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ARCHIVED NEWS - 2008-2009 SEASON:
UPDATE: 8-18-2009
JORDAN MALONE UPDATE
The local Dallas News had a blurb this weekend about homestate boy, Jordan Malone. To read the full
item, go to Jordans thread on the BB forum, post 37
Jordan Malone
UPDATE: 8-14-2009
JERRY SEARCH'S PHOTO ALBUM
Jerry has been very busy all summer taking photos of SCSSA's practices and Friday Night Beach Parties.
Here are a couple of his photos of a few of our Rocker Fund skaters.
Take a look at the rest of Jerry's photos too!
Tina Koenig and Lezleigh Jaworski during summer Training
Photo by Jerry Search
Kyle Uyehara and Jonathan Sermeno. (...or at least I think it's Kyle! LOL. My apologies if it isn't!)
Photo by Jerry Search
To view the rest of Jerry's Skater Albums, here is the link:
Southern California Speed Skating Association Photo Album
UPDATE:8-14-2009
NEW WEBSITES: APOLO, SHANI & JORDAN!
* - Apolo's new website is now up, and he's gone 'viral' on the web, so there is lots of new items on the site:
apoloantonohno.com
* - I don't know how I missed this, but I did. Shani's got a cool new site too!
(and I somehow missed his old one in the links section. Sorry Shani, we'll fix that right now!)
shani davis.org
* - Jordan is still working on his website, but we like it already!
It's time to 'git 'er done', Jordan! We're waiting for the heads up on the finished product.
jordanmalone.com
UPDATE: 8-9-2009
AUGUST BIRTHDAY’S.
Wow! August has some serious ‘Birthday Action’ goin’ on for the skaters, so we might as well wish them ALL a great day! (and just an interesting note, most of the skaters birthdays are only 2 days apart.)
In order and starting with:
Robert Lawrence- August 5, (signed up for Olympic Trials) and Jonathan Sermeno- August 9. (Not signed up- yet!) And here’s a photo of them both. Robert in front in black, Jonathan right behind him.
Followed by Allison Baver – August 11 (Allison just signed up for the Olympic Trials – WooHoo!)
(Photo by Bella Faccie Sports Media)
Followed 2 days later with Shani Davis – August 13
Anthony Lobello – August 15
Jeff Simon – August 17
(Photo by Bella Faccie Sports Media)
And last, but certainly not least - Lana Gehring- August 21
(Photo by Bella Faccie Sports Media)
Wishing all the skaters a fun birthday and a wonderful and successful year!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KATHERINE REUTTER AND ALYSON DUDEK!
UPDATE: 7-30-2009
It's another 2-fer! Two more skaters celebrating another year on the same day - Katherine and Aly.
And of course, we have to celebrate too, by posting more photos on their threads at the BB forum!
Great photos and links to even more pictures from Thomas Di Nardo of Bella Faccie Sports Media.
Have a GREAT DAY ladies, and much continued success throughout the coming year and beyond!
Katherine Reutter's thread, at the BB Forum
Alyson Dudek's thread, at the BB Forum
UPDATE: 7-24-2009
KATHERINE REUTTER'S NEW WEBSITE!
Good things come to those who wait, and we've been waiting to see Katherine's website- and it's wonderful.
Kudos Katherine for a VERY creative site. Here's the link to take you there.
katherinereutter.com
UPDATE: 7-17-2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I don't often post birthday greetings here at TRF as that is usually done at the
Boots & Blades Forum, but today is special - we have a 'two-fer'.
So Happy Birthday to both Mary Grace and JR Celski. In honor of your special day, we've updated
your threads with pictures and info at the BB forum.
(...sadly, Mary is a lot harder to find photos of. If anyone would like to contribute photos or
info to Mary's thread we haven't posted yet, we'd love it!)
Wishing both of you a fun day and a successful and joyous year!
Mary's thread, at the BB Forum
JR's thread, at the BB Forum
We've also updated the BB forum with links and photos by Thomas Di Nardo of Bella Faccie
Sports Media for JR Celski, Kimberly Derrick, Apolo Anton Ohno and Charles Ryan Leveille.
These are amazing shots from WC2 in Vancouver 2008. More to come.
Boots & Blades Forum
FUNDRAISER FOR JORDAN MALONE THIS SUNDAY
Thank you to both Bubblebuttsbabe and gasp for posting this info at both the BB forum and GotApolo.
