Thursday, June 30, 2005

"Too Much Hay on his Fork?"


Some time in the last season, one of my friends remarked to me that US Speedskating discriminates against young skaters who put their education as a first priority. "Nah," I replied. "Even for USS - that goes way too far!"

A few weeks ago, I heard that a very talented junior skater had been passed up for an invitation to one of the USS sprint teams. "He just had too much hay on his fork," said his current coach, musing on some of the murmurings he had picked up in the skating community.

(*NOTE:* I was later informed that this post was based on some misinformation from the coach of the kid about whom I was writing. In fact, this particular boy was not the one who was almost added to the National Team, but at the last minute, the decision was made not to add him. That was someone else.

HOWEVER, I do believe that when American speedskaters are finished with this sport, many of them retire with nothing to fall back on, because USSPEEDSKATING does not do enough to accommodate the education of their young athletes, even in terms of the scheduling of training programs.

I resent the fact that my mom thanks God that I was blackballed from speedskating at age 18, but it's true that because I was blackballed and was not able to train and compete in this sport, I had the opportunity to get a great education, which is denied to so many elite speedskaters in this country.)


Anyway...

...This kid has skated a 500 meter under 37 seconds, and has gotten his lactate up to 27 in a laboratory test. Frankly, he was no slower or less talented than a couple of guys who were chosen for this particular sprint team. But, apparently, some people thought he spent too much time on school activities. Does USS really prefer kids who don't put their education first?

The problem faced by athletes with talents in other areas of life, especially their studies, is that it seems they always have to justify continuing to skate -- both to their families and to their own ambition. Often they will try to juggle the two or more activities until they are obviously well ahead of the competition. Does this sound counter-intuitive? I was in a very similar situation a year ago; you'd be amazed how hard it was for me to lose both my source of income and half my identity as a scientist before making a major breakthrough in my skating.

Not long ago, I wrote about a Detroit Olympic sports writer who, I believe, did not take me seriously as a potential Olympian because she saw me as a sort of "Suburban jack-of-all-trades." I mean, what did people think? That I was trying to win the Olympic gold medal and the Nobel Prize in the same year? That, my friends, is what I very scientifically call "a load of bullcrap." My reasons for staying in science at the time were very clear: Source of income, and a sense of duty and responsibility to my family and to society.

I've been in the situation of loving speedskating more than anything else, but feeling a sort of responsibility towards the educational and career side of my life. For those of us who have this internal conflict, all we're looking for is a sign that we can "take some of the hay off our fork." For lack of a better example, since my comeback to the sport, I was basically trying to achieve the athletic equivalent of Smash selling about a zillion copies, before being able to justify leaving the lab.

I pushed this wall for 3 seasons before realizing it wasn't going to happen that way. Even in the end, I let the FDA make that decision for me, when they failed to pass my company's anti-melanoma drug, (despite the fact that it worked with minor side effects and was requested by several doctors and patients) and our R&D department was subsequently shut down.

In discriminating against athletes who care about their education, USS misses out because they don't understand the psychology of such an athlete, and therefore don't appreciate what an asset such a motivated, driven, and focused person can be. Look at a couple of speedskating champions from about 25 years ago: Eric Heiden and Mike Woods. Both are doctors now, and, on an interesting side note, Dr. Woods even invented a skating-specific exercise that he could easily do on study breaks while combining training with medical school. If these two great athletes were coming up through the system today, how would they be treated by USS? Probably, such a career would be treated like a weed in the garden: Spray on some Round-Up, and watch it slowly choke to death.

"But, what about the USS college scholarships?" you might argue. I see these as nothing more than a consolation prize that helps to perpetuate the compromise between education and skating. "Here you go. Let's throw you a bone."

What kind of genius does it take to select against an Eric Heiden-type, driven, self-motivated, pain-tolerant personality for speedskating? Apparently, it takes more than just one genius. It takes an entire Brain Trust!

If they'd just give an athlete like us a chance, then maybe they would see how we really stack up against all those brats whose parents buy them a condo, a car, and everything else they need so they can sit around playing video games and getting drunk any time they aren't skating. My hypothesis is what drives me this season: Just think of how we'll fly when all of the ballast is removed.

Monday, June 27, 2005

My Relationship with US Speedskating: The Early Years, and the Possible Origin of the Conflict


When I first started speedskating at age 11, my family and I weren't quite sure how serious I'd be about the sport. My first coach, Mark Jastrzembski, started the West Michigan Speedskating Club in 1988, after watching the Calgary Olympics. I was one of the first members of WMSC.

I spent my first year and a half on a pair of borrowed Planerts, which I supplementally supported with various combinations of Ace bandages and duct tape. Once I finally got a decent pair of skates and turned the Planerts back in to the club, the blades were found to have a hollow radius. No wonder I had been such a hazard to the other skaters!

During my early competitive years, I rarely ventured out of the state of Michigan. Once I set foot on the 250 meter outdoor track up north in Petoskey, I knew that long track was my true calling.

I competed in my first long track, pack-style Nationals in 1992; current National Team member Amy Sannes won our age division, and I came in 4th overall. Mike Crowe, who was National Team coach at the time, had seen me and Amy compete at the Nationals, and he invited both of us to come to a National Team training camp in Calgary that summer. I couldn't believe it. It seemed like I had gotten my foot in the door that would open to my dream of full-time speedskating training.

My trip to that camp in August of 1992 was certainly memorable. I was 15 years old, and flying alone for the first time. I flew from Chicago-O'Hare to Des Moines, Iowa, where there was a mechanical problem with the next plane, and I had to stay overnight in a hotel. I called Katie Marquard-of USISA- to let her know what was going on. She talked me through the situation, and called Mike in Calgary to let him know I'd be arriving a day late.

My first National Team camp was a great experience. It was the most scientifically advanced training program I had ever been exposed to, and it was the first time I had used a heart rate monitor in training.

After the camp, Mike invited me and Amy to move to Butte, Montana, and train with the National Team that coming season. Here is where I believe my problems started (although I woulnd't be aware of this until later): Amy went, and I didn't.

As a teenager, there was nothing I wanted more than to train in a full-time speedskating program, but my parents didn't allow me to go. My mom was concerned that all of the other activities in which I was involved - including my education - would fall by the wayside. Also, she thought that 15 was too young to be leaving home to train.

Disappointed and confused, I spent my sophomore year of high school trying to come to some sort of decision about my future. That fall, I figured that running cross country would substitute for speedskating training, and so I did no skating-specific work at all. By mid-November, at the start of our short track racing season, I found myself in the unique position of being totally burned out from running and completely unprepared for speedskating.

After a rude awakening at a short track meet in Jackson, MI, I dropped speedskating in disgust and didn't think about it for a few months.

