Progress

Well, I've been on the ice for almost a month. My second day on the ice I skated a 1000m in a time of 1:39 something. A few days later they told me if I kept progressing I could skate a time trial that would count to have a chance to qualify to skate the skate-in at the US Short Track Championships. I would have to skate under a 1:32.5 by December 6th. Well, that was the goal and Saturday on the 4th I skated an official time trial in the time of 1:31.71 which qualifies me to skate the skate-in. Although I get to skate a skate-in race I have a lot of work to do in the next 10 days. In order to actually race I have to skate under 1:30 in the skate-in time trial which is a pretty fast time. I have to average 10.0 or faster a lap but it gets more difficult because the opening lap is a 11.8 or a 11.9 which means for the remaining 8 laps I have to skate on average faster then 9.75.

At first I wasn't sure if I would be able to get the time I needed which also qualifies me to skate am cup A group from now on. Especially because there have been some pretty rough practices. I still have so much to work on but I'm slowly getting better technically. This past week the national team skaters that did not go to the World Cup race have been skating with the group that I practice with which I think has been really good for me. I skate with the national team girls and they all skate better technically then I do but we can go about the same speed so it helps me out a lot I think.

I'm also still skating on a pair of my old inline boots which are not exactly ideal for short track. I hope when I get a short track boot it helps out a lot with some of my technique that I have been working on.

Ice

Well, another week down. I've gotten consistently faster every week on the ice. Every week my 1000m gets about 2 seconds faster (at least thus far) so I am hoping that will continue for a little while. I am still focusing 100% on my technique because I still have a lot of work to do. A few things are coming easier but there are always more things I find to work on and that I need to fix.

So far one thing that is taking some time to get use to is that everyone doesn't have the same goals as I do which is weird. It makes perfect sense though, everyone who skates inlines doesn't have the goal of winning a gold medal at worlds. So it's similar that everyone here does not have the same goal as making the Olympics and winning Olympic Medals. It's still hard some times. I see people slack off a little, or stop a drill a few minutes early and I just think to myself what are they thinking? Then I realize.. maybe that don't have the same goals as I do.

There are times I am doing drills that aren't specifically on the ice or are on my own at some point I think, if I stop a few minutes early no one will know. Then immediately I tell myself the only person I am hurting is myself and that I will always know. That I have big goals and that if running those extra few minutes will get me there then I'll do it every time.

People tell me I am worrying too much about the little things, that I should relax because it's only my 3rd week on the ice or whatever it is. They say you're doing great for being new and you're doing better then the last one. None of these things are acceptable to me. I feel like if you aren't paying attention to what you are doing, not trying to figure out what you are doing wrong and how you can fix it then why are you doing something? If improvement is not the goal then what is? I ask questions because I have a lot to learn, I have a lot to fix. I change this little thing or that thing and see how it looks and feels so I can do it better. I won't relax because the goal is still a long ways away. They tell me I am trying to fix everything overnight but what is the other option? Wait until tomorrow? If I try to fix everything tonight then it stays fresh in my mind, next time I get on the ice I still remember where I left off at and eventually I will fix some of the technical issues I have and move on to the next one.

Ice 1 Week Down

Actually it's been a little over a week but whose counting? It's definitely a different experience. I've skated ice before but it's different now focusing on it and skating 6 days a week on ice instead of once every two weeks.

It's a challenge everyday I get onto the ice that's for sure. Every practice on the ice I get frustrated in the beginning and by the end I feel as if I've made progress. One of my problems right now is that I am faster then I should be at this point. I have a lot of technical flaws but I can go pretty fast which you might not think is a problem but it's much harder correcting yourself at higher speeds but it's a problem I'm willing to have. Right now nothing is really natural. I have 100 things going through my head at the same time at every moment I'm on the ice because I'm trying to skate correctly and I have so many little things to think about that I actually have to tell myself to skate sometimes. And if you didn't know, as of right now I am skating short track.

A few things I am currently reminding myself to do on the ice constantly so that it becomes natural is:
-Lead with your left hip
-Keep your hips parallel to the ice
-Keep your right shoulder down
-Keep your shoulders parallel to the ice
-Pinch the right side of your torso making a C shape
-Relax your shoulders
-Chest down and back rounded
-Sit back on your heels
-Stop twisting to turn
-Hard right into the turn
-Glide on every step

My first three days it seems easier to correct myself because I was going much slower. But now I'm going a lot faster, between my 2nd and 5th days on the ice I dropped my lap time half a second which is a decent amount. It's not incredible but its respectable right now, although not pretty.

My speed right now allows me to keep up with skaters that are much better technically then I am which makes it a little difficult when we do technique drills because I am not very good at them yet.

What A Journey

The funny thing about packing is it seems so natural. I've packed a thousand times for various amounts of time and for various reasons and packing seems easy. Unpacking is when things get different. Unpacking is when I usually realize where I am or what's truly going on. This time was no different.

Packing for Utah was easy, everything goes in the box. Everything goes in the vehicles. When I got here and started unpacking that's when I realized this is home now, I may not be packing back up for a while. It's a strange feeling.

For me though, there is no bigger motivation right now. Other than the fact that I have so much work to do. It's the fact that although I am skating 100% for me and to achieve my goals, I have to achieve them for everyone else as well. I left a family behind: my father, my brother, my sisters, my grandmother who cried when I left and said she hopes to be here when I make the Olympics. My niece and my nephew who probably wont remember their uncle the next time they see me.

I left a team behind: a group of skaters that took their cue from me. If I hate a drill, they hate a drill. If I quit in a drill, it becomes okay for them to quit. When I show up to practice and work hard, they want to work hard. There is no better feeling then skating well and having a group of skaters want to train hard so one day they can get to where you are. At the same time, there is no worse feeling then skating poorly and letting a group of kids or people down that expect more from you. I left a team behind: a coach that has got me here, in Salt Lake City having the opportunity to train at a world class facility and train everyday, with my goals and sights set on the Games.

You might think that is pressure, but it's not it's perfect. Coming out here might help me in everything. I get that edge back. When I was young I didn't train as much but every practice I went to (4 indoor practices a week) it was 120% per drill because when I showed up to practice someone else was faster then me, and I never liked that. Right now, there are a lot of people faster then me so I have a long way to go.

When I arrive at my final destination (figuratively) it will be the most successful feeling endurable I'm sure of it. Then, and only then, can the move be considered a success. Then everyone I left behind can share that moment with me.

The Next Episode

Worlds is over and I am glad to be home. This worlds was my least enjoyable yet, and for more than just a few reasons. Overwhelming, the fact that I pretty much didn't race weighed down my entire experience. The coaching staff made the race decisions and they decided to leave me out which if it was in the best interest of the team then I'll take it there is nothing I can do about it now so I just chalk it up as an experience and move on.

Now that I am home I have until Thursday to get all of my stuff sorted through and packed so I can run off to Salt Lake City. I'll be happy to start my ice experience and to have the opportunity to use a great facility everyday. I didn't lift any weights this past year but I think I am changing that before the month is over. I have a lot of mental notes on what I need to do to improve so I'm a little excited to put the wheels in motion.

I'll be trying to blog every once in a while with how I am doing on the ice. I'll be skating both short track and long track at least for the time being. This ice season I just want to try and get as much of the technique right as I can. I don't care if I go ridiculously slow all season I would much rather get the technique down first because then going fast will be the easy part. Going back and trying to fix technique after you have already established a style of skating is extremely difficult so we are going to try and avoid that scenario.

Next up for me is my move to Utah of course, and then NSC trials the next week after that. I haven't skated indoor since the NSC finale but I think I'll be okay.

World Championships, 2 Days

Here in Guarne, for the World Championships. I've spent every moment leading up to these days and it feels good. The track here is pretty fast which is great news. I like the track I feel like I've conquered it and that I've made it work really well for me. Going fast is not a problem here which is great. I feel strong, really confident, and fast. I finally have wheels which is a great feeling, skating on bad and just trashed wheels for what seems like forever now, when I put new wheels on the other day it was amazing.

No matter what anyone says, if you do the workouts at residency you come to worlds faster and that is exactly what happened to the vast majority of our team. We have a lot of really fast skaters on the team and it's going to be a great championship for us.

