The new suit is the skinsuit that I should have been racing in all year but Usspeedskating was late delivering it.

Photos by Jerry Search. Thanks as always.

Senior Championships day two recap:

Racing started at around 11:30, a very civilized time which was nice. Usually on Sundays of competitions it starts at 8am and I'm skating with my eyes closed so that was nice. I skated a good 1000meter heat and advanced to the final, taking the one and only qualifying position in my 4 man heat with an outside pass with a lap to go. I was skating very well in the final and was in perfect position sitting in second place with about three and a half to go when I heard a skirmish behind me. I didn't think much of it but the next time we came around the turn, the gun went off signaling the immediate stop of the race. Landon was in the middle of the track bleeding. He had been cut in the skirmish when another guy caught an edge which propelled his skate up and cut Landon in the leg and chest. He was escorted off the ice and to a hospital. When we re-started the race, I was feeling very strong and knew I wanted to be in the lead with 4 to go. I made a pass around that mark and just sprinted. I crossed the line and finally had reason to be happy with my first place finish. I went on to win the 3000m super final as well, which was a grueling 27lap marathon. I also claimed the extra 150bonus points after the first 9 laps which helped me win group B overall even with all that silly falling I did.
  So happy I went to this competition. I am feeling very good about my skating and about the future of this season. I am back home for Christmas and then Sunday I leave for Pittsburgh again to train until Junior Trials.

Senior Championships day one recap 12/18/2010

What a day! I woke up feeling lousy and weak and was not very into anything. I tried everything in the books from relaxing as much as possible to eating super well, drinking hot tea, taking the right vitamins, trying to pump myself up with a walk around the block in the cold, but I still felt weak and heavy. We started very late today. my warm-up wasn't until 3:40pm (5:40pm eastern time) and even during warm-up, I felt okay, but not terrific. My first race,the 1500, I definitely had the harder of the two heats but I skated a good race and advanced easily to the final taking the 3rd and last qualifying position. The final was crazy! I had a situation only a handful of laps into the 13 1/2 lap race: My coach (Coach K) told me to start building it up as I was sitting near the back of the pack. The one guy behind me had started to build it up already though I didn't know it and as I went outside to gain extra speed, I went right in front of him and he crashed into the back of me. Somehow he went down but I didn't. I managed to survive the contact but it sent me careening wide. So I had to catch up. I did and I passed everybody except the two at the front battling it out. I stayed on them for a lap or two and then with one lap to go, I attempted an all or nothing inside pass. I had so much speed coming out that I blew by the first guy and trying to avoid running into the back of the guy in the lead, I veered to the outside to set up the last corner but   aaaaahhh, I clipped his skate and lost control! So the last corner I went down and the whole pack passed me. I am super happy to be skating well again though and I have had so many people come up to me and say how happy they are to see me skating well again. The 500s were good as well. I skated a personal best of 43.9 in the first heat, and again in the final, i was skating great and had the momentum to make the winning pass but fell again hard into the great pads. I really am giving the break-away pads a good testing. I am encouraged tremendously with how I am skating as I am staying with guys that crushed me earlier this  year. Can't wait to race tomorrow and then to get training again harder than ever.

  More coming tomorrow but i have to sleep now. I'm exhausted.

Saturday December 18th

I only skated one race yesterday but it was hard enough to make me sore this morning. Here are the official results from the 1000meter time trial : http://www.usspeedskating.org/pdf/results/129262120123002_Mens1000TimeTrial.pdf  This meet is being web cast on a live feed thanks to Tony Chung. Go to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shorttrackhd . Tony is doing Usspeedskating such a service by finally providing the world with a way to see the best in the U.S. compete when there is otherwise hardly any advertising for this crazy sport.
  This rink we are racing on is the same surface that the 2002 Olympics were held on. So cool to think of the memories and drama from the Olympics which were happening right on the ice I am skating on. Another sweet feature to the rink is that the pads are built in. There are no boards like on any regular hockey rink. So when these guys fall going 30 miles an hour, there's a soft trampoline to catch you instead of a slightly softened wall. i tested it out one practice ( I'd like to say it was on purpose, but sadly it wasn't) and it was so cool feeling. I hardly felt anything.

Friday December 17th

I am in Salt Lake City. We (the Kruegers, Mitch, and I) arrived last Saturday. We arrived that early in order to adjust to the high altitude and get used to the very different Utah ice, famous among speed skaters for being super fast. Beginning Monday, we skated for the first time with the second team that trains here other than the National team. We were indeed impressed with the ice but we also felt the altitude affecting us. Normal sets which should have been a breeze left my lungs burning and my head swirling. Later in the week, the beginning of the day would go well but then I got a headache.

  The scenery is awe-inspiring. Surrounding us is a rim of mountains and we are in a "bowl" of stucco houses which are all pretty much identical. It is eerie. The other night we returned home from a sweet drive up the mountains just for kicks and when we got home, I jumped out of the car, ran up to the door only to realize with a pang that it was not the house we are staying in. I went next door and had my hand on the door knob before I realized that again, this was not our house! This just proves how similar all the houses are. We had been staying in the house 5 days already and we could hardly make out which house was ours. The ride up the mountain was truly incredible. The peaks are jagged and steep like the cartoon peaks where its too sharp on your foot to stand on the tip. It was dark by the time we got up so we'll return Sunday after racing ends.

  So! To the racing today! We had time trials only. The deal was, every one skated a 1000meter time trial (9 laps) and then the top 16 compete throughout the weekend for: a) the national senior title. b) the top 6 overall go to the next set of world cups. 24 men were invited plus two skate-ins. Skate-ins are guys who are not ranked in the top 24 but are fairly sure they can make the top 16 and are allowed to skate the 1000meter time trial. I was ranked 24th. I skated a time of 1:30. 3 when my previous personal best was 1:31.8. I am satisfied. I did not make the top 16, but I definitely was not 26th fastest time. I don't have the exact results but I was around 19th. So I will compete against the other athletes who did not make the top 16.

