Nancy Skates

Hanging with Mitch and Jonathan Kuck and watching the beginning of the 1500m races

The last couple of days were more or less the same as I am continuing to build up in my training as I prepare myself for the Team Pursuit in over a week, so I decided to combine this last week into one entry. On Wednesday and Friday I trained on the ice with Catherine Raney-Norman and Derek Parra (yes, he broke out his skates and skin and joined us in our training by filling in as Jill/Jen in our Team Pursuit practicing) while Brian continued to train on his own, preparing for his upcoming race on Saturday. Shorter laps were on the agenda both days as we were simulating the race as much as possible and practicing our exchanges. Both days felt way better than Monday, so I was on the road back, not that I doubted. It felt great to be able to skate some solid lap times like I was used to doing and then also bank some good skating behind Catherine.

Mom and I by the pads where she coached Brian during his 1500m race

Saturday—Brian’s Race Day!!!

What a crazy morning! Imagine being told in the middle of a hard 30min interval bike workout that you might be racing the 1500m the next day. Ha, that’s exactly what happened to me this morning. I was halfway into the bike when my mom called saying that I might be racing tomorrow and that I should maybe stop my workout. “WHAT in the world?” I thought. This could not have happened at a more crazy moment! Every 5 min. of my bike I increase so I was getting close to the next level and kind of wanted to know some direction, which she didn’t give me cause Derek was calling at the moment and had to hang up. AH! I was going nuts…but decided to continue with the bike thinking that if I was to race tomorrow, this honestly couldn’t hurt me more than

Brian Hansen being introduced before his 1500m race

what I have already done the day before (which was weights!), damage had been done. Hehe, it would definitely be an interesting race tomorrow, if I was racing, considering the order of workouts I have already done this week.

Mom finally called back relieving me of anxiety and suspense, informing me that according to the rules, it was Catherine after all who would be racing the 1500m the next day. That’s what I had thought and known in the first place, haha. But man, after all that roller coaster emotion, my 30min. bike was definitely a good one, I was on fire!

Brian's results after his 1500m race

After my morning bike workout, I used the rest of the day to enjoy the what the Olympics had to offer starting with a short trip with Jeffrey to downtown Vancouver to visit the Oakley house to hang-out and get a bite to eat. From there, we both taxied it to the rink and went on a mission to find Brian and my mom. It was fun to finally go to the Richmond Olympic oval and not have to worry about skating, racing, or working out. Subsequent to catching up with mom on how my workout went this morning (remember, she coaches intuitively, so as annoying as it can be, she always asks

Jeffrey, Grandma and I watching the 1500m men's races

thousands of questions in order to come to a conclusion, haha), I then found Brian, giving him some pump-up words before I made my way to the stands.

For Brian’s race I made my way to the backstretch to stand beside my mom, who was standing along the pads (the closest to the ice as she was able to get the whole Olympics). I had a great view of his race from here and was able to get some great up-close pictures of his preparation process! His race was solid. Paired with Joel Eriksson, a top Swedish speedskater, he set out to hit the lap times he had discussed with coach mom. He had to have a good fast opener (the distance to the first crossing of the finish line), a fast but controlled first lap because the ice was ‘killing’ people at the end of their races, and then try to build upon that to finish strong. He won his pair, beating Joel by just under a second, and was happy with how he raced. Overall took 18^th, I was proud of him.

Mom and I after we rushed over to see the Short Track finals

The ice was always a big part of the gossip in the speedskating world and how it was affecting the skaters, especially at these Games; how slow or fast if felt, if it was too cold, too soft, hard, is the ice too frosty, how is the glide? And the questions could go on; I was definitely asked that question multiple times per day. Primarily it was renowned for being work-ice, and that generally the stronger skaters were pulling through to good results because they could hold it together at the end of their race. I definitely felt that that was true after all the races so far.

The moment Brian’s race was finished, there was a resurface, so I continued to make my rounds and met up with the Hansen family for a while before finding other speedskaters, short and long trackers, who were watching the last 1500’s from the pad-side on one of the corners. It was a great view to see the final races of the day.

