US Speedskating Championships 2010 & Bruce Connor

The US Speedskating (LT) Championships are underway in Salt Lake City, with great photos and commentary as always by Andrew Love at his blog Zen & the Art of Speedskating (see right column for a link).

I've mentioned Bruce Connor in an earlier blog, but looked at the results from SLC and must express awe and amazement at his 500m time of 00:38.90 at a pressure meet! I can't go that fast in a car! Bruce is within hairbreadths of men less than half his age! Way to go!

Thank you, Bruce, for continuing to inspire those of us who've been around the block a few times! I've never met you, but appreciate the inspiration.

I hope your turn comes to be highlighted to the Colbert Nation!

Auld Lang Syne

Just a note to look back on the old year, and to welcome the new:

For the old year, a poem:

“Forever in your Debt” by Kirk Jones

"Guím maith dhóibh siúd a shéid an ghaoth
agus iad uilig a stiúir an bád
thugamar linn é i gcoinne an trá
bead buíoch thar lá mo bháis "

With thanks to those who blew the wind,
And those who sailed the ship,
We sailed it tight against the tide,
And I shall be forever in your debt.

For the new year:

"What next? Ah. What a splendid question."

-William Kennedy, O, Albany! New York: Viking Press, 1983

To everyone, a Happy New Year, and to each of you 365 wonderful answers to Kennedy's "splendid question"!

How Venty Made My Cleveland Meet A Success

The racing at Cleveland this past weekend was a personal disappointment both because my daughter (and most of my Rochester teammates, for that matter) had a frustrating weekend in the American Cup II and because in the Ohio Invitational, I re-aggravated an injury from Rochester and had to withdraw. To my eye, though, Liz's skating continues to advance, and I think she's just on a plateau for a while. For all that, I've never had a bad time in Cleveland, and this trip was no exception. I've written regularly about the deep pleasure of trying to learn this discipline of speedskating in my late 50s. Imagine the depth of my pleasure, then, at what happened on Saturday, as I was in the heat box getting focused for a 1000 meter heat. A man of about my own age, wearing the bright green skinsuit of the Cleveland Heights team introduced himself as Venty Raghavacktari. He told me that he was skating his very first meet, and that I had been his inspiration!!! Venty told me that he'd watched me skate (a euphemism, perhaps, but a welcome one) at the Ohio Invitational for a couple of years, and watching me try encouraged him to try the sport himself! Venty gave me a sense of pride and pleasure that lasted beyond the ice packs that followed each of my two attempts to race, and survived the drive back to New York as well. He acquitted himself pretty well too, and I can see I am going to have to step up my game to give my newest racing partner a run for his money! We chatted over the two days of the meet, and both of us understand quite clearly how part of this, at our age, is a matter of overcoming our own fears and demons, and part of it is recapturing what ABC's Wide World of Sports used to call "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." Welcome, Venty, and thank you for a phenomenal mental boost! Between us maybe we can start of trend! My daughter-in-law was at the meet, and commented that one of the things that impressed her most about our sport is its openness to the youngest rookie (one neophyte of perhaps four started crying at the noise of the starter's pistol, ending his race) to the late to the game starters, like Venty and me. She's right....and I hope we always preserve that openness. It's a strength.

One plus from having an injury early, is that I had more time to really watch the American Cup racers. Some of the impressions are broad brush: Cherise Wilkens skated as well and as strong as I can ever remember seeing her, and that is saying something. That very good skaters lose more often than not, if for no other reason that its hard to have five way ties. And this: if you skate the same track consistently, you will not maximize your success. You can, for example, wait all day for the chance to make an inside pass, but some skaters ride that line so well that the only realistic way to pass is to the outside. For whatever reason, though, a lot of very good skaters appear skittish to try the outside, or to really vary tactics to meet the situation. Watching closely, I noticed several skating each race the same way...and I will bet their best opponents could see that too, and planned accordingly. It's necessary to build a large arsenal of tactics, and to be comfortable enough to use any of them at a given moment of the race, because the race itself is as fluid as the surface we skate on.

A lot of what I love about speedskating is the comraderie, and the Cleveland meet was all about that for me. So thanks to all of the friends I got to spend another weekend with, and thanks to Tom Frank, Dennis Marquard, Dennis Hopper and all of the other Cleveland people who once again presented a smooth, wonderful meet. Cleveland rocks! And thanks too to Diana Harrel of the Chiller club for making me laugh Sunday afternoon, when she told me she'd had to skate day two, because I was ahead of her in the points standing on day one!