We got rid of most of the drama a few days ago and its helped the team as a whole when they can get to the track and focus on the track and lines and being fast and visualizing the races. At least this is what it's done for me. I don't know what will be my first race but it doesn't matter much to me, I'm confident that I can skate whatever the coaches put me in, I'm in a great place mentally and physically and I am ready to skate.

Well, that's it for now wish us luck and stay tuned for a few updates.

Guarne

Isn't too bad. We skated on the track, we have a lot of work still to do. I think a lot of people just want to get fast and don't realize you have to take it down a notch in order to find the fastest line and everything. We are all skating really fast but at worlds it doesn't mean much if you are faster than everyone if you don't skate as good a line and don't know how to properly race everyone.

The track is a little different, fast but a little different. There is a little dip exiting the first turn which adds a slight degree of difficulty but nothing too bad. The opposite turn is a little rough but it's the same for everyone.

I'm really confident in what I can do and I'm just hoping I get a few really good opportunities to show it. I feel fast and I know how to race well so I'm looking forward to skating whatever it is the coaches decide to put me in.

Residency 2010

So, this year we have an entirely knew coaching staff which was a lot different for me because I'm used to some stability on the coaching front. This year going into residency I had a lot of different focuses then in years past. This year I wanted to come into residency capable of skating contributing in the distance department. Last year and this year I was able to race the endurance races well, but racing and training are two completely different entities. So far I think I've done well. Throughout most of the year and leading into residency I've felt that I've been strong, but have lacked a little in the speed department. I spent a lot of time doing intervals and sprints trying to fix the problem I feel as if I've been having. I think my training at home before residency has been really good for me. I've been training for worlds, not residency and I think it's been going great.

A few things about myself in terms of an athlete: I analyze everything. I like to work hard, I want my legs to hurt and hurt bad so that I know I'm working hard. I like to bang out my workouts, not drag them along.

The first couple days of residency did not bode well for me. I felt as if we were not going as hard as we needed to, I felt as if we were wasting so much time, and my legs did not hurt enough. One of the easy gauges of if the team is going hard enough is how many people are sore/hurt. It is inevitable for people to hurt their feet, have trouble with their equipment, get sore groins, etc. This is not a knock on any athlete(s) I just feel as if you have to prepare physically and mentally for a training program like this and if it is your first time or if you underestimated anything then you could end up with a problem.

Secondly, I've run into a little bit of trouble in the wheel department. It is not the quality of the wheel as I am still skating on the most impressive wheel out there but more of a problem with people outside of the sport not understanding the needs in terms of wheels especially on bank tracks that gobble wheels for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.. aka Colorado Springs velodrome.

Anyway.. I've gone into residency just wanting to work hard. If I work as hard as I possibly can then I know I will be on an incredible peak for worlds not to mention the mental toughness that you pick up along the way. So far I think I've been working pretty hard, I've yet to miss a drill and I've given every drill everything I've got. After this mornings workout when I got out of the car I'm pretty sure my legs were still shaking, which is a good sign in my opinion.

One of my last thoughts is somewhat simple, I hate when people who are not around the team try to decide just by word of mouth what is the best training method for us. Any good coach will have their athletes do at the least one workout to test the athlete. When I say test the athlete I mean it is easy to see an athlete compete and do well when everything is going well. But if you stick them outside of their comfort zone, put them up against a wall when no matter how hard they try the thought of quitting is always creeping up on them, that's when you find out certain things about athletes. Do you want the athlete who can win as long as nothing unexpected happens? Or do you want the athlete that will grind every possible spectacle of energy and fight out of their body to avoid failure?

I've got just over three weeks until worlds begins. I plan on working on the mental aspect just as much as the physical. I am a quiet athlete, but by the time I get to Colombia I can guarantee I will be confident in my abilities. In terms of my speed and what I thought I've needed to work on a lot, every day I feel tired a little more, but my lap times get a little faster which is what I want to see from myself heading into the stretch run.

Residency Part 4

A new year means a new residency. I'm pretty much ready to start skating. I want the next two weeks to be really really hard so we'll see. New coaches this year means that things will be a little different but we'll see how it ends up biggest different isn't always bad. Staff sat down with every skater today which was definitely a difference.

I want to think this year we have a large group of motivated skaters but that we will find out in the next two weeks. Hopefully, we can just push each other and get to worlds skating well together and strong. I'm really looking forward to Colombia and I'm really looking forward to getting out on the track tomorrow here. I think we are just putting in a lot of laps tomorrow which is fine but we also have to go at a pace that will allow our lungs to begin to adjust to the altitude.

That's about it for now. Looking forward to getting some skating in and working with a completely different staff.

Northshore Inline Marathon

Well, Saturday I skated the NorthShore Inline Marathon for the second time. This time around I was much much more prepared and capable of skating a marathon. I was very excited to skate the race heading into it and I was hoping and hoping it would be dry because my raining marathon record is not very good.

Heading into the race I thought there was only maybe one or two people or could flat out beat me in a field sprint heading into the marathon so I liked my chances, especially because I felt like if needed to I could do some chasing and try to keep some of the top guys with me.

Sure enough, Saturday when we woke up it was raining, and wet, with puddles. I was nervous but I did know that I had the best wheels underneath me so it made it a little bit more comfortable. It's funny how marathons work out.. you can tell early who everyone is paying close attention to and who no one believes has a serious chance of getting away.. this one was not much different.

I don't think I fell any further back then about 7th place throughout the entire marathon. I also benefited from having a few strong guys to skate with on CadoMotus which made bringing a few semi-serious breaks back in with me personally needing to expend as much energy. I knew the marathon wasn't that fast but I blame that fully on the rain. After about half way the pack pretty much realized it was almost impossible to get away especially because of the hills it made it easy for the pack to reel skaters back in.

The second half of the marathon was really slow, like cat and mouse slow. We would crawl, then break for a few hundred meters then crawl, and break little bits and pieces just to keep the field honest really. Once we entered the highway I put the gameface on big time. I moved all the way up to the front of the pack and the furthest back I got on the highway was third place. I figured there would be a lot of fighting for positioning on the highway and I was really surprised the I was not challenged almost at all for second place in the pack.

When we got out of the last tunnel I kept my head on a swivel. I thought a late try at a break from someone that didn't fair well in a field sprint would be coming with less than 2 miles left but nothing happened so I sat patiently. I had the best position in the field I think, sitting behind Justin Stelly just waiting to get closer to the finish.

Coming up close to the off ramp on the highway my teammate, Hank, Gailbraith, made a really strong break at the front of the pack. I started smiling in the pack immediately because my chances of winning the field sprint went up instantly. As soon as he went, Justin Stelly, Julian Rivera, and Juan Tobin went chasing Hank down at full speed. I tucked in behind Juan because he without a doubt had the best field sprint of the field. I felt really really good about my chances especially sitting behind Juan and having the biggest threats of the race trying to chase down my teammate. After the off ramp, we went around a turn that was really slippery and also had a lot of paint lines right around the turn (not to mention it started raining again) and going around the turn I two-footed it to make sure I wouldn't go down, and sure enough.. I went down with probably 700m to go or somewhere around that.

I was very disappointed that I went down. I managed to skate the whole marathon and had no fatigue at the end at all, and then I went down. I felt even worse that Hank broke off the front so that I would have perfect shot at winning and then I fell after he already made his move. I got back up and passed some of the skaters that were off the back of our pack, I finished 9th overall, 8 seconds back from Justin Stelly, the winner.

Next year I plan on returning to Duluth once again.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Well.. by the time September is over I will only have 8 days left in Pennsylvania spread across two months. Home will always be home but its still weird being so close but seeming so far away at the same time. I've spent all of my time since ODN working and skating. Literally, that is all that I've done. I haven't had two days off of work in a row yet (I do for Duluth) and I've been skating the whole time.

I'm excited in the type of shape I'm in right now. I have a lot of work still to do in a little bit of time but I feel good. I'm stronger then I ever have been which is awesome. Strength is always a positive but it doesn't replace the speed aspect of skating. So in return, I have sprints and intervals to do... lots and lots of them which should bring my speed back up. I'm probably the only 'sprinter' who would rather skate intervals then sprints. I hate doing sprint practices because it leads to my demise and by demise I mean me.. on the side of the road/track.. vomiting.

