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Post by Laura (Lori) on Dec 21, 2008 20:57:26 GMT -8
This thread is totally devoted to Ryan Bedford, 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 Ryan (past or present), we'd love to see them!
Some of the info gathered here will be used for Ryan's bio page on Rocker-U. (see www.rocker-u.net/index_of_skaters.htm ).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 mtnme on Jan 26, 2009 20:04:56 GMT -8
Ryan Bedfords' Website: ryanbedford.com/_______________________________________________________________________________________________ I have to say I absolutely LOVE this photo of Ryan and Alex Izykowski.
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Post by mtnme on Jan 29, 2009 21:00:52 GMT -8
Ryan Bedford (bottom row, far left) with the rest of Team USA at US Championships 2008 Bottom Row: Ryan, Jeff Simon, Apolo Anton Ohno, JR Celski, Jordan Malone Top Row: Lana Gehring, Allison Baver, Katherine Reutter, Jessica Smith, Kimberly Derrick
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Post by bp on Jan 31, 2009 9:40:43 GMT -8
Ryan's the one in the red.
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Post by mtnme on Jan 31, 2009 17:06:38 GMT -8
Ryan Bedford on the podium at US Championships in St Louis - 2008
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Post by mtnme on Feb 22, 2009 12:54:24 GMT -8
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Post by Laura (Lori) on May 26, 2009 22:50:08 GMT -8
This is some stuff brought over from Ryan'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 2007-2008 USS Media Guide:
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Post by mtnme on Jun 27, 2009 7:46:33 GMT -8
Well this article isn't ALL about Ohno, there's a little about Ryan in it too! ;D All about OhnoBy CURT KEMP Journal Sports Writer POSTED: June 23, 2009 www.miningjournal.net/MARQUETTE - Apolo Anton Ohno has become synonymous with preparation. Whether it be prepping for the Olympic games - where he's won five medals, including two golds - or a dance competition - Ohno won the fourth season of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" with partner Julianne Hough - the United States short-track speedskater has always been prepared. But Monday morning at the U.S. team's training camp in Marquette, there was little preparation Ohno could do to get his custom skates to the Berry Events Center ice. His skates were lost in transit to Marquette. "That is a little bit of a debacle," Ohno said. "It's kind of a bummer. We had so many connections getting here that it's just one of those things. Hopefully they can find them." Instead of ice time, Ohno and teammate Ryan Bedford opted for some inline training around Marquette. "We were just skating because I have these skates," Ohno said, pointing to his inlines. "Because, actually, he (Bedford) brought these for me, luckily. "I didn't have enough room for these, so I was like, 'dude, can you pack these in your bag?'" Bedford told a teammate the two skated for an hour and a half, which raised some eyebrows.
"Yeah, it's more than a marathon," Bedford said casually. "Probably 30 miles."During their morning workout, Bedford and Ohno took in the scenery. "I haven't been here in the summer in like 10 years, so I forgot how beautiful it is in the summer," Ohno said. "It's nice in the winter, too, just a little cold for me." And that's how Ohno's weeklong training camp began. Through next Tuesday, he and his teammates will have two on-ice sessions and two off-ice workouts daily in preparation for the Olympic Trials in Marquette on Sept. 8-12. Ohno said this week's workouts will be longer and more intense than the team has experienced up to this point. "This is a training camp, so yeah it's pretty intense," he said. "Training camps are supposed to maximize all aspects of training when everyone's here. "But I think we're all looking forward to this camp. A lot of these guys used to train here as juniors. Everybody's going to have to push themselves. Today's the easy day, and then this afternoon, we'll really start to get after it." As for training in Marquette, Ohno said he's glad to be back. "I've always had good experiences here with the World Cup being here (and) I've had good experiences with the Olympic trials being here in 2006," Ohno said. "The people here are great, the people love short track, and they've always been real supportive. "I'm just looking to flow when I'm out here. Just hang out and just enjoy it." Ryan leading the pack....