When The Gods Are Benevolent at Practice & The Colbert Nation

Nov. 3rd may have been my first really satisfying practice of the season. Work schedule, minor injury, a touch of flu have all been co-conspirators, but tonight's practice was one of those where everything is so perfect...I'd decided to spend the practice time focusing simply on balance and on glide, and had the benefit of Coach Gerry Savoie prompting and correcting. The rink in Rochester was its usual--COLD--and I'd stayed out for the session with the club's more advanced skaters, because I really, really need the practice. So it was glide, shift weight, monkey drills....all very steady and rhythmic. And for once, I felt at ease on the blades, comfortable, not even thinking of a misstep or a fall. The crossover continued to elude, but this time, certainly for the first time this season, I felt that communion with the ice that makes skating such a wonderful sport. Just in time, too, because my second competition of the season is this weekend in Cleveland: the Cleveland Heights rink is one of my favorites, and each time I've skated there I've gotten personal bests (such as they are). The Cleveland crew always runs a first rate meet, too. Tonight the gods were kind, and the practice was an exercise in joy.

On a broader front, the news of the last few days is pretty wonderful: Dan Jaansen appeared yesterday on the Colbert Report, after his NYC Marathon run (as did Bob Crowley from US Speedskating. . I don't know if Bob ran the Marathon, although Tim Doherty from Rochester Speed Skating did for the third time!). The signed the Colbert Nation as sponsors of US Speedskating! The interview is at http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/254015/november-02-2009/sport-report---nyc-marathon---olympic-speedskating

US Speedskating has added a spot on its website for contributors from the Colbert Nation. Please tell your friends: https://webpoint.usspeedskating.org/wp/Transactions/Donate.asp

Go Colbert Nation! Go US Speedskating!!

Getting Ready, Getting Psyched

The ice is ready, the practices have begun, and the trick becomes getting focused and psyched. The goal for the year? Really modest...to get comfortable in the lean, to get a passable crossover. Good things will follow from each. Liz' qualifying for Olympic time trials was a MAJOR psyche for me, so I took her dream, and my mantra and came up with a new license plate as psyche #1 (as much of the mantra as fit the plate, anyway). By the way, Volkswagen of America, you can send your check for the free publicity any time.... Psyche#2 was finding some football padding that may protect my kidney, and if that is true I think that it will be more comfortable out there. Psyche #3 has been to just pick one technique issue to work on at a time. I'm starting with staying level in my bend, and not letting myself bounce much. Psyche #4 is tinkering with blades a bit and Psyche #5 was a refresher course in sharpening from Craig Pielchowski last Saturday after our RSST practice. We'll see. In the meantime, its off to Saratoga for the weekend for American Cup I, to watch the skaters with some real skill.

Mary Travers

Heard tonight of the death of Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul, and Mary. Thanks for years and years of good music and memories.....The times, they are a'changin.....

Not Exactly Greased Lightning

Well, the summer is almost over and my dry land training has been less frequent that I would have hoped, but there is still some fun to be had. Three of the older men in the Rochester Speedskating Team, Don Ducharme, Jerry Roberts and I raced a 5k on 8/30 for the Veterans Outreach of Rochester, called Pound the Ground for Vets. A near perfect morning for a race...cool, sunny, no humidity to speak of....and a very nice turnout of perhaps 160-170 for the organization's first race on a nice course in Genesee Valley Park. The good news: finished the race. The bad news: have some conditioning to do before ice season starts in a couple of weeks!

2009 Desert Classic in Salt Lake City, Pt. 2

Thanks to Teri Willingham for allowing use of the photo below, taken during the 1000 meter time trial in Salt Lake City on Aug. 22 where her 01:37.4 gave her the opportunity to go to the Olympic Time Trials. Teri took the two to the right the following day, showing Liz in a heat, and in her trademark lime green. While I am at it, I want to thank the coaches and members of the Rochester Speed Skating Team who have taught this sport to us both, and instilled in Liz a real passion for it, especially Marty Medina, Jim Cornell, Tim Doherty, and Karen Veronne, Gerry Savoie and Tom Rossborough; to Mike Kooreman and Derek Parra and most recently to Coach Jun-Hyung Yeo, whose passion is really remarkable, for bringing her so far in this past year. In the second day of the Desert Classic, Liz achieved a second PB for the meet, with an 00:47.8 in the 500 meter final. One has to wonder, however, if the speed of the weekend has any relationship to the Ramen eating contest of last Thursday? If so, I probably must thank Simon Cho for joining her in that little exercise in moderation! Finally, I would like to thank Andrew Love and Brian Boudreau for sending their first hand observations to me; and to Marty and everyone else who touched base by email, phone or Facebook to help share my excitement over Liz's meet...once again, I have seen the evidence of what a terrific group of people work in and around this sport. Now, the parents' moment savored, it's time to look ahead. I will end by quoting the note from our favorite starter, Jeff Golz, who conveyed congratulations with a simple "I guess we'll see you in Marquette!" I guess that's right!

