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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 13, 2009 19:19:16 GMT -8
Well, I'm on the plane headed home - hopefully I can get enough work done to warrant the $12.95 charge for the in-flight Wi-Fi.  My primary task is to start wading through 1000+ Google alerts to determine what's worth posting - much of it is 'old' news now, but some is worthy of putting on the skaters' individual threads for archive purposes, and I'll eventually do that. I'll be doing a lot of catching up this week, so keep checking back for articles, photos, links, etc., as I slog through those Google Alerts. Word is that JR is doing well, and will be back up to speed for the Olympics. The injury was bad, but not quite as bad as it had originally appeared. He'll get all the best that our National Team's sports medicine and rehab has to offer (just look at Allison Baver's remarkable recovery), and I'm happy to see pics like this from Tony Chung's shorttrackHD.com blog:  Kudos to skater Walter Rusk for being the 'first responder' after JR's injury, using his own shirt as a tourniquet for JR's leg. Walter was a teammate of JR's in Southern California, and is no stranger to this type of injury - Walter himself was cut badly at American Cup 1 in Minneapolis in September 2008 and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Here's the link to the pic of Walter aiding JR after his injury: www.ktla.com/sports/sns-8fe653c3284c4f8fbf6062086e029018-2,0,2341703.photo A few more bits of info from Tony's blog (see his complete report at www.shorttrackhd.com/UStrials.html):Jeff Simon will replace JR for the crucial upcoming World Cups, and (because we are eligible to send a team of 6 to the World Cups) Anthony Lobello will be the 6th team member. Jessica Smith will round out the team for the ladies. None of them are Olympic team nominees, but they will be vitally important to our chances to field a full team of 5 in Vancouver, and I feel incredibly confident in the ability of Jeff, Anthony and Jessica to 'git-er-done' for our team! In addition, Tony checked in on Maria Garcia - the good news is that all tests appear to be negative, and she'll be just fine! Tamara Frederick was yet another casualty - she apparently broke her collarbone, and was seen walking around with her arm in a sling. Robert Lawrence and Erin Bartlett got banged up pretty bad too. All 3 were attended to by medical personnel and were unable to finish their races. Erin took a double-false-start DQ in the next event, but came back the next day and skated the rest of the meet. Robert tried to continue in the competition, but took double-false-start DQ's on Day 4. |
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Post by wildfire on Sept 14, 2009 12:03:45 GMT -8
Thank you for the updates and hope you had safe travels home. Sad there were so many injuries, and that the padding wasn't better...should've checked/tested it better?!!? Hope y'all had fun though. Glad JR is on the mend!!
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Post by musicalmom on Sept 14, 2009 16:19:02 GMT -8
Thanks Lori for the update on the others who were injured. I had wondered about Tamara, Erin, and Robert...because we hadn't heard anything after the falls....Glad everyone is on the mend and on their feet so to speak...Scary how many injuries..just reminds us that this is an extreme sport with lots of risk...so wish we could lobby to require movable pads for all World Cups and competitions..Thank heavens Salt Lake and Vancouver have them...but there are 4 world cups between now and the Olympics...do we know about pads in Bejing, Seol, Montreal? Of course they'll be back to these hard thick pads for WC in Marquette.
Thanks for all your feedback..hope you can take some time to rest up from your trip!
See you on line in a few days ---will there be webcam or video in Bejing? Do you know if Tony will be there?
Musical Mom
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 14, 2009 16:40:15 GMT -8
We'll always have the Sportresult 'blinking numbers', but I haven't heard anything about a webcam - I'm sure Tony will put something on his site if he's going.
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Post by aaosmts19 on Sept 14, 2009 17:15:08 GMT -8
from the Olympic videoconference on Friday, 9/11:
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2009 14:40:20 GMT -8
The "other" pic you did not post. Ugh. So glad JR is back in SLC and on the mend. The company who made the new pads had the tickets next to ours. Very nice people. Someone shared they saw them after JR's accident with a black piece of foam in their hand saying, "we should have considered this". All speculation here, but I bet they are rethinking this whole process. If WC remains in Marquette and not moved to SLC--let's hope they have a quick fix not only to the pads, but to the lousy, and I do mean lousy maintenance of the ice by the bucket brigade. In addition to that, let us hope that the Event Center, USS & USOC understands that the EMTS need to be on both ends of the rink and at all times and not just down by the Zamboni. The crashes and accidents were spread out all weekend and it seemed that it took forever for the EMTs to shuffle across the ice to reach the athletes. I would hate to see the international community come to Marquette and feel the pain the way the US athletes did this past week.