To read more, here is the article:
Jordan Malone- DentonRC.com
Jordan's thread on the BB forum
APOLO, GRETCHEN BLEILER AND COCA COLA
...let the games begin! Video/commercial with Apolo and Gretchen
for Coca Cola and the Olympic Torch.
Apolo Coca Cola video
Apolo's thread on BB Forum
 Happy 4th of July Weekend!
UPDATE: July 5th, 2009
More articles and photos of Team USA at Marquette
SKATE WITH US SPEEDSKATERS
Wonderful photos by Julia Woehrer of the team skating with the locals. These photos
are for sale, and not 'right-click/saveable', and we will honor
that by not posting
those photos here other than a few thumbnails from the site.
Please do go check them out before they disappear from the Journal's site
(I especially enjoyed the shot of Shani wearing the pink glasses and ladies figure skates!
Wherever did they find a pair big enough to fit him?) LOL.
To see the entire photo album, in something other than microscopic thumbnails, go to the following link:
The Mining Journal, skate with US speedskaters
Katherine Reutter's post on her personal journey to the Olympics.
Thanks to Briedy for posting this wonderful diary entry on B & B
The Starting Lineup- Katherine Reutter, post #48
USA SPEEDSKATING- LOBELLO LOOKS TO STAND OUT.
By CURT KEMP, Mining Journal Sports Writer
Former United States Olympic Education Center speedskater Anthony Lobello makes his way around the ice at the Berry Events Center Monday in Marquette during the team’s training session. (Journal photo by Curt Kemp)
To read the full story, go to Anthony's thread on the Boots & Blades Forum
Boots & Blades Forum - The Starting Lineup- Anthony Lobello, post #27
CELSKI, 18, RELISHES ROLE ON US TEAM
By CURT KEMP, Mining Journal Sports Writer
J.R. Celski, the youngest member of the United States men’s short track speedskating team, works out at the
Berry Events Center in Marquette during the team’s recent training camp. (Journal photo by Curt Kemp)
To read the full story, go to JR's thread on the Boots & Blades Forum, post #47.
Boots & Blades Forum - The Starting Lineup- JR Celski, post #47
BEDFORD COMPETES IN LONG TRACK, SHORT TRACK, CYCLING
By CURT KEMP Journal Sports Writer
Short Track speed skater Ryan Bedford, front, trains at the Berry Events Center in Marquette last week.
(Journal photo by Curt Kemp)
To read the full article, go to Ryan's thread on the Boots & Blades forum, post #11.
Boots & Blades Forum - The Starting Lineup- Ryan Bedford, post #11
. . . now if you'll excuse me - I'm off to have some more fun . . .
MARQUETTE TRAINING CAMP
Update: 6/30/2009
Rocker Fund skater Barry Winslow hangin' with the boys - Jordan Malone and JR Celski.
(Photo courtesy of Jordan Malone. (used with permission) Thanks Jordan!
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES
Update: 6-27-2009
Shani Davis chats with Apolo Anton Ohno during their training session Monday
at the Berry Events Center. (Journal photo by Julia Woehrer)
MOM'S SUPPORT GUIDES DAVIS
Shani Davis rounds the corner during a U.S. Speed Skating practice on Tuesday afternoon
at the Berry Events Center. (Journal photo by Julia Woehrer)
To read both articles from The Mining Journal, go to the Boots and Blades Forum:
Boots & Blades Forum - The Varsity- Shani Davis, post #2 & 4
SPEEDSKATING COMMUNITY A CLOSE-KNIT BUNCH
Nancy Renshaw-Kressler talks with Olympians Ryan Bedford, right, and Apolo Anton Ohno, left, during the 'Skate with the Team' event at the Berry Events Center. Renshaw-Kressler works in Munising, but is from Midland, Mich., the same town as Bedford. Thursday was the first time she'd seen Bedford in at least 20 years. (Journal photo by Curt Kemp
To read the article, go to the Boots & Blades Forum:
Boots & Blades Forum - The Starting Lineup- Ryan Bedford, post #8
KEEPING IT LIGHT DURING HEAVY TRAINING
Update: 6-25-2009
Malone listens to music while taking a break during the practice session.
