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Post by Laura (Lori) on Mar 4, 2009 9:57:45 GMT -8
This thread is totally devoted to Landon Hatfield, and is intended to be an archive of his skating career - as well as a place to chat about his accomplishments and encourage him as he pursues his goals both on and off the ice.
If you have any articles, photos, links and news about Landon (past or present), we'd love to see them!
If you are a non-member who would like to contribute news, photos, archives or comments, please feel free to contact us at:
lori@rocker-u.net or michelle@therockerfund.org
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Apr 7, 2009 10:30:00 GMT -8
Landon (in red) leads Zach Fuller and Alex Hopp at the 2009 National Age Class Championships - Midland, MI Photo Credit: Jerry Search
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jun 28, 2009 0:57:08 GMT -8
DID YOU KNOW......that Landon holds a National Record? JUNIOR MEN'S DIVISION 1500M (2:27.633) - 3/7/08 - EDIT: broken by Adam Callister - 3/15/09
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 27, 2009 21:20:29 GMT -8
Not current news, but it's a nice addition to Landon's archives: Hatfield Tabbed As ChampBy The Daily Progress Staff Published: May 13, 2008Landon Hatfield, a Charlottesville native, is a rising star in the U.S. speedskating program.Charlottesville isn’t exactly known as a speedskating mecca, but a native son is certainly making his mark in the sport. Landon Hatfield was crowned the 2008 U.S. Short Track Junior Men’s National Champion at the end of the U.S. National Short Track Championships in March. Currently, Hatfield is a junior at Marquette Senior High School in Marquette, Mich., where he lives with a host family. The 2008 North American Short Track Competition, held March 14-16 at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, was Hatfield’s final competition of the 2007-08 season. He performed well while skating up in the intermediate men’s category, finishing eighth overall with a total of 389 points. In addition, the men’s 2008 Relay team composed of skaters from primarily the Chesapeake and Western New York speedskating associations, placed second in the event and received the silver medal. In addition, he advanced and competed in the Men’s 5000m Relay Final with three other Chesapeake Association skaters. The team finished fourth overall. Hatfield remains the U.S. National Short Track record holder for the Junior Men’s 1500m distance with the new 2008 time of 2:27.633, surpassing his previous 2007 record of 2:31.431 set in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. In addition to receiving the title of U.S. National Short Track Junior Men’s Champion, Hatfield also received the distinction of Junior Category I. This distinction entitles him to access of U.S. Speedskating training program and a number of other benefits. Hatfield is excited to return to Virginia in mid-June to participate in an intensive eight-week summer elite level training program with the Virginia Speedskating Club in Richmond. His first competition of the year will be the Coventry Commonwealth Games of Virginia, scheduled to take place at Skate Nation in Short Pump on August 10.
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Post by mtnme on Sept 28, 2009 15:22:25 GMT -8
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LANDON! If anyone knows Landon personally, (or someone else who knows him!) please give him my apologies. Horrifyingly, I was going through my spam folder and found a request for Landon to be part of The Rocker Fund from well over a month ago. I feel terrible about this and immediately responded to the e-mail only to have the address spit back into my inbox as undeliverable. I would hate for an up and coming skater to think we wouldn't support him....so PLEASE pass on this info if you know him. ....Mercifully, there is a phone number too, so we'll try that tomorrow! Sorry Landon...my bad. Landon also has a website he's working on. www.landonhatfield.com
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 29, 2009 6:09:51 GMT -8
A little tidbit that I had in my 'saved' Google Alerts: www.takkle.com/people/7392121/-/profile/This looks somewhat like a FB page, but seems to be a spinoff website from SI.com to showcase high school athletes(?), and is open to the public, with some cool pix of Landon. Unfortunately, this website offers no options for Speedskating, so the closest category Landon had open to him was Figure Skating - and NO, he's not a figure skater, he's a Speedskater. We can roll with it, Landon! ;D
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 4, 2010 22:14:17 GMT -8
DID YOU KNOW?"...On January 30, 2010, Landon participated in his first Longtrack Time Trials (on borrowed blades) and in the 1000m his time of 1:18.82 allows him to move forward to compete at the 2010 US Jr Long Track Speedskating Championship at the Pettit National Ice Center mid February." (from www.landonhatfield.com ) ...and Landon is competing in AmCupIII this weekend in Daly City, VA - that is, if he can snowshoe well enough to get to the rink... (MAJOR snowstorm hitting the area this weekend)
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 17, 2010 16:39:53 GMT -8
Charlottesville Speedskater Eyeing 2014 Games by Shane Edinger / Feb 17, 2010
A lot of young athletes are inspired by the skiers and skaters they see on the Olympics. For one Charlottesville teenager, Apolo Ohno provided that inspiration and now he is chasing his own Olympic dream.