Friday, December 10th. 2010

Hey all, I am so busy all the time and there isn't much to report on other than that I am working hard and working hard and working hard...  One exciting thing happened the other morning: We were skating in the paceline going about 50% (luckily not more) when the lights all just completely went out. Since it was still dark out at 6:30, there was absolutely no light coming from anywhere and it was literall pitch black for 5 seconds before the emergency lights came into effect. Everybody yelled out, each individual doing something dramatic of his own. John-Henry apparently skated through the turn then decided to stop short. Mitch veered into the middle and stopped short. I myself slowly came to a halt and braced myself for whatever masses of confusion could hit me from behind. It really did spice practice up a bit.

  So I am packed for Salt Lake City. The Kruegers and I are leaving tomorrow for Senior Championships. I wasn't sure if I was going until a couple weeks ago, but I was invited as I was ranked inside the top 24. I am excited. Salt Lake is of course the site of the 2002 olympic games and has some of the fastest ice in the world due to the high altitude. We will get in tomorrow, take a day to settle in, and then train in the oval to get accustomed to the unique ice and conditions. Should be fun. I have to make the top 16 in the 9 lap time trial to compete in group 1 and if not, I will compete against only the skaters who do not make the top 16 cut off.

Next stage. Big Changes. December 2nd, 2010

Well I was not exagerating when I said there would be big changes. I am in Pittsburgh. I am training here probably through the Junior Trials which begin January 21st. Yes, that means being away from home during the hollidays. :( It will go by so quickly though.
  I started training yesterday. It is going to be very good. already, coach K has fixed my left skate problem, which had taken the place of my right skate problem. They both seem to be quelled for the time being (knock on wood).
  Every day of the week I will wake up at 4:20 to eat breakfast or post midnight snacks, and then drive to the rink. I am of course staying in the house of the Kruegers who are awesome! Just awesome. The ice starts at 6 and by the time we get off the ice its still dark out! Ha! Its crazy. My inner clock is going wild. He'll adjust though.
  Goodnight.

Monday November 8th

Well, I am back here in New York. I am so happy to be home. I feel like I'm floating in a puffy soft cloud I am so comfortable. I would love to say that the race was a huge success and I am on my way to a great season but that is just not true. I have some serious changes in store. It was a mess of okay skating, equipment problems, mental issues, injury issues and it was generally challenging to stomach. It was better than last Am Cup. at least. I finished 18th out of 24 overall, which to me is remarkable considering how it felt overall. I don't feel good writing about it, but I just thought I should let any followers know how it went.

Friday November 6th

Tis the eve of the race. It is cold and rainy here in Cleveland, Ohio. Well actually it is more snowy than rainy. Call it a wintry mix and I love it. The trees are orange and red and brown and my hands get cold and stiff if I stay outside too long. Feels like it should November 5th.
  I have had a busy bunch of days preparing so I apologize for failing to post in so long. Wednesday night I only got 41/2 hours of sleep because I went to practice that night so I couldn't have all my bags packed when I got back and I had to eat something. By the time I got to sleep it was 11 and I had to wake up at 3:30 for the flight here. I am so disoriented. I went through a porthole it feels like from clear deep blue skies and 85-90s to cold, hailing Cleveland. Thursday was a lost day. I was so wired I hardly was myself plus the fact that the clock moved forward 3 hours from L.A. to here so I traveled super early but by the time I was settled into the room it was practically time for dinner. I have been in a room at the Regency Hotel all by my self since then. It is a really nice room as far as my standards for regular hotels go and overall, I have been impressed. The only flaw so far was the magically emptying bathtub. No matter what I did, it kept emptying even though I stopped the drain and could not feel anywhere where there was a downward current! My bath in Epsom Salts and stretching was the latest thing I've done today, and before, I went to the rink this morning for practice Ice and went to eat and pick up groceries at Wal Mart with Jean and Kyle. With the World Cup team not present, Kyle has a great shot to win the overall competition here this weekend. I'm just trying to improve on last Am. Cup. It should be great and there is actually a live stream in HD, I believe ... here:  http://www.shorttrackhd.com/menu.html  I am pretty sure the live stream is happening tomorrow if you click on the link some ways down that page. I will find out for sure soon and get back to you. Of course, if you miss it or can't watch, my dad is here this time! So he will be recording all the races. You just won't get those live. He should be here any minute from the airport actually. We're gunna go check in for the race and then eat.
  I'll try to confirm on the live video soon.

Monday November 1st

I got good sleeps Saturday night and Sunday night and I woke up ready to work this morning. It was a good thing because the workout was tough and I led most of it. We did the warm up relay, then finished three out of four sets of 20 laps technical - no lap times - followed by 10 laps between 10.5 and 11.0 followed by a 3 lap accel. I was around 10.1 for a lot of the 3rd 10 lapper. I am working so hard on the technique still. 4 things have to come together for me: I have to steer into the turn more with my right, then after the right push I have to cross big with the right. I understood completely what Wil has been saying over and over about transferring weight more today and that helped me comprehend the term "shifting" she always says. So four things in recap:
 - Steer into the turn on the right,
 - Cross bigger with the right,
  - Transfer the weight from leg to leg so longer pushes,
  - Shift the hips more.
  Of course I always have to "tuck" more, which basically means rounding my back but the result is that my hips stay "under my body".
  Imagine going 25 mph on thin blades around hairpin turns on ice thinking about all this and more. It is not easy. But I am better than a lot of people in the country, I have a shot to be great, the whole process is making me a better, stronger individual, I enjoy it a lot when I'm doing well and I am learning how to feed myself, eat, sleep and prepare right so that I can do it well. Why complain?