I like the mindset that I have right now. Heading into the stretch run of the inline season I feel strong mentally more than anything which is probably the best. I'm really in tune with my body right now so I can tell when I need to take a day easy or when it wont be really good interval day. Leading into residency I'm happy that I'm pretty strong right now because all I need to do is fine tune which is what residency is all about. Residency is about 85% mental I think. When you get the top skaters in one place, every drill becomes the hardest drill you've ever done and at that point it's a mental game with yourself to continue so going into it with a great mindset should make it easier.

I can't wait for residency, it'll be the first time this year I can train without working at all which should be pretty cool. I'm really excited to get back to Colombia. I hope I don't end up disappointed but I loved it so much the last time I was there so hopefully that will be pretty cool.

What Lies Ahead

Alright..

So as of now I am training for worlds. I do not train for residency because I am not racing anyone at residency. I train for worlds. Right now I've taken a few early-morning practices off because I've been pretty tired lately and I just want to make sure I'm getting enough sleep before I really start killing myself which will be happening very, very, shortly.

Next I'll be taking a weekend off of that training to go skate the NorthShore Inline Marathon aka the Duluth marathon. The last and only time I skated Duluth was 2007 and I had a miserable time. I still don't know exactly why I thought it would be a brilliant idea for me to go: I put 110m wheels on a week and a half before the marathon. And for 3-4 weeks prior while I was at worlds I did not skate anything over 1000m. Not exactly the marathon winning formula. But I am confident it will be much better this time around. I'm pretty excited, my training should be going well and it's two weeks before the residency program so it kind of fits in nicely. Still a lot of work to do but that's alright I'm ready to tackle the challenge.

After that I'll be in Colorado Springs for residency from Sept. 23rd - Oct 8. When I get home I will be skating a indoor league meet on the 10th... I will not have skated indoors for at least 3 months at that point so we'll see how that goes. Then I leave for worlds on the 13th I believe and get home on halloween or on the 1st.

After that, I will be home for only four days, and that is to pack up some stuff and then on Nov. 5th the 32 hour drive to Utah begins to start another journey.

Trials Are Over

Finally. I am glad that the racing is over because it's a little stressful for me, especially just the mental aspect. I raced well this year and it didn't make it any easier.

I'm ready to get home, take a few days to eat whatever I want and then get back on the health diet. Monday or Tuesday will be my first day of practice probably. I can't wait to start training. I'm going home with a chip on my shoulder, and it has nothing to do with anything that happened to me.

I skated great but I didn't win anything, not that anyone besides Joey really did but if I didn't win anything then I didn't accomplish anything and I need to get a lot better. I'm going to keep training the way that I am but at the same time I'm picking the intensity up big time. From this point on it's just a struggle mentally to keep on track and have the ability to visualize the competition going faster so that I can keep it up. I'm staying away from indoor because it will frustrate me and make me angry.

On a different note, I want to thank George Neal a ton for sending me a frame on the second day of racing because mine was bent. It helped a lot and it was great being on a stiff, straight frame that helped me use most of the power that I do have.

Track Trials - Recap

Track is over. Before I talk about the racing..

All year long we train for this. We skate outside when it's below freezing. We train outside and sometimes it starts flurrying or snowing. We keep going. We train when we are happy, sad, pissed off, tired, sore, and hurt. We train when we are fast and when we are slow. Somehow, we never stop training even when everyone close by does.

I get that out of the way, because when I am finally racing for what I've been training for all year it's hard to allow yourself to fail. If you trust who trains you, and that you trained your hardest then how can you not succeed?

Alright five races in the books.. here we go.

300m
So the practice right before the 300m I discovered a bend in both of my frames. I'm not talking about the frame being completely bent but if you know anything about ice blades you know they are bent a little to make turning easier, well my right frame was bent just like that. And the left was bent the wrong way. So I didn't tell that many people because if I skated bad I didn't want it as an excuse. The 300m I went fifth out of the field. I think my start was pretty bad. My first turn was pretty good and my first straight was so-so. My opener was really bad a 9.88 which I think was still third best but for me that is not good. I hadn't ran that slow since 2006 I believe in an opening 100m. My second turn was good but not what I expected. My third turn was better then I thought it would be but still have plenty to fix. I finished in 26.19 which gave me fourth overall. Not what I was looking for but it gave me eight points so I took them and didn't say anything.

1000m
The 1000m is always a little nerve racking for me, at least the heat. It goes by time so you always need to have a fast race. In my heat we started off with I think the slowest first lap of the four heats which is really bad if we want to qualify for the next round. After that I took a strong pull, Ryan Weiderhold took a strong pull, and then with two to go I just started sprinting. I ended up winning the heat which automatically qualified me for the semi but we ran the fastest heat which was really good as a heat. The 1000m is one of the few times you really work together with your opposition.
In the semi-final we had a pretty fast group of guys. I took the first lead and led a fast first lap because I wanted to get off to a good start time-wise. Next Jarret Paul took a lead, then Chad Horne, Then Cheex took off with two to go with me right behind him. Joey passed by both of us and then Harry came along side Cheex at the finish. Luckily, we ran a really fast time so that Joey, Cheex, Harry, and I all qualified from our semi for the final.
The final had a really strong field. Probably one of the best 1000m fields I've raced in at trials before. I decided that I wanted to be in the front because it was going to be too hard to get around everyone. With a little over two laps to go Harry made a break on the outside and luckily I saw it really early so I just started sprinting. With 1 lap to go I was still in first place and so much was running through my head. Down the back stretch Joey passed me and then Will passed me as well. Coming out of the last turn Stelly and I had a drag race to the line for third and somehow I ended up beating him at the line.

10k Points
The points race I wanted to do really good in because I thought that was a race I needed to so I could have good standing and also prove that I can race everything. For the most part I had a bad race. I took a gamble waiting for someone to make a break on the pack so I could go with them and grab a few points on a breakaway but it never happened. With about 6 to go the pack started splitting up. I had to go after the leaders because I needed points really bad (only two at that point). I caught the four leaders and rested for a lap or two. With 3 to go I made a break to go after a point, unfortunately Joey and I caught skates and it caused him to go down. It didn't cause him a placement luckily. I picked up 1 point with two to go. Then Hank, made a break with one and a half to go. I waited until one lap to go and then I took off. We came across the line 1,2 which gave me two more points and allowed me to finish fifth overall in the race. I would have liked top 4 but I can't complain with finishing in the top 5.

500
This year there are a lot of fast guys so I was pretty sure the 500 was going to be a tough race. My heat wasn't too bad and they took 3 to qualify so I used it as a warm up and went a lot harder then I had to but it got me loosened up for the quarterfinals. The quarters I made it through without too much trouble and then I was off to the semi's. My semi was pretty tough with Joey, Chad, and Ben in it. I got to the lead but didn't want to go to early so I waited for a little bit. Joey made a break on the outside and Chad was following him. Luckily, when they got around me I was able to go back under Chad in the turn keeping me in second place with 1 lap to go. In the last turn we got tangled up a little bit and then we had to sprint to the line and this time I managed to get Chad at the line. Last year it was the opposite and he ended up getting me at the line.
The final was Joey, Harry, Will, and me. Not exactly a super easy field if you ask me. After a few false starts we got underway with Joey in the front, followed by Harry, Will, then me. I knew if I was going to get by anyone I was going to have to do it in the turn because my straightaways are not quite as good as theirs. With one lap to go Will went a little low to get by Harry and I saw an opportunity to go low, skip the hump, and just sprint down the straightaway. it worked to my advantage because when Harry and Will got a little tangled up it gave me a clean shot at 2nd place. In the last turn I entered high and crossed straight down to the red line because in the last turn the most important thing is to protect the inside so if someone has to pass me they have to skate a longer distance to do it. Harry came in low on the turn and at the apex we met pretty hard. Someone I managed to recuperate quickly and then Will and I raced to the line for 2nd and 3rd. I managed to squeak out 2nd in the 500m which was pretty cool for me.

15k Elim
So the final race was the elim. I wanted to get top 5 in the elim because I would have a really good shot at being in second place overall (behind Joey) if I managed to do that. The race wasn't that fast which probably worked to my advantage. I stayed on the outside of the pack the majority of the race because It's easier for me to pick up speed out there. With about 11 or 12 skaters left on the track I found myself in the back sprinting around people for a while to not get eliminated. With about 8 skaters left I found myself in much better position being able to rest a little longer. With two laps to go we were down to just 5 skaters and I was already one of them. Joey made a break early then I thought he would and Hank went after him. Stelly and I got tangled up briefly with 1 to go and then in the last turn Stelly slipped really bad giving me an opportunity to pass him for 3rd place. I earned my first long race medal at Outdoor Nationals in the 7 years I've been out there.

