Speedskating-online

One of the biggest surprises of the Canadian Fall World Cup Trials in Richmond last October was Anastasia Bucsis. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Talent Squad member claimed the overall bronze medal in the 500m, thereby securing a spot on a World Cup team for the very first time. With the Canadian Single Distances Championships/Olympic Trials just around the corner, Bucsis looks back on her World Cup experiences in Europe and North America and talks about the Olympics, her idols, the meaning of life, and her goals for this season.

By Jolanda Abbes

How do you look back on your first World Cup experiences?

“My first World Cups were incredibly positive; I really didn’t know what to expect, so I just went into them with the goal of learning absolutely as much as humanly possible. My teammates were amazing, I had fun, and I think that my skating and mental strength benefited from it!”

What would you consider to be the highlight and greatest disappointment of the Fall World Cups? 

“I would have to say that my greatest highlight of the Fall World Cup circuit was skating at home, in Calgary, and getting a large personal best. I broke my previous PB by four tenths and I just felt like the weekend was somewhat magical. I was really proud to see my parents, family, and friends up in the stands and I was happy that I skated to the best of my abilities for them. Another highlight in general was getting to know my teammates a lot better and making new friends and strengthening old friendships. My biggest disappointment would have to be Salt Lake City. I skated somewhat consistently and technically sound, but I felt both physically and mentally fatigued; Salt Lake really showed me that I’ve got a lot to learn about adapting to life on the road. Aside from Salt Lake City, I have to admit, I was really disappointed and sad when Marianne Timmer got hurt. I don’t know her, I’ve never talked to her, and I’ve never met her... but it just broke my heart.” 

How do you look forward to the rest of the season?

“This season has been amazing so far, and I’m excited to see what comes next! Obviously the Olympics make this season special and affect even the newest of skaters... I’m just looking forward to improving my technique, strength, and hopefully the times will continue to improve. I’ve also recently got this crazy idea in my head that I want to race more 1500m’s... I think I may be losing my mind a little bit by actually admitting to that, but I’m looking forward to them anyways! One of my biggest goals for this season is to make the National Development Team.”

What would you consider to be your chances of qualifying for the Olympics?

“I’m not quite sure what my chances are for the Olympics. It’s going to be incredibly hard, so I’m approaching the Canadian Single Distances Championships/Olympic Trials with a positive attitude and an open mind. If you were to have asked me this question six months ago, I would have rolled my eyes and laughed. My goal at Canadian Single Distances Championships is to skate to the best of my abilities and to be proud with my effort; when I think of times, placing, and what others are doing, I tend to lose focus. I’m trying to keep my focus on what I need to do technically, mentally and physically to allow me to skate the way I know I can.” 

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

“For some reason when I think of the Olympics I think back to 2002 with Catriona and Jeremy. Both have been my idols since I was about four years old, and both had races that still impact me to this day. I remember distinctively where I was when I saw Catriona’s second 500m; I was in grade 7 and at a house party with a few friends... I made them turn on the lights and cut the music so that I could watch the race. At first everyone was a little bit annoyed with me, but once they realized that Catriona had just won the gold, everyone was ecstatically jumping up and down. Jeremy’s race made me cry. I think the extreme range of emotion brought on by 2002 is what makes that Olympics stand out for me.”

How do you remember the last Olympics, in Torino?

“For some reason I seem to remember the parties AFTER the Olympics more so than the Olympics itself... :) I remember at the Finale party a few months after the Olympics how star-struck I was to be hanging out and chatting with Christina, Rempel and Cindy. For a naive 17-year-old, it was bizarre to see how human they actually are. Obviously it was amazing to see Cindy absolutely dominate; Clara’s 5k was jaw dropping; Grover’s 1500m; the Team Pursuits... et cetera... et cetera... When I think about Torino now it just seems as though it was an incredibly positive time for Canada; I think the Turin Olympics were really Canada’s ‘break out’ competition and will be a comparison marker for our future success.”

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

“I hate to admit it, but I’m super ignorant in regards to speed skaters that aren’t Canadian. I’ve heard wonderful things about a number of people, but for some reason or the other, I just never felt a connection with them. I really don’t have any recollection of all the old Greats like Bonnie, Koss, Eric, or Dan, so for me, the greatest Olympic speed skater is Catriona Le May Doan. She’s always been an idol to me, and she’s really the only Canadian skater (aside from maybe Susan Auch) that I still get butterflies around. I think what sets Catriona apart from everyone else is that I was also in a very impressionable age when she was the champion. Cindy is an extremely close second though...”

How do you look forward to the fact that the Olympics will practically be in your own backyard? Does that fact create extra pressure or do you think it will give the Canadian athletes a significant home advantage?

“Well, everything has been 2010 oriented in Canada for about 18 months now, and so I think we’ve all sort of become accustomed to the hype. It’s going to be incredibly interesting to have the Olympics so close – to see everyone race in Richmond is also going to be surreal. I’m not cool enough to pretend as though I won’t get excited when seeing the Oval... I’ll probably end up smugly saying, ‘I’ve skated there, y’know!’ I’m not necessarily sure whether there’ll be more pressure on the athletes to perform or on the funding/sponsorship programs put into place leading up towards 2010. No matter what the outcome though, I’m confident that every Canadian fan will understand that all athletes will compete with their heart and soul... When you look at it that way, it’s all that anyone can ever really do.”

Can you describe what the Olympics mean to you?

“I could probably figure out the meaning of life before answering this question! What do the Olympics mean to me? Hmm... I think that the Olympics have two split meanings. 1) The Olympics to me represent a pure unity of the human race. I always get choked up when watching the parade of athletes... especially when seeing a little African country that I’ve never heard of with two athletes... It really inspires me and warms my heart. 2) The Olympics to me represent pure emotion. It seems as though everyone has a story that could either make you jump for joy or break your heart... and the Olympics are the stage in which we get to view such emotion. Probably one of my proudest and most patriotic moments was in 2002 when the Canadian men’s Hockey Team won gold over the Americans... Only the Olympics can make you feel one with humanity and yet more fiercely competitive than you thought possible. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Photo credits:

Photo 1 - 3: DESGphoto/Lars Hagen

Photo 4: Daniel Yeow