(Journal photo by Julia Woehrer)
To read the whole article from The Mining Journal, go to Jordan's thread on the BB forum, Post#23
Boots & Blades Forum - The Starting Lineup - Jordan Malone, post #23
SPEEDSKATER BAVER MAKES INCREDIBLE RETURN
Update: June 24,2009
Photo by Julia Woehrer
Short track speedskater Allison Baver pedals on a stationary bicycle while watching teammates
practice on Monday at the Berry Events Center. Baver is beating the odds, recovering from a leg
injury incurred during the ISU World Cup earlier this year.
To read the whole article, go to Allisons thread on the BB forum, Post#17
Boots & Blades Forum - The Starting Lineup - Allison Baver, post #17
Allison also updated her blog today on how she's doing. Thanks to aaosmts19 at GA for the heads up on this.
Allison Baver Journal
Upate: June 23, 2009
Ryan Bedford, Apolo Anton Ohno - and if I was really spiffy and the photo was a little larger,
I might be able to recognize the 3rd skater...(best guess- Eddy Alvarez)
Team USA is training in Marquette until next Tuesday.
To read the article from the Mining Journal, go to the Boots and Blades Forum:
Boots & Blades Forum - thread for Apolo Anton Ohno, post #27
Update: June 06, 2009
LENDING A HAND
Athletes who wear the USA’s red, white and blue have a request for you, the American Olympic
and Paralympic fan.
Through Independence Day on July 4, gymnast Shawn Johnson, skier Lindsey Vonn and others will
ask for money to help them continue their gold medal pursuits. Your minimal support --
they’re asking for at least a $5 donation -- could help free the athletes from the struggles
of financing their athletic ambitions...
To read the rest of the article from Universal sports, go to the following link:
Universal Sports - Lending a Hand
USOC LAUNCHES NEW INITIATIVE - "AMERICA SUPPORTS TEAM USA"
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) today is launching a new initiative in the lead-up
to the Fourth of July that provides Americans with opportunities to show their national pride
and be part of the Olympic mission through "America Supports Team USA." This new fundraising
campaign, which incorporates the tagline "Together We Win," celebrates patriotism and
raises money to support Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls...
To read more, go to the following link. This is a very informative article, that not only
is promoting a good cause, but spells out how the USOC supports Olympic athletes and
hopefulls, and where your donation money goes.
USOC Launches New Initiative "America Supports Team USA"
To make a donation to support Team USA (which includes our beloved Short Track Speedskaters),
go to the following link at teamusa.org:
Olympic Team USA - Together We Win
APOLO FEATURED AS ATHLETE OF THE MONTH ON TEAMUSA.ORG
To read the article, go to the following link:
Going for the Gold - Apolo Anton Ohno
Go to the following link to watch this weeks "Going for the Gold" Vodcast featuring Apolo.
Going for the Gold Vodcast, June 5th - Apolo Anton Ohno
Update: May 30, 2009
ALEX IZYKOWSKI RETIRES
(Alex with teamate, Travis Jayner)
It's a sad day in short track land. Alex Izykowski has decided to retire.
Plagued with a series of accidents - and the injuries to go with them, Alex just couldn't seem
to catch a break over the last few years.
From what we've read, it sounds like his body just wouldn't
allow him to perform to the level he expected of himself and as a result,
he made the very hard decision to leave the competitive ice.
(photo by Jerry Search)
(photo by Jerry Search)
Alex with his family - sister Morgan (a TRF skater) and dad, Al.
Alex with his teamates, Apolo Anton Ohno, Rusty Smith and JP Kepka
after their bronze medal for the Men's relay at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games
held in Torino, Italy.
To read more, go to Alex's thread on the Boots & Blades forum:
Boots & Blades Forum - Alex Izykowski
"Bonne Chance" fair skater, you will be greatly missed.
We know you will be successful in anything you set your mind to.
Update: May 22, 2009
Lori, Barbara and I were lucky enough to go to the Southern California Speedskating Association's Awards ceremony this month at Fuddruckers.
Below are some photos of the event.
Jonathan Sermeno, Walter Rusk, Kyle Uyehara, Maria Garcia and Lezleigh Jaworski all received awards for this years hard work.
Then it was time for the awards for the next generation of skaters!
