I going to skip my typically inspiring & glorious introduction. This is because I am facing a busy jam-packed day…

• …it’s snowing right now and I have to shovel. I must also check the hole above the garage the squirrels use to get into my house is closed.
• …I’d like to train a couple of times.
• …it’s Aaron Arndt’s birthday and we’re gonna to celebrate!
• …there’s plenty of Olympic action to catch later today, including long track & short track speed skating, curling, plus the Canada -Slovakia semi-final hockey game. I’ll be plopped in front of the television for some time.
• …I have to teach & work on report cards

OLYMPIC LONG TRACK

Sophie Muir recently made history by not only becoming the first Australian long track skater in 16 years, but is also the first ever female long track olympic speed skater. We’re pretty proud of her. But it takes more than just a pretty face to get into the olympics. Literally thousands of hours of work must be endured to extract the kind of performances required to even get here.

Anyway, once I got to the game Mathieu and I ended up sitting by Chad Hedrick and Ryan Bedford (two of the American long trackers). That alone made for a good game because all we did was heckle each other the whole time…in good fun of course!

Photo from Lucas Makowsky

Monday afternoon I made it over to the Can Fund house to meet the people behind the scenes of such an important organization. They’re the ones who make the connection between people and businesses who want to support our Canadian athletes and the athletes themselves. They’ve got one of the floors in the Shaw tower for family and friends to hang out, watch the events, and have a good time. As much as it’s already said, a big thank you to the Can Fund for helping our Canadian athletes!!

Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer said Wednesday he has forgiven the coach whose blunder cost him an Olympic gold medal, and insisted that they will continue to work together.

“We had a good talk. It’s a hard time for both of us, but in the end it will be good,” Kramer said Wednesday from the Richmond Olympic Oval.

The speed skater said that Kemkers had been instrumental in leading him to the 5,000-metres gold medal early in the Games, as well as all his European and world titles over the past five years.

“I’ve won so many races with him [and] that doesn’t get lost in one moment,” Kramer said.

Kemkers echoed those sentiments, saying that the goal is to become stronger from this.

Photo from here

USA’s Ryan Bedford- photo from here

The Netherlands’ Mark Tuitert- photo from here

To be honest, I was pretty excited to find out that I was in the last pair with Shani tomorrow. I think my eyes might have actually lit up when I read the email from Marcel (my coach). Sure, it’s going to be one hell of a challenge, but what good is it to doubt the possibility? Realizing that my first reaction was one of excitement, and not fear, is pretty encouraging. There’s no doubt, there’s no fear – I’m ready to race!

• Olympics- long track speed skating [Schedule & results] [Photos]
• CTV Olympics- long track speed skating [Photos] [Videos] [News]
• Lots of pictures, articles, and more: Telesport’s Olympic Coverage
• U.S. speedskater Bedford falls victim to patriotic hair prank
• Klassen named alternate on Canada’s pursuit team
• Daniel Yeow [Pep Talk] [Speed Skating Daily: Men’s 10,000m] [Speed Skating Daily: Ladies’ 1500m] [Speed Skating Daily: Men’s 1500m]
• Clara Hughes: The Medal A Bronze, the Smile Pure Gold
• Associated Press- Speed skating
• Associated Press- Winter Games
• Hughes says goodbye from Olympic podium
• Lucas Makowsky [1500m] [A few things I've been up to]
• Kristina Groves – Olympic Silver Medallist in the 1500m
• Kramer and Kemkers will continue to work together
• Sven Kramer is ready to ‘go forward’ after coach’s mistake
• German speedskater misses race because of turned-off cell phone
• Gold medalist Sven Kramer to NBC reporter: ‘Are you stupid?’
• Ohno falls short of Olympic legends
• Speed Skating: Korea’s Lee gifted 10,000m gold after Kramer is disqualified
• Rogge: Kramer best of his generation
• Sven Kramer, Gerard Kemkers in ‘De Foute Wissel.’
• Denny Morrison [Denny Morrison finishes disappointing ninth in men's long-track 1,500] [Families are athletes' 'backbone' at Games] [Speed skater Denny Morrison apologizes to coach, teammates] [Morrison struggles to explain failure] [Morrison bewildered and a little angry]
• Olympics!!
• Share |Morrison, 9th – Best Canadian in the Men’s 1500m, A Successful Day for Mathieu Giroux
• Caped Canadians surprise world with national pride rarely seen
• Pascal Briand [quiet time...un peu de calme] [few pictures] [just rest] [thanks for all ur facebook comments^^] [33th...1M50.7] [i m ready.. je suis pret] [soon my last race]
• Jilleanne Rookard 2010 [More Rookards Roll into Vancouver] [Olympic Experience part 1] [Village Update] [Arrived at the Olympics!] [Media Mania over Roller Groovin']
• 1500M OCH VILA
• This is why we skate…..

I must say that when you are standing in front of the world, they announce team USA, and 50,000 people roar in excitement, it is a heart pounding experience. But so is the racing! People keep asking me what my favorite moment is so far in these olympics and I don’t think I can choose just one. I’m trying to take in the entire experience as slowly as I can and be thankful for every moment.

Shani is exactly the pair for Luc today. Intimidating, yup, but Luc will just eat it up. Luc will get to chase Shani the whole race. On top of that, 7000 screaming fans cheering on a Canadian, on home soil in the last pair. I’m getting goosebumps just writing about it, nevermind actually experiencing it.

That is why we skate. Is it scary, you bet. Is there potential for disappointment, you bet. Is all success and failure put on display for the world to see, you bet.

But, there is nothing more exciting. Last pair. Knowing exactly what he needs to do. 7000 screaming fans ready to yell him to the finish. It’s for this exact situation that we train thousands of hours getting ready for. Its why we make race plans and mental plans. This situation has crippled so many athletes in the past, but if it can’t get you pumped and ready to race, nothing will.

NON-OLYMPIC LONG TRACK

Photo from Andrew Love

We are more than half way through the Winter Olympics and Canadian athletes are not doing as well as some had expected. I always thought the “Own the Podium” program was a fantastic thing but I never thought that all the money could make that much of a difference in only 6 or 7 years. If we really want to own the podium we will have to keep up the funding for many more years and we will also have to get serious about building sporting facilities and developing grassroots programs in diverse sports such as ski jumping, inline skating (because the best ice skaters come from inline) biathlon and so on.

Now I realize I was never going to Vancouver, or any other winter games for speed skating, but there are ways to win Olympic Gold with a bicycle. Except to be frank, even if I was strong and young enough to make the Olympic team, I do not think I have the guts to do the required training and risk my life on account of the ‘victims’ of the so called “War On The Car”.

• Intact Speed Skating Challenge- voting open for final-4 videos of next round
• Andrew Love in Italy- Baselga Di Pine
• CANADIANS IN BERLIN
• On Riding on a Warm Winter Day
• Ed Duncan- About ‘Own the Podium’
• Taking You Home
• A great skating weekend!
• Race Results
• This Is Why…

‘Lisa heading home‘- photo from This Might Hurt Our Reputation