Outdoor Nationals

Alright, I'm here in Colorado once again. This is a nice place for me. All I do is race and skate and think skating. Seems like a vacation almost. I love trials because it's so much racing in so little time. So I love racing and that's cool. Trials are going to be crazy because there is a legitimate field this year unlike last year. In Senior we have all six team members trying out again plus Justin Stelly is going to worlds and Harry Vogel plus Justin Mannon is Senior this year so the competition should be great and we have a lot of others skaters that will be great. It's just nice to have a strong field to keep the paces fast and everything and to make the competition tighter so that we know we'll have a stronger field than last year. Senior women should be lightyears ahead this year. They have I think four of last years team members trying out plus four junior women from last years world team that moved up and Mariah Richardson will be here as well so that gives them nine really competitive women. Hopefully the racing won't be a sight for sore eyes because the last couple of years that's how it was. The junior division are much more wide open. The men have three returning team members and a lot of good competition behind them which should give them a pretty strong field. The jr. ladies have two returning team members but they have a good field behind them as well and a few that will probably stand out.

I think we could have a good trials and a good team this year. Hopefully the rain will hold out so we can get all the racing done on time. Well that's it for now, got an early morning for practice.

Eastern Seaboard Series Race 3

Well, yesterday was the third installment of the Eastern Seaboard Series races. In the Sr. Men's race we did not have any stars this time around, No Michael Cheek, one of the fastest skaters in the US. No Oliver Jean, an Olympic gold medalist. So it was a little calm I think. Everyone there in the Sr. Men's race pretty much knew everyone else and how they raced. We skated a 21k this time which I would prefer we skated everytime but that's okay.

From a personal stand point I wasn't exactly looking forward to the race. I thought I was but then when I was there I just felt tired and sleepy. I kept yawning. Luckily when I started racing that went away for the most part. I was much much more active this race. In the first race I was pretty dormat, in the second race I didn't do much because I was tired after falling. But this race I did a decent amount. I chased and got on every single breakaway except one (more on that to come). In the beginning I just chased because it felt like the right thing to do. Then I just kept doing it and kept doing it. In the middle of a race I got on a breakaway with about 3-4 other skaters. We stayed out for about 4 laps (4 miles) or something close to that, maybe a little longer or shorter. For a little while it looked like we might finish on a breakaway which would have put me at a huge advantage in a very small field sprint. But with a little less than two laps to go the pack, led by Justin Mannon caught up to us.

Naturally, shortly after the pack caught us there was a counter attack. Something that every good skater should be aware of. Anyway, the counterattack looked very weak at first and I didn't think it would end up being a break away so I waited in the pack because it wasn't getting far in front of us and didn't look like a huge threat. Then two more skaters chased it. But the pack was still in striking distance. I hesitated chasing the break, I stepped out of the pack to chase and hesitated and jumped back in the pack. I huge mistake on my part. Anyway, the break managed to get further away then I would have liked. On the bell lap (last mile) they had opened up a pretty big lead. I thought about chasing it because I thought I could have caught them, but I wouldn't have had much left for a sprint and at least one person in the pack would have just followed me up to the leaders and then took off sprinting for the line. I figured if no one else in the pack was going to do any work I wasn't going to do all the work for none of the glory. So in the end, three skaters finished the race on a breakaway. At the line Justin Mannon beat me by probably just over a foot. Giving me fifth place for the race.

I was disappointed that I didn't go after the break with less than two laps to go. I don't exactly know what I was thinking. I'm pretty sure I had the legs to go after it even though I was on a break right before. I hate losing and I still don't know why I didn't go after it but that's alright. In terms of a training race I did good. I chased breaks and went on some and still had someone to sprint against at the end there. Every race is just getting me ready for Outdoor Nationals when I won't be able to afford I mental lapse.

My Decision

At the end of this blog.. look back at the title and let me know if you get the pun. lol.

Alright, So it looks that I can say with around 96% confidence that sometime this Winter, most likely November.. first week of December at the absolute latest.. I will be making my move to Salt Lake City to make a full-time switch to short track AND long track speed skating (at least for the time being). It's a move I contemplated last year around this time and decided the timing was not right. This year, I went a little of a different route.

First, I realize that although I am switching to ice, Inline is and always will be my passion. With that being said I came to the conclusion that I will never decide I am ready to switch to ice. Once I realized I will never be ready to I figured that if I don't do it now, I have to wait 3 or 4 years which is too long for me. What I realized is that I'm never going to be completely satisfied walking away from my inlines but it is a decision that I would always regret if I never did it. With that being said everything just seems like it is right for me to go now.

Secondly, I am making a full-time switch to ice.. BUT I am still an inliner and I am still skating inlines throughout the year and throughout the ice season. I still have full intentions on skating every race of the National SpeedSkating Circuit along with a few other meets. I plan skating on my inlines every week even during the winter if possible.
One reason that I am doing this is because the concept that ice skaters can't skating inlines is Bologna. The Canadian short track speed skaters skate inlines multiple times a week and they do it very well in fact. If it doesn't hurt them then it isn't going to hurt me.

Third, when everyone in the inline community realizes how many of us are switching this year I think they are going to be devastated and blown away. But at the same time I think they are going to see that it can be done without sacrificing inlines completely it just depends on how much you really want to do it. Hopefully with so many of us missing from various races even though we do plan on skating inlines it will open up the door for some other skaters to take over and steal some of the spotlight.

I plan on skating ODN, qualifying for the world team, skating worlds and then after that it will be November and time for me to move. I plan on using my blog for a weekly update on how myself and my peers are doing on the ice. We are all starting halfway through the ice season which might make the first season a little rough but I think that will be okay in the long run.

Indoor Nationals

In simple terms my indoor nationals was horrendous at best. For the first time since 2001 I came home empty handed from a national championship which is one of the oddest feelings I will ever experience I'm sure of it.

Next I did not skate good at all and I am baffled by it. I actually was bad from the start but got progressively worse as it went on. I think I did okay dealing with how awful I was especially because it was something I have never dealt with before and I don't think I will solve the mystery that was my indoor national championships of 2010. Next, I am so excited that I still have Outdoor Nationals to redeem myself which I am confident I will do. I've been strong outdoor in the last couple of months which is one reason this indoor fluke baffles me but I am putting it behind me. I have a lot going on in the next 3-4 months that it seems ridiculously thinking about how much I need to get done. Soon I will start telling everyone exactly what I am doing as soon as I get the go ahead to do so. Right now I am 100% devoted to Outdoor skating and to NSC of course.

I get home friday night and have work Saturday morning. Afterward I am getting a gym membership and catching up on some lifting that I should have started two months ago. Next will be lots and lots of intervals to try and counteract some of the weight I am bound to put on with the weights. And the dreaded healthy eating is coming on Monday. I am going to hate it but it's the only shot I have at staying at my current weight while lifting.

Before ODN I have some strength training to catch up on and a lot of sweat to lose. It's going to be weights and intervals the majority of the way up to ODN for me I believe.

Lastly, I want to apologize to everyone who watched me and expected more out of me at indoor nationals. I expected way more out of myself then anyone else and I definitely didn't live up to my training. I felt like an embarrassment to myself, my coaches, and everyone who specifically watched me. All I can say is that come August 9th it will be a different story.

Look for 2-3 more blogs this week!

Father's Day

Well, today is Father's Day. Considering I don't have a mother I guess Father's Day is pretty significant for me. This year is the first time I guess I ever really put any thought into Father's Day. Growing up my siblings and I were partial to my mother because my father worked so much we didn't get to spend nearly as much time with him as we did with my mother, that would have to be my biggest regret I guess, especially realizing what became of both of them as people. Growing up my parents argued a lot and my mom always made my dad out to be the bad guy and made it seem like he was holding her back as a person, but she did always tell us that he loved us no matter what. It's just funny to me because when I was 15 and my parents split up we got to see the true colors. As far as I am concerned my mother died that year, figuratively speaking of course. She is still alive, but not as my mother. On a different note this has nothing to do with my mother just getting to the rest.

