World's is over... now what?
For some, they will get on a plane and fly home and rest for a week or two and meander back into the rink sometime in October. Some skaters will take off until late December or early January. And others might not take any time off at all.
While they do need the rest, whatever each skater decides, it will be an individual decision! I know that seems obvious, but what I guess I am trying to say is that there is no "real formula" for how long a skater should take off. There are many, many different ideas as to how much time off is the perfect amount. And that includes both sides of the spectrum, from taking absolutely no time off to the other extreme where an athlete might take a couple of months off to as much as a year off, depending on what their goal is (i.e., Olympics).
When my athletes ask my opinion, I will ask questions before giving an exact time frame. On the other hand, some skaters do not have a choice, (i.e. Duluth, other races or other sports that need to be started), but each skater that is not in that group needs to take a little time off. In my book and from what I have experienced as an athlete, it's not really the physical rest that the body needs (of course they would love to catch up on sleep!!), as much as it is the mental rest that your body needs. To push and train for months and months, giving up on the normal day-to-day activities that most younger athletes have to give up, i.e. birthday parties, dances or even a trip to the beach or a swimming party, we are not Russia or China where you do it for your family or to have a better life. We are in America where the athlete does it for themselves. This is what can make the mental rest so important.
If we are taking about our elite athletes, these skaters (it doesn't matter what country you're from) have trained all season to peak for this race. And it's not just one race, but a series of races that potentially have heats, 1/8ths, 1/4's, semis and finals. And if you are fortunate enough to be good or great in all of the distances, you will skate almost every event over a period of 7 or 8 days. That can be taxing on your body, but not nearly as taxing as on your mind. If you have not had an opportunity to read Joey Mantia's blog (click here), please take a few minutes to do so. Joey tells of how this years competition was so different. He had to skate his races more "mental" because of the flu that attacked the "physical" part of his racing at the beginning of World's. And there are many other things that can play into that mental exhaustion that a skater can feel.
This year I understand that there were some skaters that flew in just for the Road competition from another country. It was a smart move for their country and they were rewarded with the ultimate, a few extra GOLD medals. Of course they already live in Europe so time was not as much a factor for the skater to acclamate to the time difference, the food and the way of life, as it is for us.
These skaters weren't there 7-10 days before the track competition started. They flew in about 1-2 days before road started, while the track competition was already in full swing. Skater A was competing in the 300m, the 10K pts/elim and maybe the 500m and skating all of the qualifications in between on track. It was then that Skater B was loosening up and getting used to the road for the upcoming competition. In all fairness to a country like the US, our flight to Europe is always a killer. Especially from the West Coast. There have been times when we have had to start flying the day before the rest of the team to meet up in New York (JFK) and then spend the night. Why? Because if you fly on the same carrier all the way through, you must have a MINIMUM of 4 hours between your domestic flight and your international flight. We also loose 3 hours going east, so even leaving on the first flight out of San Francisco going to JFK, we would not arrive until 4:00pm, with the International flight leaving between 4:30 and 6:00pm. Then you could look at flights and lay-overs lasting upto 20 hours and that doesn't include those that left from the other side of the US. Then if the skaters do not sleep the first 8 hours of the international flight and stay awake the rest of the flight, they can be in big trouble with their sleep schedule once they arrive in the city that they will be staying in. World's is over... now what?
Tonight the skaters will get all dressed up and go to the banquet. Most will even stay up all night visiting with their friends from other countries. With their flight leaving Gijon, Spain early tomorrow morning, that means surely the skaters will sleep ALL the way home!
I can feel some of you thinking negative thoughts about the banquet!!! Now.. now. Say what you will about the banquet, but I believe that the athletes have earned the right to attend and enjoy every moment. I absolutely do not agree or condone what some of the skaters have done at these parties (our skaters know what the laws are in the United States and it is their duty to honor those laws no matter where they are), but they do need this time to relax and have fun. They have earned every moment.
Hopefully their parents have given them the morals (and the talk) that is necessary to survive in life and at this party tonight. And if the athlete chooses to make the wrong decision, please do not blame the people they are with or the staff that is just as tired as the skaters. Blame each skater who makes the wrong decision... teach them why it was wrong, have them fullfill their consequences, and make them take responsibility for their own actions. That's how our children learn. Not by a parent blaming the staff or the friends that theywere with. Remember.... the staff didn't raise your children the last 13-20 years..... you did!
Well it looks like I will be attending the Fall - National Team Clinic and the Developmental Clinic in Colorado Springs next month. I originally had some other plans, but they can wait a few more weeks. I hope those of you who plan to attend will bring an "open mind", a "positive attitude" and a willingness to "learn things possibly in a different way" than you have tried in the past. Understand that I CANNOT control MOTHER NATURE... she does that all on her own!! So bring LOTS of warm clothes :)
I do not have all of the details as to the other coaches that are attending... but I know we will have a great time. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at: woodsk8@yahoo.com See ya in a few weeks. Linda Wood
