The Younger Generation Inspires Me

Just 26 days after her accident at American Cup I in Milwaukee, Liz returned today to the Utah Olympic Oval to get on with her return to strength.  I'm in awe, as I have been at her courage and generally good spirits over an awful and painful month. Here she is doing "one legged spinning."  I could not do better to illustrate her strength and spirit than to quote what she put on her Facebook page tonight. 


  "Liz Looby I did my first workout in 3 weeks today at the Oval! Abs, upper body, and leg lifts. Plus some agility crutching. Got that part on video. :) I also weighed myself, lost 11 lbs of beloved muscle :("


When one of her friends asked what "agility crutching" was, Liz said  "The coach sets up cones on the track we have to run around and past...I just did it with crutches, and a lot slower :P"


It's really nice to draw inspiration from the strength of your own child.   I've been fortunate to have that feeling with each of my kids.  Way to go Liz!!!!  I'm sure the "beloved muscle" will be back soon!

A sign of spirit: she went with her teammates to a Halloween party as Nancy Kerrigan!

Look Who's Starting Her Comeback!

This photo was taken of Liz and Mike Kooreman (Sue Ellis in background) by Jerry Search at the Pettit Center in Milwaukee on October 2, 2010 at Am Cup I, the day before her accident in a 1000 meter final.  She's working hard at her recovery, so this picture really represents the very start of her recovery!

Is This Heaven? No, it's Iowa

Yesterday, I got the chance to play catch with my son on the outfield of the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.  As Kevin Kostner said in the movie, "it's perfect."

Summer Ice 2010

There is nothing quite like some really good ice cream (if you are in Rochester NY, read "Abbott's Custard") on a hot summer day.  Unless, of course, it is having the chance to have summer ice to train on.   Same cold, no guilt and no brain freeze!  Two weekends in a row, I've had the opportunity and the luxury of clinics with lots of ice time and lots of dryland.  As the advertising campaign goes, Life is Good.

On the weekend of July 31st, Anthony Lobello came in to Rochester to lead us in two days of ice, dryland and inline--a opportunity taken by about twenty of the masters skaters of the Rochester and Buffalo teams, and one young skater who is determined to show her (considerable) speed.  Anthony was a patient and very informative teacher, and I think will one day, when his competitive career is done,  prove to be a fantastic coach.  He gave us exactly what we needed after several months without ice:  a return to basics, breaking down the elements of skating and working on the small pieces that, done right, should improve the skating form of each of us.  Anthony did a great job of explaining and presenting  word pictures  of what the positions, done right would feel like.  Having stepped on the ice with great trepidation, fearful of a recurrence of last season's injuries, after several hours with him, I felt both more comfortable and much more psyched for the coming season!  The Rochester Speed Skating Team has a pretty intense dryland program under Coach Tom Rossborough, but Anthony presented some variations that will serve us well as we move closer to the start of the ice season.  Thank you Anthony!

This past weekend, it was off to Morrisville State College IcePlex where members of the Center State, Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo clubs had two perfect summer days, and that fast, terrific Morrisville rink to work on ice; and  a new astroturf football field for dryland skills, this time with Coaches Jenn Barber, Marty Medina, Tom Rossborough and Mikey Burdekin, who came in to show us what he's been learning over the past year in Salt Lake City.      I am so looking forward to the start of our regular season!

A Wonderful Feeling

I've written before about older athletes.  About what Dara Torres wrote about training as an athlete ages.  My relative quietness on the blog recently has largely been the result of having to work through the injuries that cut last season short, the hospital in December, and a blood pressure problem this spring.  So, it was with some trepidation as much as with anticipation that I finally took the field Tuesday with my Rochester Speed Skating teammates (and some Roller Derby colleagues) for dryland.

 Now, I am not an accomplished athlete, and probably never will be, and I'm fine with that.  The gifts God gave to me are different than the balance and coordination of a natural athlete.  Competitive sport, for me is mainly about the friendship, fun, health, being part of a team,  and setting goals that are just a little beyond what was possible the season before.  I also know that in every practice, and in every meet, I get a lesson of some sort, to use and to build upon.  For all that, after several months, it was daunting to think of trying again.  To think of reinjury.  Or of embarrassment at failure, or of being too far behind.  Of being 60 this time.