In the spring of 1993, I started to train again, and in the summer I attended a training camp in Lake Placid with a group of other skaters from Michigan. That camp was run by Stan Klotkowski, who had worked with several Olympic-level skaters in Poland and the USA, before moving to Lake Placid to coach a group of younger skaters.

At that camp, I did well enough on some of the dryland tests that Stan noticed me and invited me to come train with his group. Of course, I was thrilled, and agreed immediately. I was so happy to be back on track. Little did I know, that by aligning myself with Stan, I was putting myself outside the mainstream of speedskating. Well, maybe I kind of sensed it, but my naive reasoning was this: "A speedskater is a speedskater, right? This is such a small sport. When I get on a high enough level, USISA will appreciate me no matter what program I come from!"

When I try to come up with possible reasons why USISA turned against me, I wonder if it's possible that they held my rejection of Crowe's offer to train with the team in 1992 against me. And then, did it make matters worse that I chose to train with Stan only a year later?

If this is the case, then what people need to understand is that this is just the way my WHOLE life arranged itself best. It had nothing to do with rejecting one coach, or choosing one coach over another. First of all, by 1993, I was 16 years old, and for some reason, that age "sounded better" to my mom, as far as letting me leave home to train. Secondly, because Stan is Polish, and so is my mom, it was much easier for him to convince my parents that he would take care of me. (This may sound silly, but it is true.)

Also, in the fall of 1993, my whole family moved from Muskegon, MI, to Mason City, Iowa. We all figured that if I were going to be uprooted anyway, I might as well go to Lake Placid and skate.

After spending October 1993-January 1994 with Stan in Lake Placid and Milwaukee, I had a pretty decent racing season, barely missing Junior Category One, and setting a North American age-group record in the 1500 meters that would stand for 8 years.

I rejoined my family in Iowa for the remainder of my junior year, followed Stan to Salt Lake City in August of 1994, and the rest is history: "Children of the Dirt Oval."
Why Doesn't SLC Know About the Oval?


A few weeks ago, US Junior Category One speedskater and 2005 Kearns High School graduate Parker Vance was chosen by Channel 2 News as Prep Athlete of the Week. Congratualtions to Parker on a well-deserved honor.

After the story ran on TV, the Utah Olympic Oval started to get phone calls from Salt Lake City residents. People were asking, "Is that place still open?"
"Can we skate there?"
"Do you have ice skating lessons?"

It blows my mind that the people of Salt Lake City still don't know that the Utah Olympic Oval is there for their use! Where else can you just wander in, free of charge, and see the stars of your Olympic team doing their daily workout? Where else can you then go and skate a public session on the same ice that skaters like Jen Rodriguez, Derek Parra, Chad Hedrick and Chris Witty use for training?

I can't believe that this building, which my buddy Andrew Love calls the "Insane Power Station;" which is visible from practically every vantage point in the Salt Lake valley; has been so utterly ignored. Why has nobody tried to dispel the mistaken belief that this facility is not closed to all but the elite?

Don't tell me that all those Olympic bribes of the early 1990's were for nothing. I thought they were done "for the children!!" Now that we have the facilities, let the children know they can come in and play.

Saturday, June 25, 2005

You gotta admit, the thought has crossed the mind of every American skater who has raced in Heerenveen:

"I wonder what it would be like to get that kind of crowd back home?"

Heerenveen is in the Netherlands, but I mentioned Norway because I think it would be really cool to be a part of the great comeback that team is having right now. Speedskating was developed in the Scandinavian countries. This sport is a huge part of their heritage.

The Norwegians have historically had a great deal of respect for individual endurance sports, such as skating, cross-country skiing, and distance running. I remember reading an article in Sports Illustrated about the famous Bislett Stadium, in Oslo, where huge crowds would gather in the summer to support the track runners, and in the winter to cheer for Eric Heiden and others who would compete there on the ice. So many world records were set in that stadium- it is said- due to the tremendous support of the crowd.

At the US long track pack-style Nationals, somebody had posted an interesting flyer up on the back of the bleachers. It was an advertisement for a speedskating race taking place at Madison Square Garden, I think some time in the 1920's. Back in those days, thousands of people would come to watch speedskating races. And now, here's the kicker: In between some of the races, the organizers decided to fit in an exhibition of a new sport. This sport was basketball! Few of us in the speedskating community remember those days.

Friday, June 24, 2005

Watching the NBA Finals


Last night, I was watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals with my skating friends Mark Chrysler and Tom Cole. After the game was over and the celebration began in San Antonio, Mark joked, "This reminds me of the time when Jen Rodriguez won the World Sprints."

I bet at least one of those guys out there riding the bench wouldn't have finished in the Top 20 in his sport last season. Did he or any of his teammates ever have to pour Petri dishes between practices?

Watching that game almost made a tear come to my eye -- not because the Pistons lost, but because I don't skate for Norway.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

This Mad Blogger has been Compared to Al Qaeda!


I had an interesting conversation with my friend and High 5 teammate Andrew Love today, as we were hiking up the Mill B trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon. He started by making some interesting points about the USA's problems in the Middle East. Andrew said, "It's not that Al Qaeda is wrong in the things for which they criticize America. They have a point. It's just that THEY OFFER NO ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION and will therefore never win over people's hearts and minds."

(Andrew? Are you trying to tell me something?) Yes. Actually, Andrew is challenging me to do more with this blog than just to spew rage and bitterness! As a friend, he is concerned that people who read The Protocol may not get the full picture; that my blog only gives a one-sided, angry view of me.

Like Al Qaeda complaining about some of the US's foreign policies, I know I make some good points about the problems within US Speedskating. No one will tell me I'm wrong to be upset because I was blackballed, or was used as a negative control in an overtraining experiment, or because of unnecessary financial hardships due to poor business decisions on the part of USS. But I know I seem to come off as very bitter and angry all of the time. Why is this, and how much is too much?

I guess I've sort of built my blogging persona as this "angry, funny, smart girl" who has to fight everyone for the right to the life she wants. This is my artistic expression. It is my creative outlet - with "outlet" being the key word!

Some people wonder how I can survive, carrying around so much rage. Won't it burn me up inside? Won't it have a negative effect on my competitions? I've actually found, over the past season, that my blogging and my race results seem to feed off each other. For some reason, I skate my best when I am being myself. And, perhaps unfortunately, I am motivated by my own rage.

I'll admit that many of my experiences in this sport have made me pretty cynical and negative- to the point where I almost always see the glass as half-empty. On my blog, I rarely talk about the positive things that happen, or the people who have helped me along the way.

Returning to the theme of terrorism: Back in January of 2001, when I crammed everything I owned into my little Pontiac and left my apartment in Monrovia, California, I really was a "conspiracy of one." Even my mom said so! I had no coaching situation set up, no idea where I'd be living, and the Utah Olympic Oval wasn't even open yet. I spent my first 3 weeks skating alone in Butte, Montana.