On the opposite side my father you could say flourished. The days of seeing my father angry and having such a short fuse dwindled down and he really displayed a whole other level of affection for my siblings and I. I can't say my father and I haven't had our arguments, shortcomings, or disagreements but in the end I can't say he hasn't been there throughout my life no matter what. He's always been there for my family and I, even when it seems as if it was something we should have been able to handle ourselves. My father has always wanted better for us. For any shortcomings my father may have he makes up for it with love and support that he shows us.

In the end there are many things I have learned from my dad, both directly and indirectly that I will take through life. The best thing my dad has ever shared for me is his desire for my success and wanting the best for me even if it meant taken less for himself. I could tell if I grow up to be half the man he is then I will grow up a good man. But that wouldn't be acceptable. If there is one thing my dad has given me it's a desire to never settle for what I have, to strive for what's ahead, and to always try to become better. If I told my dad today I wanted to be half the man he is today, he would be disappointed in me and tell me I have to better then that.

Most of all my dad has given me skating. Throughout the last 14 years he supported me every step of the way from my first pair of skates until the wheels I'll put on my skates in the future. His spent countless dollars driving me everywhere and buying what I needed. After all of these years he only sees me race now, so I try to repay him with effort when I lace my skates up because that may be the only way I ever could. He's been there when I won my first race. When I qualified for my first nationals. When I won my first national title. When I made my first world team. Even when Philadelphia Airport made me wait in line for 4 hours and miss my flight to Miami on my way to my first worlds. He was there when I won that medal in Colombia. One day I hope to let him see me make an Olympic team. Some day I hope we win an Olympic medal. Me on the ice and him watching.

Eastern Seaboard Series Race #2

Alright, yesterday was the second race of the 2010 Eastern Seaboard Series. For some reason I feel like writing about outdoor races because I love outdoors so much. Anyway, the first race we had Cheex show up which was awesome. This race we had Oliver Jean show up which was even cooler for me. Oliver has skated trexlertown before but not in the last few seasons. If you don't know, he is a Canadian short track speed skater that won a gold medal in the 5k relay at the Vancouver Olympics. Furthermore, he might be one of the tallest short track skaters at 6'2".

Anyway, the first race I skated was the 5k on the flat track. I skated with one of our younger skaters and it was okay. It's fun to watch a five year old skate a 5k and never put their hands on their knees or never stop moving their feet even for a second. It reminds you that something like that can be done, you just have to ignore the mental aspect and do it.

After that the Pro Masters and Veterans skated their race which is normally when I am warming up for my race so I end up missing most of it. They skated a pretty good race from what I could tell, the pack stayed together throughout the race unlike the last race.

Next up was the Pro Freshman through Senior Men. We had a pretty good race going. I took an unfortunate spill on what I think was the second mile and that really sucked. I popped right back up and caught back up to the pack within the next 400m but it really sucks falling. Not only did I fall but I think I fell pretty hard. All of the areas I fell on are swollen and I managed to get more marks then I should. I got my trademark which is my shin, then I got my mid-thigh, hip, ribs, inside forearm, and I think my head might have hit the ground because the one side of my neck is pretty stiff too. The only good part about the fall is afterwards I was pretty mad that I fell and normally it makes me focus a little more and become a little more efficient. I wish I knew exactly what triggers me to focus more when I get angry but it's been that way my entire career and I've never figured it out really.
The race had a decent pace with few breakaways. The thing about breakaways is that they only occur if the pace drops down a lot and keeping the pace steady eliminates most breaks. On the last lap the pace usually gets pretty slow. The first race Cheex took care of that by keeping it fast and this race Oliver took off as the bell was ringing which worked except back in the woods he let up a lot and the pace got a little slow and there was a ridiculous amount of grabbing during a 100m stretch. Both races so far this year I've played it a little risky by making my move really really late compared to what I normally would do. The first race I came about 10m short losing by just a little and this time I came up the exact opposite way by having around 10m to spare and winning by just a little so it works both ways.

Next up was the Pro Freshman thru Senior Women's race. Usually they have a ridiculously slow race but they have been getting better at going faster the last few races. The same people definitely end up leading their race but the thing the kind of annoys me is that when they go slow no one even attempts to breakaway. I just don't see any strategy in their races and it's more like we'll all just stay together and sprint at the end and the best sprint may win. The top three finished Sam Goetz, Alex Harris, and Chelsea Creveling which is a pretty good top three considering all of them were 2009 world team members.

Lastly was the advanced race and unfortunately I failed to watch the majority of this race except for the beginning which I apologize for. Being that last race I normally end up chatting during this race with skaters that do not make it down often. This time I chatted with Oliver for awhile and I was in complete awe looking at his Vancouver Gold Medal. Something like that just blows me away. I can't imagine having my own someday even though that is the goal.

What Started It All

I was eight or nine years old. I was a JO Juvenile boy. I was skating I believe in Wharton , NJ, at a keystone speed league meet. I was skating in the second heat. The distance was 500m.. the long race.

I got second place off the start but the skater in first had a great start getting away from me within the first lap. He was in the lead and I was in second by myself, just running after the lead. I caught him with just a lap and a half remaining in the race. Coming around the next turn, as the final lap bell was ringing I made my pass for the lead. As soon as I made the pass even at nine or ten, I instantly felt my legs get heavy and I did my all to hold on to win the race.

I came off the floor, most likely smiling, my parents congratulating me.

And that was the first race I ever won.

After three years, I won my very first race. The thrill of victory, the feeling afterward, and the way everyone congratulates immediately after a victory unlike anything else. That made me want to win a lot more.


Another moment that I vividly remember is from 2006. I had just finished a race at nationals and I was sitting in the ready area taking my skates off when a primary boy from my team approached me. He asked me, "How do you always win." I smiled. I don't remember my exact words like I remember his, but I believe I told him that I don't always win but I always try to and that if he wants to win he has to go to practice and skate as fast as he can every time.

That same day, he went down to the vendor area where the Send The Best booth was set up and asked whoever was working the booth at the time, if next year when I have a trading card if they could save him one so he can buy it. I remind you in 2006 I did not make the world team, and I did not have a trading card that year and there was no guaranteeing I would have one the next year either.

Sure enough I made the world team in 2007 and I had a trading card. The boy did not attend nationals that year but I remember buying a trading card, signing it, and personally giving it to him the next time I saw him.

If I told you every time I got on the starting line winning wasn't on my mind I would be lying. Ever since that first win I have wanted nothing more than to win every race I ever skate again. But I also can't explain the disappointment I have felt coming off the skating floor after I did not finish first and seeing a primary, juvenile, or elementary skater standing there watching me roll by.

At first I always wanted to win because it felt good for me. I was congratulated coming off the floor. But as I got older I realized winning, can mean so much even though winning is not and never will be the most important aspect.

Outdoor Racing

Yesterday I raced the first trexlertown race of the year/season. But that was also my first outdoor race since the World Championships. That means I went 8 months without a single race outdoors. But the weird part is probably the amount of practices I did outdoor without racing which is really, really high. I didn't notice until yesterday it was that long, which is odd because I love to race. I think the fact that I enjoy outdoor skating so much allows me to do it without ever needing to race a regular schedule which is cool I guess.

Anyway, Cheex came up for the event which was awesome. It had been a while since someone other than Justin and I were there to headline the race which is cool. Is great to get new people there especially because it's a great course. Another reason that it's nice to get other people there is that its a change of pace. That race yesterday was like none I had raced since Chris (Creveling) stopped skating them. There was someone else in the lead and pushing the pace then the normal people that you almost get use to it. Anyway, Cheex had the race pretty fast. It seemed like every lap he had a few spots that he kept picking it up in but his purpose was a fast pace, not a breakaway or anything. By doing so the race had very, very few breakaways but was still faster then what we normally have which is a lot of stop and go breakaway stuff.

In the end Cheex had a great lead out for one of his new teammates this year, Justin. Cheex made the last lap one of the fastest laps which effectively stalled much of the passing that you would expect for positioning reasons on the last lap. Then he pulled out at about the perfect time allowing Justin to have a good 200m sprint to the line which worked well allowing Justin to pick up the first win of the series. Rounding out the top three in Senior was Me and John Ristine.

