A good read (and a contributor on the Guest Board says that Allison was
third in the 3000M at the National Long Track Trials this week!):
Speedskater Allison Baver trying longer races after surgery, rehabAssociated Press / December 31, 2010
KEARNS, Utah (AP) — Short-track speedskater Allison Baver is in unfamiliar territory — the
long-track national championships.
After the 2010 Vancouver Olympics did not go according to her plan, the three-time Olympian needed a serious change of pace.
"It's been a really rough year and a half," Baver said Friday at the U.S. speedskating championships at the Utah Olympic Oval. "It's really hard when you're a gold medal contender in the 1,500 short track and you break your leg."
Read More:
www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/winter/2010-12-31-speedskating-baver_N.htm?csp=34sports&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomOlympicsCoverage-TopStories+%28Sports+-+Olympics+Coverage+-+Top+Stories%29+++
...and an article in USA Today said this:
Allison Baver, who only started competing in long track 10 days ago, was third in the 3,000 in 4:25.85. Baver, who won a bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as a short-track speedskater, finished seventh in the 500 in 42.86.
"Compared to (short track), the pressure in (long track) is a lot more constant during the race," Baver said. "I felt good, but my legs were so tight after the race I could barely move."Tags: Allison Baver / Petra Acker / Shani Davis / Short Track Speedskating
Baver crashed during a World Cup race in Bulgaria in 2009, shattering her leg just 12 months before the games.
Although she earned a bronze in the 3,000 meters relay in Vancouver, she was far from satisfied with the medal.
Now, after additional surgery and rehab to repair damage to her weakened right leg, Baver is back on the ice trying something new.
"I don't know if it's going to be for two weeks or for three more years," said Baver, who has no plans to abandon short-track speedskating. "Everything at this point is going to be reanalyzed and reassessed, and we'll see where we go from here."
Instead of the short bursts of speed and high-risk tactical races of short track, Baver is giving the longer races a shot. Just a couple of weeks into her experiment, she raced in the 1,500 on Friday and finished eighth, a result that left her beaming.
"I dropped four seconds in four days," she said. "That's pretty cool."
On Thursday, she finished seventh in the 500 and third in the 3,000.
Her placements are of little concern for now.
"I think I did the impossible just to qualify for the Olympics with that injury," Baver said. "Right now, my goal is just to come back stronger from this injury."
And perhaps compete in both short track and long track.
"The cool thing is, with my strength physically, maybe if I'm able to adapt to crossing back and forth I'll be able to be a contender," Baver said. "It would be amazing if I could be a contender in both."
Shani Davis, who has competed in both disciplines, said Baver has the tools needed to make the transition.
"Allison's really smart," he said. "She had a good, solid rock base that she can pull from. I really think we'll see her on some World Cup teams soon."
While Baver adjusts to long track, Davis is dominating the sport.
He posted the season's fastest time in the 1,500 meters Friday, winning his third race in two days at the championships.
Davis posted a time of 1:42.95 to beat Trevor Marsicano's 1:44.80, following up victories in the 500 and 5,000 on Thursday. He was second in the 10,000 behind Jonathon Kuck, who won in 13:21.49. Davis finished in 13:28.92, and Marsicano was third at 13:32.34.
Davis and Petra Acker, a 16-year-old from Clifton Park, N.Y., were the U.S. allround champions.
Acker won the women's 5,000 in 7:47.26 and finished fourth in the 1,500 in 2:02.49. That race was won by Heather Richardson in 1:55.9. Jilleanne Rookard was second at 1:58.47, and Rebekah Bradford finished third at 2:01.85.[/img]