  Yesterday afternoon was very  pleasant with Gary. We went to Venice Beach, had a great meal looking right out on the beach with lapping waves and clear blue skies. Then we walked to a different part of the beach, the main part and rested in the sun for a good hour. It was too bizarre, first of all to be with Gary in the nice parts of the West Coast when we are always together in the East, but moreover to be in a place that was hot enough to take off my shirt, with palm trees, summer blue skies, and huge white beaches while back home it must be chilly and full of autumn colors. Hard to believe I'll be in that place soon.

Sunday October 31st

I have one week before I am home again! That is one long week though as I still have 3 days of training, a tough packing job, a day of traveling and getting checked in my hotel and then a weekend of stressful racing in Cleveland. Its gonna be good because I will make it good.
  Kendal's party was fun. There were a ton of people there from her and her older brother's school. Everybody was dressed in a costume of course. We danced a lot and I was sore the next day.
  The whole couple days was so hectic. But it was a controlled hectic. From skating friday morning I went home with Kendal, dropped her off at school and then helped Annette (Kendal's mother) shop. We went back to the house and unloaded all the groceries and then I went with Kendal's brother Austin to pick Kendal up from school. I didn't sleep all day leading up to the party though I wanted to but when the party started, I was ready - of course. lol. It was too late to go home to the Uyeharas when Casey and I left so I went home to Casey's dorm and slept there on the couch. When I woke up, I had the challenging decision of how to get home. Should I take the lame bus system and take all day to get back? Should I save time but lose a ton of money by calling a taxi to take me? Could I maybe get Casey to give me yet another ride? Could I all Gary to come down and bring me back? Or should I just stay with Casey all day and go with him to practice? I decided on the first option, the bus.
  It went surprisingly well. I mapped my route out on Google maps and took two different buses for a total of 25 miles for just $3. However it took 2 hours and 20 minutes and by the time I got back, I hardly had time to fall asleep before I had to go to practice. It was good though. The whole thing. I have become so good at planning ahead and working things out on my own. I had everything I needed at all times. I was never hungry, thirsty, sleep-deprived or anxious about much of anything. Casey gave me the book Fight Club to read on the bus as I have finished the other two books I had. The area around his College, OTIS, is very nice and artsy. I like it.
  Today Gary is swinging by and we'll spend the day together.

Friday October 29th

Well not much to say other than practice was good this morning. Very hard with lots of sprinting and lots of hard breathing and sore legs. I am at a house now where there is going to be a huge Halloween/ sweet 16 birthday party for Kendal. I have been helping set up all day and am just now getting some energy up for the party.

Thursday October 28th

This morning was another good practice. We did speed endurance so 3 sets of relays all out for 11/2 laps eight times out. I did a 9.0, a 9.1, and a million 9.2s. That is very good for me. I hope to be under 9 soon  but like Chris said, "You just went the fastest you've ever gone and you're complaining you didn't go fast enough!?"
  I fell last night for the first time in a while and I fell again this morning! I think its because I am starting to really get a grasp of what I need to be doing exactly technique-wise and when I don't execute it, but I am close, its dangerous and I can't support the G's. Last night I think that was the case and it was funny the way I fell: It was the last turn(!) of a 15 lapper and as I went down exactly at the middle block, the "apex" of the turn, I fell back on my left and while I was trying to stop myself from falling, I grabbed the apex block and took it with me into the pads where it came dislodged from my grasp from the impact of the hit. I picked it up and put it back and it wasn't until Drew said " there's about a one in a thousand chance that will ever happen again" that I realized what had happened.  This morning's fall was just a case of stepping on a block. I was feeling sooooo good in a 10 lap technique set and I just stepped on the block. 'Twas bizarre. But really, I am feeling so much better than I have skating. I am feeling like I am on a roll, a mission, and that I can prove a lot this year. Now I am in  high again though so I have to be careful how high I let myself go mentally and not be content with where I am, but want more. That should be easy. I just have to shoot for good technique and try to get under 9.0.
  -Gym later and I have to find some sort of a costume for the Halloween Party at Kendall's house Friday night.
  -Now, eating, sleeping, reading, practicing are in my immediate future.

Wednesday October 27th

Well I am pretty much re-settled back into my room here in The Uyeharas' house in Lakewood. Much like a ready sleeper snuggles into the perfectly made bed and fits his head into the perfect nook in the pillow, so I leak more and more into the house the first couple days back until the structure is set and I can function. The key is the "perfectly made bed", which in my case is keeping absolutely everything intact around me and making sure that I am not taking over the house and making it my own. I have to remember that it is still the Uyeharas' house and that I am a temporary visitor. When I came back Tuesday morning, the room was so transformed I could hardly believe it. There is so much room now and I can keep it so tidy. Its good. :) I have only thanks in my heart toward Jon and Jean and their niece Sarah. Thanks and love. Aloha.

