A vision for rebuilding USSPEEDSKATING infrastructure in time for the 2010 Olympics:
To the so-called "new" administration of USSPEEDSKATING: You are doing a lot of things wrong, and unless you make some serious changes to your attitudes and your planning, the Vancouver Games will bring you nothing but failure.
There are two main topics that need to be discussed at this time: First, the inline-to-ice program, and second, the overall direction of the long track program.
The inline-to-ice program is another example of a good concept gone awry because it has been applied with the typical USSPEEDSKATING thoughtlessness and bludgeoning, with no regard for the true goal in mind, or the consequences of carrying out the program in the way you've set it up.
In USS's current inline-to-ice program, inline skaters who have never before set foot on the ice are offered a stipend of $500 a month to train with Derek Parra, who will help them make the conversion from inline to ice. The plan is that once these skaters make Category I, their stipend will be eliminated.
What are the problems with this program? The first and most glaring problem is that those inline skaters who, in the past 2-3 seasons, have ON THEIR OWN INITIATIVE and ON THEIR OWN DIME made the transition from inline to ice, have been completely skipped over for support. Also, several very talented skaters who have been long track ice skaters all their lives, as well as a few skaters who have successfully made the jump from short track to long track and have shown great potential, have also been ignored. These are all people who have already begun to prove themselves in long track ice speedskating, and have already proven their commitment to the sport. They have, among other things, been National age group champions, qualified for Category I, and competed in the Junior Worlds. In most cases, these skaters are still on an upswing in performance and are setting new personal best times on a regular basis.
Another way in which USS's junior development skaters and those skaters who have switched from inline to ice in recent years are getting screwed is by the elimination of the regional development programs. The reason why the regional development programs were eliminated is LACK OF FUNDING. So, instead, you're going to throw money you don't have towards completely unproven athletes? Where's the logic in that? Who is responsible for choosing between these two options, and why wasn't the general membership of USSPEEDSKATING informed of these decisions? You see? Everything is still being done behind people's backs.
In reality, what is the goal of the inline-to-ice program? It is basically to attract, support, and develop those speedskaters who have the best potential to medal at the Olympics some day. But who's to say that the ONLY group from which these skaters are going to come is the group of "green, untested inline skaters?" How do they know for sure?
THE SOLUTION: If the goal is in fact to choose the best "raw physical material with speedskating potential," then have an INDEPENDENT group of experts develop a set of physical tests for various parameters such as power, aerobic and anaerobic ability, speed, strength, balance, agility, etc. Invite all the skaters to the try-outs, including those who have been on ice all their lives, as well as inliners who are planning to switch to ice AND those inliners who have been on ice for the past few seasons, and CHOOSE YOUR BEST SPECIMENS FROM THESE TESTS. This is the only fair way, and is in fact the way that the Canadians have done it for their "Own the Podium" program.
At this time, USSPEEDSKATING also seems to have major problems with leadership, planning, and communication. As far as the long track program goes: The USS Board is now mostly made up of people with a background in short track, who have no idea about what has been going on in long track. There is still time to make a good plan to develop a strong long track team in time for Vancouver, but you have to start RIGHT NOW...and it seems you've already begun with some major missteps.
First of all: The position of Program Director should be held by someone who is an expert in sports physiology and has at least had several years of experience coaching at the national team level. This is a person who is IN POSITION TO BE A MENTOR to the coaches below him (or her).
I do not have any problem with Scott Koons; I think he is a great guy, and that there ought to be a place for him in your organization. It's just that I believe he is in a place in his career where he would benefit from being mentored by someone else for a few more seasons, before being placed in such a position of responsibility. I fear that you are setting him up to fail.
Then there is the truly ugly situation of the National Allround team. This is the background of the unfortunate situation in which Chris Shelley found himself: During the summer, several National Allround skaters were pushing hard to get Derek Parra hired as National Allround coach. But USSPEEDSKATING refused to hire Derek "out of revenge" for the "problems" he caused them with their sponsorship issues in the past few seasons. Finally, USS agreed to hire Chris Shelley for this position, but he didn't get to start working as USS Allround coach until September 1. By then, the majority of the training and preparation phase of the season was over, so what could he really do? And, to make matters worse, some of the skaters started making life difficult for him because they had wanted Derek Parra as their coach instead.
I feel terrible for Chris. In terms of coaching credentials, he is right up there with Ryan Shimabukuro; he has completed the Canadian certification system and has developed several really great skaters. I think he has a very rational, calm, and respectful coaching style that would be very well suited to working with a group of female skaters (if USSPEEDSKATING were serious about rebuilding their women's team, this might be something to consider).
About the women's team: Are you serious about building a strong team of medal contenders in time for the Vancouver Games? Then I will tell you RIGHT NOW which women you should be supporting. You should be doing everything within your power to get these women preparing for the 2010 Olympics. You should be making sure they have as much support as you can give them:
Catherine Raney
Maria Lamb
Anna Ringsred
Jessica Smith
Mia Manganello
Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr.
Maggie Crowley
That list is for the benefit of the short trackers in charge of USSPEEDSKATING. I realize you may not be familiar with these names, but I suggest you do your research.
USSPEEDSKATING, when I look around the Utah Olympic Oval I see skaters who are hurting because they are being neglected and treated unfairly. I have skaters asking me for advice on how to balance work and training and school. I have skaters who want to come to club session to skate behind me and copy my technique because they don't feel that their coaches are helping them enough.
I'm willing to share my experiences with anyone who wants to avoid making the same mistakes I did. I'm willing to help YOUR skaters by offering them the benefits of "intellectual property" that I learned from coaches outside the federation, whom I was forced to seek out on my own during my competitive career. And as you can see, I'm still slinging advice your way with utter contempt for the backdoor dishonesty of your leadership.