It turns out that there was nothing to fear.  My teammates were, as they have been from the start been welcoming and supportive.  Our coach's admonition to adjust your training to your condition is the same in execution as it is in theory.  I've got a long way to go, but the reality is that my carcass worked better than I'd expected, on the first day back.  And twenty-four hours later, there is the stiffness that is normal to getting back into it, but none of the injury-type pain I'd feared.  Having made a new beginning just feels really, really good.  Lactic acid and a little tenderness in the usual places never felt so good!

Small Rebound from Vancouver

Every now and then us mortals see at least a flash of something very special.  On April 28th, Steve Mesler of the Gold Medal winning four man US Bobsled Team from the Vancouver Olympics came to the Board of Education meeting in Buffalo NY.  Steve is a graduate of Buffalo's City Honors High School, and had come at the request of the Board.  A colleague who knows him introduced us, and I had a very nice chat which included a chance to hold that gold medal for a little while.  On a very visceral level, I felt the meaning of the phrase "vicarious thrill."  My colleague had also already told him of Liz' dream, and he chatted with me for a while about the long, hard preparation of performance at that level.  He'd trained for two years in Lake Placid and then seven in Calgary!

A taste of Curling

Saturday night (2/20), I was watching the US/UK women's curling match on tv from the Olympics.  A little later, looking through a newspaper I found that the Rochester Curling Club was offering the opportunity to try it on natural ice on the Erie Canal at Palmyra NY.  Well two "hints" in as many hours cannot be ignored, and on a nice sunny winter Sunday, it was too tempting to miss!  Thank you, RCC!  P.S.: I know the rock is supposed to be on the ice, but when I did it right no one got a picture!  So it goes!

US Speedskating Does the Right thing; Evan Lysacek wins!

The snow disaster at the Prince William Ice Center in Virginia left so many of our best young speedskaters adrift, so to speak.  An email from US Speedskating showed a great spirit and intent to do the right thing, and I applaud them!  Here's the email:

Dear US Speedskating Members, 

Due to the cancellation of American Cup III-Short Track in Dale City, VA, US Speedskating will take the following actions:

1.         Any skater that was registered for American Cup III-Short Track in the Senior Division, and also competed in at least one other event in the Senior Division of the 2009-10 Short Track American Cup Racing Series shall be eligible to compete at the 2010 American Cup Final-Short Track.  The following events are considered a part of the 2009-10 Short Track American Cup Series:

                        a.  Short Track Olympic Trials

                        b.  American Cup I-Short Track

                        c.  American Cup II-Short Track

                        d. American Cup III-Short Track

                        e.  American Cup Final-Short Track

2.         Skaters who had registered and paid an entry fee for American Cup III-Short Track in either the Senior or B Division will have that entry fee credited toward the American Cup Final-Short Track or the National Age Group Short Track Championships.  Skaters who have already registered or are not competing in the American Cup Final-Short Track or the National Age Group Short Track Championships will receive a refund of their American Cup III entry fee.

Meanwhile, back in front of the television....The short program in men's figures the other night ended so close to a three-way tie that you could not help being excited to see the long programs.  And they delivered!  The off ice warmup of Evegny Plushenko looked so calm and relaxed, while the warmup of Evan Lysacek looked so tight!  Then the skating....Lysacek first, turning  in a stellar performance!  Then the wait as the rest of the best skated, building up to Plushenko who looked...like a master.  He said he thought he'd skated well enough, and it sure looked like it, but the Gold went to Lysacek and his 257.67 combined!  The first US Gold in the sport since the Battle of the Brians in Calgary twenty-two years ago!  Just excellent! Commentator Scott Bowman had it right:  To win at the Olympics is amazing.  To do it beating the best on a good night....truly magnificent!

