Zen and the Art of Speedskating

There are several kinds of reputation that athletes create. The first, of course, are their accomplishments on the field/court/ice. The second has everything to do with what kind of people they are & the personal interactions they have; so many well-known athletes pass the first test but fail miserably on the second.

However I can honestly say that even in the interpersonally carnivorous small fishbowl that the skating community can be, Jennifer Rodriguez & her husband, inline to ice pioneer KC Boutiette, enjoy a tremendous amount of respect from their peers. Time and time again I have heard stories of them helping out other skaters & giving of their time, knowledge & resources.

Here is a perfect example: when I asked Jen to be the next interviewee/victim of this blog, she was exhausted from a hard day of tempos, but was gracious & friendly as always!

Jen, given some of your biography & lifetime results it’s an honor to have you here on my humble blog, and I promise that I will attempt to ask questions that are completely unique, and nothing any Olympic press pool reporter will ever think to ask!

Fire away!

1. You won World Sprint Championships this last year, fantastic! But many athletes motivate themselves by being in the “constant underdog” mindset. Now that you are the current world sprint champ, does anything feel different in your psychological outlook & preparation for Torino?

Actually no. I still don’t consider myself the best. There are too many great girls out there pushing the envelope. The second you let your guard down, someone will be right there waiting to take your place. I’m just trying to push myself harder without going over the limit. I’m also focusing a lot on technique, trying to make it better and more efficient.

2. Does the media referring to you as J-Rod annoy you? I can honestly say I have never heard you referred to as J-Rod by any other skaters. My wife (Jessica Love) was sometimes called “J-Lo” by her classmates at Vet school, & she had mixed feelings about it.

Actually, there is one skater who calls me J-Rod and his name is Tucker Fredricks. He’s been calling me that for a while. At first I didn’t really like being referred to as J-Rod. I thought maybe people would think I was trying to copy A-Rod or JLO. Now, I’ve kind of gotten used to it.

3. You are in the tiny percentage of people who could actually experience a doper taking away something you have worked a lifetime towards. As I talked about in a previous post on this blog, the 2nd place finisher at world sprints behind you was caught doping by the ISU. What was your immediate reaction when you heard about that? Would your reaction be different if you had placed second to Kotiuga?

I was surprised. I’d like to think that speedskating is a clean sport. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. It’s sad really. In a way it was pretty cool to be able to say I beat someone on drugs while I stayed clean. I’m not sure if my reaction would’ve been different had I finished second at Worlds. I would’ve probably been more upset.

4. Many articles refer to you & your connection to Miami, mostly in the context of how unusual it is for a speedskater to come from there. But no one seems to ask what are your favorite places, faces, & times of year in Miami? What makes it special to you?

My favorite place in Miami is my parent’s house. I also like to go to Coconut Grove, Bayside and Key Biscayne. My favorite faces are the Miami Heat, Florida Marlins and Miami Dolphins. My favorite time of year is spring time, because the humidity is not quite so high yet. Miami is special to me because of the mix of cultures it has. I love that. I love the different people, different foods and of course the different music.

5. Skating, when done correctly, looks effortless. The training and preparation for it is anything but effortless. What are the technical, physical, or lifestyle aspects to skating that you personally have to work really hard at?

I’m naturally not a very strong person, so I have to work real hard in the gym and during downtimes (ed note for non-skaters: downtime is when you practice the skating motion in running shoes off-ice, usually till the lactic acid comes out your ears).

I think I am strong for my size, but so many other girls are a lot stronger physically than I am. Because of this, I have to work extra hard on technique. The things I work hardest on are timing and early pressure.

6. I will not ask that annoying “So will you retire after the games?” question, instead, I will ask “what is wonderful about your life right now”, in the final few weeks before the world cup season begins.

Right now, my life is just about perfect. I am doing what I love best with my husband. I have a great coach, great teammates and great friends. I also have the love and full support of my family.

7. Does being an Athlete rep to the US Speedskating board give you a different perspective to the organization?

I think being an athlete rep has changed my perspective towards the organization. I used to think that USS had their best interests in mind rather than the athletes. Now, that I’m on the other side, I know that’s not true. USS may not always make the best decisions, but it’s not out of lack of effort. I truly feel they try to do what’s best for the athletes. I know it doesn’t always work that way, but I know they try.

8. Tell us something surprising about you or your life, something those of us who know you through skating would never have suspected:

I would like to be in the military. I’m too old to try now, but I would’ve welcomed the challenge.

9. When all the athletic hoopla is far past, and you just want to skate for pure pleasure, what first comes to mind? Quads & disco? Cruising a Dutch canal on classic Vikings? A hot day at South Beach on inlines? Or has skating been your job for so long, other things are in the “fun” category?