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Post by mtnme on Jun 27, 2009 7:58:48 GMT -8
Speedskating community a close-knit bunchBy CURT KEMP Journal Sports Writer POSTED: June 26, 2009 Nancy Renshaw-Kressler talks with Olympians Ryan Bedford, right, and Apolo Anton Ohno, left, during the 'Skate with the Team' event at the Berry Events Center. Renshaw-Kressler works in Munising, but is from Midland, Mich., the same town as Bedford. Thursday was the first time she'd seen Bedford in at least 20 years. (Journal photo by Curt KempMARQUETTE - With the Skate with the Team event at the Berry Events Center Thursday, the public had the chance to see the United States Short Track Speedskating Team members up close, grab an autograph or two and lace up the skates for a spin around the ice with world class athletes. U.S. team member and former United States Olympic Education Center athlete Anthony Lobello had his picture taken with a fan's Nintendo DSi. After the photo was taken, Lobello signed his autograph on the DSi screen with a stylus pen. "That's the first time I've ever done that," Lobello said. "That was really cool." Another fan asked five-time Olympic medalist and "Dancing with the Stars" winner Apolo Anton Ohno to dance, which he kindly declined. Through it all, most everyone in attendance carried with them a team photo for autographs, a pen, and a wide-eyed expression. The event also provided an opportunity to showcase just how much of a family the speedskating community is. Nancy Rensha-Kressler, 68, is a Midland, Mich., native and former U.S. speedskater who has put on hiking and kayaking trips in the Munising area for 15 years. She said she read about the Skate with the Team event and, with her son Craig Kressler, 48, coming to the Upper Peninsula to renew his builder's license, said the two couldn't miss the opportunity. The one athlete Nancy was most excited to see was Midland-native Ryan Bedford. She had coached Bedford's mom, Beth, in speedskating, and was excited at the opportunity to reconnect with the current U.S. speedskater after more than 20 years. "I said 'Craig, look what's going on,'" Nancy said. "And see, now I can get a picture with Ryan and e-mail it to her (Beth Bedford)."But before the event, Nancy wasn't sure she'd be able to skate with the team. "I'm going to try to, even with a (bad) knee, I'm going to try to," she said. "But I'm not going to say anything." Sure enough, when the event was under way, Nancy snuck her way over to Ryan Bedford and re-introduced herself. Her excitement made both Bedford and Ohno smile, and Nancy did get the picture she wanted, with Ohno as well. Craig, a member of the 1980 U.S. Long Track Olympic team, didn't take to the ice, though. After finding out that U.S. Speedskating Board of Directors' Vice President and Team Leader Jack Mortell - a teammate of Craig's during the 1980 Games in Lake Placid - was at the rink, he was more looking forward to catching up. "Jack was and old guy when we were on the team together," Craig said. "Does he still have those small glasses?" Mortell does. Craig, who took home silver in the 500, bronze in the 1000 and silver in the 1500 during the 1977 World Championships as a 15-year-old, then spent some time reminiscing about the speedskating days of his youth, including once when he - like Ohno earlier in the week - lost some of his equipment en route to an event. Craig admitted the chances of a former-Olympian showing up to see future Olympians was slim. But like his mother said, speedskaters are a close-knit group. "Oh, it's family. Isn't it Craig?," Nancy looked to her son, who didn't answer back. "Yes, it's family, even if he doesn't want to admit it."
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jun 27, 2009 8:09:04 GMT -8
Ryan's had a busy media week!
He's been either mentioned or quoted in nearly every ST article coming out of the Mining Journal since the team got to Marquette.
I'm happy to see it (and all the attention that the team as a whole is getting there). Ryan sounds like a very supportive teammate, and mom Beth really is a super person, too!
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Jun 28, 2009 1:04:21 GMT -8
DID YOU KNOW...
...that Ryan holds a National Record?
INTERMEDIATE MEN"S DIVISION 1500M (2:25.112) - 3/7/08 - EDIT: Broken by Chris McLaughlin - 3/13/09
Another thing to note: Ryan's mom, Beth Bedford holds 3 National Records in the Master's Division!
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Post by mtnme on Jun 30, 2009 7:38:48 GMT -8