On the other note I kept reading about how sore everyone is after the first race and it is definitely a reflection of the type of practicing you do I think. Some soreness is to be expected if you haven't raced outdoor recently like a little in the groin area maybe but if you practice outdoor a lot much of the other soreness should not exist, which thankfully I can say definitely doesn't for me.

What A Journey It's Been

I am 19 years old, my name is Keith Carroll Jr. I come from a small town in Pennsylvania, only about 1300 residents. Everyday I can't believe I've gotten as far as I have.

When I was about five I skated my first speed skating practice. I was on boots that were far to big for me but I said they fit because I wanted to give it a shot. Moments later it was obvious they did not fit my feet.

Fast forward four years and I started skating for a different team. It was a change that has probably shaped me as a person. My coach gave lectures at the end of practices and I was the three foot tall, nine years old, and was still too afraid to talk to my coach. But when he lectured us he said things like, "If you give me 100% you will get faster" and "When I stop yelling that means I stopped caring" and I still remember getting the chills from the words. I was not fast, I really wanted to be though. I spent four years giving 100% for a different coach and never got that much faster. But it was the confidence in his voice, when I was just nine years old that made me believe I could get faster, and the idea of going fast, maybe winning a race someday gave me the chills.

Fast forward another two years and I was still skating. On the verge of my first national medal in a JO (Junior Olympic) relay. I said I was ready for a skate that was far to big for me, with five wheels. At this point I was at the tallest four feet tall, with a skate that would extend much higher then my knee if stood up next me. Watching video now I was not even close to being ready for that skate but we did it anyway because I begged and pleaded with my parents that I was ready.

After I won my first national medal I kept going to practice because that was all I knew. The older guys at practice use to joke with me and call me champ and national champion. I always shrugged it off i knew they were teasing me in a joking way, not being mean but not being sincere either.
Two very very short years later I was introduced to outdoor skating in a big way. I had skated outside before but I had never really raced outside. I went to Outdoor Nationals earned myself three national medals to bring my collection to six in two years and I broke my first national record. That very first year watching Junior and Senior World Class skate I said to my mom I was going to make the world team.. I was thirteen.

I would be sixteen before I finally made that first world team. And I barely made it. But that was okay to me because it made me work harder because there were a lot of people that didn't believe I deserved to be on that team. A few months later a former world team coach actually told me she didn't think I ever deserved to make the world team.

More importantly, when I was sixteen I signed my first autograph. I didn't even have a signature yet. I was still testing it out. But there were people who wanted me to sign things for them. I couldn't believe it. It was easily a milestone in my life. I was sixteen, I came from a town of just 1300 people and I could not fathom that somewhere else in the world someone wanted me to give them an autograph. I think i was more excited to sign then they were to get my signature.

Now I am 19, I sign autographs occasionally still and I still marvel at the opportunity. I've been to four different countries and all over the US. I skate everyday and I love every second of it. I want the world to realize that this sport is just as good as any other. Maybe more. I want the world to realize that we have our stud athletes and our bad ones, we have our good people and our bad people in the sport. I want them to see the passion the I put on display. I want them to notice that when we get good we look for ways to get better. I want the world to realize that a small kid, just 5'5" and not getting any bigger can be a world class athlete from a small town of just 1300 people that didn't have to move or switch schools to get where they are. How many sports is that possible in??

I want the world to realize "if you give me 100%, you will get faster."

Coaching 101

Before I jump into this let me make a disclaimer here that I am not a coach. Just an athlete. But if you are a coach here are a few things you should avoid that I had the very unfortunate task of witnesses this past weekend.

1. This is a big one for me. As a coach, know your skaters. More then that know their names. I sat through an entire race. Where I watched a coach not only tell his skater the same thing lap after lap but also call them by the wrong name lap, after lap, after lap. My first thought it oh, simple mistake he'll get it right next lap.... I was wrong. This continued the whole race. To make matter worse this kid was in 5th place so he needed the motivation that should have come from his coach in order to catch up. Now, if your coach is trying to cheer you on by saying "let's go _____" and the blank is not your name then he is having the reverse effect. The athlete in question wasn't even a new athlete, he has skated for the SAME coach for like two years. Are you kidding me!?! If I was in that position that would have been the very very very last race I ever skated for him. I felt embarrassed for the kid let alone how horrible I felt that my coach didn't even know my name. Awful.. just awful.

Now before I jump into the next one.. let me make this clear. When I skate I want to skate against the fastest skaters. If I win i want it to be because I was faster and I deserved to win. I never believed a true victory was one that someone could look at and say.. they definitely wouldn't win that the majority of the time.

With that being said...
2. I also had the completely and utterly unfortunate luck of witnessing what I feel as a complete disgrace to sport in general. Not skating, but any type of sport you could think of. I watched a coach cheer on one of his athletes that was not yet 8 years old. NOT YET EIGHT! (Just remember that) and as another athlete pulled up along side of his to pass he yelled "FIGHT THEM OFF". Now the next part may or may not have been intentional or not but the fact remains that it happened. His skater's foot happened to collide with the passing skaters foot causing the passer to fall.. hard. And instantaneously the coach yelled "GOOD JOB. WAY TO GO. GOOD JOB" Pardon my french, but are you ****ing me!!!! This child is not even eight years old, and you have just successfully cheered them on for knocking another athlete down. Eight years old. Now his athlete may not have knocked the other down intentionally but either way you don't cheer them for that particular instance. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but if my under eight year old child happened to do that I would make sure that were not trying to knock another athlete down simply to achieve a better placement.

Something like that makes me want to ask the parents.. is that who you really want playing a role in the development of your child?

NSC Tribulation 3

Thursday May 20th 9pm eastern. Tune in at www.pronsc.com and watch the live feed for just $8 dollars. Athletes from Washington State, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania all come together to decide who is the Grand Champion of the most decorated indoor athletes in the world. The athletes could reach speeds up to 30mph with nothing but a helmet for protection.

Special Guest and Olympic Medalist, J.R. Celski, comes back to where it all started to watch some of the athletes he use to race and watch. Tune in to watch a high speed event that will not disappoint.

And if you are an inline enthusiast tune in to get a preview of Pro Men at nationals as all the athletes are gearing up for their regional championships.

Disappointed As A Professional Sports Fan

As a professional sports fan I love to see a good story unfold. I always do. I watch sports to see something incredible and I watch sports to see a good story. All right this is why I am disappointed currently:

Going from least disappointing to most:

The Philadelphia Eagles management is killing me. They believe they are much better talent wise then they truly are. Their defense has gotten worse and worse as the offseason has progressed. First, they have no DE to compliment one of their best defensive players in Trent Cole causing him to get double teamed and taken out of every game. Next, they had a terrible at best linebacking group last season and then they traded away one of the starters effectively making that part of our defense even worse. Then we traded away a hard working always plays through pain blue collar cornerback who has started for years. And the spot we call free safety was vacant all season last year. The only hope is the fact that usually they have a good draft and they have a potent offense so it's the least disappointing thing.

Next:

Cole Hamels. The 2008 World Series hero that won every game he pitched in the postseason that year. Last year he was disgustingly awful which I can understand, someone gets good really quick and they let up and have a really bad season. I thought for sure this season he was going to be amazing. A winner hates to suck, so I figured he would train hard in the offseason and just be amazing this season. Now the reason this isn't that disappointing is because it's the beginning of the season and he could still be amazing but in his first start he was better then last year but not spectacular in my eyes. He only pitched 5 innings and threw a lot of balls bringing his pitch count up really quickly causing him to have to leave the game a lot earlier then he should, granted it was the first start. He has plenty of time to become awesome like I hoped he would this year. This is disappointing because I was ready to ride the 'comeback kid' for the rest of the season.

Finally:

Tiger Woods. And this is strictly about sports here. I am disappointed. When the whole thing went down I fully expected Tiger Woods to enter 'Kobe after Colorado' mode and just take his game to another level. Like, focus more on golf because of his life sucked and just end up being ridiculous. I expected him to play the masters and win impressively but better yet have that 'screw you all' look on his face the whole time, ignoring the media and taking shots at reporters. I expected him to just enter another realm especially because he was amazing already. Well it didn't happen, Tiger is playing great in the masters but he isn't being the a-hole entering the next realm of sports like Kobe did. And that disappoints me. I know, I'm a selfish sports fan but seriously, if would have been amazing to watch.

