My Apologies to Ryan Shimabukuro:


It has been brought to my attention that my bashing of US Speedskating may have been too general. I'd like to apologize for this, and to set the record straight. It is true that US Sprint coach Ryan Shimabukuro has been very good to me, and I'm very sorry if anything I have written has hurt him.

You see, I thought I'd made it very clear whom I was criticizing. I was referring mainly to the policies of the administration, and, when I discussed coaching issues, I should have been more clear on the distinction between the sprint and allround teams. I had mentioned that few qualified skaters choose to train with one of the US National programs. And now, at the risk of offending someone else, I will say that the team I was referring to is Tom Cushman's Allround team.

Of course I wasn't referring to Ryan's team. The sprint team is loaded with talent! All of the top male sprinters train with Ryan. Not only that, but Ryan has played a major role in bringing Tucker Fredericks to a very high level. Look at Tucker's performance last year. Ryan has been working with Tucker since Tucker was a junior and Ryan was a regional team coach at the Pettit Center.

I never meant for my criticisms of USS-in general-to be directed towards Ryan. Let me tell you something about Ryan's abilities as a coach. Even though he has not been a national team coach for very long, he has already developed an excellent eye for technique and is very good at video analysis. While I was traveling with the US team on the world cups last season, Ryan helped me tremendously by watching me skate and giving me helpful tips on my technique.

Ryan cares about all the skaters with whom he travels. Derek Parra told me that, even though he wasn't on the USS contract any more, Ryan helped him out on the trip to Europe by offering to cover some of his expenses at the time, and letting Derek pay him back later. Actions such as these play a major role in maintaining the morale of the athletes.

If Ryan hadn't taken the time to help me maintain my technique on the world cup trip, then I wouldn't have had anyone to watch me, and my skating form might have fallen apart. As it was, Ryan and I were able to tweak some minor details in my turns, so that I could actually build on what Boris and I had been developing on the home ice in Salt Lake City.

I need to remember that US Speedskating, by definition, includes not only the administration, but coaches, athletes, trainers, and employees as well. When I gave this some more thought, I came up with a much more positive assessment of those USS members whom I will see at the Oval on a regular basis:

USS Team skaters and trainers: I like all you guys and am looking forward to seeing you again when we get back on the ice.

Mike Crowe is not a bad guy.

Ryan Shimabukuro is a great person; I value all his help throughout the past season and am sorry for saying things that may have been hurtful and were not intended towards him at all.

Tom Cushman is a good guy and fun to travel with, but I'd rather chew my own arms off than to work with him ever again, and he knows it.