Wasatch Speed Skating Association

The Wasatch Speed Skating Association will be celebrating the end of the 2009/2010 Long Track Speed Skating season with an open 500 m time trial and fun races to be held on Monday, March 22, 2010 at the Utah Olympic Oval.

Warm up will be from 5:30 PM until 6:00 PM, with the 500 m time trial beginning at 6:00 PM. Fun races (backwards, relay, wrong way, belly slide) will follow the "serious" 500 m races.

The 500 m race is open to everyone, especially those new to skating with no previous racing experience. Advanced sign up for the 500 m time trial is required.

Sign up with Guest Services at the Oval before 12 noon on Monday, March 22, 2010. Entry is free.

There will be dinner and the WSSA Race Series awards after the races.

Michael Drews
WSSA

UNIVERSAL SPORTS AT THE VANCOUVER GAMES:
NEWS, NOTES AND QUOTES FOR FEBRUARY 14, 2010

February 14, 2010 — On the third day of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Universal Sports at the Vancouver Games starts its first, five-hour programming block, starting at 10 a.m. ET and will continue daily until the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, February 28.

Vancouver Olympic News Center and Morning Buzz:
News Alerts: Men’s luge start location lowered to the women’s start line; women's downhill was canceled and rescheduled for Wednesday.

Jeremy Bloom, 2002 and 2006 Olympian, two-time Freestyle World Cup champion and Freestyle analyst: (on Hannah Kearney's final run, becoming the first American to win a gold medal at the Vancouver Games, and the first American medal in moguls since 2002): "Absolutely no mistakes in her last run...She's the last skier, she relaxed and put down the run of her life."

(On the conditions of the moguls course): "Lot of moisture all week...The best part is that it didn't freeze, so it left the course in great condition for these women."

(On Jennifer Heil coming in second and denied distinction as the first Canadian to win a gold medal during an Olympics Games held in her country): “I give her all the credit in the world. She's been carrying this pressure for the last four years and to be honest, I did not see it affect her. She skied well, but she left the door open (for Kearney)."

Picabo Street, 1998 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2002 Olympian and Alpine skiing analyst (on whether tracks and ski runs have gotten too fast/have we gone too far?): "Some people will now think we have, but sometimes you have to go beyond the envelope...I always wanted to go faster. Do they now need to make sure athletes are ranked at a certain level before they can compete? In the alpine events, you have to be in the top 100 in the world."

Street (on the snow in Whistler): "[The] snow is gross. It's rotten and mushy. Snow on the downhill is as bad as it can be, it's scary. Bottom line, if it gets cold enough, then they can do what they need to do. They can deal with all this moisture, we want rock solid."

Alan Abrahamson, on the delays in the skiing events: "You can almost count on there being delays in the downhill events at the Olympics...it seems to happen every time."

Summer Sanders (reporting from Whistler): “The weather is the story up here. There's three different seasons going on. Up top, it's a winter wonderland, in the middle it's packed powder, and at the bottom, it’s what they call ‘corn snow’. The problem is that the ski tech can't prepare the skis for the three conditions.”

Andy Gabel, 1994 Olympic Silver Medalist and Speed Skating analyst: (on Apolo Ohno losing 20 pounds for the Olympics): "The sport has changed and is less of a power sport and more pure speed, so his lighter weight will help him a lot. He's clearly the favorite every time he steps on the ice."

Bloom (on his experiences at the Olympic Village in 2002 and 2006): "It is a fraternity; you've dreamt about it. No matter where you go, you look in each other's eyes as Olympic athletes and you have the uncommon bond...Those are relationships you carry on for the rest of your life."

Peter Carruthers, 1984 Olympic Silver Medalist and Figure Skating analyst (on his experiences at the Olympic Village): "You meet so many people, not just in your sport but in every sport. It motivates you, got us fired up. Rubbing elbows In the cafeteria: breakfast, lunch, dinner - it's a great fraternity of people...like Shaun White said, it's kinda like the most amazing school field trip--and it's true. You're representing your country. Greatest lodging you can possibly have."

MEET THE OLYMPIC PRESS:
Abrahamson (on the new starting position for men’s luge): “It's been lowered 600 feet, it's like hitting from the white tees (in golf).

Guest Ben Mulroney, CTV analyst (On Canada's pursuit of its first gold medal on home soil, the "Own the Podium" program, and America's attitude toward Canada): “Americans pity Canada. You guys aren't used to this from us. If we weren't pursuing that (gold medals), what would people be saying? That [we] have no national pride. The person who wins that first Canadian gold medal will be a national hero. Every child will know their name, schools will be named for them."

(On Canada's hockey team): “If we don't make it to the gold medal round, I don't want to be in Vancouver."

Figure Skating Review/Preview:
Sandra Bezic, NBC Figure Skating Analyst (on two-time Olympic bronze medalists Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China): “Overall, they’re the pair to beat…the Germans are the next closest.”

Elizabeth Manley, Canadian Figure Skater and 1988 Olympic Silver Medalist: “This is first time Canada has gone into an Olympics with medal contenders across the board (in figure skating).”

Guests Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul, 1960 Olympic Gold Medalists, Pairs Figure Skating (on the sport back in the 50s and 60s): “Our record player (for the music) was located in the penalty box. When people walked by, it skipped…unison was the key to our success. We spent an hour each day in front of the mirror, walking through the program.”

Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist and Figure Skating Analyst (on Shen and Zhao on taking the ice first): “You wouldn’t see it as ideal, but they’re so unique that they won’t be forgotten.”

(On Sunday’s events): “You can’t gamble in the short program; you have to go with what you know you can do.”

WHAT TO WATCH FOR ON USN – MONDAY, FEB. 15, 2010:
Vancouver Olympic News Center and Morning Buzz: Elisabeth Halvorson, founder and president of Cowbell.com, is the world's foremost cheering cowbell expert and the sole U.S. importer of golden MOEN bells from Norway. The bells were first heard cheering on athletes at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games.

Figure Skating Review/Preview: 2008 Olympic gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars Champion Shawn Johnson stops by the studio to talk with Kristi Yamaguchi, Paul Wylie and Peter Carruthers.

Vancouver Review/Preview: NBC Hockey Analysts Jeremy Roenick and Eddie Olczyk analyze the USA women’s first game against China, and preview the men’s opener against Switzerland.

FUN FACTS OF THE DAY:
* During his four-year career, (1981-1985), Vancouver Olympic Review/Preview host Terry Gannon was a two-time Academic All-American and NC State basketball's all-time leading free throw shooter. In 1983, he was the No. 1 three-point shooter in the nation.
* Ottawa, in the province of Ontario, is the capital of Canada, as declared by Queen Elizabeth in 1857. Elizabeth Manley, Canadian Figure Skater and 1988 Silver Medalist at the Calgary Olympic Games (on the beaver being the national animal of Canada): “I’m from Ottawa, we’re famous for our beavertails.”

**You can follow Universal Sports on Twitter at twitter.com/universalsports

Welcome

3/18/10

Races are on!

3/4/10

No Races

2/23/10

Congratulations & Good Luck

2/14/10

UNIVERSAL SPORTS AT THE VANCOUVER GAMES

2/11/10

2/10/10

OSSC Junior Club Members

1/28/10

Long Track Race

1/20/10

Olympic ST Races

1/14/10

Olympic Send-Off Banquet

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