Judging by my television habits lately, I must conclude that there is NO winter Olympic sport that I don't like!

Dick Francis (1920-2010), Rest in Peace

The media are reporting the death yesterday of Dick Francis at 89 in the Cayman Islands.   A Champion Jockey in the UK before turning to writing, he is my all time favorite mystery writer, and creator so many memorable characters:  Sid Halley, Freddie Croft, Tim Ekaterin, Tony Beach, Kit Fielding...the list goes on over more than 40 novels, using the backdrop of British horseracing (and sometimes US or Australian racing) to weave a wonderful tale.  His last novel, co-authored with his son, as had the last few, will be published later this year.  Thank you, Dick Francis, for so many great stories, and so many literary friends who live on in the imaginations of many of us!  The photo is an AP wirephoto from 2000, used with thanks.

Vancouver Day 3 (And a Note from Quebec): Silver Hair is Good

My daughter Liz was telling me the other night how exciting the Olympics are for her this time around especially since so many people--from the US, from Australia, from Bulgaria--are people who are her friends and with whom she has trained in Salt Lake City (it was watching the Torino Olympics that triggered her own decision to be a speed skater).  I share the excitement, but tend to approach from a different perspective. Relatively few events have reached the medal rounds, but the 21st Winter Olympics are starting to show evidence that there are championships, and not just champions, after 30. Medals aside, it's been really interesting to see how many athletes are making their Olympic debut at 27, 28, 29; and how many over thirty are putting in outstanding performances. For those older "debutantes" perhaps their best days are yet to come!  Of special note so far:

Armin Zoeggler, Italy, 36.  Bronze medal in Luge to go with his Bronze from Lillehammer (1994), Silver in Nagano (1998), Gold in Salt Lake City (2002) and Gold in Turin (2006).  The spill in the practice brought chills, especially after Friday's tragedy on the luge run, but it was inspiring to see him keep the pressure on those fine young German sliders.

Adam Malysz, Poland, 32.  Silver, Ski Jumping (Normal Hill), to go with his Bronze and Silver from Salt Lake City. For one bright shining moment, I thought he had his Gold!

Hongbo Zhao, 36 and Xue Shen, 31, China.  First Place after the Pairs Figure Skating short program.  I mention them today because their score of 76.66 is the highest ever in Olympic competition, under the modern scoring system; and because they've been skating as a team for 18 years!!!  Twice they have had Bronze medals, and judging by tonight, it will be hard for anyone to deny them the top of the podium!

Meanwhile in Quebec, Rochester Speedskating's Jim Cornell won the 2010 North American Marathon Championships, finishing second in the 25K (first in his age group) and first in the 50K!  He is shown above with women's champion Suzanne Dion and the Mayor of Joliette PQ.

It's certainly heartening to see champions of that age who are called something other than designated hitters!

Vancouver Olympics--Day Two 2/13/10: Outlasting Adversity

During the last summer Olympics, my posts related mainly to older athletes performing at the peak.  That will probably be true again, (talking about Michelle Roark at 35 and with six knee surgeries behind her, still making the final round of Ladies moguls, for example) but the lasting impression I have of day one relates to perseverance.  It is a story of Simon Ammann of Switzerland, and JR Celski of the US.  My wife and I were in the stands, at the same end of the rink in Marquette MI in September 2009, when JR hit the wall at Olympic Trials and sustained that terrible leg injury.  I remember clearly the jumble of thoughts:  that it looked like an artery;  that he was so very good; that I could not believe how fast Walter Rusk leaped the wall and came to JR's aid; how surreal it was to think we'd seen JR and his family just that morning as they left and we arrived at the same restaurant...Then last night watching opening ceremonies on television, and seeing the close up of JR's face as the US Team entered the stadium, and thinking how perfectly joyful he looked.  A little over five months of intensive training to recover from that ghastly wound...and what a triumph in the 1500!  I can't think of a more complete comeback in so short a time!  All the way to the finals at 19 and then...a bronze!  A true story of rebounding from disaster.  With Simon Ammann, a different sort of adversity.  At Salt Lake, he'd emerged from relative obscurity to win two golds and then.....seven years on the plateau of frustration.  I'm having trouble dealing with four months!  But his spirit survived intact and today, on the normal hill, a lead coming out of the first round of jumps, and a jump of pure beauty on the second to pull away and become the holder of Vancouver's first gold medal!  Wow.  Two stories, one message: never, ever give up on yourself.