Missing in Action

Yesterday I spent a lot of time that should have been dedicated to writing an essay for one of my classes to talking to an old friend from skating. It sounds really weird saying 'old' friend when I'm only 18. This former skater, was a great one. One that I personally loved lining up next to because I knew that we were going to bring the best out of each other. I have many fond memories racing this person and it coming down to a hawk at the line. Most of my memories from ODN involve him for the better and the worse.

During our conversational I realized a lot of things. One, our sport is growing a little boring in the sense that where are all the new talent? Obviously we are a declining sport but even so you expect some up and coming skater right? Or am I and my generation that up and coming skater(s) so it only feels that way to me? I don't know but it seems like we have the same personalities and nothing is changing. We need excitement or something. In my generation a lot of the people that were suppose to bring the excitement vanished from the skating scene and its sad. Now you are left with a few of us diehards who are great skaters but don't have that outgoing expressive personality. I want it back.

Next we were talking about the work ethic and talent pool in the US and how both are dwindling. We talked about how the rest of the world and the US are growing apart rather quickly in terms of talent. Yes we have Joey, but without him the rest of the world wouldn't know who the United States was and that's the bitter truth. Most of all we talked about work ethic. We shared some time on a world team and it was a terrific team in terms of work ethic. It got me thinking what happened? Where did the want for training and to be the best and to just flat out work hard go? And then I realized it didn't leave everyone. What I realized was old faces leaving. So many people that were common faces on the world team moved on and left us in a bit of array. I'm talking about Sebastian, Jonathon, Josh the three of them had a run of world teams that made everything flow. And I'm being serious. In 2007 when I made the world team everyone worked hard and I mean literally everyone. I don't remember anyone taking extended time off or complaining about every single drill like we have now. I realized it was the continuity. It became habit to them, they came to residency worked their tail off and went to worlds. Josh especially, he was so outspoken when it came to calling out a group of skaters or the entire team on giving 100% and that's what is missing. He was so common on the world team year after year that everyone respected him and if you didn't you kept it to yourself and listened to what he had to say.

In 2007 we had a group of skaters that competed against each other at residency for the better of themselves. If we did a distance drill there was 12 guys out there finishing the drill and competing with one another whether that skater was junior or senior was irrelevant they were racing as one group of guys. The seniors all got a long for the most part and the juniors all skated like they had to prove they belonged with the older guys. The egos got checked at the door and I honestly believe that.

That's what we need, is the ego's to be dropped when the plane lands in Colorado Springs. That's the only way. Instead a lot of skaters have a particular training method and feel that deviating from said method is always going to be for the worse and that causes a lot of problems. For me it was always 'tell me what to do and I'm going to do it.' But the only way that works is if you trust who is talking to you. I don't always like who is telling me something but I trust what they can bring to the table.

I don't know what happened to the work ethic but I can only hope that I will be on another world team that gave as much effort as the one is 2007 did. It is extremely difficult for me to think of a single person that showed up out of shape to residency.

Now that we don't do racing for races at residency like we once did I think it still has a negative impact. Everyone is racing in drills now trying to figure out if they do better in this drill or that drill if it will earn them a race. The idea of a race at worlds occupies the mind throughout residency rather then the prospect of training our ass' off. That's another thing, when Sebastian, Jonathon, and Josh came to residency they thought about training not about winning races and that's what made them successful.

Another thing was in 2007 when it was my first year on team I never spoke up about anything because I didn't feel like I had earned the right to speak. I was one of maybe 3 first time world team members and we kept our mouths shut and listened to the veterans.

Attitude Adjustment

Lately I have been focusing on a completely different aspect of well, everything that I do. That would be my attitude towards certain things. For instance: if you hate broccoli, every time someone says you are having broccoli for lunch then you might go ugghhh broccoli is gross. What I am trying to do is instead giving broccoli a fair chance every time I have it. I understand broccoli is a completely extreme example but you get the gist.

Most people who talk to me about indoor and outdoor skating know or find out that I prefer outdoor skating 10x over indoor. Every time I go skate indoor I try to give it a fair chance of being great it is difficult at times but it makes it a lot easier to try and make it a better situation. Falling instantly makes it hard to like indoor. Falling at practice indoor is like sleeping on rocks, who does that? I hate falling at practice especially when it's purposeless. Like not when I through a late pass and go down. When I'm skating by myself and just fall down at practice. It makes it frustrating. I've been trying attack indoors differently to makes it more enjoyable but it is difficult. Especially this winter when I was confined to skating indoor because of the ridiculous 60-70 inches of snow accumulation we got this winter. That made it almost impossible for me for a while but it's getting better.

Another problem I had was I found that I was always rushing in the morning and it is a bad start to a day to always be rushing. Then it just hit me and I started waking up a little earlier so I'm not rushing and it has done wonders for me thus far.

A Different Approach

The snow is ALMOST all melted. At least at my house. Which is thankful and it is starting to warm up which means outdoor skating has begun not just for myself but even for the people that never do it in the winter. This winter I got a lot less outdoor skating in then I normally do but it doesn't bother me that much because outdoor nationals is so late.

Normally I am gearing up to go skate down south at either Georgia or Tampa. I wish I could attend both of these meets every year but it's just not possible at this point for me and this year I'm actually passing on both which I haven't done in a long time. I was going to go down to Tampa just for the outdoor portion but I think I'm passing on it too. I can already tell you how I would have done, great in the 500, good in the 1500, and pretty bad in the 20k. With that being said I am fully aware that I am not in the type of outdoor shape I wish I was in. So instead of going and racing I decided to stay home. If I don't race then I can believe I am in awful shape, and if I train as if I am in awful shape well then eventually I will be in good shape.

Sometimes I think people race too much and if they race good they lax a little in their training whether is conscious or not. If you don't race as much and you believe you have a lot of work to do then you are in an ideal situation. The best improvement I've had in a year is 2006 and I trained like I sucked. Partially because I couldn't stay on my feet long enough to find out if I was fast or not. But that's what my outdoor season is going to be like. I am not racing a single outdoor race as of right now (except my beloved eastern seaboard series races at trexlertown that I would recommend for everyone). Without racing I have no choice but to assume everyone is faster than I am right now.

Right now I am in poor shape but as my shape gets better I will not notice it as much as someone else because it will happen gradually as I keep skating. But if I continue to think I am in poor shape then I will train harder to get back into shape. And when I am in good shape if I still think I am in poor shape I will train harder further improving myself. This might get confusing but that is what it is all about. You have force yourself to believe that you have so much work to do. And when you go to races sometimes you realize that you might not have as much work so you get lax. But if you don't race then you are forced to train at the same intensity.

NSC Tribulation 2

Wow is about as much as I can say. If you didn't see it then you missed out, but fortunately, they should have the racing file online soon for like 4 dollars or something and trust me, it's worth it. I'll probably get it myself even though I saw it live. I don't think I have ever seen racing like that in my life, it was incredible and awesome. Sure there may have been one race like that before at a meet but in 3 hours we had 5 incredible races.

The floor was really fast like it should be, I mean it is 90ft wide and in great condition. But there was lots of passing and plenty of falls which made it more exciting. It was the most incredible display of racing I have ever seen it was awesome. Thinking about it I still wonder how exactly each race ended up as good as it did.

On a personal note I finally skated pretty decent at NSC.. My results look better then I actually skated but I still skated a lot better then I had in any of the previous events. I still have a lot of work to do and a lot to improve on which is going to be awesome if I can get it all put together. One thing that is kind of bothering me a little is my start because well, it sucked and it never sucks but I will get it fixed shortly, I'm just trying to work on one thing at a time and because it's not awful it gets put on the back burner while I work on some aspects that I am well.. awful at.

Other then NSC, the Battle in Seattle was cool, the people out there are welcoming and kind which always makes a trip much better. Hyper and Atom both had new wheels to show. Hyper's while they will still probably make some adjustments have seemed to come a long way and their wheel skated great on the big floor. Atom's new wheels were a first prototype therefore they were limited to just a few people but they seem good in theory, just need a few tweaks as well. Look for both companies to make adjustments and have wheels for Georgia and Tampa that will be fast.

Logically Thinking

Alright. I guess this has been on my mind and I don't feel as if I need to share it with anyone but I guess it helps me if I put it in words.