My biggest questions:
How in the HE** can a 1-gate airport handle a WC? They barely get everybody on my outboud flight checked in and through their ONE security checkpoint in time to board the plane and take off on time.
The employees at the gate told us on our departure Sunday morning that we had wiped out their normal stock of 40 rent cars, and they have no idea what to do about the WC. In addition to that, they are not geared for a multi-language event.
How in the HE** can an international community come together in a town where the store are locked at 7 pm and there is nary a restaurant availabe after 8pm?
McDonald's, Burger King and Domino's Pizza is not the type of sustenance these athletes need during a WC.
How in the HE** can the USOC belive the Olympic Trials were better located in Marquette for the crowd appeal vs SLC? We were told the event was sold out for Friday & Saturday. I don't think so. Where were the university students?
How in the HE** do they expect anyone to be able to hear on that lousy PA system. If you are sitting on the first turn above the start line, forget it. The announcer sounded as though he had marbles in his mouth the entire evening.
How in the HE** can the big-screen gurus get up the winning ticket number for the 50/50 draw but cannot put up the names of the skaters in the event prior to the start of the race and KEEP THEM UP?
How in the HE** ..... you fill in the next blank.
I was very disappointed in this venue site and what it was promoted to be. I know it's expensive to put these events on, and I would guess that the OVAL would go broke if they did them all. Some say NOBODY wants to come to SLC. Well, if you've been to the OVAL and if you've been to Marquette....
Why in the HE** would you go back to Marquette? They do not compare. Marquette has it's charm. But SLC is more cosmpolitan and doesn't roll up the streets at 8 p.m. I think the international community who has not been to Marquette is in for a big old surprise come November.
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Post by aaosmts19 on Sept 16, 2009 14:51:23 GMT -8
Interesting explanation from Tony's blog: www.shorttrackhd.comUpdate 9/16/2009 There seems to be a lot of emails asking about why the distance classification was used instead of the overall classification for the selection process in regards to the US team selection. I’m here to clarify this. Let me be very clear about this: The distance classification has more importance because when it comes to the Olympics, you don’t win a medal for your overall classification. Just because you win more events, does not mean you get a medal for top three overall. There is no top three for overall classification. It’s GOLD, SILVER, or BRONZE in the 1500m, 1000m, 500m, and the relay. If there actually was an overall classification, Ahn Hyun-Soo and Jin Sun-Yu of South Korea would have gotten a fourth gold medal from Torino 2006 hands down. The format for the Olympics is entirely different. Another thing I want to clarify is that the team selected at US Trials was only selected to go to the World Cups. They are NOT the final team going to the Olympics. It’s not winning a spot at Trials and BAM onto the Olympic team. It doesn’t work that way. The skaters selected are only nominated to skate the World Cups. Just as I explained during my coverage of the Canadian Trials, the skaters being sent will have to try to qualify for their individual spots in Montreal (World Cup 3) and Marquette (World Cup 4). Each country can still send six athletes in both genders, but in terms of the final Olympic team, that remains to be determined. Each country can earn a MAXIMUM of three skaters for individual distances. There is NO minimum. From what I can understand, if let’s say the United States earns three skaters for ALL three distances, the breakdown as follows in order: Men
500m – Apolo Ohno, Jordan Malone, Simon Cho
1000m – Apolo Ohno, Travis Jayner, JR Celski
1500m – Apolo Ohno, JR Celski, Jordan Malone Women
500m – Alyson Dudek, Katherine Reutter, Lana Gehring
1000m – Katherine Reutter, Kimberly Derrick, Allison Baver