But this is no longer a conspiracy of one. Though my training situation has been far from ideal, I've met many people along the way without whom things would have been much harder. So I haven't had a great deal of support from my federation and haven't been able to find a sponsor; I did manage to have a reasonably flexible research job with Genta for just over 2 years. So it took me 4 tries to find a coach and program that work for me; I found them eventually, didn't I? I should be grateful for all the things that worked out, and for all the great friends I have made.

Is it true that, like Al Qaeda, I offer no alternative solutions, but only preach hate and destruction? First, I'd like to say that in a federation like USS, where so much is going wrong but they think they can just scab over the problems with the purity of the sport and the image of certain athletes, my over-the-top ranting may play a necessary role in bringing issues to the forefront. For example, after I talked about how Tom Cushman admitted to trashing the season of half our team for the purpose of data collection, USS was forced to re-evaluate how they use the data they collect on their athletes, agreeing that it should be used for the benefit of each individual's performance.

In other aspects of the sport, I think I have offered some alternative solutions. I suggested that US Speedskating should not be afraid of hiring a good, experienced marketing director and allowing them to make the amount of money that they're worth. This is a win-win situation. Andrew Love suggests looking at what is being done in other sports. For example, the US skeleton federation hired a good head hunter, told him he could make HALF OF WHAT HE FOUND FOR THEM, and he got them $5 million.

A lot of people agree that it was right for me to suggest that the FAST Program should look for sponsorship.

And, finally, my own team - High 5- intends to be a sort of "pilot program" that leads by example and shows the speedskating community what can be done by an outside, independent team. It's amazing to me that the catalyst for the starting of this team was the successful season that I was able to pull off last year after training with Boris Leikin.

So, am I really a terrorist? Andrew seems to be convinced that I can be a nice girl if I try...


I realize that there are things that happen to people in their lives that are far worse than what happened to me in speedskating. Is the whole issue just my inability to leave the past behind, or is it a little more complicated?

As I told Andrew today, "When I first left home to train for long track in 1993, I wanted to be Bonnie Blair. When I came back to the sport in 2001, I wanted to be a terrorist!" Something happened to make this good girl go bad.

To some extent, US Speedskating deserves to deal with the fallout of my rage, and to be held accountable for its actions. So many things remain the same within this organization, and I know this because I gave it another chance when I joined their National Allround Team in 2003.

As of today, I feel that my experience in speedskating is predominantly positive because of the truths I have uncovered through the obstacles that I have had to overcome. I've needed all of these years to see the situation clearly and to make judgments so that I could move forward. Helping to develop the High 5 team, rather than feeling like I'm forced to compromise by joining one of the existing programs, has allowed me to take control of my own destiny in this sport.

Somewhere along the way, I have made the transition from "terrorist" to "hopeless case" to a "REAL ATHLETE." I know this is true, but it doesn't always come out in my blog posts.
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.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

WHERE IS DEREK PARRA'S ALTITUDE FUNDING???


I know that Derek tore up his contract with US Speedskating, but why isn't he getting his high altitude funding? The "Live High/Train Low" program is funded by the USOC - not US Speedskating. Therefore, Derek is entitled to his high altitude housing support. He lives high enough. Why isn't he getting this money?

Here is another discrepancy I see: Derek and Chad have no contract with USS, but their competition results are turned into the USOC to qualify US Speedskating for team funding. However, according to USS, neither Derek nor Chad are entitled to any benefits out of those that THEIR OWN RESULTS have earned for the team.

These two guys could fight for the benefits they should rightfully be getting, and they could win. But they may just be comfortable enough in their financial situations that they would rather not deal with the hassle during an Olympic season. That is why it's up to someone like me to bring up these points; it is up to someone who is NOT very comfortable.

Someone needs to make people aware of USS's unfair and dishonest practices in the distribution of funds to their athletes. The USOC should investigate, because their money is not ending up where it should.
Why is My Training Going So Well?


I can't believe how good I have felt throughout the early part of this season. It seems that I keep on increasing the amount of weight I can leg press; I'm getting up the canyons faster on the bike; and I'm doing all the dry-skating and power jumping practices with a weight vest and up a hill.

The improvements I've made since last year have been huge. Last season at this time, not only was I unable to complete Boris's entire power jump practice, but the day after, I could hardly walk. This year, the soreness in my legs has been minor, even as I've been increasing the volume and intensity of training. What factors have made the difference?

First of all, going into my second year on the same training program really helps. This is the first time since my comeback to speedskating that I have stayed with the same coach and program from one season to the next. When I started working with Boris last year, he had to change everything about the way I move - and not just in the skating position! Though I had already arrived on a pretty high level in speedskating, I was still lacking many of the basics. I found Boris's program to be a "complete overhaul" of everything I had learned in skating. I was starting from scratch last year, and that is why I was so sore. I had to learn to use my body in different ways.

This year, I came into the season prepared. I already had a strong base built up in the Boris Leikin School of Speedskating! Soon after our group began training together, it became apparent that I would be starting the season on a higher level.

The second factor that is helping me train well this year is deciding not to try to work in science while I'm training. This makes a huge difference, both physically and mentally. I'm already wondering how I was every capable of working in my field and training at the same time, and - truthfully - the answer is, "Not very well." No wonder I had been unable to compete successfully on the World Cup circuit during those years when I was trying to balance work and training!

Sometimes, it bothers me that my existence as a speedskater is non-sustainable. Nobody else in my family has ever drained all of their savings or been unemployed for a significant time. It worries me a little that when I retire from this sport (possibly sooner than I'd like to, due to the financial hardship) I'll be starting my career in science from a point of financial zero, or possibly debt. But I've already had to accept a lot of the baggage that has come along with my own skating experience, and to move on. So far, it seems to be working!
Let's Hear the Protocol Theme Song!


(And now, you will see that I can go on and on about the things I love, just as I go on and on about the things I hate...)

What is "Protocol," besides the name of my blog? Apparently, "Protocol" is also the name of a Bad Religion song that never came to be. Here's the story of the other Protocol:

The Offspring's greatest hits album is a dual disc with a DVD, where Noodles and Dexter tell the stories behind the songs. One of my favorite stories was about the song, "Come Out and Play." (It had something to do with cooling off flasks of autoclaved culture medium before pouring it into Petri dishes!) My other favorite was about the origin of the song, "All I Want."

While working on the album Ixnay on the Hombre, they planned to have a "Bad Religion song-writing contest," to come up with a song with this band's distinctive sound and hefty vocabulary (Bad Religion frontman Greg Graffin has a Ph.D. in sociology.) Dexter came up with a song he called, "Protocol," which was going to be about how people might act, "All robotic in their movements," etc..