To the so-called "new" administration of USSPEEDSKATING: You are doing a lot of things wrong, and unless you make some serious changes to your attitudes and your planning, the Vancouver Games will bring you nothing but failure.
There are two main topics that need to be discussed at this time: First, the inline-to-ice program, and second, the overall direction of the long track program.
The inline-to-ice program is another example of a good concept gone awry because it has been applied with the typical USSPEEDSKATING thoughtlessness and bludgeoning, with no regard for the true goal in mind, or the consequences of carrying out the program in the way you've set it up.
In USS's current inline-to-ice program, inline skaters who have never before set foot on the ice are offered a stipend of $500 a month to train with Derek Parra, who will help them make the conversion from inline to ice. The plan is that once these skaters make Category I, their stipend will be eliminated.
What are the problems with this program? The first and most glaring problem is that those inline skaters who, in the past 2-3 seasons, have ON THEIR OWN INITIATIVE and ON THEIR OWN DIME made the transition from inline to ice, have been completely skipped over for support. Also, several very talented skaters who have been long track ice skaters all their lives, as well as a few skaters who have successfully made the jump from short track to long track and have shown great potential, have also been ignored. These are all people who have already begun to prove themselves in long track ice speedskating, and have already proven their commitment to the sport. They have, among other things, been National age group champions, qualified for Category I, and competed in the Junior Worlds. In most cases, these skaters are still on an upswing in performance and are setting new personal best times on a regular basis.
Another way in which USS's junior development skaters and those skaters who have switched from inline to ice in recent years are getting screwed is by the elimination of the regional development programs. The reason why the regional development programs were eliminated is LACK OF FUNDING. So, instead, you're going to throw money you don't have towards completely unproven athletes? Where's the logic in that? Who is responsible for choosing between these two options, and why wasn't the general membership of USSPEEDSKATING informed of these decisions? You see? Everything is still being done behind people's backs.
In reality, what is the goal of the inline-to-ice program? It is basically to attract, support, and develop those speedskaters who have the best potential to medal at the Olympics some day. But who's to say that the ONLY group from which these skaters are going to come is the group of "green, untested inline skaters?" How do they know for sure?
THE SOLUTION: If the goal is in fact to choose the best "raw physical material with speedskating potential," then have an INDEPENDENT group of experts develop a set of physical tests for various parameters such as power, aerobic and anaerobic ability, speed, strength, balance, agility, etc. Invite all the skaters to the try-outs, including those who have been on ice all their lives, as well as inliners who are planning to switch to ice AND those inliners who have been on ice for the past few seasons, and CHOOSE YOUR BEST SPECIMENS FROM THESE TESTS. This is the only fair way, and is in fact the way that the Canadians have done it for their "Own the Podium" program.
At this time, USSPEEDSKATING also seems to have major problems with leadership, planning, and communication. As far as the long track program goes: The USS Board is now mostly made up of people with a background in short track, who have no idea about what has been going on in long track. There is still time to make a good plan to develop a strong long track team in time for Vancouver, but you have to start RIGHT NOW...and it seems you've already begun with some major missteps.
First of all: The position of Program Director should be held by someone who is an expert in sports physiology and has at least had several years of experience coaching at the national team level. This is a person who is IN POSITION TO BE A MENTOR to the coaches below him (or her).
I do not have any problem with Scott Koons; I think he is a great guy, and that there ought to be a place for him in your organization. It's just that I believe he is in a place in his career where he would benefit from being mentored by someone else for a few more seasons, before being placed in such a position of responsibility. I fear that you are setting him up to fail.
Then there is the truly ugly situation of the National Allround team. This is the background of the unfortunate situation in which Chris Shelley found himself: During the summer, several National Allround skaters were pushing hard to get Derek Parra hired as National Allround coach. But USSPEEDSKATING refused to hire Derek "out of revenge" for the "problems" he caused them with their sponsorship issues in the past few seasons. Finally, USS agreed to hire Chris Shelley for this position, but he didn't get to start working as USS Allround coach until September 1. By then, the majority of the training and preparation phase of the season was over, so what could he really do? And, to make matters worse, some of the skaters started making life difficult for him because they had wanted Derek Parra as their coach instead.
I feel terrible for Chris. In terms of coaching credentials, he is right up there with Ryan Shimabukuro; he has completed the Canadian certification system and has developed several really great skaters. I think he has a very rational, calm, and respectful coaching style that would be very well suited to working with a group of female skaters (if USSPEEDSKATING were serious about rebuilding their women's team, this might be something to consider).
About the women's team: Are you serious about building a strong team of medal contenders in time for the Vancouver Games? Then I will tell you RIGHT NOW which women you should be supporting. You should be doing everything within your power to get these women preparing for the 2010 Olympics. You should be making sure they have as much support as you can give them:
Catherine Raney
Maria Lamb
Anna Ringsred
Jessica Smith
Mia Manganello
Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr.
Maggie Crowley
That list is for the benefit of the short trackers in charge of USSPEEDSKATING. I realize you may not be familiar with these names, but I suggest you do your research.
USSPEEDSKATING, when I look around the Utah Olympic Oval I see skaters who are hurting because they are being neglected and treated unfairly. I have skaters asking me for advice on how to balance work and training and school. I have skaters who want to come to club session to skate behind me and copy my technique because they don't feel that their coaches are helping them enough.
I'm willing to share my experiences with anyone who wants to avoid making the same mistakes I did. I'm willing to help YOUR skaters by offering them the benefits of "intellectual property" that I learned from coaches outside the federation, whom I was forced to seek out on my own during my competitive career. And as you can see, I'm still slinging advice your way with utter contempt for the backdoor dishonesty of your leadership.
posted by Eva at 8:14 AM