Apolo in one of his final races

Once the races ended and mom finished recovering Brian, we dashed over to the Short Track venue, the Pacific Coliseum where we arrived just in time to see the final races of the night, the last 45min! Perfect timing! It was a fun night and the first time I got to see another sport live since I have been too busy preparing and keeping up my training for my Olympic races. I also got to spend time with mom alone and get to focus on something other than my own preparations…a great ending to a great day!

Morning breakfast with the Hockey Girls and Arnold himself! Sadly I was taking the picture...

I’ve not slept in for a while now because my preparations and race affected my sleeping, so this morning was peaceful. I took my time eating breakfast, bumping into the hockey girls who I’ve become great friends with (and who gave me a shout out on their taping of an Ellen show during the Olympics, they are huge fans of hers…click here to watch it, and click here for the clip that explains the joke) and talked with them for quite a while. They took huge interest in skating as curiosity struck them about our blades, the clap skate, how we sharpen, then more questions continued about the sport itself. Soon I started asking them questions as

Jeffrey in front of the Living Room

well about women’s hockey and our friendship grew from there…they are a bunch of wonderful ladies! A small part of me is jealous of their friendships. Being on a team like that looks like so much fun compared to the individual aspect of speedskating. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely prefer having that complete control of my training and my competition (I have only myself to blame),

Jeffrey's Visit! Jeffrey, Brian and I with the view of downtown Vancouver in the background!

but man, it would be fun to be a part of a team where you can build each other up, lean on each other in difficult times, push each other to the limits, and then have fun goofing off afterwards, when you have succeeded. Ladies, I am your biggest fan here at these Olympics!

That is what is fun about the Olympics: it’s not just the world coming together, but countries as well. Before this experience, I would not have turned on the TV just to watch the luge, women’s hockey, skeleton, the half pipe, etc. First, I just don’t have a ton of time to be watching TV in the first place because of my rigorous training

Goofing around in the Olympic Village

schedule, and secondly, I really don’t take interest in any sport unless I really know someone in it, then I love to watch it, learn and analyze! Now that I’ve met a huge part of the USA Olympic Team, I’ve already been keeping track of how they all are doing in their sport here at the Olympics and I hope to keep tabs on them from now on. The sports and those US Olympians, now, mean so much more to me.

Before I knew it, after doing some laundry, watching some Olympic coverage, and blogging (though I wrote it down and have not posted it until now, oops!) the time

Mom getting her pair of Oakley's made up special!

was mid-afternoon and it was time for Jeffrey to come to the Village to visit. Not wanting to walk around too much, I showed him the main points of interest (the Living Room aka the red barn, my room and Brian’s room, the US team hang-out lounge, and some great places to take pictures of the surrounding area since our view of downtown Vancouver from the Village was amazing) and then preceded to run over to the Oakley house along with Brian to meet mom before it closed. Once there, we met up with Megan Pura, Steve Blick, and Leander Angerer (Oakley reps who have help us speedskaters out!) along with many other great Oakley guys. They all were so helpful and treated us like royalty, giving us any glasses and lenses that we needed and wanted. I cannot thank them enough for their

Thank you Oakley for your wonderful Hospitality! In this picture, from R to L is me, Brian, Jeffrey, Mitch Whitmore, and Megan Pura

amazing hospitality and care towards us Olympians, it meant a lot to us that our hard work and dedication to making the Olympic Team paid off in fun perks like being on the elite invitation list for the Oakley house! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The location and familiar sight of the apartment we used for recovery, ART, mashing, and working with Scott & Allison

You’d think today would be a day off; well it was not! Haha…well, the plan according to my coach in these next couple of days was focused on Brian, since his first Olympic race was this coming Saturday, the 1500m. She had given me the main attention in the past couple of days, now it was Brian’s turn. Though I was bummed about having to train the day after such a fun and great race (family was in town and I wanted to hang out with them!), getting on the ice and skating warm-up laps felt easy today, probably cause I

