Someone at CBC heard my interview on "The Current" and wanted me to do a live TV interview this afternoon in Vancouver, but I'm in Calgary, so I'm doing the interview from Calgary.
What: "Connect with Mark Kelley"
When: Today (Feb 26th) at 5:30 PM MST
Where: CBC news channel
I'll see if I can get video to post up on the blog in a few days....
Friday, February 26, 2010
CBC interview for "The Current"
I did an interview with CBC back in January. They were looking for stories on what it was like for siblings of Olympians, especially those siblings in the same sports. It was broadcast yesterday on "The Current" with Anne-Maria Tremonti (February 25, 2010). You can find the interview archived on their website, and I have an mp3 file that I will try post here on the blog.
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2010/02/february-25-2010.html
It was a good interview, and i wore my hear on my sleeve...it was interesting to hear the mental state i was in way back in January......
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2010/02/february-25-2010.html
It was a good interview, and i wore my hear on my sleeve...it was interesting to hear the mental state i was in way back in January......
Saturday, February 20, 2010
This is why we skate.....
I'm super nervous and excited this morning. Not for me, but for Luc. Today he races the 1500m, his specialty, the race in which he won silver back in the fall in Hamar.
He gets to experience something today that most athletes and people will never get to experience. He gets to experience quite possibly one of the most incredible situations that an athlete can experience, and an experience that any Canadian athlete would love to have as they compete on home soil. I don't know this from experience, but I can imagine that i'm pretty close on my assessment.
Today, he is in the last pair, pair 19, of the 1500m. The pairings are seeded from slowest to fastest based on world cup points, but the top 8 are put in a group and drawn.
He was drawn in the last pair, outerlane, with Shani Davis. Shani is an unbelievable skater. World Champ last year and has won 4 of 5 1500s this year by huge margins. He was also the only guy to beat Luc in Hamar.
At my first world cup in Berlin this fall, I was the last pair for both the 1000m and 1500m. It was intimidating, and empowering..."I'm in the last pair, i'm one of the best." I knew exactly what I needed to skate to be on the podium. Except, there was no one in the stands.
Shani is exactly the pair for Luc today. Intimidating, yup, but Luc will just eat it up. Luc will get to chase Shani the whole race. On top of that, 7000 screaming fans cheering on a Canadian, on home soil in the last pair. I'm getting goosebumps just writing about it, nevermind actually experiencing it.
That is why we skate. Is it scary, you bet. Is there potential for disappointment, you bet. Is all success and failure put on display for the world to see, you bet.
But, there is nothing more exciting. Last pair. Knowing exactly what he needs to do. 7000 screaming fans ready to yell him to the finish. It's for this exact situation that we train thousands of hours getting ready for. Its why we make race plans and mental plans. This situation has crippled so many athletes in the past, but if it can't get you pumped and ready to race, nothing will.
If I were a betting man, my guess is that Luc will choose the latter. This will get him fired up, and he'll feed off of it. He's a big race skater....
Light it up Luc!
He gets to experience something today that most athletes and people will never get to experience. He gets to experience quite possibly one of the most incredible situations that an athlete can experience, and an experience that any Canadian athlete would love to have as they compete on home soil. I don't know this from experience, but I can imagine that i'm pretty close on my assessment.
Today, he is in the last pair, pair 19, of the 1500m. The pairings are seeded from slowest to fastest based on world cup points, but the top 8 are put in a group and drawn.
He was drawn in the last pair, outerlane, with Shani Davis. Shani is an unbelievable skater. World Champ last year and has won 4 of 5 1500s this year by huge margins. He was also the only guy to beat Luc in Hamar.
At my first world cup in Berlin this fall, I was the last pair for both the 1000m and 1500m. It was intimidating, and empowering..."I'm in the last pair, i'm one of the best." I knew exactly what I needed to skate to be on the podium. Except, there was no one in the stands.
Shani is exactly the pair for Luc today. Intimidating, yup, but Luc will just eat it up. Luc will get to chase Shani the whole race. On top of that, 7000 screaming fans cheering on a Canadian, on home soil in the last pair. I'm getting goosebumps just writing about it, nevermind actually experiencing it.
That is why we skate. Is it scary, you bet. Is there potential for disappointment, you bet. Is all success and failure put on display for the world to see, you bet.
But, there is nothing more exciting. Last pair. Knowing exactly what he needs to do. 7000 screaming fans ready to yell him to the finish. It's for this exact situation that we train thousands of hours getting ready for. Its why we make race plans and mental plans. This situation has crippled so many athletes in the past, but if it can't get you pumped and ready to race, nothing will.