E Makes Olympic Time Trial Times 8/22/09!!!!!

Flash from Salt Lake City and the Desert Classic! Liz did her time trial today with Vicki Labourdette, and she said she felt really crazy and good coming off. And no wonder!!! She beat her former 1000 meter personal best by nearly two seconds and at 01:37.4 has gone under the cutoff time for the Olympic Time Trials next month in Marquette MI!!!! Three and a half years ago she'd never even worn a speedskate! What a wonderful day!! PS the photo is from Nationals last year, because I don't have the good luck to be in SLC today to see!!! Only 48 hours ago she came in second in a Ramen eating contest to Simon Cho, so maybe its good luck to load up on noodles???? Check Liz' blog (link off to the side of this and get a first person account!) Postscript, Aug. 26, 2009: Andrew Love posted an article today on his blog entitled "Qualified" which features Liz and her teammate and our friend Anthony Barthell, who also qualified for Olympic time trials last weekend in SLC. It's a very thoughful and insightful piece about the emotion and meaning of reaching a special moment in sport, and I commend it to you highly. The link is over in the right hand column of this blog or just double click http://andrewlove.org/blog/

Larry Beck Bikes Mt. Washington

One theme of my blog has always been the older athlete. The best stories, though, are usually not about Lance Armstrong, or Dara Torres (even though I love to talk about Dara Torres) but about those of us who compete, and train and try for the joy of it. The Rochester Speed Skating Team is loaded with such master athletes, both current and alumni, and I am very pleased to share this report from Larry Beck:

"Hi folks,

For those of you who remember my Mt. Washington stories from a few years ago, I just wanted to provide an update.

In 2007, the race was canceled (a rare occurrence) due to icing conditions and 90 mph wind gusts at the summit.

In 2008, I came down with an infection 2 weeks before the race and was forced to skip it.

This year, I broke my collarbone in May in a bike crash. I followed that up with kidney stones and another bike crash in July. Having lost several weeks of training, I still managed to get (mostly) ready for the race this past Saturday.

Having qualified for the Top Notch group in 2006, this was my first year lining up with the elite racers in the first wave to start. Among the riders were Ned Overend, the ageless mountain biking great, and several up-and-coming professionals. It was exciting to hear the announcer introduce us as the best climbers in the world.

As always, the race was started with a blast from a (miniature) cannon. After 50 yards of flat surface, the road turns up and doesn't stop until the summit at 6288 feet. The sound of clicking dérailleurs surrounds you and is shortly followed by the sound of cursing as several riders drop their chains. I've learned not to follow too closely at the start to avoid someone stopping suddenly.

My heart rate quickly climbed into the 170's, where it stayed for almost the entire race. The weather was sunny, hot, and humid. The first four miles are tree lined, so there was some respite from the sun. A short time into the race, I realized I was geared too high (probably due to my lost training) which meant a lot of standing on the bike. When we emerged from the trees, the usually raging wind and rain was replaced with only the occasional light breeze and the burning sun.

For most of the race, I held a steady position and found myself grouped with several riders. A couple of fast riders from the 2nd starting wave caught and passed us about 5 miles along the road. My group managed to overtake a few struggling riders as we neared the top. With a mile to go, I was able to drop most of the others in my group. As I approached the finish, I was greeted by a chorus of cheering spectators and ringing cowbells.

The finish line sits atop a short 22% climb lined with people screaming encouragement, a sound that is drowned out by the sound of your heart pounding. My poor gearing choice made the final climb a challenge. One of the riders I had dropped was able to overtake me, but I stood up and managed to turn the pedals over a few more times and crossed the timing mat. A pair of EMT's hold up each rider as they begin to recover from the final effort. After a couple of seconds, I was finally able to unclip and mouth the works "I'm OK" to the EMT's and I moved passed the finish line. Holly quickly found me with some food and liquid.

The final result after missing 2 years: 48th of 519 finishers overall and 6th of 88 in the men's 45-49 age group - over 4 minutes of improvement from 2006. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Hope you are all doing great. I still enjoy reading you various race reports. Happy skating this winter!

Later,
Larry"