Category Archives: Short Track Speed Skating

Curling, Short Track Speed Skating, Short Track World Championships, The Melting Pot, World Championships

The Melting Pot: J.R. Celski Wins Men’s 3000m, Jessica Smith Second in Women’s 3000m at Short Track Speed Skating World Championships

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Short Track Speed Skating World Championships – Montreal, Canada

The Short Track Speed Skating wrapped up with the World Championships finishing on Sunday. In the women’s 1000m Emily Scott got knocked out in the heats finishing third but Jessica Smith advanced to the quarterfinals before finishing fourth in her heat and being eliminated.

In the men’s 1000m both Chris Creveling and J.R. Celski advanced from the heats and the quarterfinals without any issues but ran into problems in the semifinals. Celski finished third and Creveling finished fourth after a fall and both were eliminated.

In the women’s 3000m superfinal Jessica Smith was very strong and finished second about 0.8 seconds back and and as the only one within a second of the winner. In the men’s 3000m superfinal J.R. Celski did her one better by winning by over two seconds.

It was a strong World Championships for the US who did much better than in Sochi.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • Women’s 1000m
      • 11:52 AM ET – Heats
        • Jessica Smith
        • Emily Scott
      • 1:19 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 2:03 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:34 PM ET – Final
    • Men’s 1000m
      • 12:21 PM ET – Heats
        • J.R. Celski
        • Chris Creveling
      • 1:33 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 2:11 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:41 PM ET – Final
    • Women’s 3000m
      • 3:03 PM ET – Superfinal
    • Men’s 3000m
      • 3:13 PM ET – Superfinal

World Women’s Curling Championships – St. John’s, Canada

The US went 2-0 on Sunday at the World Women’s Curling Championship knocking off Germany 6-5 by scoring three in the fourth end and two in the eighth end to grab a 6-2 lead that they hung on to win. In their second match of the day they dominated Denmark 13-2 by scoring twos in the opening two ends (both times without the hammer), and a five in the fourth end with the hammer. When they scored a four in the sixth end with the hammer Denmark conceded with four ends left and down 11.

The US is now one of two teams to get to 3-0 (along with Switzerland). They have a real good shot at advancing from Round Robin play if they can keep this up. Things get a little tougher and more telling on Monday when they take on Sweden and Canada who are both 2-1.

Schedule:

  • March 17th
    • 8:30 AM ET – USA vs. Sweden
    • 6:30 PM ET – USA vs. Canada
Curling, Short Track Speed Skating, Short Track World Championships, The Melting Pot, World Championships

The Melting Pot: J.R. Celski Wins Silver in 500m at Short Track Speed Skating World Championships

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Short Track Speed Skating World Championships – Montreal, Canada

Action at the Short Track Speed Skating World Championships moved to the shortest distance, 500m, on Saturday. The event didn’t last long for Emily Scott who was knocked out in the preliminary round after finishing third in her heat. Jessica Smith was able to advance through the preliminaries and then survived the heats by being one of the four fastest third place finishers. Her run ended in the quarterfinals however after a third place finish.

In the men’s 500m J.R. Celski and Chris Creveling survived the preliminaries and heats just fine, though Creveling needed to be advanced in the heats after being obstructed and finishing fourth. Creveling would advance no further than the quarterfinals while Celski made it all the way to the final. In the final Celski wound up second to grab silver. It’s no Olympic medal, but a silver at the World Championships is still a big deal and a great result for Celski.

Celski and Creveling teamed up with Eduardo Alvarez and Kyle Carr in the men’s 5000m relay. The US got eliminated in the semifinals after finishing third in a tight race behind the Koreans and Dutch.

Things wrap up on Sunday with the 1000m races. Once again Emily Scott and Jessica Smith are the US women and Chris Creveling and J.R. Celski the US men. There is also a 3000m race, but it’s just a superfinal with no heats. With the small field size for that event I’m not sure anyone will be competing for the US, but if anyone is my gut tells me Celski.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • Women’s 1000m
      • 11:52 AM ET – Heats
        • Jessica Smith
        • Emily Scott
      • 1:19 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 2:03 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:34 PM ET – Final
    • Men’s 1000m
      • 12:21 PM ET – Heats
        • J.R. Celski
        • Chris Creveling
      • 1:33 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 2:11 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:41 PM ET – Final
    • Women’s 3000m
      • 3:03 PM ET – Superfinal
    • Men’s 3000m
      • 3:13 PM ET – Superfinal

World Women’s Curling Championships – St. John’s, Canada

The US Opened the World Women’s Curling Championship with a big 12-5 win over China on Saturday. The US struck for two in both the first and third ends with the hammer to open up a 4-2 lead early. The big moment came though in the sixth end when the US stole three to go up 8-3. The US scored another three with the hammer in the ninth end to give us the final margin of 12-5 as the tenth end wasn’t necessary.