  Monday afternoon beach training, the first in a while because of rain, went well. I worked hard. :)
  Tuesday morning practice went well. We did lots of work. Lots of tempos - the all out things, remember? I am in a bit of a "low" right now physically. I think this is because I worked so hard recently but it is not a negative thing. I can become much stronger based on how I work through it. If I let it get to me and stop working hard, it will take longer to go away I feel. So my times weren't great tuesday or monday but I worked hard and that's the required constant.
  Tuesday night I had a great weight session and afterwords I went into the mall right next to the gym and shopped for some better shoes. The other ones were not doing it at all. These seem much better and I put them to the ultimate test this morning at the stairs. I was rested and strong this morning on stairs and I did an extra "bonus set" at the end to finish with 5 differing sets, not counting the initial walk up. I hope I feel strong again tonight in skating but regardless, I plan to work hard again. Why not? I can. I am here now. Later

Monday October 25th

Saturday was a busy day. Gary came and picked me up at the house I am living in here in Culver City. Gary is an old friend of the family (my family back in New York) and lately Ive gotten closer with him through the yoga classes he runs at this sweet house. If I kept going about Gary (stories, accomplishments, awesomeness, etc.) it would be a novel. Anyway, he picked me up and took me on a great ride through Beverly Hills, then up and down the Hollywood Hills and we arrived at our destination, the house of one Penny Marshall  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Marshall
Among numerous jaw-dropping features to the house, it has a porch with sofas and tables which looks out over much of L.A. She has a ton of baseballs autographed by Joe Dimaggio, Roger Maris, Jacky Robinson and so many others. Derek Jeter's Helmet, Darryl Strawberry's helmet - there is so much. Outside of the kitchen window there are about 6 or 7 Hummingbirds feeding. 

  Gary took me to the rink and watched the little race we had. I did so so in the race. I have been training soooo hard lately I think it is catching up with me as my legs were super heavy. I had some good moments.

  After the race I went to eat at Chipotle with Casey after and then back to his College Dorm where I met his room mates and chilled there for a bit. Then Zach's parents picked me up on the way back from Souplantation and I slept like a baby.

  Sunday, a new day, an off day, and still a busy day. I woke up and went to the Araneta's church, which was quite an experience. Live music and a very confident pastor were included in the sermon before we went to eat in Chinatown. Then we went to Santa Monica pier which was cool and saw a movie (not worth mentioning, but don't see Life As We Know It). Santa Monica is cool because there are tons of live performers on the street. We came home at night and I played the cello for the family while they ate. haha.

  This morning I was back on the ice and dealing with mental problems. I was not in the mood to work hard and it was the first time Ive caught myself with something less than a determined attitude since my new resolve. I caught it though and finished strong. Joey Lindsay may be coming to train for a long time here. That would be super!

 

Friday October 22nd

When does it stop being interesting changing families! The Aranetas, my latest kind hosts (kind is an understatement in their case as you will see), are from the Philippines. Apparently as Lorelei has told me when you are middle class or above there, you have such an easy, laid back life with Nannies and people who do your laundry. They moved here and took a few years to adjust, with the help of Lorelei's mother, as the life was much more trying obviously. Lorelei is a fantastic cook and she ran a catering business together with her husband Zachary until recently. Now she has a lot of free time and lucky for me she uses a lot of that time to cook for the family. I feel like a king the way I eat here. Egg sandwiches with scallops in the early morning along with a strawberry-banana smoothie; When I came home this morning, the younger Zach who skates and myself went to the pool and jumped in the cold pool for 5 minutes then in the steaming, bubbling jacuzzi for (a long) 5 minutes a couple times. we came home to the smell of delicious salmon burgers and sweet potato fries made only with healthy ingredients along with another shake. Now Zach is off to school and I am here alone in the house with the keys and access to anything. I am serious when I say I feel like a king. I am helping out as much as they will let me, which is not much as they are just too kind. Its amazing.
  I had another good session this morning and Kyle is in town for the weekend (the reason I am not in the Uyeharas' house) so I had someone to chase which was great. I am lowering my consistent lap times which is so cool. soon I am hoping to be under 9 flat consistently. Technique technique technique!

Thursday October 21st - New House

Well I am sleeping in yet another bed tonight through Monday. It is very nice here. It is an apartment facility with lots of winding little paths here and there and many green plants and foliage. The fact that there is a jacuzzi and a pool right next door is very nice. The mom of the two skaters, Zach and Shadrack, Lorelei is an amazing cook and I am in food heaven. It is late for me as I have to wake up before 5 tomorrow so I will write more tomorrow. Goodnight.

Me, Edin and Zach, with whom I will stay when Kyle comes back this Thursday through Tuesday.

I am so sad Edin is leaving. He has been such a good friend, example, training partner and role model just in the way he goes about things. It is going to be lonely in the rink in the mornings. I expect it will be just myself and Coach Wilma some mornings but apparently it was like that when J.R. was training with her at one point.
  I just found out today that when Edin was young, he, his sister and his mother were forced to move to a refugee center during the violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He told me some pretty amazing things about what they had to do to stay alive. His father was in the army and because the United Nations nailed Bosnia with the Embargo that they could not use automatic weapons, his father would be facing the Serbians who had guns and everything with nothing more than a water pipe. A lot of his friends do not have their fathers anymore. People my age and younger were fighting, having "nothing to lose but their lives", as Edin put it. He is extremely thankful to his mother who would sometimes look harder for toys and means of keeping him and his sister mentally active and healthy before searching for food. for water, his uncle took a soup spoon and dug a hole the size of an average room so that they could access the river that flowed under the house. If they risked going to the water supply near by, they faced snipers, and or the worry of having the water poisoned from the source. I mean, what a different world!! When I was that age, I was chillin under an apple tree with Mommy.
  Its been awesome knowing you Edin and I will miss you.