I will always love all aspects of skating, and I have a hard time imagining my life without it in one way or another. Of course there are other things would love to do that I have to wait to do until after my skating career is over, due to possible injuries. Things like, bungee jumping, motorbike riding, jet boating in Australia, swim with sharks (in a cage of course), or climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro (I don’t think that’s spelled right). I’ve never done that stuff, but I would love to try. I love adventure stuff.

10. No elite speedskater steps to the starting line alone, so many help along the way. Here is your chance to say thanks to those who have been there for you:

First and foremost I have to thank my parents. They have supported me from day one with everything I’ve wanted to do. Even when money was really tight, they found a way to make it possible for me to continue to skate.

Next, I have to thank KC for introducing me to the ice and being pretty much my crutch the entire way through my ice career. I would not be where I am today without him. I would also like to thank all the coaches I’ve had along the way and especially Tom Cushman, my current coach. He’s amazing. I need to thank my teammates for pushing me every day and of course our trainers who keep me injury free. I’m sure I’m forgetting a few people and I’m sorry if I missed you, but I want to say thanks anyways.

Haiku Speed Round

1. Is there anything unusual you pack when you embark on long world-cup trips?

Lots of tampons! I don’t like the ones they have overseas, so I have to bring my own.

2. You are described as a fan of basketball, snowboarding, jet skiing, cycling, & playing paintball. If you could wave a magic wand and become a pro in another sport, which one would you do?

Snowboarding

3. What is the most meaningful possession of yours from childhood that you still have?

My first pair of roller skates. They were the ones you wear with your sneakers. They were plastic Incredible Hulk skates.

4. Favorite Ann Rice novel?

The Vampire Lestat. I love vampire stuff.

5. What artist, living or dead, should be hired to design the USA swift skin graphics for the games.

Romero Britto. He is a South Florida artist. It may not be the most normal looking skinsuit, but it will sure be colorful.

6. A verbal expression or attitude that you picked up from KC that you use all the time?

If someone says to you “Go clean your room,” then you say, “No, YOU go clean your room.” That’s pretty much how we communicate.

7. What are the Weblinks to your sponsors?

• Market America
• 24 Hr Fitness
• Oakley

8. Name a really expensive habit you wish you could afford?

Car collecting

9. I hear you are, like myself, one of the Mac faithful, what are you reading & writing this on?

Powerbook G4

10. When wandering past a Barnes & Noble endless magazine rack, what ones do you always flip through? What would you predict KC reaches for?

In Style magazine, Sports Illustrated, ESPN Mag, and Latina. KC would look at the VW magazine. He loves VW Bugs (the old ones).

all photos in this interview are from Q-Sports

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Filed under: Zen 10 Questions:

Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly!

Does paying at the pump make us lonelier people?

Quotes seen on the road on the way home from today’s race.

Here are the complete race results, from a german website, I raced the 500m and the 1000m.

I skated a 38.01 in the 500, stumbling & slipping for the first 50, and fantastic over the last 300. Still, I expect myself to be a second faster than I am right now, I am still putting the pieces together, and have not skated a “complete” race yet.

I came within .2 of my PB in the 1000m. 1:17.22 With a fast opening 600m, and a very painful last 150, that final turn felt there was an unexpected 15% grade! I threw myself into the lactic flames trying for a good time, and couldn’t move for about 10 minutes after.

I had my camera with me; here are some images from today & commentary.

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Filed under: sweat, from home

Thanks to all who commented on my previous post about Salt Lake, hmmm, maybe I need to do more top ten lists… hmmmmm.

But I am not feeling very writer-ish right now (shocking!) training has been crushing this last week. Off the ice it’s all I can do to eat & stagger about. Even eating has lost its appeal. I had heard about food losing its taste when you are truly worn out, I used to laugh at that, but now I can say “yup, it happens.”

I keep looking forward; my life is completely focused down this icy track, just as I am in these photos (been going 10.0-10.2 in practice for the opening 100m, much faster than last year, my recently dislocated right thumb still hurts, but is getting better).

There are moments though. when life pauses, and instead of focusing forward, I glance into the rearview mirror, and try to balance myself firmly between where I am going, and where I came from.

I left so many dear friends on the east coast. My friends Chris & Varya threw a going away party for Jess and I when we left Ithaca; gosh I miss all you folks!! These faces are just faces to many of you reading this, but there are so many stories & unique individuals in this pic, such amazing humanity. Just looking at their smiles makes me so happy.

Its also worth mentioning, that just as I am lucky to hang out with & get to know some of the world’s best speedskaters, (a Zen 10 will be coming soon with world sprint champ Jen Rodriguez) my Austin based professional musician brother is meeting some of the most renowned musicians in the world, he did the video for an interview with Willie Nelson!!!

David and I are certainly poorer financially because we follow our passions, but our lives are certainly NOT BORING!! Read his account of the interview on his blog, in this picture, that is my bro and Willie.

David is the one on the right (hee hee).

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Filed under: from the coffee shop

I get into my down start position, and begin my long steady exhale waiting for the gun to go off. I use the down start. A down start differs significantly from the traditional skating start.