The Meet that Never Was, Or How Vancouver's Snow Went South for the Winter

American Cup III, being hosted in Dale City VA, Feb 6-7, 2010. The snow had started falling in abundance around mid-day on Friday; my son texted from DC "good call" in midafternoon about our decision not to travel. Warmups were underway on Feb 6th at the Prince William Ice Center when things went amiss. Liz and her SLC team mates had warmed up, and she says there were odd, strange noises in the locker room, where Coach Jun was sharpening skates. Skaters and others on ice heard the noise too. The officials came in and said the rink was being evacuated. Mitch Connelly had just arrived after an all night white knuckle ride from Rochester NY (lots of similar stories being reported from NY, WIS, etc).Heidi Kreuger (Pittsburgh SSC) posted on Facebook around noon that with a bang one of the main support beams broke and shifted under snow weight and that metal rivets popped out. The skaters were sent back to hotels, but ultimately the meet had to be canceled. Happily the harm is snow damage to a building, not harm to people. The skaters have tee shirts now to remember AmCup III, the Meet That Never Was. Meanwhile, back at the hotel....power out at Liz' hotel; power/no power is hit and miss at other hotels. They used the hot tub until the water got cold! Two and a half feet or so in 24 hours is an awful lot in the DC area....that will take a while to move. Petra Acker's (Saratoga Winter Club) Facebook comment: "Virginia: 1, Speedskaters: 0." In the meantime, a real memory for those who made it in! Now, how to make it OUT??? I keep reading of the stories of plans to import snow to the outdoor venues for the Vancouver Olympics. It appears that the Middle Atlantic states hijacked British Columbia's snow!!! Is that "Dixie" I hear playing in the distance? And, I think that perhaps Steven Colbert has the basis for another great speedskating story to share with his Nation????

Update, 3:47 Eastern. President Obama told the Democratic National Committee that the snow storm in the DC area is "Snowmageddon." About 200000 people without power in the greater DC area, including some of the speedskaters. I've gotten three reports that local media down there says the ice rink roof did collapse (a warehouse or hangar at Dulles, a Church in DC and some other buildings have suffered similar fates). See http://www2.insidenova.com Upside: There are also stories of community snowball fights! Annette Pumphrey (SoCal Speedskating) reported that skaters ran out in the blizzard in swim trunks and found a place to order 17 pizzas! And Liz Looby has her knitting with her! My son, Liam, who had been working on assignment this week in DC reports "I'm fine. Playing in the snow and stranded at the Monaco :=)." Nice place to be stranded!

Update:7:37pm Wild day for ice sports. Collapse of the Prince William rink is confirmed, but the owner pledges to rebuild as quickly as possible. In Fairport, NY (near Rochester) a Zamboni clearing ice for an outdoor hockey tournament went through the ice and into the Erie Canal (yes, the 'I've got a mule and her name is Sal, 15 miles on the Erie Canal..." one). See http://www.whec.com/news/stories/s1403253.shmtl

Update from a powerless hotel. The hotel got pizza for the skaters. Then, according to Liz, "we played the scariest game of hide n seek ever...Dark in a hotel, it felt like in those movies where you're in the hotel and the power and tele lines go down and everyone's in a room together but then people start to disappear...."

Two of the Photos above were posted by Ben Gertner of Bay State Speed Skating Club and sent to the Rocker U page on Facebook for short track speedskating. I'm including them with Ben's permission (thank you!!). The third is from Michigan's Kelsey Schiel, who has a number of great photos on her Facebook not only of the Prince William rink but of her trip through snowcovered DC on Sunday!