Cousin Jessie and I

was still riding high on my recent success. Jessica, my cousin, came to watch practice this morning, so that made it fun while giving her an insight on how all our hard work gets done. She had taken time out of her busy work schedule (Thank you Jessie!) to come to watch me here in Vancouver and I was so pumped she got to experience such a great race yesterday as well as a fun Olympic experience. And that is what I have loved about making the Olympic Team…getting to share and bring friends and family along with me through an Olympic experience, something that only comes around every 4 years!  After cranking out some good laps, I then felt a bit dead in the legs when I attempted a short interval set, so I talked with my coach, which resulted in resting the remainder of the day. Today might not have been a good idea to train, as we concluded over some analyzing, but this is how we learn

Brian, our coach, and I at practice

what’s best for my body and how it reacts to certain training schedules. It’s all about trial and error! Though I ended the practice on a bummed note, I was determined that it would not bother me; I had plenty of time before the Team Pursuit to recover. Later, Brian and I cooled down, got some mashing done by mom the coach, and headed over to Scott’s for some ART and chiro; the usual routine.

Upon returning to the Olympic Village, I relaxed a couple of hours before dressing up a bit and meeting up with my mom to go out to dinner with my Uncle John, Ronda (a family friend), and new friends my uncle met who were design consultants for the Richmond Olympic Oval. We had a special room waiting for us, downstairs in the restaurant, in the cellar. Quite and away from the noise of the other diners, we sat around a large table surrounded by bottles of wine and low lighting…a fun ambiance I must say! We were served well and the cuisine was delicious. It was so wonderful to get away from the bustling dining room at the Village and have a dinner full of great conversation that was just ours.

Scott, my mom and I at the apartment having fun taking pictures after a recovery session...

Sadly, the rest of the family: Jessica, Jackie, dad, grandma Johnny, and Jeffrey, were all at another venue and were not able to get to our restaurant in time to join us, so after dinner, mom and I headed out into the night, now pouring with rain, and back to our accommodations. Tomorrow was going to be off, so I had a fun day to look forward to!

Thanks to Steve Pendland for all these photos of my race day! This is inside the Richmond Olympic Oval

Valentine’s Day! Haha, there is no better way to spend Valentine’s day than doing what you love and spending it with who you love…and for me that was racing my first Olympic race amidst the presence of my family!

A common question I have been getting recently is, “since this is your first Olympics, you must be nervous going into your first race!” Honestly, the only nervousness I felt waking up this morning was from a lack of knowledge of how I could do in a race at the moment. I have not competed since the Olympic Trials in December, but I had been preparing for this race for

My name along with pair going into the 3k race!

the last 6 weeks and also waiting for this race since I first dreamt of being an Olympian. I was ready. My first Olympic race was about to debut! Already being on the world cup circuit 5 years now has given me the confidence of racing in front of larger crowds (especially in Heerenveen, Holland) so going into this race, I treated it like a World Cup. Below are some thoughts and my account of my race, which was written down freshly after I finished and had a chance to reflect:

Pre-race preparation...talking race strategy with the Coach

“Walking into the rink, the center, was stimulating. Instead of being too nervous, which I had feared, I looked around at the crowd and smiled, taking in the moment and knowing I’d regret it later if I did not enjoy this opportunity to race an Olympic race. The crowd was here to watch us; to see the results from years of preparation and sacrifice, so I was bound to give them a great race! Even if my legs didn’t feel completely fresh in warm-up, legs could feel completely different during my race and that’s what I was counting on to happen.

Stepping onto the ice before my race calmed me completely. The familiarity of my feet in my boots and my blades on the ice brought me into my world of focus. I couldn’t hold back another smile as I felt the confidence grow each time I took a stroke. Just before I started to warm up, I was interrupted by the Zamboni breaking, leaking water across the outer lane and causing a delay before my 3k start time. Instead of being frustrated, I just continued to skate around easy and pray silently in me head for a race that would glorify God and make Him proud. Thankfully the delay was short; the second Zamboni resurfaced the ice and all too soon I was being called to the starting line. ‘Ready…bang!’ And I was off…

The start of my 3k race...

