno, in part because he was trying to cut his own hair in August, and a slip caused him to shave a swath up the middle. He ended up shaving his head.
There went one possible comparison to Ohno.
Then there's Ohno's trademark soul patch. Simon has none.
"That's not my style," he said.
But the big question I had to know was this: Can the man dance?
"I can dance ... but not really ballroom," he said.
He claims he can bust a few hip-hop moves when necessary.
Note to "Dancing with the Stars" producers: You know where to find him.
Oh, and one other thing.
There are no swarms of females sending fan mail or getting sweaty when Simon enters a room.
"I wish," he said.
Nonetheless, Ohno, now 25, pondered retiring after the 2006 Olympics. Due to his TV and celebrity schedule, he didn't compete or train for a couple of years. When he returned for the World Cup this year, he was just getting back in the groove. Going into this weekend's event at the Utah Olympic Oval, he was ranked just 56th in the world.
At some point, probably after the 2010 Olympics, U.S. Speedskating is going to need a new face. Maybe it will be Simon's.
If he can dance, act and model, all the better.
"They've got to be a well-rounded person," said Simon.
For the time being, though, he is hearing none of it. He's still in the happy-to-be-here stage.
"Until someone breaks out and does what Apolo's done," Simon said, "he's the man."
Everyone else will just have to settle for being himself.
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Post by mtnme on Feb 27, 2009 8:58:29 GMT -8
Photo By: Getty Images Jeff Simon leads with Charles Hamelin of Canada in hot pursuit.
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Post by mtnme on Feb 27, 2009 9:00:19 GMT -8
U.S. speedskaters kick off new season Sat Sep 27, 2008 By US Speedskating
Jeff Simon took gold in the 1,500- and 500-meter short track races at the first US Speedskating event of the season last weekend. Plymouth, Minn. -- It was a successful first day for the Short Track American Cup I held at the Plymouth Ice Center in Plymouth, Minn. This event not only marks the first event of the Short Track season, but was also the basis to choose the United States World Cup I, II and III Teams.
Winning the Ladies 1,500-meter event was short track national champion Katherine Reutter (Champaign, Ill.). Earning second place was Olympian Kimberly Derrick (Memphis, Tenn.) and the bronze went to Redding, Penn. native and Olympian Allison Baver.
In the Men’s 1,500, world champion team member Jeff Simon of Las Vegas won gold, with Travis Jayner (Midland, Mich.) claiming second. JR Celski of Long Beach, Calif. came in third.
In the Ladies 500, Derrick, Baver and Reutter earned the top three spots.
Simon won the Mens 500, while Simon Cho and Celski took second and third, respectively.
Racing resumes tomorrow at 10:05am with the men’s and ladies 1,000 and 1,500 events happening.
For more information on the event, visit pwspeedskating.homestead.com/2008AmericanCup.html.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2009 17:10:00 GMT -8
Just read the 2/10/2008 article above. Short track fans are like short track skaters. It's all about funding. Too bad the swarms of screaming young fans don't hang around short track, it would make things alot more fun. Instead the skaters get 'empty-nester-moms' who have the means and love the sport. Well, on 2nd thought, maybe WE'RE glad the young 'uns don't show up. Be kind of hard to compete with them during the meet 'n greets! Funds and Maturity (in most cases) do have their advantages. aa.com is on the top of my favorites list and Vienna was really, really tempting. LOL
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Post by mtnme on Mar 6, 2009 10:04:30 GMT -8
from USS - World Championships. March 6, 2009--Vienna, Austria.
Team USA hit the ice ready to go at the 2009 ISU World Short Track Championships in Vienna, Austria. The day started off strong with four of the six U.S. skaters that competed in the 1500m making the finals. J.R. Celski, Apolo Anton Ohno and Jeff Simon fought it out with five other skaters in the men's 1500m final while Katherine Reutter battled against six Korean and Chinese skaters in the ladies' 1500m event.
