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American long track speed skater Brent Aussprung can look back on a good year. He skated at most of the World Cups throughout the season and managed to pick up two silver medals in the B group along the way: one in the 500m in Nagano and one in the 1000m in Kolomna. These experiences have given him confidence to race on a world stage, and consequently Aussprung is anxiously looking forward to the Olympic season; the season which he has been working towards ever since he started speed skating nine years ago.

By Jolanda Abbes

How do you look back on this past season? Did you meet your goals and expectations?

“I look back on the past season as a success for myself. I accomplished a lot of my goals that I made for the 2008-2009 season. I always set my goals higher than I expect to do and when I met them this year, I was surprised by a few of them. I'm extremely happy that I got a lot of World Cup racing experience leading into the Olympic season. It's important to feel comfortable going to the line on a world stage.”

What would you consider to be the highlight and greatest disappointment of the past season?

“The ironic part of this season for me was that my highlight and greatest disappointment were the same thing. My highlight was that I made my first World Single Distances Championships team, which was fantastic to be able to see Vancouver and the Richmond Oval. At the same time it was the greatest disappointment because I didn't get to compete at the WSDC. One of my goals was to skate WSDC and I didn't get to. So it was a great opportunity to go and get familiar with the sites before the Olympics, but it was also a big disappointment that I wasn't able to compete.”

How do you look forward to next season?

“When I started speed skating nine years ago, my ultimate goal right when I started was to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. It seemed like a far-fetched goal when I was 12 but now that I'm 21, it's not far off. I knew I would be 21 and figured that it could be a realistic goal back then. This is the reason I look forward to the next season. I've been training for nine years with the thought of these Olympics in my mind.”

What would you consider to be your chances of qualifying for the Olympics and who do you see as your most important competitors?

“I'm happy with where I am as a skater right now and think my chances are realistic. However, I don't like to think too far into the future. I like to take skating a day at a time and do my best each workout and competition to reach my goals. I know who some of my most important competitors are, but I don't like to concentrate on them or what they're doing. I like to concentrate on what I'm doing and not make comparisons. When you step to the line to race, nothing else matters, the only thing that matters is the present.”

What is the one thing/most memorable moment that sticks out for you when you think of the Olympics?

“When I think of the Olympics, what immediately comes to mind is when Casey FitzRandolph won gold in the 500m at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. I was 13 when I watched that and never forgot it. I've always looked up to him as my sports hero. He was the one that first got me interested in speed skating and he also coached me for a brief time in my career. He's always been a good influence on me as well.”

How do you remember the last Olympics, in Torino?

“I remember them very well as I cheered on USA in long track and short track. In the States, as well as many other countries, we have Olympic Trials and my first Olympic Trials was in 2006. I was very excited to compete at the Olympic Trials, although I knew I wasn't going to make the team. I was just happy to get the experience of competing at an Olympic Trials. I remember rooting for long trackers Casey FitzRandolph and Kip Carpenter, as well as 2006 Olympic heroes like Chad Hedrick, Shani Davis and Joey Cheek.”

Who would you consider to be the greatest Olympic speed skater ever?

“I wish I would've been around to watch Eric Heiden skate because I think hands down he is the greatest Olympic speed skater ever. He will forever be known as one of the greats in this sport. He has done what no-one else has ever done before in Olympic speed skating: he won five Olympic gold medals at one Olympics. It's unbelievable what he did and I'm not sure if it will ever be done again.”

We’re at the start of another Olympic season: is your training different from other years because of the Olympics?

“Yes, I think my training is different from years past. I'm finally growing into the speed skater that I will be from here on out and with that maturity also comes knowledge. Over the years, I've learned which aspects of training really work for me and which don't. So this year, with the importance that it has, I am just trying to be smarter with my training in every aspect. I am trying to do everything that I know works for me and also leaving out the things that I know don't help.”

Source: brentaussprung.com

Can you describe what the Olympics mean to you?

“Personally, the Olympics represent an unbelievable achievement in someone's lifetime. As a speed skater, it's what I've always shot for and I think many others shoot for the same thing. I feel like an Olympic medal is the ultimate capstone to a speed skating career, but so is becoming an Olympian. It's something no-one can ever take away from you. One of the first things that come to mind when I think of the Olympics is someone's lifetime of dedication and hard work. I also think of the world coming together and one representing their own country.”

Photo credits: DESGphoto/Lars Hagen.

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