Tuesday October 19th

The days are flying by! Its already almost November! I have a race, another American Cup, November 6th and I am working hard as ever to have better showing than last time, which was just embarrassing! I am able to finish sessions comfortably now though without my foot being the thing I think about more than my technique. Speaking of my technique, I am starting to narrow things down and I am really ( I think) a different looking skater now than I was just at the last Am. Cup. My feel for the ice is improving which enables my foot speed to increase and when I move my feet rapidly there is still power behind the pushes. I can stay with Edin now when we do what Wil calls Plyo turns, where we start at the beginning of the straight -away doing slow, low strokes and once we pass the first block, build speed as quickly as possible for one lap from the next red line. This morning after the warm-up relay, we did 3 of the pkyo turns, which we do a lot, but I never mentioned them because I never really liked them (aka I was never very good at them). Then we wasted no time in jumping into the "Tempos". I don't quite understand why they are called tempos but its any distance all out, from what I can make out. We did a one lap build and then 9 laps all out 3 times. When Wil was previewing us the workout as she does every session, she said apologetically , "I'm sorry guys, but I'm gonna have to throw in a couple tempos". haha. The first one was okay. Andrew led it but died after 5 laps so Edin took over and he kept the laps fairly consistent so that  think we ended with a time around 1:32ish. I led the second one but I died super fast - much faster than I expected and who knows what my time was. Edin blew by me and finished miles ahead. It was weird because the next one, Edin led and following him, I did 1:30.9 and finished strong! I guess following is just that much easier??? All I know is that I felt very good in the last one and Wil said she was happy with the times this morning. Next we did slow technique laps which I love. We have the luxury of doing technique work at this point in the season because there is ice 6 times a week and it really helps me. We did 10 laps then 15 then 10. I felt great but again, I felt and looked the best following Edin in the 15 lapper. We did the band on the ice and then finished with 15 minutes of relays - 3 man team, 3 laps each.
  I will go to the gym later and tomorrow I will do whatever workout Wil gives me instead of stairs  because it has been so rainy here!! It has rained almost every day since I think sunday and is forecast to rain again tomorrow.

 

Michael jackson pose

In front of the Michael Jackson star in Hollywood, Edin and I struck a pose.

Sunday October 17th - Off day in Hollywood

Today was a very nice day. I slept in, read the Times, practiced, read my book, took a nap waking up to Edin giving great orations in his Bosnian slumber. Then Jon drove us to Hollywood. First we drove up through Griffith's Park and down, which was very nice. Unfortunately it was overcast and rainy so the view wasn't the greatest. We drove down Hollywood Blvd and even did some touristy things like take pictures in front of things. It was a nice day and I feel rested after my one and only dear rest day of the week. Ready to go at it again tomorrow.

Hahaha - when I first looked at Samuel Jackson, I didn't realize it was a statue and, just to make sure it was him I ran up to Jon and Edin and, all excited, told them it was "that famous guy - whats his name". Even after they saw him and told me the name, I still didn't understand it was a wax museum or something like that and that it was not a coincidence that there was a statue of Marilyn Monroe and Shrek next to him. even standing next to him, I was half expecting him to say something.

Thanks for the pics Jon and thanks for a great day. :)

Saturday October 16

Happy Birthday Uncle Steve.

  I am back from my morning workout at the gym. I met Edin there who had roller-skated there before me. I did a shorter workout, as I didn't feel strong with the weights today and then Edin and I did some turn cable in the gym, showing off for the jacked Popeyes. It was cool. I am starting to know all the regulars at the gym now. One guy saw the workouts I do and knew I was a skater. Then, my hair cutter (I got a haircut down the street yesterday) showed up last night and we continued some conversations from the afternoon. The Yankees were playing in the playoffs last night so I went to the gym and rode a stationary bike instead of running for extensive endurance. It was such a good night. I got to the gym, started my 45 minute spin and it was already 5 nothing Rangers. I finished the endurance work and migrated to the part of the gym where I do core and a bunch of other key exercises. I got lost in the workout, as I was really feeling good, forgot about the game, and when I looked at the TV again, it was tied in the eighth inning! They went on to win and I along with a gaggle of other fans went out happy after some fist pumps, high fives and congrats. I was surprised that there were so many people from New York here in L.A.

  Skating later today and then a much needed day off.

Thursday October 14th

Well Wilma says its okay to be happy so I am going to put it out there. I am happy right now. That is because I finally skated this morning. I was having fun and struggling through the tough part of the workout, for the most part, able to concentrate on my technique when my legs were burning instead of a technique that would put less pressure on the place on my foot that has been such a traumatic problem. I had fun for the first time skating this morning in a long time. At the end of practice we were doing technique relays and we had Michael Jackson going. Everybody came alive with the music on and everybody started skating faster and doing their respective Michael dance impersonations. Edin and I were going at it, passing a lot and doing some "easy speed". It was awesome. Okay, gotta keep working hard because as Wilma says, I always have to be satisfied with the present condition yet at the same time always want more.
  I did something new with the boot last night which Edin suggested (so far everything I've done that Edin has suggested has had a positive outcome). It seems to have worked and I will continue to tinker but hopefully the worst is behind!

Tuesday October 12 - Back on the ice!

This morning I was ready to go! I got to the rink and warmed up, helped with pads and got dressed for the ice for the first time in over a week. It felt great once I stepped on the ice. We did mostly technique fortunately this. What was fast wouldn't normally have been fast but I was really slow this morning, getting back on the ice after a long break. There was not any pain at all at first with the foot thing, but gradually it got warn and was there just a tiny bit. Success. I will put a little round foam bandage and that is that! (Hopefully) I'm off to do weights now. Gotta stay strong now...

Monday October 11th

I went to the doctors today to have my boot worked on. I took the bus there just like last time and since last time I arrived 45 minutes late, I left half an hour earlier this time, already feeling like a local on the bus. This time everything went smoothly (I knew exactly how much money to have ready when I got on, I knew exactly how the timing worked, and knew all the time splits of the different buses)and it only took around thirty minutes instead of two hours! I arrived at the doctors an hour and twenty minutes early. It was okay. I read and drew and listened to music and sat in the sun, relaxing in my leisure. What the doctor did was take a fine tool shaped like large scissors but one prong had a ring at the end and one had a ball. At the handle there was a device which enabled him to sustain the right amount of pressure because it locked the arms exactly where he wanted them. I was super cautious and inspected the tool suspiciously and had him explain it precisely. I actually even tried the boot on again before doing the procedure to make sure the marker was in the right place. The thing was, when I tried it on, I could hardly feel the blister at all! I leaned  and I mimicked all the most painful angles we skate at and nothing hurt, so I said lets just push it out a minuscule bit, which is what we did. I really just hope he doesn't have a good point when he (he is Dr. Graves by the way) says that it is not painful just because of the break from skating and that the callus could build up and become painful again. So my taxi arrived ten minutes late to pick me up and dropped me off at  my house late which I tried to avoid by reserving the taxi instead of the bus in the first place, but it all worked out because my ride to Beach training was late. It turned out that even he wasn't late though because he found a much better way to go which literally cut about half an hour off the trip. We arrived there 20 minutes early.