1500m – Katherine Reutter, Allison Baver, Kimberly Derrick This is only if the United States qualifies for three skaters for all three distances. Let’s try a different scenario. Let’s say the United States only qualifies for….out of the extreme…ONE spot for all three distances. What happens now? Who gets to skate? Men 500m – Apolo Ohno 1000m – Apolo Ohno 1500m – Apolo Ohno Based on this scenario, Apolo Ohno is the only skater that gets to skate. Why? He gets to skate because he won the distance classification for all three distances. This is why distance classification is more important for US Trials selection. Therefore, he gets priority to skate above any other male skater. The rest of the guys don’t get to skate because United States didn’t qualify for more spots in those distances. If the US qualifies for a second spot in, let’s say, the 500m, then the second place skater from the 500m at Trials gets to skate. (Jordan Malone) Women 500m – Alyson Dudek 1000m – Katherine Reutter 1500m – Katherine Reutter For the women, only Alyson and Katherine get the skate. Alyson won the 500m overall, and Katherine won the 1000m + 1500m overall. Derrick, Baver, and Gehring would not skate at all. In essence, the final Olympic team, based on this scenario, would only be Ohno, Dudek, and Reutter for individual distances. Oh and don’t forget the US needs to qualify for the relay too. Canada does not need to qualify for the relay since they are the host country. I hope this helps people understand the process. After World Cups 3 and 4, we will know what spots the US has qualified for, and which skaters will actually get to skate their individual distances. Skating at the Olympics all rests in the hands of the skaters. If you thought US trials was competitive, just wait until you see World Cups 3 and 4. It’s LITERALLY going to be DO or DIE and I expect to see some high risk passing. I just pray that there are no injuries like we had at Trials. |
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Post by guest on Sept 16, 2009 15:25:31 GMT -8
Another factor in the Olympic qualifying process is the cap on total entries per distance. The ISU and IOC have determined that there will be 32 competitors (per gender) in the 500m and the 1000m (8 heats of 4) and 36 competitors in the 1500m (6 heats of 6) and 8 teams in the relay (2 semifinals of 4) See ISU Communication #1558 at www.isu.org/-Sunshine |
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 16, 2009 15:32:18 GMT -8
Interesting, aaosmts19 - I think I have the scenario down, but I start getting 'fuzzy' on qualifying the slots at the WC's. I know that USS's regs say that they'll honor the finishes at Trials for awarding slots at the Olympics, which jives with what Tony's saying. Best case scenario? We make the top 8 in the relay - then all 10 get to go. Hands down. And when was the last time we didn't make the top 8 in the relay?  Don't know about y'all, but I'm feeling good about our chances... |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2009 15:49:37 GMT -8
Rea-deeeeeeeee? I am. Go TEAM USA.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 16, 2009 16:36:50 GMT -8
Thanks for reminding me about the 'caps', Sunshine... here's what I posted in my 'hypothetical' scenario on the Oly Team Selection Process thread (and as always, I welcome any corrections)... How Are Our Olympic Quota Slots Determined (i.e., how many skaters can we send)?It all comes down to the relay. Teams will be given points based on the normal World Cup process. The 8 countries with the most combined relay points in WC’s 3 & 4 get to send the max of 5 per gender to the Olympics. End of story. How many skaters can the US enter in individual distances at the Olympics?In each individual distance at the World Cups, points will be awarded according to the normal World Cup points process. The skaters will be ranked in each distance, as usual, over the two World Cups. For an example of this, see www.sportresult.com/federations/I....p;view=dcl This final Distance ranking over World Cups 3 & 4 will determine how many skaters we can enter in each individual distance at the Olympics, based on the following process: Entries for each Distance will be based on the final Distance rankings, starting with the first-place finishers in each distance, followed by the second-place finishers in each distance, etc., etc., etc., until the following quotas are reached: 1) 3 skaters per country per distance, OR 2) The total number of skaters qualified for the distance reaches 32 (500M & 1000M); and 36 (1500M), OR 3) The total number of ST ladies attending the Olympics from all teams combined reaches the ISU maximum of 60. This isn’t a very complicated process, but it is very tedious to put into an example. I played with a hypothetical scenario and found that it’s quite possible that the overall maximum quota of 60 skaters could be reached before the 32 or 36 per distance quota is reached. IMO, if any of our skaters falls below about 25th place, we’re in danger of losing a skater for that distance, especially if many different individuals are qualifying. For purposes of the ’60 max’, it seems that it would be advantageous to our team to have lots of skaters (such as Meng Wang) who qualify for multiple events, because they're only counted ‘once’ toward the 60 – this would allow more individuals who place lower in the rankings to qualify. |
