02/03/2002
Question: What is the difference between short-track and long-track
speedskating?
Answer: The two types of speedskating don't have much in common.
Long track features skaters propelling themselves around a track in
long, powerful strides. Short track is more like a roller derby.
Short track uses an oval the size of a hockey rink, where a pack of four
to six skaters races against each other instead of a clock. Every skater
is aggressively vying for position, which isn't easy to do in such a
small space, so physical contact is common. That's why the walls of the
rink are padded and skaters wear protective gear such as helmets and
shin guards.
In long track, skaters race against the clock, with only one other
competitor on the track. It's non-contact, but a skater does
occasionally fall and wipe out the competition. Ideally, though, both
skaters stay in their own lanes on a 400-meter oval.
Question: Clap skates were all the rage at the 1998 Games. What
exactly are they? Are they still in vogue?
Answer: Clap skates, used only in long-track racing, were
introduced at the Olympics four years ago and revolutionized the sport.
On each skate, the blade is attached to the front part of the boot by a
spring-loaded hinge. The heel and the blade aren't attached at all.
So when the skater takes each stride, the boot lifts but the blade
momentarily remains on the ice. This gives the skater more pushing power
and, as evidenced by the five world records set in Nagano, more speed.
When the blade finally snaps back onto the heel of the boot, it makes a
loud clapping sound – thus, the name "clap skate."
While many skaters were reluctant to make the transition to clap skates
because the sensation was so different, the benefits outweighed the
discomfort. The clap skate usually lets an athlete go about one second
faster per lap.
Question: What are the chances that skaters will break world
records at the Utah Olympic Oval, the long-track venue?
Answer: The chances are very, very good. In fact, that's what the
oval, one of only six covered ovals in the world, was designed for. Not
only does it sit at a high altitude, where the air is lighter, so
skaters have less resistance, but it also uses technology to keep the
ice as clean and as "fast" as possible. For example, there are 25
different layers of deionized water and a double air filtration system
to keep the temperature of the ice just right for racing.
Question: Short-track events look so much faster than long-track
ones. How fast do they go?
Answer: Short-track skaters can travel around 30 mph while
maneuvering around tight turns, only inches from their competition. But
their speed is deceptive – long-track skaters go much faster.
In long track, skaters have more room to build up speed and rocket down
the straightaway. For example, the world record for the 500 meters is
about seven seconds faster than the same event in short track. (The
event is only 11/4 laps in long track, but 41/2 in short track.)
Question: Is there an American skater good enough and versatile
enough to clean up on the medals stand, just as Eric Heiden or Bonnie
Blair did?
Answer: Heiden won five golds at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics,
and Bonnie Blair won more individual medals (six) than any other U.S.
woman in Summer or Winter Olympics. Given those high standards, it will
be improbable for anyone to duplicate those feats in Salt Lake – if ever.
Still, a few Americans have a chance at multiple golds. Apolo Ohno in
short track and Chris Witty in long-track are the U.S. team's best
chances.