Bedford competes in long track, short track, cyclingBy CURT KEMP Journal Sports Writer POSTED: June 30, 2009 Short Track speed skater Ryan Bedford, front, trains at the Berry Events Center in Marquette last week. (Journal photo by Curt Kemp)MARQUETTE - Former United States Olympic Education Center athlete Ryan Bedford has become known for winning races on the ice. At the most recent Short Track Worlds in Vienna, Austria, he took home gold as a member of the men's 5,000-meter relay team, with J.R. Celski, Apolo Anton Ohno and Jordan Malone. Bedford said Ohno was disappointed with his individual performance at the Worlds before the event, and the unquestioned leader of the U.S. team rallied the troops for the relay. "When the relay came around, he (Ohno) stood up and said, 'OK guys we have to do this,'" Beford said. "So, he has his own thing, but at the same time, he can turn himself around and take charge of the team and bring it home for us." One week later, along with Brian Hansen and Trevor Marsicano, Bedford took home the United States' first world medal in team pursuit at the Long Track Worlds in Vancouver - despite not having skated long track in two weeks and still recovering from jet lag. "We just had to work together," Bedford said. "There were other teams that were stronger than us, for sure there were other teams that were stronger than us. Canada was stronger than us, and there were some other Norwegian teams that were stronger than us, but in the end it came down to us just working together. "If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't have medaled," he added. "There was no way we would have medaled." Sure, the Midland, Mich.-native has had great supporting casts, with Ohno and Marsicano - Bedford said Marsicano was the best skater on the ice at Long Track Worlds - as teammates, but he enjoys the role of team player in an otherwise individual sport. "I thrive on other people's energy," he said. "In a team event, it takes everyone to win, if you have one weak link, it's not going to happen." With his long track bronze, Bedford joined another former-USOEC athlete, Shani Davis in an exclusive group. The two are the only skaters who have medaled in both short track and long. "They're considerably different sports," Bedford said. "But it just takes someone to be able to focus on both, and have the talent, the versatility, to just switch over." During the U.S. Speedskating Team's training camp in Marquette this past week, Bedford showcased some more versatility when he raced in the Twilight Criterium Bike Race during Superior Bike Fest and finished second in the Category 4 division. Bedford said he wasn't sure he was even going to race at first. After falling during a race last summer and breaking his bike, he hadn't been riding much and he wasn't sure he was up to it. His teammates changed his mind. "It was kind of a spontaneous thing," Bedford said. "All the skaters kind of wanted me to do it, just to have somebody to cheer on." With his teammates getting on the microphone and yelling to him during Friday's race, his teammates got their wish. Bedford said he enjoyed it all. "I just kind of like to dabble in everything," he said. "It's fun. I like racing. There's nothing better than racing. "It's just fun to do it. Competing is fun," he added. "The more and more experience you have with it, the less stressful it is at any level." Former United States Olympic Education Center athlete and speed skater Ryan Bedford competes in the Twilight Criterium Bike Race during Superior Bike Fest Friday in downtown Marquette. Bedford finished second in the Category 4 division. (Journal photo by Andy Nelson-Zaleski)
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Post by mtnme on Aug 23, 2009 9:33:29 GMT -8
photo brought over from TRF. Skater art (?) by goofing around with photo software. Most of the time, I usually end up with an unidentifiable mess, but once in awhile, I get some 'happy accidents'. The photo is from US Championships. (original photo by Jerry Search before I abused it...) Everyone noted that the lighting in the arena made the ice look pink in their photos. I just kinda went with it to see what it would do. These are the results. Ryan Bedford, JR Celski, Joey Lindsey and Jordan Malone, skating on a sea of frozen flourescent pink snowcones.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 24, 2009 18:32:19 GMT -8
Midland speedskaters qualify for short track Olympic trials Trials September 8-12 in Marquette Monday, August 24, 2009 at 4:37 p.m.MIDLAND -- The Midland Speed Skating Club is proud to announce that FOUR of it’s members have qualified to compete at the 2010 Olympic Team Trials – Short Track Speedskating, to be held September 8-12 in Marquette, MI. Ryan Bedford, Barry Winslow and Kevin Geminder have all met the 1000m qualifying standard for men of 1:30.00, while Kelsey Schiel has met the 1:38.00 standard for women. Long-time Midland resident Ryan Bedford is hoping to gain a spot in the history books by becoming the first to compete for the U.S in both long and short track at the same Olympics. Bedford currently trains in Salt Lake City with both the short and long track national teams. He earned a gold medal last season in Vienna, Austria at the short track World Championships in the 5,000m relay, and a bronze at the 2009 World Championships in Vancouver, Canada in the long track team pursuit event.
Ryan has been a huge supporter of the Midland Speed Skating Club over the years, making a point to visit club practices when he’s in town and giving tips and encouragement to the younger skaters.