Celski (Federal Way, WA) skated a great 1500m, leading for most of the race with Ohno (Seattle, WA) right behind him. With only one-half lap to go, Celski was passed by Ho-Suk Lee and Yoon-Gy Kwak of Korea and finished in third place. Apolo took fourth and Simon (Las Vegas, NV) was taken out when Korean skater Si-Bak Sung fell. "I looked back to see where Apolo was and didn't realize Ho-Sok and Yoon-Gy were passing me," Celski said. "I felt really good today and I'm very surprised on the results." In the ladies' 1500m final, Reutter (Champaign, IL) jumped to second place and was making a move to pass into first when she lost her balance and fell, taking a Chinese skater with her. With two skaters disqualified in the final, Reutter still ended up in fourth place. Kimberly Derrick (Memphis, TN) and Jessica Smith (Melvindale, MI) both made it to the 1500m semi-finals but lost speed and didn't make it through to the finals.
The ladies' relay team, consisting of Reutter, Derrick, Smith, Alyson Dudek (Hales Corners, WI) and Lana Gehring (Glenview, IL) skated a strong semi-final, finishing with the second fastest time of the day. They will meet up with teams from China, Korea and Canada in Sunday's 3000m relay final.
Racing continues on Saturday, March 7 with the men's and ladies' 500m events and the men's 5000m relay semi-final.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Mar 15, 2009 12:58:07 GMT -8
Jeff broke his hand at the World Championships in Vienna last week (per an official USS communication), and was not able to compete in this weekend's World Team Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands - but would be there 'cheering his teammates on'.
BUT...
...word is that Jeff stood on the podium with the rest of the team and received a bronze medal too - YAY!
You must have been one helluva cheerleader, Cowboy!
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Post by mtnme on Apr 3, 2009 11:38:57 GMT -8
This article is courtesy of Timbre Beck- Murphy at Suite101.com and with her permission. Thanks Timbre! If you're interested in reading about any other type of skating that gets done on ice, (figure skating in addition to short track) Timbre is always an interesting read. how-to-speed-skate.suite101.com/article.cfm/short_track_speed_skaters_hurt____________________________________________________________________________ Short Track Speed Skaters HurtJeff Simon and Sun-Yu Jin Sustain Injuries at 2008 World Cup #6 © Timbre Beck-Murphy Feb 11, 2008 Two speed skating champions were unable to race in the finals after crashing in qualifying events, but their safety gear probably saved them from more serious injuries. Jeff SimonUSA speed skater Jeff Simon went down in the quarter finals of the men's 500 meter race at the Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City today. While a world record time was set by the top finisher, there was no celebration for Jeff. This American skater passed a fellow competitor to take over the third place spot in his heat. With less than one lap to go in the race, he tried to overtake the leader with another outside pass when he fell and slammed into the boards at an estimated speed of over 30 miles per hour. The 2007 World Junior Short Track Silver Medalist broke his collar bone during the fall. While this eliminated him from continuing on to the finals today, Jeff still has his sights on next month's World Championships. Jeff can also celebrate reaching his goal for this skating season: to make the World Cup Team. "Actually," he said, "My goal was to make every team this year." In fact, on Tuesday he intends to continue his scheduled training with only slight modifications to accomodate his injury. Here's what Jeff had to say about today's accident: "I was in third with one lap to go, and i had to throw it if I wanted to qualify. I just did what I had to do, and unfortunately I couldn't control that turn, went down, and got injured." Sun-Yu JinThe Korean women's leader in World Cup standings for the 1000 meters individual event hurt her leg in the semifinal round. Jin's injury was painful enough to warrant cessation of the race and her removal via stretcher from the ice. After a trip to the hospital for x-rays, Jin returned later for the awards ceremony. She wore a boot brace over her right sprained ankle. Upon the rerun of the heat, Chinese skater Xiaoxue Meng was disqualified for intentionally causing the crash. With only two skaters left in that round, and the top two automatically going on to the next race, both Katherine Reutter (USA) and Yang Zhou (China) skated