  Anyway, I'm just recapping in such detail because it all just meshed together so well and it was a cool day. The day capped off with the best part of all: A good workout. Wilma said vehemently after the third set of sprints up the hill that she "likes my head" and repeated it seriously. Then, "keep it". I plan to.  Skating tomorrow and I am excited to get on the ice again finally, and at the same time nervous. okayyyy Alarm set: 5:40, skates sharpened, dinner eaten, bag packed, lets do this.

Sunday 10/10/10 !

Ahhhhh, just woke up to a room soaked with cloudless sunlight. Its supposed to be very hot today and I am in the right place. Ill hit the beach and hopefully go in the water a little and just use my day off to relax like a pro. Wilma is happy with how I am working out just as I am. Again, I just am praying that it transfers to the ice without trouble from my foot Tuesday.
  I had a real nightmare last night. I was in a hotel with Casey and Andrew and I think it was Andrew who transformed half way through our stay in the hotel into a psycho killer, bent on destroying Casey and whoever else entered the room. He was very subtle though and I was the only one who picked up on it, and rather than informing anybody and having them freak out, I exited the hotel and went in search of my father, who for some reason was in a hurry to leave the hotel. When he heard the situation, that there was a crazed, blood-thirsty killer in my room, he immediately exited in an even greater hurry than before. I had asked him to call 911 and have that type of help in as soon as possible because I didn't think Casey could hold out much longer up in the room with Andrew inserting suicidal thoughts into his head. (You see Andrew was not only a physical killer but a brilliant perverter of the mind).  I for some reason also went out into the street and for a good while I was battling traffic flow to get somewhere - I can't remember where. When I returned, the dream's location had switched to the top of a mountain line, maybe six feet wide, with the ridge in the middle splitting two steeply sloping segments which just ended after about three feet. There was nothingness underneath. When I finally returned to this location I returned too late to rescue Casey. His pour mind was twisted into thinking he was so over-weight that he needed to drop weight instantly. Andrew's formula was, on the side of the ridge, as fast as possible pivoting around his hands with is feet. Casey was desperately obeying and, his newly gained weight dragging him down, he fell off the side of the cliff! I was yelling at Andrew to stop his spell only after helplessly trying to stop Casey, but to no avail, as Casey solemnly drifted into nothingness. Andrew turned to me, and started speaking and I felt my mind submitting to his powers, then I thankfully woke up. Meanwhile, the police never showed up and my dad was nowhere to be found! Perhaps this dream is just strange and unexplainable, but maybe it is based on the fact that my parents are so far away. I love dreams. They are so interesting and crazy.

  The Yankees are the first team on to the next round! They swept the Minnesota Twinskies for the second year in a row. http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/10/10/sports/YANKEES-REPLAY-9.html
 

Saturday October 9th

So I am not skating, but Wilma is still making my legs hurt. I did a 40 minute workout of low-walks and dryskate and jogging then jogged straight to the Gym and lifted and did core and jogged back. Then I jogged to the rink with my backpack full of stuff and did the pre-ice workout which was pretty hard, I must admit. I watched the session and talked with different parents and then did the after ice workout which was pretty hard, I must admit.

  Now I am at Andrew's house in Huntington again, just for the night. My friend Federico from Apple Hill (the music camp I went to two summers) is rolling through tomorrow and we will hang out at the beach and then I don't know.
I really hope that the foot problem is better after Monday because I can't wait to get back on the ice and skate! Its so hard watching the group and not being out there with them.

Friday October 8th

Lots to say... let's see...

I did basically three workouts today: One turn-cable workout at the rink this morning. I jogged to and from the rink then took a slight break to refuel and prepare for a tough workout on the street here at the house which lasted about an hour and consisted of low-walks, accelerations and jump sets plus a cool down run and stretch. I lazed around for a while, practicing, eating, sleeping making plans for Sunday, making plans for Monday, lol, and then I jogged to the Gym which by Google Earth, is exactly 1.3 miles away. I had my backpack with all my workout stuff and a water bottle to carry and it felt so strange running - like some sort of ad for a North Face product or something. At the Gym I did - what else - a grueling workout on the bike, watching the playoffs on one of the TVs, some core work and then jogged back here. I must have run around 6 miles total today and with the weights last night and hamstring exercises, I am having trouble walking, i am so sore. Tis good.

  On a family note, there is a noisy new member to the Uyehara family and her name is Ginger. She is a tiny dog, but she can threaten the composure of your ear drums when she gets going barking. This happens whenever anyone enters the house or whenever anything unusual passes outside or when the wind blows or when you breathe too heavily - as a matter of fact, she can go off at ANy time - 6 in the morning not excluded. She's a hoot though - its easy to forgive her.

  Jon's parents were in today. The father served in the army and was telling me some pretty crazy stories about serving in the Korean war. He described the feelings when he heard the battle horns, then saw the enemies swarming over a hill! It was intense.

  I plan to skate again Tuesday. Monday I will return to the Podiatrist and we will push out the boot in the place necessary.