The win makes the US one of four teams still undefeated after day one (though three other teams played twice and went 1-1). On Sunday the US faces Germany and Denmark. Both of those teams went 0-1 on the first year so the US should definitely be confident they can get off to a good start which is probably also necessary if they want to think about advancing from the round robin.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 1:30 PM ET – USA vs. Germany
    • 6:30 PM ET – USA vs. Denmark
FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Freestyle Skiing, Short Track Speed Skating, Short Track World Championships, Ski Jumping, The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot: Jessica Jerome Set for Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup This Weekend, No US Medals On First Day at Short Track World Championships

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Short Track Speed Skating World Championships – Montreal, Canada

The Short Track Speed Skating World Championships started today in Montreal with the US looking to rebound from a disappointing Olympics. In the women’s 1500m both Jessica Smith and Emily Scott moved on from their heats before Scott was eliminated in the semifinals after coming fourth in her heat. Smith made the final where she finished sixth.

In the men’s 1500m J.R. Celski and Chris Creveling both emerged from the heats easily but suffered disappointment in the semifinals. Creveling fell and finished a half minute behind the pack in his heat while Celski was in the pack but finished fourth in his heat, denying the US a berth in the final.

In the women’s 3000m relay the US team of Alyson Dudek, Jessica Smith, Emily Scott, and Brittany Salmon finished fourth, missing a spot in the final by over six seconds.

Smith and Scott will compete again in the women’s 500m on Saturday with Celski and Creveling in the men’s 500m. The men’s 5000m relay team will also take part in the semifinals.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • Women’s 500m
      • 12:35 PM ET – Preliminaries
        • Jessica Smith
        • Emily Scott
      • 2:15 PM ET – Heats
      • 3:03 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 3:40 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 4:07 PM ET – Final
    • Men’s 500m
      • 1:17 PM ET – Preliminaries
        • J.R. Celski
        • Chris Creveling
      • 2:32 PM ET – Heats
      • 3:14 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 3:46 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 4:13 PM ET – Final
    • Men’s 5000m Relay
      • 4:34 PM ET – Semifinals
        • USA Team

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Moguls – Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway

The final moguls event of the Freestyle Skiing World Cup season is in Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway on Saturday. Qualification and the final rounds will all be held on the same day with 13 competitors from the US. Heather McPhie, Hannah Kearney, and Eliza Outtrim are the biggest names on the women’s side with Patrick Deneen, Bradley Wilson, and Bryon Wilson as big names on the men’s side.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 4:45 AM ET – Women’s Moguls Qualifying
      • Ali Kariotis
      • Heather McPhie
      • Hannah Kearney
      • Keaton McCargo
      • Eliza Outtrim
      • Sophia Schwartz
    • 6:35 AM ET – Men’s Moguls Qualifying
      • Patrick Deneen
      • Troy Murphy
      • Jeremy Cota
      • Joseph Discoe
      • Bryon Wilson
      • Bradley Wilson
      • Dylan Walczyk
    • 7:30 AM ET – Women’s Moguls Final 1 (Top 16)
    • 7:55 AM ET – Men’s Moguls Final 1 (Top 16)
    • 8:25 AM ET – Women’s Moguls Final 2 (Top 6)
    • 8:35 AM ET – Men’s Moguls Final  (Top 6)

Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup – Falun, Sweden

The women are in Falun, Sweden this weekend for their second to last Ski Jumping World Cup event. There will be two separate events this weekend with the first one on Saturday. Jessica Jerome is the only one representing the US in the event.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 9:15 AM ET – First Round/Final Round
      • Jessica Jerome
FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Freestyle Skiing, ISU World Cup, Short Track Speed Skating, Short Track World Championships, Speed Skating, The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot: Short Track Speed Skating World Championships and Speed Skating World Cup Finals This Weekend

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Lots of World Cup action this weekend as the seasons continue to head quickly towards their wrap ups.