After Bad Religion's guitarist and Epitaph Records executive Brett Gurewitz rejected the Offspring's idea for a song, they ended up turning "Protocol" into "All I Want." It goes like this:

All I Want

Day after day your home life's a wreck
The powers that be just
Breathe down your neck
You get no respect
You get no relief
You gotta speak up
And yell out your peace
So back off your rules
Back off your jive
Cause I'm sick of not living
To stay alive
Leave me alone
I'm not asking a lot
I just don't want to be controlled
That's all I want
All I want
How many times is it gonna take
Till someone around you hears what you say
You've tried being cool
You feel like a lie
You've played by their rules
Now it's their turn to try

So back off your rules
Back off your jive
Cause I'm sick of not living
To stay alive
Leave me alone
I'm not asking a lot
I just don't want to be controlled
That's all I want
All I want
I said it before
I'll say it again
If you could just listen
Then it might make sense



That's a pretty good theme song for my blog, as it is. But, still, I kind of want to hear the original one - the "Protocol" song that was intended as a joke on Bad Religion and Epitaph Records! Maybe it's time to dig out the old Thesaurus and re-work the lyrics to "All I Want;" maybe throw in some more of those "G.R.E. words;" maybe make the song be about people who try to sell you behind your back without your input into the deal and then still expect you to adhere to....the Protocol.

I'm not rejecting this idea. I think it's a good one.

"All I Want" is the Protocol theme song.
All I want is the Protocol theme song!

Get it?!?

(Have fun watching as I become a parody of myself!)

Ya
ya
ya
ya
ya!!!!

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

If I Picked the Offspring's Greatest Hits:


As far as I know, the Offspring's greatest hits album is scheduled to come out tomorrow, and of course, I am going to buy it. I've talked about them being my favorite band and writing songs that I could relate to, and in this blog post I'd like to get even more specific. I have picked my top 10 favorites from all of their songs; I probably could have chosen more, but these are the 10 that would be most relevant and interesting to the readers of The Protocol.

I ran into an old friend of mine recently - someone who knew me back when I was a teenager. He said he wondered where all this punk rock stuff was coming from because it seemed so out of character for me. It's true - it probably would seem out of character for a shy, polite straight-A student and All-State high school cellist to be a punk fan. But I intend to show you why liking punk rock is not out of character for a cynical intellectual and hardened competitor who fought her way back into a sport from which she was blackballed.

Here we go - it's The Protocol's version of the Offspring's Greatest Hits, from 1 to 10, in chronological order, along with the reasons why these songs have been so important to me.

(from Smash)
1. Genocide: It was the night I was packing to leave for the 1995 Junior Nationals. This was the Dirt Oval season, and I'd had a grand total of about 2 weeks on the ice, and no coach to go with me to the competition. I would be competing against girls who had been on ice regularly for months in Roseville and West Allis.

I had put Smash on, and was listening to it for the first time. Wow! This music was faster than anything I was used to. Track #4 was "Gotta Get Away" - a song I recognized from the radio. Then "Genocide" came on. There was one line in this song that got me hooked on the Offspring forever. It went:

"I bet you'd lead the way if it were up to you to decide,
But it's not."


(from Ixnay on the Hombre)
2. Leave It Behind: I remember reading that one music critic called this one "filler material," but for me it was the main event. Ixnay on the Hombre came out in 1997 - during the early years of my exile from speedskating. The song "Leave It Behind" was about not being able to forgive someone's betrayal. This song may or may not have been a jab at Epitaph Records boss Brett Gurewitz, who supposedly tried to sell off part of the company behind the backs of his highest-grossing band. (Sound familiar, USS/Qwest???) Unfortunately for me and my teammates - unlike the Offspring, who ended up leaving Epitaph and signing with Columbia, we can't exactly shop around for a new federation!

(from Americana)
This album came out as I was finishing college, and around the time the Olympic Bid scandal was raging.

3. Have You Ever:
"Have you ever felt like there was more,
Like someone else was keeping score
And what could make you whole was simply out of reach?"

This song also includes the part about the truth walking away, and "The truth about the world is that crime does pay."

4. The Kids Aren't Alright:
This one is about the 99.9% of people whose dreams don't come true.

5. No Brakes:
I love the speedy title, combined with the fact that the song is really about self-destruction!

6. Americana:
This song describes who is rewarded and what is desired in our society, and how twisted that can be. Even Boris, who once jokingly said that my favorite punkers "ought to be euthanized," gets a kick out of the line,
"Where culture's defined by the ones least refined."

(Looking back now, a year later, after the 2005-06 season, I can't believe I forgot to mention the following line, which pretty much sums up the reason why I no longer want to skate for this country, why I'm so glad to be rid of the idiots who run USSPEEDSKATING and my unreasonable fight against them:

"My future's determined by thieves, thugs, and vermin."
)


(from Conspiracy of One)
This album came out in the fall of 2000, when I was finishing up my requirements for Ph.D. candidacy and trying to decide whether to come back to speedskating in time to try for the 2002 Olympics.

7. Come Out Swinging:
"Come out swinging
Come out alone
They're in your way
But as long as you're swinging
Strong then you'll get by."

This one seemed to say, you have got to go and do this NOW. It was also the song I listened to before my 3000 meters at the 2001 Fall World Cup Qualifier, when I made my first World Cup team.

(from the Orange County soundtrack)
8. Defy You:
My friend Ed, from City of Hope, emailed me the lyrics to this song when I was sucking it up on my first World Cup trip in November of 2001. I was checking my email at a laundromat in Innsbruck, Austria, when I got his email. He wrote, "You have to read this. I finally understand why you love the Offspring so much."

"Defy You" is the gold medal victory lap song that I will probably never live up to. If I don't win in Torino, (ha-ha-ha!!! Will I even be there?) then I hope some other skater picks it because it is the best victory lap song ever written. It makes me grateful to even compete in a sport where you can choose your own victory lap song:

"When the wind blows
I'll lean into the wind.
My anger grows
I'll use it to win."


I think that defiance, itself, has been the determining factor of the success of my comeback. You know that if I had been born to former Olympian parents, my federation loved me, and my hometown held bake sales for me, I would probably have locked myself in the basement with my microscope! That's just the way I am.

(from Splinter)
This album came out during the year of the Infamous Overtraining Experiment. One of my skating friends found that the songs on it hit so close to home that he had to hide Splinter under his bed for his own good!

9. Race Against Myself:
A race can be used as a metaphor for a lot of things in life, but for me, this song was word-for-word, 100% literal:

"Burning out, strung along
Now my sorrow is my song
My whole world is half-hearted.
For my pain I have none
After all is said and done
Now I'm back where I started."

This song called to mind 6 weeks of waking up with a heart rate of 68-72 beats per minute; of getting dropped on every single freakin' team bike ride; of skating a 4:54 in the 3K a week before the Fall World Cup trials; of actually watching my coach's dog for a few days while the rest of my team went off to race in Europe. And that was only the beginning.

10. Lightning Rod:
Back when I had my web site, this song was on it, and I had explained that if you call Jennifer Rodriguez "J-Rod," then you can call me "Lightning Rod..." because it's not about the speed - it's about being struck.