In this picture here from a race last January in Milwaukee, you can see me using the down start, and my ol’ Lake Placid buddy Donald Stewart using the more traditional speedskating start position. One of the tricks to the down start is to put a lot of your weight on the hand resting on the ice. When the gun goes off, you remove your hand, and your body falls forward, so gravity becomes an additional force you can add to the power your legs generate driving off the line. Also in practice, both feet push, even though skaters concentrate on that front leg. The only thing original about my own usage of the down start is I rest my left hand on my left knee, it helps me avoid false starts, as when I am really amped up & nervous I have a hard time keeping that left hand still.

Many top skaters use the traditional start, as they have spent a lifetime perfecting that technique. Yet the down start is being used more and more, even though most coaches are wary of it. With my clean slate, I practiced a lot & became moderately proficient at both, and found I was more consistent with the down start.

So anyway, there I was, about to start the first real race of the season, waiting for the gun to go off, focused, relaxed, and with all my weight on my right hand, my thumb suddenly pops out of joint!!!

I have done the down start for years, and never had this happen, I crumpled to the ice in quite an inglorious false start. And then quickly try to re-focus myself to go to the line again. (the thumb went right back in, it’s fine, just hurts).

After awkwardly setting myself back on the line, palm flat on the ice, I was extremely rushed & not set in my technique, and stumbled my way to a 38.44 500m. I was pretty pissed, as I did not execute what I train my heart out to do. The thumb was certainly a distraction, but I should be faster. Isn’t that what metric skater always say? Its just frustrating after my training tests tell me I should be around 37, to skate that much slower, the training load has been very high recently, and because of it, Boris advised me not to race this weekend, but I am stubborn.

Mentioning my story of my dislocating thumb to the pioneer of the down start, KC Boutiette, he laughed and said “yeah, that happened to me in Berlin once, and they fired the gun anyway!”

By the way, Casey Fitzrandolph skated a 34.9 in his 500m race! Wow! It was completely astonishing to watch, and he is the first man in the world to skate sub 35 this year! I have never seen a first outer skated like Casey threw down in his race, even with all the talent on the US sprint squad, Casey just skates different,.

For skaters like Casey, they will face their moment of truth in Torino, not really at Olympic trials, so it’s worth mentioning when normal folks qualify for trials, as they are our “games”. My friend Kirk Fogdall raced a 1500m. He was nervous, tense, got cold before the start in his spraypaint thin skinsuit, stumbled twice in the first 100m, but still cranked out scary fast laps & dove head first into the searing last lap of pain like his son goes for a hug. He skated a 2:00:4 and qualified!! Go Kirk! He claims that now that he has accomplished his main goal, he is just gonna rest from now till trials in December. His 1500m PB is now faster than mine by about a second, I think we are going to have to have a grudge match 1500 sometime, with something significant as the bet, waddya think Kirk? I don’t know who will win, but I am pretty sure that I will be ahead with one lap to go, puking on myself from the effort & suffering rigor mortis from lactic acid poisoning, if Kirk can skate around the puke, he just might pass me!!!

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Filed under: from home

This picture is from the women’s world sprint championship, as US skater Jen Rodriguez is passing Belarussian Anzhelika Kotiuga in a 500m race. Jen won The World Championship, and Kotiuga took second overall.

These flyers were all over the Utah Olympic Oval earlier this summer, celebrating Jen’s win. The graffiti on this particular flyer is the handiwork of Eva Rodansky. Jen Rodriguez is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, and would never say anything this nasty. Eva, however, never hesitates to fire the sarcastic machine gun of brutal honesty whenever she can.

The reason for Eva’s graffiti is that a random drug test had just caught Kotiuga with artificial Testosterone and norandrosterone in her system. The ISU just gave her a 2 year suspension. Here is the press release.

It’s funny, but if you look at Kotiuga’s career results, see if you can find the place where she might have started doping, I think it’s pretty evident. It’s worth noting that she was 31 and had already been on the world cup circuit for 7 years when suddenly there is this dramatic improvement in her results. Now maybe there is another reason, a different coach or training plan, or maybe it’s just circumstantial, but I find it kind of odd for a 31 year old sprinter who has been on the world cup scene that long, to suddenly go from pack fodder to almost winning the world sprint championships.

But she didn’t win, so there is some truth in the idea that nice guy/girls DO finish first, at least in the technique intensive sport of speedskating, what is depressing is that it took the ISU this long to catch a cheater.

Someone might point out that I started this sport at 31, and now at almost 35 am going really fast too, but there is a crucial difference, I have improved a very consistent amount ever year (roughly 1.3 sec a year in the 500), there has been no “sudden” drop of my times, and also, I am still friggin learning how to skate! every week or two I feel like I figure something else subtle out about technique. Kotiuga probably has been speedskating her whole life, and also that is likely why she fell victim to those internal demons of “winning at all cost”.

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Filed under: from the coffee shop