  Okay, I'm starving. Gonna go cook up a somethin good.

Thursday, October 7th

Yesterday I had a real hectic day. It was pouring rain here. It was definitely the hardest rain I have seen here in L.A. I tried to go out and do my workout for the morning but I had to call it off rather quickly because when I would sprint, my sneakers would slip on the pavement and it was getting dangerous. I came home, dried off, packed some food in my backpack, and went to wait for the bus. I took the bus to the doctor's office only after going too far on one street, having to stay on the bus at the end of the run waiting for it to go back the way it came, and then not going nearly far enough in THat direction. I got to the doctor's about 40 minutes late even after the operator of the bus system had told me I would have 40 minutes to spare before my 2:00 appointment. Anyway, when I finally got there, the Dr. Bautista took for ever because he was switching between 3 different patients (I learned to watch what I said, making sure not to give him any reason to leave the room because he would never return). But in the end, he gave me some good treatment solutions and just confirmed the obvious - I have to stay off the skates until it heals. I had called the office so many times, either scheduling, asking questions, or pleading for directions from somewhere in Lakewood, that I developed a friendship with the receptionist Alice before I even met her face to face. That ended up incredibly beneficial as I was going to be late for practice for sure if I took the bus home, but Alice waited an extra half hour after she was off and drove me home as she too lives in Lakewood! That was a godsend. I got home at 4:30, stuffed down some peanut butter and jelly, and jogged to the rink, arriving there perfectly - just as the group was finishing their warm-up jog. We did a killer dryand before, in which Wilma was constantly yelling at me to work harder than everyone else because I was not skating. She said after that she was happy and she could tell that I am determined as ever. I helped with pads and then ran a ton and stretched a ton while everybody skated and then helped take off the pads and did the turncable workout after. Wil said it was the best I've looked on the up-downs ever. Ya, it felt good.
  Wil gave me a ride home and then I actually cooked a very delicious dinner - Pasta with a meat sauce and broccoli - and watched Mariano close out the Yankees' first win of the postseason - hope there's many more to come!
  This morning I showed up at the rink after ice and did the turncable workout vigorously. Wil gave me a looooooong workout to do in the gym and she took no mercy on me saying, that's to make up for not skating! haha - I wanted that though - its gonna be good. I had a big lunch after a nap. I practiced and now I will go to the gym and sign up for a new membership. Hmmm, what will I cook tonight?

Photos Courtesy of Jerry Search - Thanks Jerry!

Short Track Action!

Part of the faithful crowd staying warm and supporting the skaters

 Great Shot - gettin cozy.

 Edin dominating group two - those poor guys!

 Jeff and Travis. I think Jeff is making a pass here.

 Kyle Carr - haha, what a great face - smelling gold?

 Kyle, in whose room I am staying!

 Me...In the one good race I had this weekend. I was in the lead after an outside pass just waiting for Olympian Anthony Lobello to glide by.

I am stealing photos that Jerry Search took. He is an awesome photographer who goes to almost all the races. Here is his website. He has photos from waaaaaay back. http://www.nationalspeedskatingmuseum.org/Photo%20Albums/JerrysAlbums.htm

New Resolve

Well, I have not written for a while because I had to think over this weekend and gather my thoughts before blurting something rash out.
  Let me start by saying I am very happy I went and that I learned a lot about racing with the best and what it takes to be one of the best. I learned a lot about myself too, of course, and I am sure now, that I am learning about myself through speed skating more than I ever was before. Its interesting.
  I performed poorly this weekend but it was what I had expected. I will let my foot heal now and I am determined more than ever to train harder, smarter and more efficiently. I did not skate this morning but showed up for dryland.  I am looking so much forward to stairs tomorrow morning and building back up the muscle and form I have lost from the summer. I am going to the gym tonight and I will go to the hospital nearby to have my foot checked out. Hopefully I can get an official opinion and agenda instead of educated guesses and intuitions.

LAX - Thursday Killing Time

I had to document Harshan. He has had this full grown beard since he was 15!

Trying to catch the top guys as they go by.















Some photos of the rink. The is a Long Track going around the whole facility and running track outside that and when you are on the running track, the short track looks tiny. Its a cool facility. Shani Davis is training there now.

The statue in front of the arena.

Looking in at our sweet hotel room. That was very nice.

The rink from the outside

Friday Night - Night Before Am. Cup 1

  I did a whole bunch of nothing before practice ice at 4:15 at the Petite National Ice Center. The free hotel shuttle took us there in about 10 minutes. I arrived and before I even pulled into the parking lot, I saw a group of familiar faces. It was awesome to reunite with everyone. The Virginians, the huge group from Pittsburgh, the guys from Saratoga and everyone else. The warm up went okay. The ice was already chopped up when we (Edin, Casey, Kendal and myself) got on the ice. The pittsburgh club looks very intimidating indeed and John- Henry looks amazing.
  Shani Davis, who apparently trains in Milwaukee (long track) was in the building and skating around. He's awesome to watch.
  I have warm-ups at 10:30 tomorrow and I will do 1500s first. It should be very interesting. There are a lot of great skaters and I don't feel very confident on my feet skating. The two weeks off ice combined with the blister problem is the reason.  I will do my best of course and try to stay positive, knowing that I have only improvement ahead of me this year.