The last lines of this song describe the most likely ending to my own story - the time that is fast approaching - when I will pack it in and head back to the lab:

"All I am
My last stand
And I know
For all the rising and falling,
There's nothing to show."


So, there you have it - The Protocol's tribute to the Offspring. Maybe punk rock is not so evil after all!?! What is good and what is evil, anyway? The Offspring have had irate parents break their kids' CD's into bits and pieces, and mail them back to the band. But these might be the same parents who would "oooh and aaaah" over the purity of the Olympics and wouldn't hesitate to hand their kid a pair of speedskates, saying, "Here, kid. Try these."

But this most pure of Olympic sports almost destroyed my life, while that so-called "evil" punk band known as the Offspring helped to restore my will to live.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

"Blast Off, it's Party Time!" Shopping for Some New Music for the Olympic Season


(Is everyone relieved that I'm not going to talk about sports politics, for once?)

Music can be a great help to any athlete, from the average person who is trying to get motivated for a workout, to an elite athlete with a specific training goal in mind. It certainly has been very important to me. The music you listen to can put you in the right frame of mind before a race or during a particular kind of training session, or can help you wind down at the end of the day. It can give you insight into the minds of people who share your ideas on politics and life. Music can be your only friend when everything is going wrong and you're convinced that nobody understands. It can inspire. It can kill pain.

Despite my state of poverty as an amateur athlete, I'll buy a CD once in a while to support some of my favorite bands. I don't spend much on clothes - in fact, I like to say that anything I don't get for free from Nike, I'll buy at the local D.I. thrift store. (If I REALLY want to splurge, I go to Target.)

Last Wednesday, after a jump practice on the hills at Sugarhouse Park, I stopped by Media Play to find out when the Offspring's greatest hits album is coming out. I found that it will be out this week. Also, there was some surprisingly good news: After the Offspring get done with the Warped Tour, they will be working on some new material. So they're not done after all! It appears that my favorite band is not going to traumatize me by quitting right now. (Good! Now, if somebody happens to play the song, "Can't Repeat" before one of my Olympic Trials races, I won't fall on my face!)

Media Play, I have found, is the ideal place to buy an Offspring CD. The last time I went to the local, independent Gray Whale CD shop, I got the attitude of, "They're SO not cool enough!" (Meanwhile, I knew that the only reason why they're not cool enough is because of dorks like me who buy their records.)

The next time, I went to K-Mart, and got a dirty look from some uptight checkout clerk who thought I was buying some sort of devil music. Then I got into my car, ripped off the plastic wrapper, and started screaming bloody murder when I found out that they just sold me the edited version of Splinter.

Aaaaahhhhhh...but Media Play is just right. They carry the unaltered, original versions of the records, and they aren't music snobs!

Besides the Offspring, who are #1 in my world (find a band that accidentally writes the soundtrack to your life, and you'll understand!) there are others whose CD's I will buy. Usually, I like Southern California punk bands like Social Distortion, Pennywise, and the Vandals. Lately, I've also gotten into the hardcore band, System of a Down. I picked up their new album, Mezmerize, last week.

System of a Down are very creative and talented, with unexpected but tight rhythms and harmonies. They are aggressive (admitting that they've been inspired by watching hockey fights, among other things!) and have a great sense of humor. One of their new songs, "B.Y.O.B.", is jam-packed with satirical references to Bush's mishandling of the war in Iraq. (Hey, I can complain. I voted for Kerry!!)

Listening to System of a Down is like chugging about a quart of coffee, then bouncing off the walls with a feeling of angry excitement building up in your chest and leaping into your throat: "La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...OOOoooooooh!!" It is the ideal kind of music for the weight room, or for all those times when you need something to match your rage.


When I told my brother of the topic for today's blog post, he said it's great that I'm giving some credit to "the intellectual property that helped get you from Point A to Point B." It is true that I have had excellent coaching along the way in my career as a speedskater, especially within the last season. But my favorite bands have also contributed "intellectual property" in their own way. I look forward to adding some new songs to my soundtrack for this exciting upcoming season.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

My Life as a Hated Sports Reformer


Do you ever wonder how I can go on posting the things I do on my blog, with this being an Olympic season? Maybe I should think about being a little nicer. Maybe I should think about making my nose a little bit more brown. How do I really feel about turning so many people against me?

I guess I stopped caring about what people think of me back in elementary school, when I made the conscious decision not to pretend to be stupid in order to be popular with my peers. Still, maybe I should be more politically correct so I don't put my Olympic chances in jeopardy.

The thing is, I'm not making up any stories about US Speedskating. All I'm doing is holding up a mirror so that they can see what they do. With me around, nothing gets swept under the rug. I'm clarifying ideas for all those people who have a vague sense that something is wrong with this sport, but they can't quite put it into words. I hope to encourage people to think for themselves, and to ask good questions.


There are two types of athletes within US Speedskating; let's call them the Inside-Track and Outside-Track athletes. The inside-track athlete is the career USS National Team skater, while the outside-track athlete is the person who comes from an alternate training program.

If you're an outside-track athlete, you will feel it. It's "a certain I-don't-know-what;" as if the pH in the medium were a little bit off. It's a vibe you get from The Organization - like they're afraid to look you in the eye, but they wait for any chance to stab you in the back.

There are unwritten, separate protocols for dealing with inside- and outside-track athletes. Outside-trackers are the ones for (against?) whom the rules are written, because these are the people who are immediately referred to the Ice Chips in case of a close call. These are the people who always come down on the wrong end of coaches' discretion.

The insiders, you will find, always get a second chance -- despite a bad season, despite a bad race, despite a fall. Coaches' discretion is regularly used in their favor; to add anyone they want to the team, even if they're miles away from meeting the qualification criteria or didn't even skate the trials.

Being an outside-track athlete is a kind of social leprosy that never goes away once you are labeled as such; even if you try joining one of the USS teams for a season, you'll never quite assimilate. It can go far beyond your coach not believing in you or standing up for you. If you're like me, you may find yourself used up and dumped onto the trash heap, while your coach leaves for World Cups with the rest of the team without so much as a quick email asking, "How are you doing, anyway, Ray C. Rodent? Have you recovered from my little experiment yet?"

Being an outside-track athlete means knowing that nobody is going to catch you if you fall. Unlike the career National Team skaters, depending on someone's charity is not a luxury you can afford. You must count on making yourself strong enough to perform a step above your competition, in order to make your position on the team absolutely clear.

Am I afraid of being left off the 2006 Olympic Team for the things that I say? Well, if that decision ends up coming down to Coaches' Discretion, then I will have already lost! I will have failed to reach my own performance goals.

Besides, this has little or nothing to do with the things I've been writing on my blog over the past year. I know my place within USS. I've felt the outcast vibe for years, and anyone who has been following my blog knows exactly what the consequences have been.