Reached in Utah, Ryan said “People always ask me if I would pick making one of the Olympic teams over another. I tell them, I've been hungry to make the Olympic team in short track for 18 long years. It has been my passion since I started skating at the age of 5 with the Midland Speed Skating club. I am going to bring 100% of my fight to the Olympic trials in Marquette. I want to make everyone from Midland proud for their support they have given me over the years. But, it is my intention to try and make both Olympic teams, long and short track. I want to be the first to accomplish this.” Barry Winslow, another talented Midland skater, trains year-round at the United States Olympic Education Center (USOEC) in Marquette and attends Northern Michigan University. Winslow skated to the 1500m finals last winter at the U.S. Short Track Championships in St. Louis, landing fifth in a race which included Apolo Anton Ohno. Winslow states “I am very excited about the fact that the Olympic Trials are just around the corner. I am also very anxious, pumped, and a little nervous. I have been training very hard all year long in Marquette at the USOEC for this event, and I feel like my body is peaked and ready for the race. I am very fortunate because the trials are being held close to home. Midland is about 5 hours from Marquette, so I am very excited to see some family and friends who are coming to watch the action.” He adds, “With friends from Marquette and family from Midland, I am sure to have tons of support in the stands, which always helps me push myself a little harder.” Although he is now skating at elite levels, Winslow says that “the Midland Speed Skating Club is very special to me. They are my local club and it is where I started my skating career. I first stepped on the ice with them when I was 7 years old and continued to skate there until the age of 16, when I moved to Marquette to skate with the USOEC. I am proud to say that Midland has one of the strongest and largest speed skating clubs in the nation. They have a new skating arena with three sheets of ice and a great staff and coaches.” Also training this summer at the USOEC are both Kevin Geminder and Kelsey Schiel. Schiel is starting classes at Northern Michigan University this fall and has been accepted into the USOEC residency program for the school year. Regarding the Olympic trials, Schiel says, “I get to accomplish the dream I had ever since I was a little girl. I couldn’t ask for anything more. However, I don’t think it has really set in yet and it probably won’t until I step on the ice September 8th and the gun goes off. I am hoping for the best, and know this is a chance of a lifetime, I mean really how many people can say they competed in the Olympic trials of their favorite sport?” Long-time Midland speedskater Kevin Geminder, who has been training year-round, is excited about his prospects at the trials. “I am really happy to be skating Olympic Trials this time around since I just missed qualifying to skate them last time. I am hoping to make the top 16 in the time trial. It will be tough, but right now I am skating the best I ever have so I definitely think that I have a shot at doing it.” Finishing as one of the top 16 men or women in the 1,000m time trial held on the first day of the Olympic Trials qualifies skaters to continue to vie for one of five spots on the U.S. short track team. Skaters ranked 17 and below are out of the remaining competition, which includes 500m, 1,000m, and 1,500m races. Midland Speed Skating Club President Gary Dy ke commented “It’s really unbelievable that a small town like Midland could be represented by such a large number of competitors at such a prestigious event. It’s a testament to the great support the Midland Speed Skating Club has received over the years from the community and the dedication of the skaters, the coaches, and all of our many volunteers. We wish Kelsey, Kevin, Barry, and Ryan all the best and urge area residents to come to Marquette and join club members in cheering them on in their quest to claim a spot on the Olympic team. We’ll also be cheering on Bay City skaters Morgan Izykowski and Rachel Skrocki, who have frequently trained with our club at practices. Mid-Michigan will be well represented at the Trials!” In addition to skaters, Midland Speed Skating Club volunteer Paul Perry has accepted a position as announcer for both the Olympic Trials and the short track World Cup slated for November in Marquette. Perry has quickly gained a reputation as one of the sport’s premier announcers, and is also the father of Midland skater Brett Perry, who recently accepted an offer of residency at the USOEC for the fall and will be attending Marquette Senior High School. Brett Perry qualified this summer to compete in the elite Group 1 of U.S. Speedskating’s American Cup series of competitions. More information on tickets can be found at www.goldrushskate.com, the official website for both the Olympic trials and the short track World Cup to be held November 12-16 in Marquette. Those interested in trying speedskating for one month free are invited to the Midland Speed Skating Club’s registration night Tuesday, September 22nd from 6-8 p.m. at the Midland Civic Arena. More information is available at www.midlandspeedskatingclub.com
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Sept 7, 2009 3:24:24 GMT -8
Olympic spotlight: Ryan Bedford, speedskater
BY JO-ANN BARNAS FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
THE SKINNY
Bedford hopes to become the first U.S. speedskater to compete in short track and long track in the same Olympics in Vancouver.
He'll try to accomplish the first part of his goal at the U.S. Olympic short-track trials this week at the U.S. Olympic Education Center in Marquette. Last season, Bedford, 22, competed on the world level in both sports: He was part of the gold-medal winning relay at the short-track world championships in Vienna, Austria, and also won a bronze in the team-pursuit event at worlds in long track.
Jo-Ann Barnas of the Free Press spoke to Bedford -- a member of the national team training program in Salt Lake City -- a few days ago about his goals. Here are excerpts:
On the ice conditions at the Berry Events Center: "I love it. Salt Lake is fast, but it doesn't have a lot of grip. For a bigger guy like me (6 feet and 170 pounds), it's better to have ice like this."
On how he manages training both short track and long track: "I think I was almost a surprise to make the short-track team last September because I wasn't doing so well. Lately, I've been pretty much concentrating on short track because of the trials. But I did long track the other day, just some laps, and it was a nice stress reliever. This year, Derek Parra is our new national team long-track coach, and his program is completely different. It includes a lot of dry-land (conditioning) and inline skating."
On five-time Olympic medalist Apolo Anton Ohno's quest to qualify for his third Winter Games: "Apolo has new boots that he's back on; I've never seen him this happy in skating. He's really motivated. At the same time, he's really a team guy now."
On what he thinks his chances are of making the U.S. Olympic team in short track: "As long as I skate strong in the races, good stuff can happen. You have to skate each one like it's the final."
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