If I were a betting man, my guess is that Luc will choose the latter. This will get him fired up, and he'll feed off of it. He's a big race skater....
Light it up Luc!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Olympics!!
Its great to be back in Vancouver but somewhat anticlimatic. I needed to get away from training and Calgary for a few days to decompress and recoup from a long racing season. In that sense, its great to be here. Having said that, I'm not sure that I would have come here if Luc wasn't racing. Its great to watch my teammates race, but it was tough going back to the oval to watch the 1000m.
The Richmond O Zone....
Its really easy to start comparing, wondering where I would finish if I were racing. The thing is, that first, it doesn't matter, and also, I can't compare because the conditions are different from when I last raced here. I know I shouldn't compare, but any competitive person will do so.
When I go watch the 1500m on Saturday, I hope that everyone just flies so then there is no way for me to wonder where I would finish....if the times are similar or not to previous competitions, I know I'll find a way to keep wondering what if.... I skated 1:49.16 in the fall... now maybe everyone else will compare too! haha.
On to some of the cool things....
Speedskate Canada house.... its at the UBC boathouse on the Fraser River. Its so much fun. Its put on by SSC as a place for speedskaters to congretate, watch and cheer on the team. SSC has done a great job with it.
The Richmond O Zone....
The City of Richmond has a great outdoor party place located at Minoru Park. Minoru Park is an artificial field where I shed blood, sweat and maybe even some tears training for these Games. There were training sessions where we were hurting so badly, so its different seeing that venue in a different format.
The O zone is really well done. There are concerts every night, a beer gardens, food and beverage stands, an ice rink and much more...like the infamous Heineken House (I'll let you guys figure out what might be going on there. dutch + heineken = ......). Last night I was at the O zone to watch the Arkells from Hamilton and Our Lady Peace. The Arkells were great! I was worried about OLP because they were trying to improvize and do too much, but they redeemed themselves with the last few songs which were AWESOME! A few vids of the concerts last night... one of the Arkells, another of the surroundings and the last of OLP.
One more cool tidbit at the Ozone. I guess corn on the cob is a big deal around here because they have a big stand with tons of different toppings. See pic below... cimmanon sugar??? hmmmm..
Salt Lake City Update
I'm here in vancouver now to take in some of the sights and sounds at the Olympics. Time is flying by and I've always got something to do.
Last week I was in Salt Lake City for North Americans. SLC is such a great city, it was just like it was in the fall when I was there for the world cup. It was so nice and warm the whole time (5-10 C), the scenery is awesome as per usual.
I got a chance to do a few things while in SLC. I went to the energy solutions center to catch the Lakers and Jazz.....minus kobe. The seats were way up at the top and the game wasn't particularily interesting, but still really cool to go and take it in.
Also, almost every day I went for lunch to Great Harvest Bread Co. for some of the best sandwiches I've ever had. The people working there were great and seemed to just love what they do. One older gentleman took very good care of us, always asking how the speedskaters were doing and even offering up a container of chocolate brownies since as athletes we need lots of calories. He even had a challenge to name an obscure song/band playing on the radio, to which, one of the guys used Shazaam on his phone to get a $10 gift certificate! Check em out if you are ever in SLC (http://www.greatharvest.com/), the city that helps you cross the street by providing orange flags.
Last week I was in Salt Lake City for North Americans. SLC is such a great city, it was just like it was in the fall when I was there for the world cup. It was so nice and warm the whole time (5-10 C), the scenery is awesome as per usual.
I got a chance to do a few things while in SLC. I went to the energy solutions center to catch the Lakers and Jazz.....minus kobe. The seats were way up at the top and the game wasn't particularily interesting, but still really cool to go and take it in.
Also, almost every day I went for lunch to Great Harvest Bread Co. for some of the best sandwiches I've ever had. The people working there were great and seemed to just love what they do. One older gentleman took very good care of us, always asking how the speedskaters were doing and even offering up a container of chocolate brownies since as athletes we need lots of calories. He even had a challenge to name an obscure song/band playing on the radio, to which, one of the guys used Shazaam on his phone to get a $10 gift certificate! Check em out if you are ever in SLC (http://www.greatharvest.com/), the city that helps you cross the street by providing orange flags.
The competition was pretty good for me. The first few races went very well.
On friday, 2nd in the 1000. It was a tough race as I was just exhausted from not sleeping well/enough. I was so proud of myself and how mentally tough I was. No excuses or b.s. I had to perform, and even though i was not even close to being at my optimal state, I skated very well, and missed the win by just over .1 sec.
Saturday, very similar. I knew the ice wasn't going to be giving much love just like yesterday, so i knew I had to go for it and dig deep (yup, cue all the cliches). I went out hard and skated great. 3rd place. A few guys were just a little better than me today. No shame in that because i skated very well. There were 4 of us within .6 sec.