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Are, Sweden – Ski Cross

The Freestyle Skiing World Cup hold a ski cross event for the second straight weekend with this one in Are, Sweden. Last weekend John Teller advanced from qualifying in 19th but was knocked out in the next round. He, along with Joe Swensson, will get things underway with qualification today.

Schedule:

  • March 14th
    • 9:30 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Qualifying
      • John Teller
      • Joe Swensson

Short Track Speed Skating World Championships – Montreal, Canada

Today is the start of the Short Track Speed Skating World Championships with the women’s and men’s 1500m events to be held as well as the semifinals of the women’s 3000m relay. The US is looking to rebound after a poor Olympics and could have a really nice end to the year with some success in Montreal. The US will have Jessica Smith and Emily Scott in the women’s 1500m with J.R. Celski and Chris Creveling in the men’s 1500m. I’m not sure who will be on the team for the women’s relay.

Schedule:

  • March 14th
    • Women’s 1500m
      • 12 PM ET – Heats
        • Jessica Smith
        • Emily Scott
      • 1:31 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:18 PM ET – Final
    • Men’s 1500m
      • 12:31 PM ET – Heats
        • J.R. Celski
        • Chris Creveling
      • 1:47 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:26 PM ET – Final
    • Women’s 3000m Relay
      • 2:49 PM ET – Semifinals
        • USA Team

Speed Skating World Cup Final – Heerenveen, Netherlands

The Speed Skating World Cup Final gets underway with races in the women’s 1500m, men’s 1000m, and both men’s and women’s mass start events. Brittany Bowe will compete for the US in the women’s 1500m and sits in second in the season standings, 66 points behind the leader. The gap is probably too large to make up but Bowe has a good shot at finishing second in the season standings.

In the men’s 1000m Shani Davis has already locked up the title but Brian Hansen is sitting in third with an outside shot at jumping into second. Mitchell Whitmore will also be in the field for the US and sits 13th in the season standings and could make a move into the top 10 with a big result.

The mass start events were held for the first time this year last weekend. Maria Lamb finished seventh in the women’s event while Patrick Meek and Brian Hansen went fifth and sixth for the US.

Schedule:

  • March 14th
    • 11:15 AM ET – Women’s 1500m Division A
      • Brittany Bowe
    • 12:12 PM ET – Men’s 1000m Division A
      • Mitchell Whitmore
      • Brian Hansen
      • Shani Davis
    • 1:05 PM ET – Women’s Mass Start
      • Maria Lamb
    • 1:20 PM ET – Men’s Mass Start
      • Patrick Meek
      • Brian Hansen
Olympics, Recaps, Short Track Speed Skating, Sochi 2014

Sochi Short Track Speed Skating Recap: No Two Ways About It, A Very Disappointing Olympics for the US

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There are few sports that were as disappointing for the US in Sochi as short track speed skating. This is a sport that Apollo Anton Ohno helped get Americans interested in but in Sochi each event brought new disappointment. The sport can be very fluky, the margins are razor thin and one bad break can cost a skater, but to see the US fail to grab even a single individual medal was shocking. They did grab one in the men’s 5000m relay to end the Olympics but that also helped show they have talented skaters and showed how odd it was that they didn’t medal in any other events.

Men’s 500m

Mens 500m

The men’s 500m event didn’t go great for the US in fact two of their three competitors finished last in the heats and near the very bottom of the entire field. J.R. Celski was the exception as he advanced all the way to the semifinals where he finished fourth and was placed in the B final. This is an event the US has struggled to medal in with only two finishes in the previous five Olympics higher than Celski’s sixth.

Mens 500m Yearly Best

Women’s 500m

Womens 500m

For the US women the 500m went slightly worse than for the men. Two of the three were eliminated in the first round just like on the men’s side but Emily Scott could only advance as far as the quarterfinals. She finished 12th which was the second worst all-time for the US just ahead of 1998. The US has not medaled in the women’s 500m since 1994.

Womens 500m Yearly Best

Men’s 1000m

Mens 1000m

The men’s 1000m was another event where the US failed to even get a semifinalist. Both Christopher Creveling and Eduardo Alvarez came up a spot short in the quarterfinal heats. It was the first time since 1992 the US didn’t have someone in the top nine and ended a streak of three straight Olympics with a medal (all by Apollo Anton Ohno).

