Callis=Art
This photo is actually from last weekend, this is longtime national team member Chris Callis flying through the final turn of a 500m. Chris missed going to the 2002 Olympic games by a whisker, and then was ON FIRE during the 2003-04 season, skating well at the World Sprint Championships.
However the seasons since have been hard for him, and he has not been able to come back to that level, and is a longshot to make it to the Torino Games.
Take a moment and appreciate his lifetime of dedication, into this one skill, captured here in a moment, this beautiful moment of one man going 35mph balanced on a blade one millimeter thick!
Chris crashed extremely hard in practice this week; I heard him saying he feels more sore and internally ripped up than when he totaled his car in an accident this summer. He messed up his body and skates, and is still a bit woozy. But he is determined, and will be there on the start line at trials.
The Olympics can be wonderful, fate can be cruel, and may Chris find his path in life, no matter the result from trials.
LOOOOOOOOVE the photo!!! And if I may, I’d like to say something about Chris, although I don’t know him personally. Of all of the speedskaters on both the national teams and other teams training at the elite level in SLC, I think he is the only one I have NEVER heard a negative word about. Now, that’s not to say that every negative thing I’ve heard about other skaters is true, but even the people I know who tend to be extremely negative in their opinions about people, seem to think he’s a great guy with a great amount of talent and skill. I also happen to know that he’s spent a lot of time with a friend of mine, a club skater, just talking and giving friendly advice and pointers, when a lot of people out there would feel like they were far above that.
My hope for Chris is to find true happiness in whatever it is he does, even IF he doesn’t make the Olympic team, although I hope he does. One never knows what may spark a person to do their very best. Maybe it was that crash this week. I hope it was!!!!