Sunday, well, lets forget about that one. You know those days where you just never really get into it. You are never really sharp , but always a little sloppy. That was the 2nd 1000 for me. I never got into it. I opened poorly, skated sloppy and was just never in position at any time. And, my placing showed. 5th place. Not ideal.
The top 4 guys were so close. 1:09.92/1:09.92/1:10:06/1:10.10 then me 1:10.5. I could have skated better and been in the same position, or I could have beaten them all, who knows. It was just one of those days..... Results like that reaffirm why you always push to the line and leave it all on the ice. You just don't know what everyone else will do. You don't know how fast the ice is. You don't know when someone will blowup, or if a blade length makes the difference between 1st and 5th. I perform the best I can, and let the cards fall where they may. The results take care of themselves.
I'm glad to be done racing for a few weeks. I'm getting tired mentally, physically and physiologically. My nervous system needs a break to recoup. For that reason, I'm quite excited to be in Vancouver, not so much for the Olympics, but just to get away for abit and not focus on skating.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Canada Cup 2 - Saskatoon
I haven't written for a few weeks...some time for me to decompress from the rollercoaster of emotions that I experienced during Olympic Trials. Competing at a high level requires me to be on top of my game for a long periods at a time. There are so many things that I do on top of my training sessions to be ready to race: stretching, writing in my training journal, getting treatments, watching video and more. These extra things take up a lot of time, so as you can imagine, I have to be very disciplined and it takes a lot of energy to maintain that discipline.
This past week I was competing in Saskatoon, SK. Back to the homeland....and nothing has changed! It was cold. Very cold. Not really that cold if you are just going about your normal day, but its really cold when we skate outside in a skinsuit. Regardless of the cold, it was good to be home. Saskatoon is no Regina, but close.
The competition started off rather well. 8th place in the 500m. The 500m isn't exactly my forte. I'd usually finish somewhere in the 12th to 15th range, so an 8th place is really quite good!
For the rest of the racing, I can describe it with one word. Hmm.
4th places across the board in 2x1000m and the 1500m.
I didn't skate too badly but I wasn't able to transfer the feeling and technical improvements that I recently made in Calgary, to outside skating. On top of that, a slip here and there costs me just enough time to drop a placing or two. This past weekend, there were skaters that were just a little better than me. Nothing I can do about that.
For those of you who don't know, skating outside is nothing like skating inside. Indoor ovals spoil us. No wind, smooth ice, constant conditions for everyone. The conditions are generally fair for everyone.
Outdoor ovals are a different story, especially those with natural ice. Hard natural ice exposes all technical flaws in a skater. Any inefficiencies are accentuated, especially when you get tired. It is a whole different ball game, because I not only need to focus on racing the race, but I also need to change my tactics. This could include getting lower going into the wind and sitting slightly higher with the wind. If its going to be windy, then I'll use it to my advantage.
I'm back in Calgary, and off to Salt Lake City on Tuesday. I'm glad to be back inside so I can refresh and refind the feeling I had before I left for Saskatoon.
This past week I was competing in Saskatoon, SK. Back to the homeland....and nothing has changed! It was cold. Very cold. Not really that cold if you are just going about your normal day, but its really cold when we skate outside in a skinsuit. Regardless of the cold, it was good to be home. Saskatoon is no Regina, but close.
The competition started off rather well. 8th place in the 500m. The 500m isn't exactly my forte. I'd usually finish somewhere in the 12th to 15th range, so an 8th place is really quite good!
For the rest of the racing, I can describe it with one word. Hmm.
4th places across the board in 2x1000m and the 1500m.
I didn't skate too badly but I wasn't able to transfer the feeling and technical improvements that I recently made in Calgary, to outside skating. On top of that, a slip here and there costs me just enough time to drop a placing or two. This past weekend, there were skaters that were just a little better than me. Nothing I can do about that.
For those of you who don't know, skating outside is nothing like skating inside. Indoor ovals spoil us. No wind, smooth ice, constant conditions for everyone. The conditions are generally fair for everyone.
Outdoor ovals are a different story, especially those with natural ice. Hard natural ice exposes all technical flaws in a skater. Any inefficiencies are accentuated, especially when you get tired. It is a whole different ball game, because I not only need to focus on racing the race, but I also need to change my tactics. This could include getting lower going into the wind and sitting slightly higher with the wind. If its going to be windy, then I'll use it to my advantage.
I'm back in Calgary, and off to Salt Lake City on Tuesday. I'm glad to be back inside so I can refresh and refind the feeling I had before I left for Saskatoon.
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