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Post by trisha on Sept 16, 2009 17:34:09 GMT -8
Hey Gasp, I can't answer all of your questions regarding this competition, but I hope I can offer a few insights. As far as your concerns regarding whether Marquette is equipped to handle a WC due to the small airport, small number of rental cars, issues with dealing with multiple languages..., Marquette did host an international WC in 2003 which was highly regarded by both spectators and athletes alike. Was it perfect? I suspect not, but it was well received and well attended. How did they do it? I don't really know, but they did it. I suspect some of it has to do with the fact that it's not unusual for Short Track competitions to be held in venues in out of the way, hard to get to locations (let some of the fans tell you about getting to a competition in Bormio, Italy or Chicoutimi, Canada); thus, short track fans and athletes are somewhat used to navigating small airports with limited transportation options. Also, these athletes and their supporters routinely travel to countries where they do not speak the language of the host country. At the 2003 Marquette WC, I seem to remember a number of teams had someone with them who spoke English and could translate as needed(I recall seeing that in Minneapolis as well). What these teams do when they go places like Sweden or Hungary where the native language is not one that is widely studied, I don't know; where do they find a translator there? But both athletes and fans manage, somehow. Maybe it's because short track is a small sport in most countries (Korea and China being exceptions) so the expectations the athletes and fans have are different from the expectations that fans of more mainstream sports have. Also, when participating in something that takes you around the world, whether you're a spectactor or an athlete, I think you anticipate that things won't be what you're used to so you can prepare ahead and go with the flow. Also, the ISU and the governing federations from the host countries may play a role in supporting international visitors who come to an international competition. Restaurants - I don't know what the athletes do when in a location where the streets roll up early. Marquette is certainly not the only short track location where that happens so the athletes have some strategy for handling it. For us fans from cities in the U.S. where we can go out whenever we please and get whatever we want to eat, it is a challenge. As far as the attendance at these Trials - the 2003 WC was, as others have said, nearly packed every day. It could have been that, since that was the first time such an event had come to Marquette, curiosity drew many locals. These Trials, OTOH, are the third short track competition to come to Marquette, and it's not an international competition; the curiosity factor may be gone and, with it, the locals who came out of curiosity. Thus attendance dropped at this competition, although it is no worse than what I've seen at some other venues. In a nutshell, you have some very good questions, and it would be interesting to know precisely what these athletes and their fans do when they encounter some of these issues. I would guess the concerns you mention occur in at least one or two competitions each year (the PA system issues definitely occur once or twice a year!). Perhaps a skater or a fan who travels with the team frequently can share thoughts on how these things play out.... |
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Post by trisha on Sept 16, 2009 18:00:55 GMT -8
Interesting, aaosmts19 - I think I have the scenario down, but I start getting 'fuzzy' on qualifying the slots at the WC's. I know that USS's regs say that they'll honor the finishes at Trials for awarding slots at the Olympics, which jives with what Tony's saying. Best case scenario? We make the top 8 in the relay - then all 10 get to go. Hands down. And when was the last time we didn't make the top 8 in the relay? Me too - both from the standpoint of being allowed to take 10 skaters and from the standpoint of qualifying to enter multiple skaters at each distance. Our team is pretty strong, I think. Don't know about y'all, but I'm feeling good about our chances... |
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Post by 1 on Sept 16, 2009 18:10:43 GMT -8
hi lori and mtnme...
can you bring over the new topic i started in the general board @ ga...
ISU - INTERNATIONAL SKATING UNION
and my initial post...please
we gotta get everyone involved ASAP!
thanks 
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Post by goodtimes on Sept 16, 2009 19:56:51 GMT -8
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