Mens 1000m Yearly Best

Women’s 1000m

Womens 1000m

The closest the US women came to medaling was in the 1000m where Jessica Smith reached the final and finished just off of third. This is an event where the US has only medaled once (silver in Vancouver) so the fourth place finish doesn’t look bad at all historically.

Womens 1000m Yearly Best

Men’s 1500m

Mens 1500m

The closest the men came to grabbing a medal in the individual events was the 1500m where J.R. Celski finished fourth and missed out on the bronze. It’s worth noting that Celski’s disappointing Olympics did result in a fourth and a sixth in two individual events and a 13th in the other. The standards are high for the US due to past success and Celski’s talent, that’s why these results are disappointing. The fourth place finish in the 1500m makes it 50-50 so far on if the US medals in the men’s 1500m.

Mens 1500m Yearly Best

Women’s 1500m

Womens 1500m

Emily Scott took her turn nearly medaling for the US in the 1500m as she placed fifth. She wasn’t the only one who had success though as Jessica Smith reached the B final and this was the only event where the US had two finalists (including the B-finals). The US has never medaled in this event and this makes two straight top five finishes. It would seem that the women’s speed skating had a stronger Olympics than their male counterparts when compared to past results.

Womens 1500m Yearly Best

Men’s 5000m Relay

Mens 5000m Relay

The only medal success the US found in Sochi came in an event they nearly were knocked out of. Falling in the semifinals the US finished fourth and appeared to be eliminated from medal contention. Instead it was ruled they were impeded and they were advanced to the final. In the final an early fall took out everyone but the US and Russia and the two teams dueled for the lead until Russia pulled away at the end a bit to grab gold. This is a strong event for the US and they’ve now medaled three straight Olympics. They’ve never won gold but as long as they don’t get taken out they seem a good bet to medal at the Olympics now.

Mens 5000m Relay Yearly Best

Previous Olympic Recaps

Freestyle Skiing
Curling
Nordic Combined
Figure Skating
Ski Jumping
Skeleton
Luge

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Daily Olympic Reviews, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 21st – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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Five days. Five gold medals. It’s been an amazing week for the US in Sochi.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s Slalom Run 1
  • *Women’s Slalom Run 2

In the women’s slalom first run Mikaela Shiffrin went sixth overall and put up a mark that would stand with a 52.62. She held a 0.49 second lead after the first run. Resi Stiegler finished in 56.81, 4.19 off the lead in 20th. Megan McJames was unable to complete the run and received a DNF. Julia Ford went 58.88, 6.26 off the lead and in 30th.

In run two Ford finished in 53.99, 24th best. She ended up 24th overall with a time of 1:52.87, 8.33 seconds behind the winner. Stiegler straddled a gate near the end of her run and took a DNF. Finally Shiffrin went last in the run and had a big lead on the top time at that point. She made a major mistake in the middle of her run but recovered to still have the sixth best time with a 51.92 in the run. Her overall time of 1:44.54 was the best by 0.53 seconds as she won a gold medal.

Results Summarized:

  • Megan McJames – Was unable to finish the first run and received a DNF.
  • Resi Stiegler – In the second run she straddled a gate and took a DNF. Finished the first run in 56.81, 20th place.
  • Julia Ford – Placed 24th with a total time of 1:52.87. In the second run she finished in 53.99, 24th best. Finished the first run in 58.88, 30th place.
  • Mikaela Shiffrin – Placed 1st with a total time of 1:44.54. In the second run she finished in 51.92, 6th best. Finished the first run in 52.62, 1st place.

Continue reading February 21st – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review →

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Daily Previews, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 21st – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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What’s on tap today? Just five disciplines but competition in eight events with five gold medals up for grabs.

In today: Alpine skiing, biathlon, short track speed skating, and speed skating. Out today: Figure skating (done in Sochi), freestyle skiing (done in Sochi), and nordic combined (done in Sochi).

All times below are ET.

Alpine Skiing

Events: The final women’s alpine skiing event is Friday and four American women are in the field of 88 for the first run of the slalom at 7:45 AM. Mikaela Shiffrin goes first for the US, sixth overall with Resi Stiegler going 26th. Megan McJames will be the 38th to start and finally Julia Ford goes 51st. The second run will be held at 11:15 AM with the two times combined for the final standings.