Today I woke up and I am 18 years old. I go to school without any idea why. I know that at some point I will pursue a career in a specific field and that field will require that I obtain a college degree. I do not know what that career is and when I finally will end up in it. I go to college with the idea that it is going to hit me even though deep down I know it wont. I've spent the last 18 months searching for a career that will interest me but not destroy me as I age at the same time. I am a workaholic. So I have been trying to pick a career in which I will be less likely to be a workaholic but at the same time I need to love it to do it. That's where the search ends every time. Let me explain why.

Previously I stated that I am 18 years old. That is true, and my life is at a crossroad. I have so many aspirations and goals the only problem is time. You think Keith, you are 18 how can time possibly play a factor in your life at this point? But you are far wrong. This is the problem. I want to be an inliner my entire life. Its so much better then ice and that is not an opinion, I've done both, inlining is way better. I could tell you why but that is another blog for another day. I want to be an Olympian just as bad as I want to be an inliner. The paths don't cross. No part of me ever wants to leave inlines much less sooner rather then later.

Diving deeper now, not only do I want to be an inliner I want to be a champion. Now it is easy, I've won a race before so sure I've been a champion, wrong, I've been a winner. There is a distinction. Even more I want to be a world champion. This is not talk, you see, it eats at me every day. I think of when I was in Colombia, Spain, China and it eats me away. I think of this horrid snow and how I can't be out there making it happen hands on. Everyday I sit and think of how I can be better, if a tweak this or that if I will be better. And going deeper I've always felt that I could never leave this sport without being a World Champion. Now in order for me to break down the distinction I would lose sight of the purpose of this blog, so again that is another blog for another day.

Back to time. Relatively speaking.. the next Olympics is in 2014. In order for me to pursue that Olympics I need to make a stand now. In other words, I need to move (in the year 2010) to have a realistic chance at the 2014 games. Now it is possible that I could wait another year and still have a chance, but I don't want a chance I need more then that. The bigger problem here is I might not have a chance if I don't take the opportunity now while it is here. Now you are thinking wait a minute Keith, you will only be 22 how is that your only chance? Now it gets interesting.

Diving really deep here: If I continue inlining for the next four years I will love every minute of it I can promise you that. But inlining is not a career for me. Well, let's face it.. I don't even have a sponsor how can skating be anything close to a career for me? Therefore skating is not making me money (in fact it is the opposite skating still costs me money like most), and yes NSC has the ability to prosper into something that will make me money, but right now it's not a career. I can't count my marbles on the idea that it will be my career in four years either. Now it might start making a little since.

In case it isn't.. lets say I decide that in 2014 I will make my move and devote myself to becoming an Olympic Athlete at the 2018 games. I will be between the ages of 22 and 26 during that time and I will not have a career yet therefore I will not be making significant money. And now you might be thinking, Keith, there are plenty of inliners that go to ice and aren't making significant money right now. Yes you are correct but they also have mommy and daddy supporting them financially for the most part (not all but most). Well mommy doesn't exist for me and daddy has five adult kids, and bills to pay, he also fathered a boy who wants to earn his way, not be given it. Now you think "oh you are a stubborn boy" and you would be correct.

Now lets keep going.. you might be thinking, "Ahahhh! you are in luck they have created a WHIP program for people just like you" but you would be wrong. They created a WHIP program in theory for people like me the only problem is one year before they did such a thing as to move everything to Salt Lake City, Utah... Not exactly the inline capital of the US is it? If the US short track program was still based out of Colorado like it once was then yes, i would be in lots of luck. Unfortunately now it is not. You might think Keith, skaters can do both if they really want to and you would be wrong again. I have to train to be good. I have to train on inlines to be good and train on ice to be good. Now if I go to Utah I am an ice skater strictly who would skate inlines during the ice offseason like all the other WHIP members. Why? Well there is no established rink in Utah for the whip members to practice their indoor inlines. And if you didn't know SLC does get some snow and is fairly difficult to skate outdoor during the winter months with this horrid snow stuff on the roads. So what happens? You end up an ice skater who skates inlines (if you really want) during the summer months back home. (Now you start to see the true flaws with this whole inliners on ice thing).

So in the end you might wonder why I truly care about the Olympics, especially considering it wont make me any more money then inlining which is a net profit of zero. If you don't believe me check out this story ESPN did.. then look at the tab on the right side that says the Millionaires, The Strugglers, and The Lifers Read the three stories. I care because I love sport and I wont that moment. I want that moment when everything finally comes together and I realize that it was all worth it.

Snow, Snow, Go Away

I could probably end my blog now... and everyone will understand. But let me go into detail.

First, my forever battle with mother nature. I live in Pennsylvania for reasons that are far beyond me. I do not like having four seasons. I would rather have like summer and a little cooler then summer that's it. My perfect temperature is around 83 degrees and that is no exaggeration.

Now there is lots of snow on the ground, ice on the roads, and more snow coming. There at one point was close to two feet, about an inch has probably been knocked off but with the drifts and such some areas look like 2.5ft and others look like 8 inches. Tonight and into tomorrow we are looking at no less then a foot (most likely) and I've heard much much more then that. I do not go out and play in the snow for one simple reason.. it is cold. I hate everything about the cold. And snow is very cold.

Next it brings me to this point, snow kills me for odd reasons. It makes me think a million times a day what it will be like when the weather breaks and that makes me think of how much I am going to love skating outdoors without like 4 layers on. Next it gives me the itch, it makes me want to be outside skating right now. I can imagine myself skating outdoors and I love it.. mostly because I love outdoor skating. Then my day dream ends and I realize it is still white outside and cold outside.

Let me take it a step further (have you noticed I'm not a fan of winter) in the winter sickness spreads like wildfire. Just about everyone in my household had gotten sick this winter to some degree except me. I was basking in my defeat of sickness.. when I got sick. I am not sick like seriously sick. I have a cold or maybe just a cough I don't know. But it sucks. If you get sick, you go to the doctor and get an antibiotic and you are better in like 7 days. If you get a cold/cough you are SOL and it decides to stay with you for weeks on end. I have been on a vitamin frenzy since my cough thinking if I get enough vitamins and minerals in me it will go away.. negative.

And yes, the winter sucks.

Busy

This is the time of the year that I am going to be busy. I have skating school and work to do which takes up pretty much all of my time. I have half of Thursday's off and that's about it (which is why I'm writing this on a Thursday). I don't think I really mind being really busy though because you don't have much time to realize that you are tired or anything and for some reason that makes it a little easier for me.

Now onto something a little different that has been on my mind a little. I realize it is winter and cold and that it might be hard for some to realize the importance of training right now but I hate those days where I show up to practice and it seems like everyone is in a slump. When you show up and everyone is just kind of like blah, no one is trying to move there feet fast, everyone is tired but not from going as fast as they normally do. Like everyone slaps on a tired face and tries to look more tired then everyone else, I hate it. And the worse part is that it's contagious. I'll be skating and all the sudden I realize my foot speed has slowed down, that I am hurting but could be making myself go a little faster and hurt a little more. Then at that moment I do it, I go a little faster and make it hurt a little more. No one else does that and I hate it. Like when we are running through drills and I'm the last person in the pack I can't tell who is giving 100% and who is just going through the motions with 'tired face' on.

But then I realize it's not that bad. Because as soon as I realize that everyone is in 'tired face' I just go harder and it makes it so much easier. Then I realize there is no way that my rink is the only one that ever has 'tired face' mode. Especially when I go to some rinks and it seems like every practice is a 'tired face' mode. Then I realize even if just one of my competitors happens to have one 'tired face' practice I've gained ground by running harder then ever on that day. Then it feels good.

There are two weeks until Hickory which will be a big meet just like Roanoke always was and before that Philly. For the last week 'tired face' has been turned on which means 'sad face' will follow once some people get to Hickory. Then it will be the infamous 'I want to get faster' mode right after Hickory when there is no big race to gear up for. That is always the best. When its time to dial back just a bit and work on what you need to so that you can go fast when it is time. No one likes that time of the year because they think that in Speed Skating if you aren't blazing around the track there is not a chance you are getting better.

I've done more things at a slower more painful, beneficial pace this year that I think it will work out brilliantly. I don't think it will really show up until July/August but once it does it's going to make going fast a lot easier and it will make racing even more fun for me.