Thursday Night - At The Hotel After Day of Travel

I woke up at 4:10 this morning after first waking up 3 hours earlier because I forgot about the different time on my phone again and set the alarm wrong. It's the second or third time I've done that but I just don't feel like erasing my home time. It makes me feel good to have that time on my phone. I'll have to change it now though as I am in Milwaukee where it is an hour earlier than New York and two hours later than Cali.
  Everything went smoothly this morning except my smooth peanut butter, which they didn't let through security!!!! AHHHH. My peanut butter is like my pride and joy of the food world. But I mean seriously - I can take sharp steel razor blades capable of being a serial-killer's weapon; I can take a steel bar from my sharpening jig; but I can't take peanut butter! so instead of checking the darn peanut butter, I deposited it in the garbage. I tried asking the supervisor if I could cut a deal, but she was not having any of it. So I had to wait in security all over again. Gotta love traveling now. I also could not get internet without paying so I could not write in here like I said I would. I read a ton today - more than I have in a long time, maybe ever and I also fell asleep in some of the most inventive positions. I had about six and a half hours to kill in the airport and only about five hours of sleep last night. My slippery cell-phone snuck out of my pocket in the shuttle from the airport to the hotel so I had to have the driver come back and drop it off but also had to pay for the fare twice. tsk tsk tsk - these things happen I guess. It's alright. I am all settled in the hotel now.
  

  Tonight Edin and I had dinner at the hotel. I got a little of the history of the whole situation in Bosnia. Like a typical ignoramus, I had absolutely no idea about just how bad it was. The Genocide was massive when Serbia was Ethnically Cleansing the Muslims out of Bosnia. Around 2 million were either killed or forced to take refuge elsewhere. I don't understand why we learn about WW2 up and down, backwards and forwards, but not a word was ever mentioned about Little Bosnia and Herzegovina defending itself from the Orthodox Serbians on one side and the Croats on the other. All Edin had to say was quite a lesson, one which I surely will not have again in High School unfortunately. Adding to the intrigue for me was the fact that when I played gigs with Mark Judelson  (http://www.storiesofpeace.com/), The Open Window was about the war in Sarajevo so I already had a slight connection to the history. I never would have been opened up to the Genocide that happened there and the history that goes back had I not come into contact with Edin through skating. That is a lot of what makes this whole thing so great and why I am so lucky to be in this position in L.A. - because characters full of new ideas, lessons and stories come to L.A. to be with Wilma.

  - I will try to post some pics of the events here as they come.

Eve Of Departure - September 29th

I am done packing, done planning rides, check-ins, coordinations and what not, and done thinking. My brain is fried, as my mom would say. I have to wake up tomorrow morning at 4:15 AM because though my flight does not leave until 12:10,  I am catching a ride with Jean and Edin who's flights leave at around 7.
  I am not to emotionally up or down before this race. I don't feel like I am skating that fast, and especially not with the confounded foot problem. Maybe in Milwaukee there will be a doctor or orthopedist that can look at it.
I will just take this meet as it comes and enjoy this crazy sport. If not, I think I will be disappointed and frustrated. we'll see. I am looking forward to skating in my first America's Cup and maybe finally receiving my category 1 skinsuit.
  I will write much more hopefully tomorrow whilst laying around.
 A demain

Tuesday Morning - September 28th

Is there such a thing as a sun burp?

  It has been one of the coolest summers in So Cal and lately had been cold after the sun went down. All of a sudden its the hottest day ever recorded at 111 degrees Fahrenheit! 
The previous high was in 1963, when it was a measly 103. Today the sun has excused itself and it is a frigid 96. bbbbbrrrrrrrr I'm freezing.
  All last night it was hot, staying in the 80s. It was probably hotter in our room as the dark walls basically collect the heat and insulate the room. As Edin pointed out, "you could fdy an eg on dees valls, man!" 
  It feels very strange to wake up in the dark and go outside and have it feel like a hot balmy summer day. This morning, I didn't have to jog long before I was warmed up. We did all speed this morning, except myself. I tried, but I was sooo slow! I think I went to hard in the warm-up relays, as I felt pretty good. Then I did alright in the next warm-ups, but I was not able to recover, and by the time I did, the foot situation was too bothersome to skate very well. I did do some 9.4s, but I should be able to do much faster in all out relays. I am sure I can. I have before! Yesterday I did a 9.1 following Edin. 
  Edin is teaching me Bosnian, which sounds like a mix between Russian and Italian. He is a very funny guy. During our long hours here in "the room" we have separated the room into two territories - his is the village and way up in the sky soars my bed, a towering mountain range. Whenever I come down from the mountains and enter the village I must provide ID. Its serious business.

Monday Morning - September 27th

If yesterday was unbearably hot, today is even hotter. I am trying not to move at all, laying here in our room, reading, writing, going on the computer and talking with Edin about deep things. This morning's practice was up and down. I skated through the pain with the blister and it actually was much better than I expected. I am optimistic that it is the right thing to do and that the blister is on the mend. Of course as the session wore on, it got more and more painful, but so does everything. It is not a cut anymore but a scab and you know how scabs are very sensitive?
  Anyway, this morning we did 2x 20laps very slow and technical, then relays then one more 20 lapper. There always seems to be something annoying in the rink. If its not the ice being bad, its the figure skaters music on the other rink coming through the speaker system over and over. This morning they decided to PAINT exactly when  WE got on the ice  and we all got headaches and became dizzy. Yet Wil kept us on the whole morning and no one seems the worse for wear. This morning there was a great moment I had where we did the 3 lap part of the relay and Edin and I were on the track. He passed me and I sprinted to stay with him until we pushed the next teammates. we did 9.3, 9.1 lap times after he passed and it felt really great. I followed his exact steps and was very close and it really felt right - like real short track. I hope to have more of that soon and just keep dropping the tenths on the lap times.

  I am happy to be training again. I feel contented and not antsy, as I felt often when home and not training on the ice. I am also happy I was able to skate on the blister and hope it keeps moving forward.

One skate on one skate off

Last night Jon took a quick snapshot of me with one skate on. I was heat-molding it to the new bump I have on my foot from the blister's side-effects and I was dying of heat. I retreated to the kitchen for a cool blueberry break and Jon snuck up behind me. lol