For Landon Hatfield, short track speedskating is his life. He picked up the sport eight years ago, after watching Apolo Ohno capture the gold in Salt Lake. He has been flying down the ice ever since.
"Racing is just the ultimate thrill," he said. "You have to use your ears to hear who's coming from behind. You have to be alert in all directions, because anything can happen in short track. You just get out in front and you haul as hard as you can, and as fast as you can. It's legitimate NASCAR on ice, for sure."
Hatfield trains with the Virginia Speedskating Club in Richmond. Before he graduated from Albemarle High School in 2008, Hatfield would drive down from Charlottesville six days a week to train with the club's Olympic-caliber coaches. Coaches like Scott Koons, who competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, and has been a coach with the U.S. National team.
In 2008, all that hard work paid off for Hatfield who skated to victory in the 500, 1000, and 1500 meter races to capture the U.S. Short-Track Junior Men's National Title.
"In four years, he went from beginning skater to national champion," said the Virginia Speedskating Club's Steve Burton. "That's a rocket pace if you look at that level of high performance in a sport like this. That's a remarkable athletic accomplishment."
Burton is the driving force behind the Virginia Speedskating Club. His ultimate dream is to build an Olympic-caliber training facility, right here in the Commonwealth.
"Our goal is to develop athletes to a level where they can move into a national training program," he explained.
And they have already seen that happen. Two members of this year's U.S. Short Track team, Kimberly Derrick and Jordan Malone, have both trained with Team Virginia in the past. Hatfield was one of three Team Virginia skaters to compete in this year's Olympic trials. Along with Rachel Stewart and Sonia Milan, they represent a bright future for the club, and for U.S. speed skating.
Hatfield has literally spent thousands of hours on the ice, working toward a goal that could still be years away.
"My goal now is to go to the next Winter Olympics, for sure," Hatfield declared.
That would be 2014 in Sochi, Russia; four years from now. And what will it take to get there?
"Lot of hard work, a lot of training, four more years of just buckling down," said Hatfield.
"To go to the next level from where he is, is about a 30-hour-a-week training commitment," said Burton. "You basically have to turn your life off and commit it to your sport."
That is a big commitment for a 19-year-old kid. But it is a commitment that could lead to Olympic gold.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Feb 18, 2010 15:52:11 GMT -8
The article above has an accompanying video:
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Post by mtnme on Mar 1, 2010 11:36:25 GMT -8
Skater of the Month for March 2010 We would like to introduce you to Landon Hatfield. Landon hails from the East Coast, and for those of you who go to the competitions, I'm sure you've seen him skate. To learn more, and to donate to Landon, go to his page on The Rocker Fund: (Remember, even a small donation helps, it adds up! Thanks to the fans generosity, Skaters have been able to buy new blades, pay for ice time, traveling expenses or catch up on money owed to coaches.) therockerfund.org/FORMgallery5.htmPermanent link once his time is done as SOTM therockerfund.org/FORMgallery4.htm
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Mar 4, 2010 20:33:38 GMT -8
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Post by mtnme on Mar 30, 2010 17:00:39 GMT -8
Landon will be skater of the month on The Rocker Fund for only a few more days. If you would like to help Landon with his expenses with a donation, go to the above links (two posts up) to read about Landon and find his donation info. Thank you to all who have contributed.
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Post by mtnme on Apr 11, 2010 17:47:02 GMT -8
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Nov 11, 2010 9:47:50 GMT -8
Here are Landon's results from American Cup 1 - Oct 2-3, 2010 - Milwaukee: 15th Overall 1500M - 2nd (C Final) 500M - Penalty (Quarterfinal) 1000M - 2nd (F Final) 1500M Super Final - 2nd (C Final) Landon (in red) leads Jin Chea at AmCup1, Milwaukee. Photo Credit - Jerry SearchSee more of Jerry's photos at: www.nationalspeedskatingmuseum.org/Photo%20Albums/JerrysAlbums.htmTags: Landon Hatfield / Jin Chea / Short Track Speedskating
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Dec 8, 2010 10:36:07 GMT -8
Here are Landon's results from American Cup 2 – November 6-7, 2010 – Cleveland: 7th Overall 1500M – 1st (B Final) 500M – 2nd (B Final) 1000M – 4th (B Final) 1500M Super Final – 3rd (B Final) American Cup2, Cleveland. Photo Credit - Jerry SearchLandon (in red) at AmCup2, Cleveland. Also pictured: Kyle Uyehara. Photo Credit - Jerry SearchSee more of Jerry's photos at: www.nationalspeedskatingmuseum.org/Photo%20Albums/JerrysAlbums.htmTags: Landon Hatfield / Kyle Uyehara / Short Track Speedskating
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