In most all of the pairs before me, there was a trend of dying progressively in the last laps of the 3k race, so in going into this race, my main goal was to keep steady laps times and not start off too quick. Technical thoughts were a huge part of my concentration during my race, remembering all the hard technical training I’ve done so far and not wanting to waste those hours! And the great thing about a distance race is that you don’t have to have a perfect start and can relax into a great rhythm after the initial 200m of the race. And that’s what I did. J

All 7 ½ laps felt great…there was pain, but a pain that I loved. And in that last lap, I knew it was one of the best races of my life. I used that thought to further drive me to the win of my pair and to the first place finish at that

In shock/disbelief after finishing one of the best races of my life

time. Even though I had that race in me, I still couldn’t believe it and man, that feeling was magical!

I knew that my place wouldn’t last, but it was so fun holding first for as long as I did. 9^th place was my overall place, but top 10 was what I had set my goals on, and achieving that was more than I could have asked for in this Olympics! Also, being able to share this moment with my coach and mom and all my family members who came was a dream come true. Half the fun of making the Olympic team is being able to share the moments with those you love and with those who have helped get you this far; I was able to do that, and it was sweet!”

After my 3k Olympic race

Click here to watch: The Final 3k pair and the great emotion after!

From receiving congratulating texts, emails, Facebook messages and phones calls to hanging out with the family and sharing these moments with them after my race, the rest of that day was a whirlwind. AND, I want to thank you ALL for those wonderful messages! It is such a joy to know how much my success impacts others’ lives, and I am humbled by that fact; to be of such an influence on others is honestly a huge part of my motivation in my trainings/competitions. It is definitely true that when you have had success, you ride high on a wave of emotion and you feel like you can easily conquer the world! Haha, not really, but it is a wonderful feeling that is exactly the kind of feeling an athlete trains his/her butt off to feel, even if its just for a split moment! And it is my hope and prayer that through my experience I’ve shared here, you will be

My family, my biggest fans

encouraged to tough out the rough patches in your life and to be confident that God will reward your efforts if you are faithful and trusting in His goodness!

Cousin Jackie and Jessica after my 3k race! Love you girls!

Oh my Goodness…where to begin! Today is one of the most important and exciting days of the entire Olympics.

Evan Lysacek and I before the Opening Ceremonies...

The Opening Ceremonies have FINALLY arrived! After a morning blood draw where all the athletes competing in the 5k men and 3k women have to get a blood sample drawn for testing, I came right back, put on my compression socks and walked over to the Living Room to get some needed blogging in and other computer work. Haha, man, I am always playing catch-up…I am so sorry!

Me and the sprinter girls (Lauren, Elli, Bekah, Jen, and Heather) in the garage before we left for the Ceremony!

3:30pm: we all had to be dressed and ready by that time. A white wool sweater, a down jacket, a warm moose hat, white pants, hiking boots with wool socks…believe me, we were sweating by the time we walked out of our rooms! Haha, us Americans were a sight! Though the outfits were not ideal for the indoor conditions we had at the BC Center (where the Opening Ceremonies took place), we were wearing the best quality and stylish outfits that’s for sure! We all met in the parking garage below our apartments and then preceded to walk outside (thank goodness!) and gather around the Living Room taking pictures and meeting all the rest of the American athletes! I definitely enjoyed that a lot…pictures are amazing memories and so pumped I got a ton!

All the hockey girls wanted a picture...I love them, they are awesome!

From our huddle around the Living Room, we hopped on buses and were shipped just a few blocks away to

the BC Center. Crowds were everywhere and the excitement started to build…they were here to see us! Ah!

Walking out of the buses was even more fun: volunteers, staff, and the lingering crowds were cheering for all of us no matter what country we were from. We were Olympians and that was elating to them in itself! Once we were inside the waiting arena, we sat for a while, ate snacks (haha, Brian loved the chocolate bars, though NOT ideal for all our white clothes we had on!), and chatted with the other US athletes.

Brian and I about to hop on a bus over to the BC Center

And then our country was called to exit, line up, and wait for the next instruction. Brian, Jilleanne, Trevor, Maria, and I were fortunate to get in the front, right behind the lugers (they were in front in honor of   who passed away that day in a training run, and the Flag bearer (Mark Grimmette), who was a luger himself.

