INSPIRATION!
March 4, 2011. My week of training at the Olympic Training Center in Salt Lake City
has come to an end. The U.S. Team had a great week of practice, but
it's off to Sheffield, England tomorrow for the World Championships, March 11-13. The past month has been a busy one for me. In mid-February I was with the U.S. Team in Russia and Germany competing in World Cup 5 & 6. Following World Cup 6, I flew back to Northern Michigan University to attend some classes, then flew into Tallahassee
for a short visit with family and friends. To be honest I was a little
drained from all the recent travel, but then I spent last Sunday
putting on an inline speed skating clinic for my friends at Southern
Speed. It's been a few months since my last clinic there, but one
thing is for sure - they have some skaters on the team that I believe
can do well at Nationals. All they need to do is keep focused and train
hard for the next few months. I want to thank Coach Lee and Nicole for
their support and commend them for doing a wonderful job with their
skaters this season. I also want to thank each skater because each
time I visit them to do a clinic they reinforce my love for the sport
and inspire me to work harder each day to improve my skating for the
National Team.
I'm looking forward to a productive week of training in England. After the World Championships it's off to Poland for the ISU Team Championships, March 18-20.
Thank you to all of you who have been supporting me. It means more to me than I can possibly express.
RUSSIA WAS AWESOME!
February 25, 2011. My first trip to Russia was a great experience. Of what little I did see was amazing! Walking around St. Petersburg Square, Russia’s greatest historical and cultural treasure, a.k.a., "Venice of the North", was truly special. Downtown St. Petersburg is
crowded with splendid palaces, impressive historical monuments, magnificent avenues and beautiful bridges. St. Petersburg is by far a city crammed with historical and cultural
places to see. For anyone looking for a special place to visit Moscow may be it. Take a look of some of my photographs from my tour. The ice castle of the Square in the background was pretty cool (literally). Ha, Ha.
ON MY WAY TO MOSCOW!
February 5, 2011. Hi everyone. In less than 12 hours I will be boarding a plane for my transatlantic journey to Moscow for World Cup 5. The first leg of the trip will include stops in Detroit and JFK. From JFK I will fly straight into Moscow, which alone will take approximately 8 hours. I’m excited to compete in Russia, especially since it's the host country of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
I’m also excited to be competing again. After my fourth place finish at
the U.S. Short-Track Speedskating Championship in December, I’m eager
to face international competition and improve upon my world ranking in
the 1000m.
Before I leave for Europe
I want to thank everyone for visiting the website. Speaking of the website, I thought I would share with you few responses to questions posed by GFGL followers.
Question: What is it like to represent the United States overseas?
Answer: I have been representing the United States since I was 15
years old. Quite simply, it’s an honor and privilege to represent USA
anywhere I go.
Question: What do you pack for long trips?
Answer: Extra food, lots of workout clothes, iPod, jeans, and comfortable t-shirts.
Question: As a member of the U.S. National Speedskating Team does the airline allow you to carry-on your skates?
Answer: No, airline security
does not allow us to carry-on our skates because the blades pose a
security risk. However, we are allowed to carry-on our boots.
Therefore, I remove the blades and carefully pack them away in my
luggage. The boots get packed away in my carry-on bag (can’t afford to
lose them).
If you have a question, please visit the "Upcoming/Contact Page" and fill out the contact form. Keep in mind that I'll be overseas until the 24th, so I wont be able to answer your question until I get back.
As always, thanks for your support. DA-SVI-DA-NIYA and wish the U.S. Team well.
WHERE DID JANUARY GO?
It’s hard to believe that January has come and gone. It was just last week (or so I thought) when I returned to Northern Michigan University to register for spring classes and resume training for Word Cup 5 & 6. Where did January go?
It’s
Sunday and I’m sitting here in my dorm thinking about what my next few
weeks will be like. Here it goes. This time next week I will be
boarding a plane for Europe and will be gone until the 24th. On my return from World Cup
6, I plan to make a short trip to Tallahassee to see my family, put on
a speed skating clinic at Skate World, and attend a friend’s engagement
party. After that I will report to Salt Lake City to train with the rest of the U.S. National Team in preparation for the World Championship. Tentatively, the team will leave for England on or about March 6. The season concludes at the World Championship on March 13 and I’ll be back at the University the following day for the remainder of the semester.
So
while attending school, training, and flying thousands of miles to
compete around the world, in less than 45 days, the 2010-11 ISU
Short-Track Speed Skating season will come to an end. The competition
this year has been outstanding and I feel reinvigorated. Even though
we’re not quite done yet, in some strange way I’m already looking
forward to the start of the season next year.
I’ll be dropping
everyone a short note before I leave for Europe. I already know that
there will be a group of die-hard short-track fans that will be out to
the Championships in England. You know who you are and I just want to
say “Thanks ladies!” I can never say it enough, but without the
support of family and friends I could not muster the energy to take on
school, training, and international competition. From the bottom of my
heart I’m eternally grateful.
MEMORIES OF MY FIRST PALM BEACH CHALLENGE
It’s January and that means only one thing for inline speed skaters – it’s time to converge in South Florida for one of the great racing
invitational of the year – the Palm Beach Challenge. Inline speed
skaters from all over the country and teams from Columbia, Mexico, New
Zealand and Puerto Rico will meet at Brian Piccolo Park in South Florida on January 15-16 for the 2011 Palm Beach
Challenge. For you first-timers this is the only USARS sanctioned Banked Track and
Road Course invitational in the US.
It was 1999 when I made the long journey from Tallahassee
with my mom and coach (Erik Hildebrand) to my first PBC. I was only 14
years old and to be honest, I was nervous. It was my first
competition having taken some time off from speed skating.
Nevertheless I was eager to race.
Now for those of you who
don’t know the layout of Brian Piccolo Park, there's a road course and velodrome. The road coarse has been around a
little longer than the velodrome (banked track). Velodrome racing
dates back to the 1800s, when, cycling enjoyed the sort of popularity
NASCAR racing has today. There are currently 20 or so outdoor
velodromes in the United States, but the Velodrome at Brian Piccolo
Park in Cooper City is the only velodrome in Florida
and one of only three in the southeastern U.S. (the other two are in
East Point, Georgia, and Asheville, North Carolina). It opened in March
1992 and on April 17, 1993, hosted its first major race. It attracts
more than 3,500 athletes annually.
While I cannot remember how
well I did at my first PBC, I do recall how much my skating blossomed after
learning how to use the bank to help propel me around the track. In
all my years of racing I firmly believe that to be a good skater you
need to try new things. For you skaters traveling to your first PBC
and are nervous - don’t be because this experience alone will help you
become a better skater and prepare you for your next PBC or outdoor competition.
In closing, my advice to the
younger skaters is to listen and trust your coaches and have FUN!
Champions are not born overnight and it takes time to excel at new
things. Have a great time and if you have any questions please email
me through the contact page on the GFGL website. Please also visit my Facebook page at "Go for Gold Lobello."
Have fun and skate hard - Anthony