Speedskating
Why It's Winter's Hottest Sport
By Adrianne Bowen
Speedskating accounts for approximately 40 percent of the U.S. Olympic Team’s medals, but US Speedskating (USS) Executive Director Bob Crowley said the sport is still small in terms of recognition. To change that, USS is hoping to capitalize on the increased media coverage of star athletes, such as Gold Medalist Apolo Ohno, and is marketing speedskating to followers of other fast-action sports. “The danger/excitement factor is alluring,” Crowley said, but added that the sport really is safe for athletes and spectators due to the strict safety precautions in place. The fast action coupled with safety precautions of speedskating make it appealing to fast-action fans and families alike—which, according to Crowley, puts it in the forefront of winter sports such as the Winter Olympics. In fact, according to NBC ratings, speedskating was the most-watched sport of the 2006 Winter Olympics, when the U.S. Olympic team won 10 medals. Crowley said speedskating is also being considered for the X Games.
“It is rewarding to push so hard to get recognition for the sport of speedskating and, when we do, it’s a great feeling for the dedicated athletes, the staff and our partners,” Crowley said. The skill and agility of the athletes and the speed of the competitions appeal to athletes, spectators and planners alike, he said. “The exactitude required to move forward at such fast speeds using your own power is amazing.”
Speedskating has two divisions: short track, in which competitors race on a 111–meter track marked out on an Olympic-sized hockey rink, and long track, in which racers skate on a 400-meter oval. “The most important aspect of short track speedskating is not the length of the race but rather the actual head-to-head competition, with several competitors on the track simultaneously vying for that top placement,” Crowley said. “It’s the placement that counts, not the time. It is aggressive, fast-paced and exhilarating.” Although time is tracked for world and national records, time does not determine the winners of short-track competitions.
In long track, however, time is the deciding factor. The skaters usually race head to head, two skaters at a time, and each skater competes against the field of skaters based on their time to complete the distance.
Short- and long-track competitions include the U.S. Short Track Championships (Short Track) and U.S. Long Track Championships (Long Track), both sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), and both helping to put speedskating on the map, according to Crowley.
U.S. Short Track Championships
First held in 1978, Short Track is a qualifier event for the ISU World Short Track Speedskating Championships. The age for competing is 18 and above, “which usually means 18 to about 27,” according to USS Director of Public Relations Kori Novak. Individual athletes compete in 500-, 1,000-, 1,500-, 3,000- and 5,000-meter (men only) races, traveling at 35-40 miles per hour with tight turns and in a pack…all on razor-sharp blades, Crowley said, and they advance in Nationals based on their performances in the earlier rounds. Scott Koons, USS managing director, said skaters also can qualify for the relay team by winning their rounds. “It tends to be the most fun, action-packed event and skaters want to race it,” he said. There are a series of elimination rounds for skaters to advance through before racing in the finals for each of the distances, according to Koons.
The 2007 U.S. Short Track Championships will be Dec. 21-23 at the Utah Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City, host of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The venue for hosting the event is chosen by USS associations, according to Thomas McLean, managing director of marketing and development for USS. Specific USS clubs bid on events to host in their communities, but in some instances cities and sports commissions can bid on short-track events, he said.
Depending on where the event is being held in a particular year, McLean said USS launches several different promotional plans based on that region of the country. “We try to adapt to the ‘flavor’ the organizers feel is appropriate,” he said. “Our community organizers’ marketing campaigns are our lifeblood in making an event a success.”
This year, in Salt Lake City, USS is working with local companies to bring in more people to attend the event, McLean said. “We are also working with elementary and grammar schools and local clubs such as the Boys’ and Girls’ Club and the YMCA to bring kids to the event, offering discounted rates to these children who would otherwise not be able to attend.” Other campaigns being considered for future events include placing lamp-post signage and drapes of athletes’ images around the venue.
U.S. Long Track Championships
According to Crowley, long track is the “granddaddy” of the two speedskating disciplines, even though short track has more participants. Long track can be traced to early Scandinavian and Russian heritages, most likely as a mode of transportation during inclement weather, he said.
The first Long Track Championships was held in 1891; only men were allowed to race until 1921. Long Track features 500-, 1,000-, 1,500-, 3,000-, 5,000- and 10,000-meter (men only) races. Unlike Short Track, there is no “pack” skating in Long Track. “It’s head-to-head against the clock and the speeds around the 400-meter oval are incredible,” Crowley said. To compete in Long Track, skaters must have a qualifying time from the current season, according to Koons, and the fastest skaters in Long Track go on to international competitions, such as the World Cups. The 2007 Long Track Championships will be Dec. 27-30 in Salt Lake City.
To promote Long Track, USS is working with local sponsors and hotels to develop a new promotional effort for each event, McLean said. “We are looking for a strong community-centric program with our Long Track marketing efforts that will engage the surrounding communities and local sponsors more than we have in the past. We are trying to figure out the return on investment (ROI) for the local partners, other than heads in beds and economic impact of our attendees. We want to bring more to and get more out of each place we hold an event, so we are looking to develop more community partners.”
Although USS cannot yet offer a guaranteed ROI to host cities, McLean said, “We are trying to guarantee that we are one of the top Winter Olympic sports. A lot of people are focused on speedskating. We have a small contingency that follows the sport.”
Crowley agreed, again referring to the 2006 Winter Olympics, which included televised coverage of speedskating—whether competitions or athlete vignettes—during 16 days of the 17-day Olympic broadcast. “We believe there is untapped potential for speedskating, particularly the Short Track events, which can be held in any Olympic-sized hockey venue in the United States,” Crowley said.
US Speedskating At A Glance
- US Speedskating is the national governing body for speedskating and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union.
- US Speedskating was founded in 1966 as the United States International Speedskating Association by members of the Amateur Skating Union (ASU); the name “US Speedskating” was adopted in 1993. ASU officially merged into US Speedskating in 2002.
- The National Short Track and National Long Track teams both train at the Utah Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City, which hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.
- Since 1924, US Speedskating has won 75 Olympic medals—the most of any Winter Olympics sport.
- US Speedskating accounted for the most medals—10—for the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
- Women’s speedskating was not recognized by the Winter Olympic Games until 1960. American Jeanne Ashworth, who won the 500-meter bronze in 1960, was the first woman to earn an Olympic medal in the sport.
- Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair have won the most overall medals among all US Speedskating team members; Heiden captured five gold medals in 1980, after which he retired; and Blair won five gold medals in 1988, 1992 and 1994 and one bronze in 1988. Eric Heiden’s five golds in 1980 gave him the distinction of having won the most medals in a single Olympics. Blair was the first American to win gold in three consecutive Olympics.