Me and Mark Grimmette, the American Flag bearer

And then we were given the OK to start our walk and long wait to the BC Center…and eventually to the entrance where we would walk in representing the USA! Now this was the best part, honestly. Yes, it took about an hour before we got our chance to walk in, but boy did we have fun chanting away in the hallways leading up to our grand entrance! The best chants were when the Canadians, who were right behind us (felt so bad for the Uzbekistan athletes who were sandwiched between us and the Canadians) would start their Go-Canada-Go cheer and then we would start right up and shut them out with our perfect 3-syllable U-S-A cheer! Elaborating on the 3-syllable thing, I spoke with the

Jill, Maria and I with the US Team behind us!

hockey girls later (they were the team bringing up the rear) who said they would yell out, “Your cheer is not a correct 3-syllable cheer and doesn’t flow! It’s too long!” I laughed out loud at that comment!

Over an hour later and after high-fiving a ton of people lined up along our route (most of whom were performing in the show after we walked in), we found ourselves at the entrance about to walk in…emotion was thick in the air and I was choked up! I had dreamed of this moment…I was walking in, representing the USA as an Olympic athlete…what could be greater (other than when I accepted Jesus into my heart! Haha)? At the moment, nothing.

And then we all heard our country called, and we walked forth. Or more like hustled, until we were in the spotlight and then we all just took in the moment. The audience was full of screams, cheers, clapping, yelling, whistles, lights, colors…all eyes were on us. Straining to find Jeffrey and Johnny, my brothers who got last

Me sitting on the ground as we were waiting to walk in, my coach made me

minute tickets to the Opening Ceremonies thanks to the Proctor & Gamble house (and I want to send a shout out to them, their hospitality has been out of this world!), I starred out into the audience, but there was no hope. The place was packed and I needed to take in every moment before it was gone! As we continued to walk, we came upon a huge American section with American flags everywhere

Can you feel the emotion as were are here, ready to walk in as Team USA?

and that was when I let it out and started jumping, shuffling, hopping, haha, I really don’t remember what I did, but my body just reacted to the emotion in the air and I was way too honored to be waving the small American flag in my hand and showing my pride!

We continued to walk around the circle and up to our seats…I was in one of the front rows and because I stayed standing, waving my little flag and taking in the panoramic view before me with my camera (and everyone, its not pink, it might look like it is, but when I bought it, it said it was red! Hahaha), I got on TV, and that’s when some of you all saw me with my ‘pink’, but really red camera! I stood there for quite some time until Canada was almost to their seats and the show was moving on to the next performance. The lights dimmed while everyone broke out their little battery-lit candles and after catching that on film for a second, I exited the stadium along with everyone else who wanted to leave earlier in hopes to get more rest in preparation for events the next couple days.

There were quite a few of us speedskaters who left early and then rushed back to catch the rest on the TV, especially the lighting of the flame. Haha, I even taped the rest of the ceremony on my camera from the TV just for more memories…but we did get one advantage for leaving early: we were able to see the awesome fireworks that were fired around the outside of the BC Center once the torch was lit inside!

Me and the Opening Ceremonies

And then it was over…a night to remember that’s for sure, but a night that also started one of the most prestigious sporting events ever! It was overwhelming and breathtaking, and all that emotion and energy I was going to bring into my race 2 days later. A recipe for a great race!

After the hype of the ceremony carried into the streets and beyond and the athletes who stayed for the entire celebration started to trickle into the Village, I called my coach and the rest of the family and we coordinated to meet at the McDonald’s right outside the Village. My coach was going to mash me (to recover my legs from all the standing and yes, we mashed in the McDonald’s play area. It was a sight to see! Haha, but we also made some great friends) while I finally got to visit with my cousins, Jessica and Jackie, and talk to the family longer than a ‘hello’ (because of training and security measures, I had no time to really see them yet!). What was so cool

Johnny, Jackie, Jeffrey, Jessica and I in the McDonald's play area after the Opening Ceremonies!

was seeing the excitement in their eyes and answering all their questions about how it felt to walk in…they were so happy for me and genuinely stoked to be here amongst the Olympic atmosphere and to be watching my Olympic race. I was humbled.

