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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jan 29, 2014 19:20:56 GMT -8
Sochi Spotlight: Shani DavisUpdated: January 27, 2014, 6:10 PM ET By Wayne Drehs | ESPN.com It seems that every time speedskater Shani Davis shows up to an Olympics, he has a chance to make history. Eight years ago in Torino, he was the first African-American to win winter gold in an individual event. Four years later in Vancouver, he was the first to win back-to-back golds in the 1,000 meters. Now, heading into Sochi for what likely will be the 31-year-old's final Olympic Games, Davis has a chance to become the first man to win three straight Olympic golds in any winter event.Read it all: espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2014/story/_/page/sochiprofiledavis/2014-sochi-olympics-speedskater-shani-davis-talks-olympic-pressure-life-games
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jan 30, 2014 17:01:30 GMT -8
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jan 31, 2014 23:23:20 GMT -8
I like this guy - and not just because he spent a night or two in our home... Speedskater Patrick Meek ready to prove himself on world stageby Adam Spencer, The Park Record / Posted Tuesday Jan. 21, 2014 11:15PM EST Meek knows what you’re thinking. With a father and grandfather who both loved speedskating, it might look like he was forced into the sport. But, he insists, that wasn’t the case at all.
“Honestly, it was just something I developed my own love for,” he said. “This could have easily been a sport that was forced on me, but there were several times after a competition didn’t go my way or something that my dad sat me down and said, ‘Do you want to keep skating? Do you perhaps want to play soccer or something?’ And, every single time, I told him, ‘No, I want to skate.’ ”Read it all: dfm.insidebayarea.com/article/speedskater-patrick-meek-ready-to-prove-himself-on-world-stage/6d1159466578d10f73d1a5bcc8a23957 |
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 1, 2014 19:31:46 GMT -8
Milwaukee's Brian Hansen goes for gold in Sochi
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 4, 2014 17:15:22 GMT -8
Pretty amazing story! Speedskater Kelly Gunther's painful road to Sochi: Ohio Winter Olympians (video)By Tim Warsinskey, The Plain Dealer / Feb 4, 2014 CLEVELAND, Ohio – Lorain native Kelly Gunther remembers her foot and skate hanging off her leg, as if it barely was attached. She remembers lying on the ice watching an IV being placed in her arm while horrified fans looked on. She tries not to think about it, but she can't forget it.
The devastating injury to her ankle in March 2010 was supposed to end her competitive long track speedskating career. She shattered an ankle so thoroughly upon crashing into a padded wall during a race that doctors worried the bones would never heal and an amputation would result.Read it All: www.cleveland.com/olympics/index.ssf/2014/02/speedskater_kelly_gunthers_roa.html |
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Post by sk8er on Feb 5, 2014 9:00:40 GMT -8
I recall seeing Rusty Smith's nose almost cut off during a World Cup in Sweden. He skated up to the coaches box and shouted that his nose was cut off, and it certainly looked like it. And then there was Allison Baver's horrific ankle injury. And Shaun White's closest competitor sustained a severe head injury just before the 2010 Olympics and is still struggling back to functioning. What is it that keeps an athlete going when something happens? It is inspiring for onlookers to see this courage and determination. If you have a passion for something you will make every effort, any sacrifice, to continue. How unfortunate that as a species we cannot apply these lessons to activities that uplift humanity rather than to death and destruction.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 6, 2014 12:55:03 GMT -8
Heather Richardson a medal favorite, but 'it's not easy,' Dan Jansen saysby Jeff Mills / February 1, 2014 ...She’s really good,” former U.S. star Dan Jansen said. “I don’t know how to handicap Heather’s chances. I mean, what’s the best odds there are? She’s one of the top three skaters in the world at three different distances. So if everything just goes normal, she’ll win three Olympic medals.
“But you just never know. I should’ve won many more medals before I won my first. I know from first-hand experience: A lot can happen.”Read it all: www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_9ac1e642-8b64-11e3-95f8-001a4bcf6878.html
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 9, 2014 15:46:27 GMT -8
In yesterday's LT action, the Men competed in the 5000M - no medals for the USA, but teenager Emery Lehman was the top finisher for our guys:
16) Emery Lehman
19) Jonathan Kuck
20) Patrick Meek
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Long-Distance Long Trackers enroute to Opening Ceremonies!