a well-paced race while they jockeyed for the better lane position in the finals. Safety EquipmentFalls happen a lot in speed skating, but serious injuries do not, thanks to sophisticated safety equipment. During this weekend's World Cup races alone, several skaters received minor injuries. A few had the wind knocked out of them. A couple seemed dazed with mild concussions after falls. Crashed happen often in speed skating because atheletes have a very short time to move past their competitors, to push themselves to their absolute limits in the attempt to reach the top spot. That's why short track speed skating is often described as "roller derby" or NASCAR on ice. Skaters' protective helmets, Kevlar (cut-resistant) skin suit and collar, knee and shin guards and special gloves help keep injuries to the minimum level as demonstrated today with Jeff's crash. When he slammed into the boards at full speed, even with the 12" thick matss lining the rink, the impact resonated so that the people at the top of the bleachers reported feeling the impact. Had Jeff not worn all the protective layers, there's a good possibility his injuries would have been much worse. Perhaps the biggest safety tools that professional athletes have, especially in sports such as speed skating, is warming up before and cooling down after races. Short track speed skaters generally dedicate at least an hour before their events start to warm-up jogging, stretching, fast-twitch muscle sprints, pilates and plyometrics. Most athletes -- except rebels like Chad Hedrick -- also cool down by skating slowly and then riding the stationary bike. The copyright of the article Short Track Speed Skaters Hurt in How to Speed Skate is owned by Timbre Beck-Murphy. Permission to republish Short Track Speed Skaters Hurt in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on May 8, 2009 15:32:41 GMT -8
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jun 2, 2009 19:12:49 GMT -8
This is some stuff brought over from Jeff's profile on www.Rocker-U.net. I wanted to make sure that everything there is also here... The following Hero Card was provided by US Speedskating: From the 2008-2009 USS Media Guide: Photo Credit - Lily: From Salt Lake City Magazine, Feb 2008:
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Post by mtnme on Jun 25, 2009 9:24:02 GMT -8
(photo courtesy of Jerry Search)Erin Bartlett, Jonathan Sermeno, Jeff Simon and KD Todd
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jun 28, 2009 1:09:17 GMT -8
DID YOU KNOW......that Jeff holds a National Record? SENIOR MEN'S DIVISION 1000M (1:26.410) - 12/23/07 Jeff's record was part of the December 'tidal wave of records' - 7 out of 8 Senior Division Men's/Ladies National Records were set during that US Championships competition.
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Post by mtnme on Jun 28, 2009 10:06:48 GMT -8
This photo was from last year's photo shoot by Brian Nicholson for USS, which went into USS's media guide and calendar. Amazing website and photos by Nicholson Photography: nicholsonphoto.com/index2.php?v=v2Apolo Anton Ohno, Anthony Lobello (what looks like Jeff Simon) and Travis Jayner Brain's caption from the photoshoot This is the US Men's Speed Skating team. In the lead is Apolo Anton Ohno who you may remember from 2002 Winter Olympics fame. I had a lot of fun shooting this assignment since the skaters were very comfortable with the camera and seem to have a great time hanging out with one another. Oh, and they are very serious about their skating. -BN Posted by Nick@Nite at 2:39 PM
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Post by mtnme on Jul 23, 2009 8:43:22 GMT -8
Three! Count 'em, THREE whole pages of wonderful photos of Jeff by Thomas Di Nardo of Bella Faccie Sports Media. Way too many to post, but here are some highlights! pa.photoshelter.com/c/bellafaccie/gallery/Jeff-Simon-US-Speedskating-Team-Short-Track-Speed-Skating-Photo-Archive/G0000hMYQl1fGew0/P0000TtxuCLTkzUQ?_bqO=0&_bqH=eJyLLMrN98wOsgiy9Myo8Cwp8fQPc00yS_Qvcwm1Mje0MjK1snKP93SxdTcAggzfyMAcwzT31HIDtQCQaABINKSkotTZJyS7KjRQzd0z3t3Rx8c1KBKbJgA4kCEU&ppg=25Nice photo. Watermark across the face- not so nice. ...and again.... ...and AGAIN! (Hey, ya try....) Jeff takes the Bronze in Vancouver at WC 2, 2008 (and no watermark across the face!)GOLD Medal Relay Team! Vancouver, WC2 - 2008 JR Celski, Apolo Anton Ohno, Travis Jayner and Jeff Simon (Hiding: Charles Ryan Leveille and Anthony Lobello) OH! There they all are! Ryan, JR, Apolo, Travis, Jeff and Anthony.
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