But it was getting late and I had to say good-bye. They were going to be able to watch me practice tomorrow so I’d see them then and it was now focus time, and getting to bed early was key. I was amazed, though, at how easily I was able to fall asleep. I usually cannot fall asleep after such a memorable day (I think too much and reflect!), but I was also wiped and as soon as I hit the pillow, I was out.

Inside the Olympic Oval: The calm before the storm of races arrive and the Opening of the Olympics!

Woke up so rested once again and ate a quick breakfast before heading to the gym to get in a good cardio bike workout! I just love the feeling of a good solid workout where you feel you can overcome the world and sweat everything out! Hahaha, that was this morning…it just proves my taper/rest is working and I am heading in the right direction before my Sunday’s race!

One huge thank you goes out to the company: Flags USA, who donated 2 American Flags so I can hang them with pride here at the Olympic Village! This is what Deborah Cinfio (a wonderful and close family friend) wrote to me on Facebook when I heard the amazing news:

“Nancy, Flags USA out of Bartlett has donated two large American flags to you. Your dad is bringing them when he comes. I called them yesterday to ask about the flags. They heard your interview on WMBI (click here to hear it) and were very impressed with what they heard. The President, Judi Sklarz called me this morning and offered to donate the flags. It was a God thing!”

My goodness, God does work in His small ways…it was definitely a reminder that God loves to show that He is in

My room all decorated with the donated American Flag and my wonderful notes from the students!!!

control of ALL things! Also, a big reminder that people will also be listening to everything you say as well as watching, so the life you live is a huge testimony to how God centered your life is and how much He means to you!

So finally I decorated my room with the notes I had gotten from Mrs. Mulsoff’s Wheaton Christian Grammar School class and also the 2 flags I had received from my dad. See the amazing picture (hehe) to the right! Notes of encouragement really do motivate  and make me smile all the time, so having these notes right beside my bed give me great thoughts while I fall asleep and great inspiring thoughts for starting off the day! I am so proud to be an American!

FAMILY time!!! After the morning workout and some good easy recovery consisting of eating and rolling the legs, Brian and I headed over to the rink. Practice was a lot of fun…intervals went really well and I was in high spirits knowing my race was coming up. Nervousness…not so much. I was actually pumped to finally be putting all the ridiculously hard training I’ve done in the last 6 weeks to action! I can never say it enough, but thank you all for all your support and encouragement leading up to my Olympic debut race! I am so eager to get this race started and I hope you all will enjoy watching it all take place; hoping and praying that NBC will show my race! Hehe…cross your fingers!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that earlier I got to chat with Shaun White and Scott Lago in between workouts. I was randomly checking my e-mail on the floor below me cause it was frustratingly slow in my room when a bunch of snowboarders walk in and after a bit, introduced myself and started talking about speedskating. They were great and after a bit, was able to ask for a picture with them. Haha, Shaun did mention, after looking at my

Scotty, me, and Shaun

credential, we had similar hair…right, just one minor detail, his curls are bright red!

Brian, as he prepares for his 1500m practice race at the Richmond Olympic Oval

Today is another day of rest and pumped I was finally able to get some good sleep! I have been struggling lately in getting enough sleep; either the light in the morning or my body’s alignment has been causing this trouble until now. Yesterday Scott did one small adjustment on my neck, which has changed everything, I feel like a new person! It is amazing what one small crack can do! I believe in chiropractic fully! I have also put up dark curtains on the windows behind the blinds so the light problem has been solved as well.

Brian raced a practice race today, so to fully take advantage of my rest day and staying off my legs, I combined working with Scott and watching Brian over at the Olympic Oval and then headed back to the Olympic Village in order to then get a session of stretching done with Bob Cooley and relax the rest of the evening.

Before heading over to the Olympic Oval, though, we were fortunate to get an email requesting US athletes to meet the Today Show along its route as it filmed a coverage featuring the Olympic Village. As we were waiting for the crew to meet us in the Village store, we met up with skeleton Olympic athlete Noelle Pikus-Pace.