Rookard , Ringsred and Lehman cab ride thru sochi
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 13, 2014 13:00:58 GMT -8
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Post by sk8erfan on Feb 14, 2014 12:10:15 GMT -8
Lots of criticism about the new "high tech" suits the US athletes are using. The issue is that the suits seem to have a design flaw that actually increases resistance. This article sums up the problems nicely and I've heard that the athletes have appealed to the IOC to allow them to change back to their old suits (since the rules dictate that athletes on the same team must wear the same uniform) and their appeal was accepted an they're changing back to the suits worn in the world cups this season. US changing suits after dismal speedskating start"They were touted as the fastest speedskating suits in the world.
Looks like they might be slowing the Americans down.
Kevin Haley, vice president of innovation for suit developer Under Armour, told The Associated Press on Friday the Americans had received permission to go back to the suits they used while posting impressive results on the fall World Cup circuit and at the U.S. Olympic trials in December.
The change begins Saturday with the men's 1,500 meters, when Shani Davis hopes to make up for a disappointing performance in his first race at Sochi. Under Armour was busy altering the logo on the old suits, so it conforms with International Olympic Committee regulations."
U.S. coach Kip Carpenter said there are plenty of plausible reasons for the U.S. woes beyond the suits.
''The human factor is by far the largest piece out there,'' said Carpenter, a former skater and Olympic medalist. ''There's not an athlete out there who is slowing down a second per lap because of the suit they're in. What is it: a parachute on their back?''
Another U.S. coach, Matt Kooreman, questioned whether the team peaked too soon and became complacent after their impressive World Cup showings.
''Did we lay off the gas after it looked like things were going well?'' he said. ''I'm sure the Dutch went back home after those North American World Cups and were really in attack mode.''Full story: sports.yahoo.com/news/us-struggling-oval-focus-high-102027944--spt.html |
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 14, 2014 21:54:15 GMT -8
I think I heard that after Shani Davis' struggles, Heather Richardson taped up the 'parachute' and still didn't make the podium... I dunno - I think they'd be better-served in the court of public opinion not to start the blame-game. But all the pre-competition hype may make it inevitable - or at the very least, face-saving...
I haven't heard any complaints yet from the Short-Track skaters - but then again, they rely more on strategy/timing and less on aerodynamics on those looooong straightaways.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 15, 2014 11:01:56 GMT -8
It's official... Apparently they're looking at lots of different changes - not just the skinsuits. Personally I think it's just a lack of experience on 'slow ice'. But hey, if changing the suits gives them a much-needed mental boost, go for it! I haven't heard of any complaints from the ST skaters, as their type of racing doesn't depend so much on aerodynamics in long straightaways. U.S. speedskaters officially dump new Under Armour suitThe Mach 39, debuted for Sochi's Games, will be replaced by Jared Hopkins / Chicago Tribune / Feb 14, 2014 Pressure for the change built this week in the wake of a disastrous performance through six events by a team with high expectations. No U.S. speedskater has medaled, including the world's top-ranked skaters, Shani Davis and Heather Richardson.
The suit became the leading suspect for the poor showing. The suit is unproven apart from these Games and was introduced only last month. Richardson attempted to modify her suit this week. The results matched her teammates results: out of the metal.Read it all: www.chicagotribune.com/sports/olympics/chi-under-armour-us-speedskaters-20140214,0,7671249.story |
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 16, 2014 15:32:41 GMT -8
A knowledgeable friend (and I haven't fact-checked this) says that for the most part, our LT skaters' times improved at the Sochi Olympics over their times at World Single-Distance Championships held at the same venue less than a year ago - and we won 3 medals. Skinsuits? Peaking too soon? Lack of training at low altitude? Maybe the rest of the world is just better on a given day... A Convincing Theory For Why The US Speed Skating Team Is Imploding At The OlympicsBusiness Insider / By Tony Manfred 4 hours ago Amid consistently disappointing results across all distances and skaters, U.S. speed skating is searching for answers for the team's worst Olympics showing in 30 years.
The U.S. was favored in multiple events coming into the Olympics. But with eight of the 12 speed skating events completed, the Americans haven't won a single medal.
So what's going on?Read it all: finance.yahoo.com/news/convincing-theory-why-us-speed-165304395.html |
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Post by intntl on Feb 19, 2014 19:22:35 GMT -8
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Post by mtnme on Feb 21, 2014 21:37:02 GMT -8
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