Why I Want Shani Davis to Win

Before I even get started on this there are a few things I have to explain. I've ALWAYS put athletes on some sort of pedestal. I always thought that those that could achieve so much must have 'it'. I've never ever ever been confused as the most talented person, much less the most athletic. With that being said, I think subconsciously I've always thought the same about great athletes: they couldn't just be incredibly gifted and talented they must be gutting and working so unfathomably hard to perform at that high of a level.

It took me a very, very long time to realize it's not always the case. There are incredibly talented athletes that don't need to work as hard to achieve. They generally piss me off because I want them to work harder, to be even greater. Nevertheless, so many times in my life have a seen a skater that I looked up to when I was younger and surely thought they must be the hardest working person in the sport only to find out later that it is not the case. Time in time again I found out they weren't the person I envisioned in my head.

Before I can jump into my rant on Shani I have to explain I am a sports historian, much more a skating statistician. I have always, since I was 12 or 13 looked up decades of results, followed every competition I knew how to find results to. As an inliner I looked up every single result for the US at world championships I could find, individual results, team results, track results, road results.. All of them. I used to marvel not at the fact that Chad Hedrick won tons and tons of medals, but marvel at the margin that he would win point races. I would calculate how many first place laps he must of won. I would look at how many races someone skated at a certain world championships and how many medals they won in those races, how many gold. I would try and create formulas to decide who throughout history should be considered the best.

So when Chad switched to ice I naturally started looking up long track results. By 2006 I was looking up results for every US trials, every world cup, comparing splits. By this time I knew who Shani was. I didn't know Shani, but I knew all about his ability on the ice. I knew his short track background, his alternate status on the short track Olympic team in Salt Lake City in 2002. I knew that he barely ever lost.

He only got better, after the Turino games Shani hit his prime. It's difficult to understand, he is a world record holder. He has the 10 fastest sea level 1000m races ever. He has won sprint championships and all around championships.

My first summer in SLC I found out Shani skates short track all summer long until about July. Then he switches back over to long track and prepares for the season. He doesn't just skate short track, he skates with the National Team every year and he never fails to hold his own at practices with them.

The summer of 2012 was the first time I ever really talked to Shani and it also happened to be the first time I would train with him on the ice. I remember all he did was talk about how out of shape he was at first. We would skate, we would do our dry land, then our cardio. He would tell us how crazy our workout was.. then do it next to us. Laughing and giggling during the really painful parts.

What makes Shani so special, isn't one thing alone. Sure, he trains alone which is incredible for an athlete that has been so dominate to understand so much of what he needs to succeed. To be in tune with your body to the point that you know when and how to train for fast ice or slow ice or how to get just a little faster or improve your endurance just a little and oh did I mention skate with some of the best technique ever.. at least through the turns. But none of that alone makes Shani that special. I remember that summer that he was apparently 'out of shape' we would do our workouts then go inside to cool down or ice and recover. When I would be leaving the oval in my car there was Shani.. working out again.

I don't know if there is a single person that doesn't like Shani. He has such a personality. He can joke around with anyone and it's always funny. He talks to everyone when he's at the oval asking how things are going. He gives everyone a nickname. And no matter how training is going he never gets angry or upset or at least you can never tell.

I want Shani to win because today I was at practice with my phone on the pads. After every set I went and refreshed my phone waiting for the results like I have the past few days. Once I saw Shani didn't win, much less didn't medal I didn't want to practice anymore. I didn't want to be skating.

When I think incredibly gifted-athlete-that-achieves-greatness but trains-even-harder to stay there while being-down-to-earth-and-generally-a-cool-person-to-be-around I think Shani Davis. That's why I want him to win.