Brian, Jilleanne, Noelle and I in the Village Store waiting for the Today Show to arrive!

What an amazing story she has! Read it here: http://www.noellepikuspace.com/. Brian and I had the opportunity to meet Meredith Vieira and the crew as they filmed us with her in a little segment in the Village store, unfortunately you barely see me walking around to meet Meredith as they cut-off our part of the coverage! Grrr, haha, but Catherine Raney-Norman did a great job representing the speedskaters as she guided Meredith around the Village, watch it online at: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/.

Family comes in today!!! I am so pumped and thrilled to see them. Dad, Jeffrey, Johnny, Uncle John, Jessica, Grandma Swider…all have supported me throughout my journey to these Olympics along with the rest of my family who are not able to make it here. Thank you all so very much and will miss those of you who cannot come…you are in my thoughts! I love you all!

The Symbol of my Faith! Christ's cross He carried for me, for everyone who believes in Him!

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

I am here to race for Christ. He has given me this talent, my accomplishments, and I am so stoked that I have achieved the success I have already. It is my prayer that all of you have been encouraged and shown the power of what Christ can do in someone’s life (my life) and what benefits you receive when you  persevere and press on toward your worldly  and heavenly goals! Honestly, if you pursue your heavenly goals before anything else, your worldly goals will be rewarded to you because your heart is in the right place!

There are still days of preparation ahead and this being my second to last hard workout day before my Olympic race debut, I was excited to finally get back to some hard training to get some work feeling in my legs! As much as I love rest and it is needed, there is a balance I have to find because I can get too sluggish with too much rest. Too often have I raced on legs that feel tired and unprepared when I warm up on the ice before, but ironically, during those times I’ve had my best races! Weird! So I have learned to embrace that feeling and am blasé when I’m not feeling ‘perfect’ before my races.

Need to get pictures of others in my blog too! Here is me along with Lauren Cholewinski and Heather Richardson!!

Skated some solid timed laps this morning as well as a great set of 500/500’s. Loving the feel of the ice here at the Richmond oval and how they have really made an effort to keep the humidity out! They have definitely worked hard at perfecting this place and making it ideal for us skaters! Thank you all at the Richmond Olympic Oval!

Also bumped into our Oakley friends while cooling down after practice, who have for years helped me out and supported me with both great products and

I know it's not clear, but here are my sweet pair of Oakleys I was hooked up with and now wear...I'll be racing in them Sunday!

encouragement from their friendships. You guys are great and thank you so much!

Once again we recovered well and headed over to the apartment by the Oval where we met up with Scott. God has certainly blessed me with wonderful relationships and contacts; people like Scott, Bob, my mom, and those working back at the Village who are here just for facilitating and making sure we are in best form for our competitions! Seriously, I feel so spoiled at times…even though I have worked my butt of to get here, EVERYONE who has touched my life has helped me get here to the Olympics and reach my goals! Thank you all!

Haha, time sure flies, and I seem to be saying that a lot, but really, when you are having fun and enjoying every minute, time just disappears! So as soon as Brian and I arrived back at the Olympic Village, we realized we had

about an hour before we needed to start our next workout: a bike/wall sit combo. It such a lovely pain-free workout! Haha, not! It’s probably high on my most painful workout list, but it does go by quickly, resulting in forgetting how painful it can be the next time I am doing it!

After running to the dining hall to get a quick dinner, I got in a quick ice bath before Brian and I headed over to the Suisse house to talk to Bob and Roger, see their apartment, and pick-up the fruit Bob had bought

The Suisse Flag...maybe I'll upload a picture later of my shirt I received from Bob!

earlier for me at Whole Foods (which is just around the corner from the Village! Sweetness!). Bob was too sweet; even though I had brought nothing to exchange, Bob insisted on giving me a Suisse shirt that he was given for being part of the Suisse team. He claimed he had too many clothes already and would be giving almost everything away…so I was so honored when he gave me the shirt! Thanks Bob Cooley!

Now 3 days til OPENING CEREMONIES!!!

