Speedskater tells story with heart, emotion

REFLECTIONS IN THE ICE: INSIDE THE HEART AND MIND OF AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION, by Derek Parra with Patrick Quinn, Podium Publishers, 294 pages, $14.99. Paperback.

In his autobiography, "Reflections in the Ice," Olympic Gold Medal winning speedskater Derek Parra remembers being asked by the U.S. Olympic Committee "to carry the world Trade Center American Flag into the Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. They had selected eight athletes from the American team for this honor and I was one of them. I was floored!"

He knew "instantly" he should do it, even though he had planned on skipping opening ceremonies so he could stay off his feet and be at his best for his race the next morning. "It was an honor beyond anything I could have imagined. I immediately called my wife, Tiffany, and she agreed completely. I discussed it with my coach (Bart) and agent (Pat). Each . . . recognized the magnitude of the moment. . . . When it came time to begin the procession I touched the flag for the first time and felt a physical sensation unlike anything I had ever experienced. If it's possible to feel your soul being touched then that is what I felt."

Even as Parra was strongly identifying with those who died on 9/11, he was unwittingly awaiting the climax to his arduous physical training when he would win two events at Salt Lake City, garnering both a silver and a gold medal. The next 17 days, he says, were "the most remarkable" of his life.

Parra, who has given numerous speeches, especially to young people, since his victory, attempts to portray the feelings in his heart that allowed "a short Mexican kid" to reach his athletic pinnacle. With emotion, he describes his broken home life, one-hundred-mile bike rides, eating McDonald's trash and the serious formation of goals. He also gives sincere tribute to the people who individually inspired him and encouraged him. Before leaving his teens, Parra became a determined young man who believed life's dreams could be fulfilled.

He describes picking roller skating as the sport to excel in, beginning at the age of 14, followed by intensive training, opportunities to compete all over the world, receiving accolades and prizes and still believing there was something else he should do. So he switched from online skating to ice skating when he was 26 and went on to Olympic glory.

Although the book contains a lot of tired quotations taken from self-help books, Parra's personal story is compelling. He is at his best when he leaves philosophizing to others and simply tells his own story. Young people are likely to find inspiration here to stoke the fires of their own lives.

He is touching when he talks of Tiffany, the girl he married, and the ways in which she inspires him. Now that he is a father of their first child, he feels more connected to family than he ever did in his own difficult, growing years. For those who are cynical about athletes who sell themselves as role models for youth, Parra seems a breath of fresh air.

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E-mail: dennis@desnews.com

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