When:

  • Women’s Slalom Run 1 – 7:45 AM
  • *Women’s Slalom Run 2 – 11:15 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening coverage from 8-11 PM ET.

Continue reading February 21st – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview →

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Daily Olympic Reviews, Freestyle Skiing, Nordic Combined, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 18th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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Tuesday saw another gold medal for the US as the US had a number of really good performances. Disciplines are wrapping up as we head into the final few days of the Olympics and people make their final appearance in Sochi.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1
  • *Women’s Giant Slalom Run 2

The first competitor up for the US was Mikaela Shiffrin and she put up a great run of 1:18.79 that was only fourth best at the time. It would have staying power though and ended up fifth best in run one. Julia Mancuso was next and after chasing the pace in the first half of the hill she got off course and missed a gate to take a DNF. Later on Megan McJames finished in 1:22.77, 32nd, and Resi Stiegler finished in 1:22.69, 31st. 

The second run began with the first 30 in reverse order so Shiffrin was the first one to go for the US after 25 skiers. Shiffirn put up a good 1:18.58 run, sixth best of the second runs, and stayed in fifth with a 2:37.37, half a second off the lead. After the top 30 had gone McJames finished in 1:21.60, 30th best of the second heats, and her total time of 2:44.37 was 30th best. Stiegler went 29th best in run two with a 1:21.38 and she finished 29th overall with a 2:44.07.

Results Summarized:

  • Julia Mancuso – DNF on run one.
  • Megan McJames – Finished 30th with a time of 2:44.37. Was 32nd in run one with a 1:22.77 and 30th in run two with a 1:21.60.
  • Resi Stiegler – Finished 29th with a time of 2:44.07. Was 31st in run one with a 1:22.69 and 29th in run two with a 1:21.38.
  • Mikaela Shiffrin – Finished 5th with a time of 2:37.37. Was 5th in run one with a 1:18.79 and 6th in run two with a 1:18.58.

Continue reading February 18th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review →

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Daily Previews, Freestyle Skiing, Nordic Combined, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 18th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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What’s on tap today? Lots of changes in what you’ll see! Eight disciplines and competition in nine events with six gold medals up for grabs. Of course that is all assuming there are no weather issues today…

In today: Alpine skiing, nordic combined, short track speed skating, and speed skating. Out today: curling (done at the Olympics for the US), figure skating, ice hockey, and ski jumping (done at the Olympics).

All times below are ET.

Alpine Skiing

Events: Four American women are in the field of 90 for the giant slalom at 12:30 AM. Mikaela Shiffrin goes first for the US, sixth overall with Julia Mancuso going 17th. The final two Americans are Megan McJames who goes 33rd and Resi Stiegler who goes 41st. The second run will be held at 4 AM with the two times combined for the final standings.

When:

  • Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1 – 12:30 AM
  • *Women’s Giant Slalom Run 2 – 4 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening coverage from 8-11:30 PM ET.

Continue reading February 18th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview →

Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Daily Olympic Reviews, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 15th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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Another disappointing day as the US only managed to pick up one medal and wasn’t real close in most of the events. The highlight of the day though was an amazing hockey game between the US and Russia.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • *Women’s Super-G

There were 50 women scheduled to start the women’s super-G and only 31 completed the course. That’s how difficult the course was this morning. Leanne Smith was the first to go for the US and the only of the first eight skiers to finish the course. She finished in 1:28.38 and was 18th. Laurenne Ross was next to go for the US and while she made it through the early tough portion where many skiers succumbed she did have problems near the end and got too wide and lost the race line taking a DNF. Julia Mancuso was able to finish the course without too many difficulties but she finished 8th in 1:27.04. The final American was Stacey Cook and her run didn’t last long as she DNF’d in the treacherous early steep section.

Results Summarized:

  • Laurenne Ross – Made it through much of the course but missed a gate near the end and was a DNF.
  • Stacey Cook – Missed a gate in the earl portion and was a DNF.
  • Leanne Smith – Finished 18th with a time of 1:28.38.
  • Julia Mancuso – Finished 8th with a time of 1:27.04.

Continue reading February 15th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review →