Like yesterday, today was just an easy skate, touching the ice, and letting the legs rest more. I have less than 6

Mom, Brian and I fooling around pretending to be at a press conference after a mashing session by the Olympic Village

days til my 3k race and have to start integrating more rest!

Both Bob Cooley (our resistance stretching man whom we love ) and Scott (helps us out with ART and chiro) have finally arrived here in Vancouver and so excited to receive their expertise and help as Brian and I make our final

preparations before our Olympic races. So after our training today we saw Scott over at an apartment by the Olympic oval and got some treatment. Security is so high that cars cannot get close to the rink unless they are checked a couple of times a multiple points along the route and then entering the building alone is impossible unless you have the correct accreditation. So Scott is confined to the apartment when he is treating us (like my mom when she mashes and stretches us) and then gets to spend time with his wife in between her rehearsals for the Opening ceremonies! That’s right! She is part of the Ceremonies and the funny thing is she cannot say a word about what is going on…so crazy! 4 days to the Opening Ceremonies! Speaking of which, the schedule is below…

Olympic Schedule

OK and here is my Olympic schedule since so many are asking! Hahaha…I keep forgetting to publicize it!

February 12^th, Friday –Opening Ceremonies! I will be wearing my hair down along with white pearls in order to stand out and for you to catch me on TV! Haha. I will be leaving part way through, though, in order to not waste any more energy before my race on Sunday!

February 14^th, Sunday –3000m race. The races start at 1pm (3pm Central Time), but I am probably not the first pair, so I will not be right away. But still watch from the start just in case!

February 26^th/27^th, Friday/Saturday –Team Pursuit races. We are racing on the 26^th, and will race on

The BC Center where the Ceremony Celebrations will be taking place!

the 27^th if we advance from the prelims on Friday.

February 28^th, Sunday –Closing Ceremonies! Also watch out for me! Since we all walk in as a whole and not in our separate countries, it will definitely be hard to spot any of us, but still keep an eye out for me and others you recognize!

The Olympic TV coverage can be found here for the Chicago area:

The Lord’s Day! BUT, we have to train this morning on the ice, so I decided to have a quick prayer time this morning, but later that day was going to dig into my devotional book and ponder

A past picture of Dave Cruikshank racing....look at that technique!

some good questions it was going to throw at me!

Training was easy today. It was more or less an ‘off’ day, but wanted to ‘touch’ the ice and keep the ‘feel’ I

have for it. Every since I changed my technique at the beginning of January, thanks to Dave Cruikshank (who now works with hockey players on their skating skills/boots), I have been feeling amazing on the ice, one with the ice. Dave was completely right and I owe him a lot for what he did for me and the time he took out of his day in order to give me enough attention needed to change my technique.

It is funny how times go in cycles. My mom once had coached Dave herself and now he has helped and coached me as well. What goes around sure does come back around! J

After the ice training we quickly rushed back to catch a bus to our Long Track Speedskating press conference. It definitely created a rush of

Tucker, Jen, Trevor, and Ryan at the long track press conference...the rest of us sat below where we later talked one-on-one with reporters

adrenaline and the atmosphere was full of excitement as we were reminded with each question that the Olympics were starting in less than a week and my race was in ONE week! Ahhhh!

For rest of the day, as usual, we incorporated good recovery: cycling, resistance stretching, mashing, and more cycling. Man, when I think about it, the life of an elite athlete never ends. Whenever I think I would have time to do some writing for this blog or time to simply chat with friends, there is something else to do that is higher on the priority list! My coach/mom came over to do the mashing and found a place right beside the Olympic Village where she could do it to Brian and I. Because she does not have the correct accreditation to get into the Village and parts of the venues, we have to be creative in order to meet up and get our usual talking and recovery done. That is how my mom coaches us, by her ‘feeling’ what we are going through and questioning us and seeing how we train. When she is not with us like her situation now, then she starts to loose her coaching abilities and has to work harder and ‘bug’ us more with questions in order for her best qualities as a coach to shine. We will still be able to perform, but it has not been ideal having my mom shutout of being with me along

Brian being interviewed at the Press Conference

this Olympic journey.