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November 27, 2001 |
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Unbelievable! Here we are only three MONTHS away and there seems to be hardly a minute to spare. Every morning as I walk into the ice rink I see the countdown clock that shows the days, hours, minutes, and even seconds evaporating. Every afternoon when I check my email, I’m reminded by friends, family, and acquaintances that we’re getting closer. And every evening when I turn on the TV I see the Olympic rings displayed on NBC’s networks. Because we, as Olympians, notice the world taking notice of us, we try to keep training “business as usual” by preparing for this skating season the same way we would any other. Yet there is anticipation in the air. It is hard not to take every lap time a little more seriously. Past preparations seem to be paying off. Training is going well. I had a good summer putting in many miles on my bike, and making gains in the weight room as well. We’re currently on the ice six days a week and so far I’m ahead of schedule compared to years past. With continued training and work on technique I am planning on skating faster in February than I ever have before; by quite a bit! Still, another piece to the puzzle is patience. You don’t want to be in top form in November. I’m cautiously optimistic at this point. I spent half of October in Salt Lake City. Actually slept up in Park City to get the effects of altitude. I was down there for two training camps. The first was October 1st to the 11th, and the second was the 18th thru the 23rd. They not only allowed me to cycle and run at altitude, but gave me opportunities to skate more in the Olympic Venue as well. To top it off I was able to do some sponsor events while down there so some of you may see me in the upcoming months! Watch the advertising campaigns of AT&T, K2, Pfizer, and United Airlines, and the March Issue of Men’s Health. If I win Gold keep your eyes on the Wheaties Box too! The past couple weeks I’ve been up here in Calgary training as usual. We’ve done a few practice races and my times are also ahead of schedule compared to the past falls. Of course they’ll need to be faster in a few months, but equally as obvious that’s part of the plan! Despite the training and business sides of my life being a bit busier than normal I have found time to get out and thoroughly enjoy the world-class waterfowl hunting Alberta has to offer! It’s been a great “release” and I’ve been lucky with a mild fall so far. A big reason for this off time is Jennifer. It seems that every time I’m out sitting in the marsh she’s back in the apartment cleaning, doing laundry, and getting a big dinner ready. She’s been great, and I owe her more than one thank you. Jen has big news of her own…she’s graduating with her Master’s Degree in Education in a couple days…November 13th! At least one of us is getting an education My schedule from here looks as follows. I’ll be in Calgary until the first World Cup of the season in SLC December 1-2. Then it’s back to Calgary for a World Cup
December 8-9.
The U.S. Olympic Trials are in SLC the 18th thru 22nd of December, and Jenn and I are hoping to get back to Madison for Christmas. I’ll travel to Europe in January for a couple competitions but be back in SLC for The Games in February.
I hope you’re there with me (whether it’s in the stands or in front of the TV) as I try my best to bring home the Gold for America!
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