Looking back on the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, I spoke to athletes and avid Olympic fans to hear their impressions of how this year’s games progressed in the events that they follow. Read on to hear what these students had to say!
Student Head of Athletics and ice hockey fan Tyra Abraham ’14 stated, “I follow the Olympics because it’s interesting to see the athletes compete at a such an intense level. For most athletes, winning an Olympic gold medal is the pinnacle of their career. These athletes train for four years and only have this one moment to show off all their hard work, which makes for some very compelling action.”
Regarding ice hockey, she commented, “Before the Olympics had even started, there was much debate about the roster of the [US] men’s ice hockey team. They were labeled as underdogs going into the Olympics and considered not as strong as other teams like the Canadians, the Russians, and the Swedes. However, in Sochi, [the US] has proved to be successful, outscoring the opposition with a score of 20-6. The women’s [American] ice hockey team has also played tremendously in Sochi.”
Ian Callender, a junior at Brown University and Trinity School alum, first started speedskating after seeing the 2006 Torino Olympic Games. Callender competes in short track and long track races. The Hewitt Times got an exclusive interview with this stellar athlete:
Hewitt Times: Do you have comments on Shani Davis‘s performance or the performance of other athletes from the Olympics this year?
Ian Callender: It’s incredible that the Dutch have entirely claimed long track as their own; they’ve won some 21 out of 30 medals. With respect to the American team, it’s always unfortunate to see high-quality athletes with amazing abilities not placing as well as they have in the past. There are dozens of reasons why the American team might not be skating as well as they usually do; it’s hard to try to identify only one or two.
HT: What do you think is the key to winning a race? The start, the mindset or just physical ability?
IC: There is no single “key” to winning a race in speedskating; rather, it’s a combination of dozens of factors. Strength, agility, and technique provide the foundation; on top of that, each sport has its own requirements. In short track, you have to be able to anticipate your competitors’ moves and strategically place yourself to be in first at the finish, and since each skater has his/her own tactics, the races appear hectic. In long track, you have to be able to get into a consistent pace and skate your own race without too much thought on the people around you. That said, there are similarities between both sports. In sprints, the first five seconds of a race can determine who’ll win and come in last, whereas in longer distances a skater might even fall and plausibly come back to finish the race strongly. The technique is similar, with a few differences stemming from the equipment and the physics of the tracks.
HT: What makes you love speedskating so much? What motivates you as you race?
IC: Speedskating is an incredible sport. When you get into a consistent pace skating becomes quite meditative; the world fades away and you can retreat into the calm of gracefully repeated motion, no matter how physically demanding. Every time I step on the ice I feel as though I’m flying; that said, skating isn’t a way to defy physics, it’s a way to push it to its limit and engage with it in new ways. Every so often, only under the right conditions, the sunlight streams in through the oval’s windows and cuts through the ice at just the right angle; instead of hitting the ice your shadow passes through it and lands on the rink’s foundation below. For a few seconds, normally in a moment of total flow, you notice that your shadow has, only by an inch or so, entirely disconnected itself—you’re free. It’s incredibly liberating.
Gillian Presto ’14 has competed in free style skating and solo ice dance for over a decade. She reveals that Meryl Davis and Charlie White“are by far some of my favorite skaters. I love watching them perform because they are flawless. They had no mistakes, and the points they get are off the charts.” When asked what constitutes an exceptional routine, she answered, “The most obvious thing to viewers is that the competitors do not fall or make any obvious mistakes. However, for a skater, it is a little different. We notice how fast the skaters spin and if the skater completed their jumps all the way around (if they had full rotation). In addition, skaters also need to have a good presence, enthusiasm, and good choreography to get a good score. So, I think a great skating routine is one that excels in all divisions of the program and not just jumps and spins.”
