Here Comes the Sun
I asked Phil Brojaka what his favorite song was, he said, “Here comes the sun by the Beatles”.
Good idea Phil!
So I used this classic tune for this video, showing the last race of the season at the Utah Oval, the Champions Challenge.
Listening to the lyrics, I heard a part I had never paid attention to before-
Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it’s all right
How appropriate… Click here for the quicktime, or press play for the YouTube
I always want to try and show the humanity of the people who throw so much of their lives into the “appearance of effortless skating” because it’s anything but effortless, and the human struggle “underneath the hood” is such a fascinating part of this sport.
Thanks to all the skaters at the oval, it’s been an intense season, and thanks to Jessica, because I raced every single distance at the champs challenge, and she shot about half of the video you see here.
Also the sun is has finally arrived in the mountain west,
this week I’ve been riding in shorts in Salt Lake, yeah!!
Filed under: Audio/Video
MY FAVORITE SONG!! Phil, you have great taste.
I was living in Butte, training during the last year Nationals were held there, when George Harrison died and they played this song about every ten minutes. Now I inevitably assosciate it with Butte and the good ol’days.
Which makes the video even more touching. Nice job everyone!
Great video Andrew!
when you asked me what song, that just came straight to my head! no question.
Everyone skated well, and i wish everyone a good off season and an even better next season!
Cool story Mel!
Phil.
Andrew,
Another awesome video that truly captures the spirit of skating…I’ll add this one to “Roseville Blues,” “Blackbird,” the “fluffy cloud” one and “Sweet Child of Mine” (and probably some others I’m forgetting) as videos on my list of “what to watch when I need to feel really good about life!”
(although, since I injured my achilles and have not been able to skate for 6 weeks and 2 days, watching this video damn near made me cry! Obsession is a double-edged sword…)
Keep up the good work, and congrats on an awesome season! Will we see you out here for any inline marathons this year?
Ooh, great video! I like everybody’s signs/messages to go with the end-of-season racing! Of course I love that song, too…and for me, it’s memories of the millions of short track laps I skated early every morning on a hockey rink in Ann Arbor.
But Andrew…shorts? as in not wearing three layers? outdoors?
Looking forward to good summer training for all of us!
Oh, no, Kaari! I think we were commenting at the same moment, so I just came back to my computer and saw this about your achilles now. Everybody think good thoughts for Kaari’s achilles!
Like the Sun, Speedskating is great for the Sole.
Thinking about next season
Pete
Heel well! I did mine four years ago on Feb 29. Practice was cancelled this Feb 29–probably for good reason, as everyone remembers me talking about it.
thanks Jess for the vidz!!!!
[…] 27, 2008 by peterdoucet Zen And The Art Of Speed Skating (Andrew Love) has a nice post called Here Comes the Sun- you’ll be treated to a nice video of the Champion’s Challenge from Salt Lake City, […]
When I wake in the morning I usually grab a cup of tea and get back into bed to visit a few of my favoriate websites, yours being one of them.
“Here comes the sun” was a great wakeup treat. Having worked a few years in SLC, I totally appreciated the mountain shot.
Pretty much everything I know about speedskating comes from your site; I’ve loved learning about the different age groups, various personalities, the got-what-it-takes attitude, and the great travelogue features.
A bittersweet ending to the season….Hope you and Jessica get to have alot of fun, sunshine and R&R now!
Looking forward to more….
my off season will be training (mostly ST) and coaching ST.
Thanks for the thoughts on the Achilles! It’s taking a long time to come around…I’m one fat, cranky non-skater right now! (Fortunately I’m able to do dryland and stationary bike, but it’s just not the same…)
DAMN!!! My eyes are “slowly melting”…they’re full of water! Very powerful vid. Thanks you! Next season starts in a few weeks. Hopefully the last snow has fallen here in upstate NY and the cycling will not be interfered with by salt on the roads. Andrew, I truely appreciate your enthusiasm, energy and sportsmenship. The world needs more people like you. Always up. Always looking for the best in life…and find the best in people. You are an inspiration. Nice to meet Jess, too. Best wishes!!!!
This is one of my all-time favorite posts…took me a bit to find it!
Here in Boston, the local PBS radio station is plugging hard Yo-Yo Ma’s “Songs of Joy and Peace”; a compilation of songs with other artists. One of them is “Here Comes the Sun”, with James Taylor. Every time I hear the snip of the song, I think back to this post, and the visions of the sun rising over the Wasatch, and the ‘joy and peace’ of the skaters in the video.
For more on the CD, go here:
http://www.yo-yoma.com/
And to hear them in performance this past fall, on the steps of the Red Lion Inn in Stockbrige, MA, go here.
What a retreat…for the new CD, and for the memories of your video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6tPWA7VtaE
Thanks, Andrew!