Let's clear the air. Let's get this out into the open. I HAVE NO LOVE FOR MY FEDERATION. Now let me pay for my annual membership dues, and let me get my little card that identifies me as a duly registered member. USS and I are stuck with each other. So, let's smile and greet each other in a civilized way when we meet at the Oval, knowing all the while that this town ain't big enough for the two of us.

Game On!

Monday, June 13, 2005

Dear FAST Program,

I know I've been hard on you guys in recent posts, but it's only for your own good. Tough love, baby; tough love. The cold truth is, FAST, you have to find a way to be self-sufficient. (Are you taking notes, Utah Olympic Oval? A $40-million dollar asset should not be operating at a loss.)

Let's look beyond Torino 2006 for a moment. Do you really want this beautiful facility shut down, or to have the Dark Side come in and take over? WAKE UP!!! DO SOMETHING!!!

You have what it takes to lead speedskating into a new future. You just have to take full advantage of your resources. Just because nobody ever gave more than a half-assed attempt at marketing a product does not mean it has no potential. We BELIEVE in your team's concept and potential; it's just that the implementation and sustainability are a little bit flawed.

Encouraging other teams to train at the Utah Olympic Oval will actually help your cause. You know that High 5 and others will stand beside you against the evil empire.

And for God's sake find sponsors for your team. Dress your skaters up in matching uniforms and get them on TV, skating in a pace line! Wouldn't that look sharp? Come on. It's an Olympic year. Now would be the time. Don't blow it. Good luck.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Speedskating Capitalism; Speedskating Anarchy: Dex Knows What Sponsors Really Want


Just a few days ago, it was announced that the Norwegian federation found two new sponsors. How long did they go without a sponsor? No more than about two weeks. Now that they found these new sponsors, they will be getting $4.8 million dollars more than they had with their previous sponsor. Not only that, they were so deluged by offers of sponsorships that they had to turn sponsors away and only pick the best! Peter Mueller even sold a spot on his own coaching warmup suit for $80,000!

This made me think. Here in America, who is out there in the trenches working for us? Who is looking for sponsors for our team? Why is it so hard? Consider the caliber of the athletes and the depth of the team that we have going into this Olympic season. These are the skaters that USS has been woefully unable to promote.

It's always easy to hide behind the excuse that speedskating isn't marketable in this country. If so, then why was a certain marketing director named Mike Cofrin so successful at finding USS some great sponsors a few years ago? In fact, Mr. Cofrin was so good at what he did that people began to get offended that he was making so much money! Though I don't know the exact circumstances under which Mr. Cofrin left USS, I know that this was one of the reasons why people started to turn against him. (Hey, he was only making a percentage of what he found for USS. Where's the problem?)

Then, for a while, we had another marketing guy who didn't last long because USS stifled his ideas, finding them "too radical." I hope he found a place where his talents will be appreciated.


Have you ever thought about why Chad and Shani actually wear their DSB logos, or why Jen, KC, and Derek actually wear their TimeOut Sport logos? Maybe it is because these companies gave the athletes what they wanted. On the other hand, Qwest got burned because they signed with a federation that couldn't guarantee the cooperation of its best athletes. Maybe it's time to consider the potential advantages of dealing with the athletes directly.

Let's say you are running a company that is interested in becoming a sponsor of American speedskaters, because you want your name associated with them, and you want to help them perform well at the Olympics. Like any good business person, you do some background research on the organization you plan to support, which is US Speedskating.

Does the atmosphere of open hostility and distrust between the federation and the athletes bother you? Are you worried by the fact that so many Allround skaters train with alternative programs? (Oh, yeah. Probably the Norwegians stole them.) Maybe you don't want to support a coach whose reasons for failing with some of his athletes are intellectually and ethically appalling.

When you look at the coaches' reports from the annual board meeting, do you see a unified philosophy of coaching and a concrete plan for athlete development? Can you see a reluctance to seek out the help of the only people who can get them out of the rut in which they find themselves? When you consider the medal count of which they brag, do you notice a reliance on the inline champions for whose development they can take no credit?

And, finally, have the experiences of the past season shown that signing a deal with USS does not guarantee that the best speedskaters will wear your logo?


Considering all of these disadvantages (now that I've written them all down and have them right here in front of me), I guess it is no wonder that it is so difficult for us to find sponsorship for US speedskaters.

This made me think. Maybe there are ways that a company can get involved in sponsoring speedskaters without getting involved with US Speedskating! In fact, I have come up with several possibilities for potential sponsoring companies:

Sponsor an Olympic hopeful from your hometown, or the best few athletes from your home state. Pick an athlete who fits your company's image, and go with that person. Sponsor a small team: Buy them training and/or racing suits, and put your logo on them. If you have the money, you can help the skaters out by paying for their ice and/or coaching fees. Have a picture taken of your athlete or team in their suit, and put it on your company's web site. Have the local newspaper or TV news do a story on you and your new team, and how you are going to help people train for the Olympics. This year - an Olympic year - would definitely be the time to do it.

For the companies who would like to sponsor a team, several great options exist. Former skater Dave Tamburrino coaches a group that trains at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee. Also in Milwaukee, Shani's coach Bob Fenn has a small but very strong group of up-and-coming juniors, and Nancy Swider-Peltz has been working with a couple of Junior World Team members. Here in Salt Lake City, there is the Oval's own FAST Program, and the new High 5 team. Out in Southern California, Wilma Boomstra runs an excellent short track program that has produced several World Team members and Olympic medalist Rusty Smith. Another possibility would be to gather a group of inline skaters and sponsor them as they convert to ice.

Of all these teams, the one I believe has always had the most to offer to a sponsor is the Utah Olympic Oval's FAST Program. Not only is this the official high-performance team of the USA's premiere speedskating facility, but it also includes champion skaters Chad Hedrick and Derek Parra, as well as several strong junior skaters.

At the time when I was training with FAST, I really believed and hoped that this team would find a professional sponsor. Not only did I try to push the administration to look for sponsorship, I also asked one of the team's "stars" if he and his agent would put in a good word for us. His response? "That's not our job."

I think it was very short-sighted of the Oval not to aggressively pursue sponsorship for its high performance team, especially considering the UAF subsidies that are needed to keep the program alive. Also, if the team were sponsored, then it would have been much easier to attract high-caliber foreign skaters that would have been good training partners for the best skaters on FAST.

However, I digress from the main topic, which is a discussion of alternate ways for companies to get involved in sponsoring speedskating. I can see several advantages to sponsoring an individual skater or an alternate team directly. First of all, there are more team options to choose from, so it becomes easier for a company to pick a coach and an athlete or group that they like. Second, the sponsor has more direct control over the distribution of money. Less money is wasted, and the athletes are happier and more cooperative because they are more likely to get what they need.

