First, let me briefly tell you how the event was laid out. It began Thursday night with a roundtable discussion in which 24 board members and USS staff were onhand to answer questions from the general membership. Friday was devoted to committee meetings, where proposals were debated and eventually voted on to either die in committee or advance to the board. Saturday was when the board made the final votes on each proposal, either denying them or turning them into law. How’s that for PoliSci 101? I think Marquette U. should give me an honorary degree.

     So what are the changes? There were 25 that I thought would most interest my readers. You can find them HERE.

     Here you see me setting up with a bucketful of blocks. These blocks are rubber lane markers laid out along the turns and sometimes the straightaways to clearly mark lanes. I also acted as a corner judge (watching that skaters not cross too far to the inside), finishing line judge (watching that skaters not kick out their skates and are ranked according to their finishing place), and heat box caller (getting the right skaters checked in and onto the ice). The latter was very easy, as adult skaters know where they are to be and when.

     I had two fabulous assistants in my youngest children, whom you see here. They are preparing to put red and white armbands on the skaters. The armbands indicate in which lanes the skaters start. The kids also checked racing numbers and order at the starting line.

     I learned a lot from officiating. Some rules that were fuzzy in my mind are now crystal clear, which should assist my own skating, and we all had a great time.

     Here’s a picture of one of her starts. She’s the second from the left in the green skinsuit.

     Her competition was fierce, and she performed magnificently, even getting a personal best. That’s not easy on an outdoor rink in -12 degree temps with gusting winds. Even an extra layer of spandex doesn’t help. I mean, it’s spandex, after all.

     And here’s a photo of the Master-class gals that I skated with. We just love this sport!

     A special thanks goes out to my daughter Corina and son, Armando, for their help at the meet and to my husband, Jeff, for his constant support.

     The U.S. Speedskating National Marathon distances are 25K and 50K. My daughter, who skated along with me, surpassed the 25K distance by skating 100 laps. It’s a fun distance that our club does to celebrate the end of the year, and it’s pretty excellent for an 11-year-old. She did it last year, too! Way to go, Antonia!

Vancouver Olympics 2010 3000m Short Track Relay

     This weekend, U.S. Speedskating held an officials’ clinic in Milwaukee to cover changes in ISU Short Track Rules. Some of the changes were better received than others, with one in particularly causing some controversy. Some call it the beginning of “roller-derby style” skating. Others think it makes sense.

     In the past, an official could disqualify a skater for an infraction called “cross-tracking.” If a passing skater crossed into another’s path and there was contact, the passing skater was in the wrong. S/He held all responsibility to pass cleanly.

     The new rules allow officials to call infractions on either skater, depending on who actually does the contacting. If the passing skater causes contact, s/he receives the penalty. If the skater who was passed skates into the skater who is now ahead, s/he receives the penalty.

     At this weekend’s Am Cup I event, this new rule was a hot topic with considerable confusion as to its implementation and affect on the sport.

     Some believe it will cause much rougher skating, allowing aggressive skaters to push others into dangerous situations and causing a lot of tangles on the ice. This is a sincere concern for parents and skaters alike. You already have a sport in which racers fly across the ice with knives on their feet; there is no need to make the sport even more dangerous than it already is.

     Others, however, think the cross-tracking rule was confusing to begin with and that this new rule allows officials more leeway to penalize whomever they feel is guilty of contact. Olympic Short Track Skating is, after all, a race between skaters and not a race against the clock, as is Olympic Long Track. There always has been and always will be contact.

     I empathize with both camps, and I expect there will come a time when an official’s call will be vehemently rejected by spectators, half of whom will blame the passing skater for the tangle, while the other half claims just the opposite.

     And a few skaters I talked with are reserving judgement for the moment. They plan to see how the new rule pans out over time and whether it benefits the sport or not.

     Time will tell.

     But seriously, the idea between training over the off-season is so that once the season starts, you’re in the best shape possible when you hit the ice. If you don’t train off season, it can take half the season just to get back into shape, and you might not really start working on technique before then. With dryland training, technique work starts on Day One.

     I think generally there are low expectations for Masters skaters, both on ice and off, certainly more so in the United States than in the Netherlands, so I was really happy to do the summer training right alongside those in their prime fitness and blast any low expectations out of the water. I’m proud of the sheer volume of hard work that we’ve put in all summer long, and I’m thankful for my family, which put up with, encouraged, and even joined in on many workouts.

     Now a few weeks off before it’s back to the ice.

     My daughters and I are back from the U.S. National Short Track Championships, held with the American Cup Finals, in Wausau, Wisconsin. What a blast!

     There were incredible talents there on the ice. Up for grabs were a spot on the 2010 World Short Track Team for the American Cup men and every age-group championship title.

     My girls and I skated four distances each. Corina’s lean is really improving in her new boots, and Antonia got two personal bests. I managed to get one personal best and finished out the season with both long track and short track national titles.

     Now comes a short period of rest before the real work starts — dryland training over spring and summer. Running hills and stairs will remind me once again what sore legs feel like.

     I’ve had the honor and immense pleasure of skating with many of the speed skaters that will be competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics. There aren’t many sports in which an amateur can train right alongside the best of the best, but speedskating is one of them. I’ve gotten to know a bunch of them, including Shani Davis, Nancy Swider-Peltz, Jr, Mitch Whitmore, Jilleanne Rookard, and others, and I can honestly say that they’re friendly and humble and fun people.

     I wish them all great success. They train tirelessly, sacrifice much, and challenge themselves day in and day out. Congrats to them for what they’ve already accomplished and what is to come!

     Look at her go! This is video of my daughter Antonia skating her personal best in the 500 meters — and opening the Olympic Qualifiers at the Pettit.

     Big events like these often have several young people forerunning, ie, skating a distance while the officials check the clocks. Toni skated with fellow Badger Club Member Michael Oechsner.

     Congrats to both for a great skate!

     Another young (and fast!) skater from our speedskating club will join her, as will two other talented kids from another local club.

     This will be in front of a large audience, be webcast worldwide, and she’ll get her name in the record books! It’s a great honor, and she couldn’t be happier! More info about the event can be found here and at U.S. Speedskating.

     Congrats, Toni!