KEARNS — To the casual observer, short track speedskating seems almost effortless. The athletes glide around an oval of ice almost in unison with each other.

What the casual observer might not realize, however, is the danger each skater faces with each push of the leg. The slightest amount of error can result in disaster — the razor-sharp blades might slice open a leg, or the skater could tumble at speeds approaching 40 miles per hour and slam into an unforgiving wall.

"Our sport is dangerous," Apolo Anton Ohno said earlier this week as he and the U.S. Speedskating team prepared to host the first competition in the 2008-09 World Cup season. "It's fast and we skate with blades on our feet at 30 to 40 mph. Sometimes we get hurt."

Of course, few if any want to see that happen. But because crashes are inevitable — ice is, after all, a little slippery — a state-of-the-art padding system has been installed at the Utah Olympic Oval. The skaters, who have already given it a few accidental tests, couldn't be happier.

"They say it will reduce injuries something like 70 percent," Travis Jayner said.

Whatever the actual reduction of injuries, the pad system is designed, much like a NASCAR track, to absorb and distribute the force on collision and get the skaters back on the ice soon.

Beginning this afternoon, several dozen of the world's top speedskaters will be hoping to avoid contact with those pads when they skate for points and podiums as the World Cup season kicks off. Preliminary rounds begin at 10 a.m.

Among the favorites this weekend will be Ohno, Allison Baver and Katherine Reutter. But they will see fierce competition from international athletes eager to set themselves up for successful seasons.

"That's what's the cool part of the first meet of the season," Baver said. "We get to see where we measure up."

World Cup Short-track

Utah Olympic Oval, Kearns

Today, 10 a.m. — Preliminaries & qualifying rounds

Saturday, 6 p.m. — Men's & women's 1,000 quarterfinals, semifinals and final, men's & women's 1,500 semifinals and final, men's 5,000 relay semifinals, women's 3,000 relay semifinals

Sunday, 3 p.m. — Men's & women's 500 quarterfinals, semifinals and final, men's & women's 1,500 semifinals and final, men's 5,000 relay final, women's 3,000 relay final

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E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com