The only disadvantage to sponsoring an individual or other team instead of US Speedskating is in not having the company's name associated with the recognized, official governing body of speedskating in America. But, considering the dissatisfaction of the constituency, it may be worth thinking of other options.

I'd like to see speedskating go pro some day - kind of like cycling did. Although many people believe that money is a corrupting influence, most former "garage sports" that went pro actually ended up being more accountable and less corrupt. This usually happens when sponsors gain control over their teams and begin running the team like a business. The team, in turn, becomes less favoritism-oriented and more results-oriented, which is what a business needs in order to survive.


There has to be a better way to fund speedskaters in this country. We are not doing well enough.

I began this post with a story about the Norwegian federation, and now let's end with one about the Russians. Most of the Russian skaters and coaches were dissatisfied with the leadership of their speedskating federation, but rather than trying to change what they felt they couldn't change, they recently banded together to form a new governing body for their sport. Soon, Putin's Minister of Sport, Slava Fetisov (yes, the former Detroit Red Wings player) became aware of the problems faced by the athletes and coaches. Rather than disbanding the old federation, Fetisov simply decided to channel all of the money slated for speedskating through the new federation, in order to serve the best interests of the athletes.

Ponder that, Protocol fans.
Dex, Revisited: Theoretical Problems with the Qwest Deal


The main problem I have with the Qwest sponsorship deal is the way in which athletes are forced to pay their own way to world cups if they do not wear the Qwest logo. I believe that this leverage is artificial, improper, and may not be based on the actual allocation of funds within US Speedskating.

First of all, to say that world cups are "optional" or irrelevant to either the world championships or the Olympic Games is inaccurate. World cups can be used to determine a country's number of spots for the Olympic Games and for world single distance championships. They have also been used to qualify individual athletes for these events. It may be improper for US Speedskating to interfere with an athlete's chance to pre-qualify for the 2006 Olympics by refusing to pay their way to a world cup, depending on the Olympic qualification requirements that will be determined by USS and the USOC.

Second, it may be improper for USS to interfere with an athlete's chances of earning USOC performance-based funding. In order to obtain this funding, a speedskater must place in the top 8 in either the world single distance championships, or in overall world cup standings. In order to score enough world cup points to place in the top 8, it is important to attend as many world cups as possible. This becomes very difficult if the athlete has to pay his or her own way.

Just how difficult and competitive is it to place high enough to earn USOC funding? Even the great Chris Witty was dealing with the uncertainty towards the end of last season.

Finally, where exactly does USS's world cup travel money come from? As far as I know, money that is given from the government (or the USOC) to the federation is, unless otherwise specified, supposed to be used for athletes who qualify to represent their country in international competition. This money shouldn't be pooled with money from sponsors, only to be redistributed by who-knows-what method, for various purposes such as clinics, meetings, V.I.P. treatment for "advisors" flown in for World Championship events, and tours of Olympic host cities for at least a few athletes whose chances of making the team are dubious at best. (Of course, I haven't seen the budget, because not only were my former agent's requests for a copy of the budget ignored, but the treasurer's report also wasn't posted on the USS website's link to the spring board meeting. This is why I can only speculate on these topics.)

A federation's first responsibility is sending its qualified athletes to international events. Anything else is secondary. None of the things I listed above are justification for making someone like Derek Parra pay for his own hotel room and food on a world cup trip.

Besides, weren't we told that the Qwest money was being set aside "for development" of the sport? Then, by definition, the Qwest money is not going towards world cup travel, and therefore skaters who breach the contract are not interfering with the pot of world cup travel money. Therefore, there is no logical reason to make them pay their own way to these competitions.

In the end, the only reason why the contract-breachers were forced to pay their own expenses was because US Speedskating said they had to, and US Speedskating is the boss. In this way, they used artificial leverage to bend the backs of the skaters in order to cover their own poor business management and sponsorship negotiations.

Monday, June 06, 2005

Addendum to the Discussion of New Teams at the Utah Olympic Oval


Disclaimer: The views expressed here do not reflect those of the High 5 Speedskating Team administration. They are my own personal views as a skater and as an observer of speedskating politics.


One point that I failed to bring up the last time I talked about the conflict between the High 5 Speedskating Team and the Utah Olympic Oval is the existence of the Oval's FAST program as a subsidized entity. The question that comes up is whether it is appropriate, or even legal, for the Utah Athletic Foundation to subsidize FAST, while there exists a competing, licensed business that also offers high performance speedskating training. The FAST program has been at the Oval since 2001. Has the situation changed now that High 5 exists and is licensed in the state of Utah? Is it still, or has it ever been, the prerogative of the UAF to provide and subsidize its own high performance speedskating team, to the exclusion of supporting any other teams?

Another question that comes up is whether this is really the best way to promote the sport of speedskating in Salt Lake City. It would seem to me that encouraging more teams and more options might lead to speedskating being more self-supporting in the future. Maybe a better solution would be to fund ice and facility fees for all licensed, registered teams, rather than subsidizing salaries for one or two coaches.

One particular instance of discrimination that occurred within the FAST program last year really bothers me. Two speedskaters, one male and one female, applied for membership in FAST and were both rejected before the program had been filled. The reason why these two athletes were not allowed to join the FAST program is that one skater, who will remain unnamed (but who was very valuable to the team), convinced the Oval coaches and administration not to accept these particular athletes because he did not like them and refused to train with them.

The fact that this particular athlete had enough "pull" with his coach to make this decision go through does not make it right. Is the UAF in a position to subsidize a program that practices discrimination against individuals in this manner? The skater who made his coach reject two specific athletes is not in a position to dictate whom the UAF's subsidized program can accept or reject! If this person wants to have this kind of say in the membership of his team, then HE BETTER GO OUT AND FIND HIS OWN SPONSORS AND START HIS OWN PROFESSIONAL TEAM. Otherwise, he is way out of line.

Because no other teams existed at the Oval besides FAST and the various US Speedskating groups, the two skaters rejected by FAST were left with very limited options. The female skater went with her only USS option, where she was lumped in with skaters far below her own level. The male skater ended up hiring a coach who lived out of town, didn't show up for months at a time, and failed to attend any of the major competitions.

This year, with the formation of the High 5 team, at least there is another option besides FAST and USS. However, as the situation currently stands, if someone is rejected by FAST and goes with High 5, then they must pay twice as much money for coaching and facility fees. How is this right?

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Country Club Atmosphere: How the Minnesota Mafia set the stage for USS's current woes

(Out of respect for the wishes of the administration of my team, I have temporarily removed my previous post about the High 5 Team. However, I will press onward in my analysis of American speedskating culture.)

From its beginning in this country, speedskating was a small sport. In the early years of USISA, which broke from the ASU in the 1960's to select teams that would represent the USA in international speedskating competition, a group of officials from Minnesota grabbed power.

