February 4th 2010- Tons Of Long Track Speed Skating News, Videos, Articles, & More

By SSW on February 4, 2010

With the 2010 Winter Olympics fast-approaching, I’ll do my best to keep SSW updated with fresh speed skating news.

On that note, please understand that I’m balancing training and work with maintaining SSW.

If you need a short cut to the juice stuff, here are ‘Peter’s Picks’:

With that being said, let’s dive straight into all that is good and recent from the wide world of long track speed skating.

VIDEOS

BLOG ENTRIES

At the end of the farce, and after a five day delay, despite being at the top of three very short lists, none of the guys made the final cut. Devastating doesn’t even begin to describe it, especially for Josh, who was our highest-ranked skater in a world cup in ANY event, who had actually qualified, only to be bumped out by an out-of-form skater (who wouldn’t have even made the reserve list this year) on a strange technicality.

RESULTS & REPORTS

Outdoor ovals are a different story, especially those with natural ice. Hard natural ice exposes all technical flaws in a skater. Any inefficiencies are accentuated, especially when you get tired. It is a whole different ball game, because I not only need to focus on racing the race, but I also need to change my tactics. This could include getting lower going into the wind and sitting slightly higher with the wind. If its going to be windy, then I’ll use it to my advantage.

‘RZ on the slideboard, imitating what she sees her daddy doing. She is not facing the right direction, but she is smiling, and that is more important than technique for a little kid! (and for most adults too…)‘- photo from Andrew Love

Photo from Andrew Love

PICTURES

Photo from here

Photo from Tims ProSkateShots

Sjoerd wins- photo from Tims ProSkateShots

Sjoerd crashhhh!!- photo from Tims ProSkateShots

MISC/ STUFF I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT’S ABOUT, PROBABLY BECAUSE IT’S NOT IN ENGLISH

And while it’s expected this should be a great Games for Canada in the medal standings, the real rewards are likely to come in 2014 in Sochi and beyond – if we maintain a strong sports system.

I can only tell what went through my mind:

Hope I won’t have a false start,
Hope I wont’t fall during the start,
Hope my opening is decent enough for a fast endtime,
Hope I won’t have a messy crossing,
Hope he doesn’t cross over me at the first crossing in case I had a first
innerlane,
Hope I can make use of my opponent somewhere (drafting behind him during a
crossing),
Hope I have some over at the last straight.
Hope I have a new personal record, or at least a seson best.

OLYMPICS

Its important we remember what a great season these guys have had and are having. When you try to make an Olympic team after only one year in a sport it was never going to be easy. Even Olympic champion Derek Para did not pull that off in his first season. March 2009 we celebrated as these two boys and their team mate Sophie Muir broke into the times needed just to compete at a world cup. It went on from there with constant improvement and even with this non- selection the improvement is not stopping, as we speak the everyone is getting faster and faster.

Photo from Stuart Davis, Vancouver Sun files

By my count, the AP predicts 30 total medals for Canada and 27 each for the United States and Germany. A whopping 15 of Canada’s medals are expected to be gold, with nine going to the U.S. and eight going to Germany.

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