Speedskating: Fastest athletes take to ice for World Cup

KEARNS — It is at the site of the 2002 Olympic Games that many U.S. long track speedskaters hope the "fastest ice on earth" will help them make the 2010 Olympic team.

"There is a lot riding on this weekend," said reigning U.S. champion Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr. "It's coming down to the wire. This World Cup is huge."

More than 400 of the world's fastest long track speedskaters will compete in Kearns this weekend, many hoping to do well enough to earn a trip to Vancouver in February. There are familiar names like Olympian Shani Davis, rising stars like Swider-Peltz Jr. and local success stories such as Park City's Jen Rodriguez.

The races begin at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday and are free to the public.

While some have already earned enough points to pre-qualify, many are still trying to find a way to represent the U.S. Swider-Peltz, who competes in the 3,000, 5,000 and pursuit races, said the entire team has to skate well to ensure the U.S. earns all the spots they can in the 2010 Games.

"It's really crucial that we skate well," she said, admitting the criteria is a little complicated. "It could mean we get to take 10 girls, if we do well. Or we would only get eight, and we don't want that."

The U.S. Speedskating Team has had an interesting World Cup season. Just days before the first World Cup competition in Berlin, the team's largest sponsor, DSB Bank NV, declared bankruptcy, leaving the team's ability to fund athletes' travel to World Cup competitions in doubt.

But within days of that announcement, Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert announced that the Colbert Nation would step in and sponsor the speedskaters.

He pleaded with his fans to donate money and, within weeks, he'd raised more than $200,000 for the team. He'd also drawn a lot of attention to a sport that has produced some of the country's most well-known winter athletes, including Eric Heiden and Dan Jansen. In all, the U.S. has won 75 medals in the sport, which like many winter sports, struggles for recognition in non-Olympic years.

Having the Colbert Nation as the team's top sponsor has been interesting, said Swider-Peltz Jr.

"We weren't told how bad the situation was," she said. "We were just told to concentrate on our races. Then this was set up really quickly. They took care of us and we're so grateful. We're not making a living off of this. I do this because I love it."