Such domination by one association or club is more expected in a small sport like speedskating, as opposed to sports like track and field or swimming, which are made up of large numbers of athletes from all over the country. Not only are the numbers much smaller in speedskating, but there are also limited facilities for training, and these happened to be located in the upper Midwest. This situation, with its lack of numbers and lack of diversity, led to the development of a country club-like atmosphere of exclusivity.

From my friends who were involved in speedskating in the 1970's and 80's, I've heard that the so-called "Minnesota Mafia" would influence team selections in subtle ways. For example, they would schedule resurfacing breaks right before their own skaters raced. This was especially significant in those years, when the trials were held outdoors. Also, the Minnesota officials would change the rules of the competition on the fly. For example, one official rule stated that if a skater fell in one of the selection races, then he or she did not get a re-skate. However, if it turned out that one of their own favorite skaters fell and was otherwise in contention to make the team, they would allow that person to re-skate the race, in some cases multiple times, until they stayed on their feet. I heard of one situation in which Bill Cushman made a decision in the following way:

Cushman: "What did Gene Sandvig say?"

Coach: "Gene says she gets a re-skate."

Cushman: "Then go with what Gene says."


This was the final word, despite the fact that the rule book stated that there would be no re-skates in case of a fall.


Throughout the years, the Minnesota Mafia made things unpleasant for speedskaters all the way from the novice to the elite levels. They had a special dislike for very talented coaches whom they could not control, such as Diane Holum and Peter Mueller. Many skaters retired from the sport before they reached their full potential, due to the tightening of the noose that would inevitably occur once they started winning.

Not only the champion speedskaters were affected. Novice and recreational skaters suffered as well. My friends and I still meet people in unexpected places who say that they left the sport years ago because of their run-ins with the Minnesota Mafia. Just last week, one of my friends ran into someone who said, "I quit speedskating because of Gene Sandvig." I would like to meet this person. We could have a great bonding experience! I would reply, "Really? I quit speedskating because of Bill Cushman!"


In the late 1980's and early 90's, Bonnie Blair and Dan Jansen emerged as speedskating stars, having been brought to that level by Peter Mueller. Though Blair and Jansen ruled the international skating scene and even achieved celebrity status here in the USA, speedskating remained small.

Following the retirements of Blair and Jansen in the mid 1990's, the sport was forced to cut back its expectations. Keeping the sport small suited the Minnesota Mafia just fine; it gave them a chance to groom their own favorites for international competition. Incidences of blackballing, such as what happened to me in 1995, were more common than I thought at the time. This is something I have learned recently, as I've started discussing my speedskating past more openly with other people in this sport. These incidents were allowed to continue because people were afraid to speak out against the Minnesota Mafia.


In the late 1990's, USISA was watching over a chosen group of athletes who were training at the Pettit Center in Wisconsin in preparation for the 2002 Olympics. This group included several decent but not great skaters from the Midway (Minneapolis/St.Paul area) club. I believe that one of the reasons why the problems I brought up in my letter to USISA with coaching and facilities in Salt Lake City were ignored is because USISA already had its chosen team training in Milwaukee and did not care to deal with the potential of new skaters breaking into the 2002 Olympic team from another location.

In fact, USISA cared very little about developing the sport of speedskating in Salt Lake City before the Olympics. Their strategy for Salt Lake began with a problem, and this problem was bringing Stan Klotkowski to SLC to set up development groups. Because USISA had had problems with Stan in previous seasons, they decided to send him out to Utah to get rid of him. That's a great idea - sending a coach with a history of communication problems to set up development programs in an Olympic bid city.

What USISA did not realize at the time was that there already were a few speedskating teams training in the Salt Lake/Ogden area. With an attitude of arrogance he picked up from USISA, Stan walked into the valley and basically said, "You guys are nothing. I run speedskating now. You have no rights here. I will take your kids on my team if they are good."

That is how the conflicts between teams started in Salt Lake City around the time the outdoor oval opened. Things got even worse when SLOC came in and set up their own team- which became the only subsidized team at the oval - and the other teams began to face some of the same problems that the High 5 team is facing now.


Prior to the 2002 Games, the US team lacked depth and strength. Only Chris Witty won medals in Nagano in 1998. Hints of future success seemed to come from the strong and talented group of sprinters coached by Mike Crowe, and from the influx of inline skaters.

At the 2002 Olympics, US Speedskating had more medalists than ever before, going from one person winning two medals in 1998, to several different people being on the podium. The athletes had evolved, but unfortunately, the organization had not. US Speedskating wasn't prepared to deal with the success of its own athletes. They did not want to lose the exclusive country club atmosphere that had been established by the Minnesota Mafia. They did not want to consider a new reality, but instead, they tried to preserve their power. The weaker that US Speedskating became in the face of their athletes, the more irrationally and desperately they behaved. They grasped at straws in a sort of "agony" of control.


This is the environment which Andy Gabel inherited when he was elected president of US Speedskating. The votes of the athlete representatives were instrumental in getting Andy elected, and, in fact, most of the skaters had high hopes for Andy as president. We hoped he would identify with us, since he had just recently retired from his own competitive career. Also, at one time in his career, he had trained with a program outside of US Speedskating, so we thought he would be more open-minded with regards to USS's current outsiders, who probably make up more than half of our world cup team right now.

However, throughout his presidency, Andy has developed a history of making decisions that are not in the skaters' best interest, and has supported policies of discrimination against athletes who train outside USS programs. One example of this was described to me by Derek Parra, about a month ago. Derek is not only a gold and silver medalist from the 2002 Olympics, but he is also a beloved crowd favorite who has done a great deal of good for USS's image. But, because Derek chooses to train with Bart Schouten and Bart has not been a USS coach since 2002, Derek has spent the last few years being denied several benefits that are given to athletes who choose to train with the USS coaches. These benefits include massage and access to physiological testing at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital.

Derek did not think this was right, so he brought his concerns to Andy. One of Derek's main points was that Bart is the right coach for him; Bart is the coach who brought him to Olympic gold. So, why should he be punished for choosing to train with the coach who will make him skate his best? Andy replied that back when he himself was training with an outside program, he was denied benefits as well.

Does the fact that Andy was denied benefits in the past justify Derek's current situation, or excuse Andy, in his role as USS president, from trying to facilitate the training of every American skater, regardless of training program, so that he or she can compete at their best? What it does accomplish is to make people question Andy's motives and purpose in being president of USS.

The most questionable decision made by Andy Gabel so far as president of USS is the sponsorship deal he signed with Qwest. It was a grave miscalculation and an unbelievable display of arrogance to make this deal behind the backs of his constituency, which includes several Olympic gold medalists and world champions. I feel genuinely badly for the people of Qwest as well, who did not get what they expected out of this deal - which was to see people like Chad, Shani, and Derek wearing their logo.

In a future post, I will continue this discussion with a more in-depth look at the Qwest deal and its consequences.