Aren't they a great looking bunch? It was a fun afternoon, and all of us even won a raffle prize (or more...LOL, Lori and Barbara should have run out and bought lotto tickets given how 'lucky' they were that day!). I was happy to get a GREAT T-shirt from the US Junior ST Championships, and of course, all the Rocker Fund skaters graciously signed it.
Life is Good....
Update: May 22, 2009
 It's Apolo's Birthday. You can leave your best wishes at either the BB forum and/or Got Apolo.
Boots & Blades Forum
GotApolo birthday thread
Well, it looks like the Olympic Media Machine is starting to pick up steam (WooHoo!) Below are just a few photos of members of the USA Short Track Speedskating Team from last weeks media shoot.
Let the games begin.... 
Allison Baver
J.R. Celski
Katherine Reutter
Apolo Anton Ohno
Kimberly Derrick
For more GREAT photos of Team USA, click on this link for Getty Images:
Getty Images - USOC
Photos without the watermarks can also be found on the Boots & Blades Forum under each skaters thread.
Boots & Blades Forum
You have probably been wondering what happened to TRF for the last month. The domain name registration for the year came due
and it was a real nightmare to get it renewed for another year. (word to the wise – if you’re going to
register a domain name, make sure it is with a reputable company and you get the final word on the
actual end reseller. The TRF domain name was through no less than 4 different reseller entities)
YIKES! I never want to go through that again! 
After nearly 3 weeks of e-mails and phone calls, TRF is finally back up and running, and all your previous bookmarks and links should work just fine. (Thank God we
didn’t have a skater for the month of April though- that would have been really tragic.)
But all is well again and life is good.
I do however, want to sing the praises  of AllWebCo, who not only hosts this site, but went out of their way to try and help me solve the problem even though the domain name isn't registered with them (...yet!) Not only does this company host the site, but they also sold me this really nice website template.
 ...otherwise known as 'website building for dummies'. (and I mean that as the sincerest of compliments)
I can't say enough good things about this company. The template is very easy to work with, directions are clear and thorough, even for the html challenged. And it looks GREAT! Lori used the same template for Rocker U. If you would like to know more, click on the words 'AllWebCo Design' link at the very bottom right hand side of this page to view their offerings. (you may need to scroll...I stretched the template on the News page)
So what’s next?
1) Please go to the Skater of the Month page for information on ways you can support the skaters and/or
the Olympic movement. We’re now less than a year away!
2) The Rocker Fund has helped the skaters for one full year. To date, TRF has donated over $6000 to the
skaters, and all donated by YOU, the fans! Thank You for all your support over the last year, and in the future.
3) H - E - L - P. !!!
(LOL)
If you haven’t checked out the Boots & Blades Forum, click the tab on the upper right hand corner
to go directly to the site.
Our intent with BB was to neither take away from the social aspect at GotApolo or to recreate Ohnozone.
What we did want to do is to have a way to post LOTS of information on all the
skaters in a relatively quick, organized and easy fashion (much like everyone does for Apolo on GA). There was
just way too much information to post on a website format, so the proboards forum was the best solution
for what we were trying to accomplish. I will admit however, that our idea was just a tad overly
ambitious...(What were Lori and I thinking?...LOL! )
Long story longer, we could sure use some help posting info, articles and pictures on all the skaters for anyone who would like to participate.
A few people have even ‘adopted’ a skater or two and made it their own little pet project to post on the threads
of those skaters. (...and NO, you can't all pick Apolo... *grin*)
If you would like to participate, you can sign up on the BB forum and post away. Lori and I
would appreciate any help you can give to this endeavor. (and if you need help figuring out how to post
pictures and such, don’t hesitate to contact Lori or me. We’ll be happy to walk you through it)
michelle@therockerfund.org
lori@rocker-u.net
4) Don't forget to check out the Skater Stuff tab to purchase T shirts, sweatshirts and other fun items the skaters sell to support their training expenses.
5) And lastly, to any skaters who are eligible and would like to participate on TRF, please contact us to submit your bio.
Thanks to everyone for your patience on our little site hickup. Have a great day!
AMERICAN CUP FINAL & U.S. NATIONALS
Updated 4-6-2009
It's the end of the season, so here is one last hurrah before Olympic trials to sate your ST withdrawal symptoms.
Rocker Fund skater Morgan Izykowski (#53) finishes the American Cup season 9th overall. Good job Morgan, breaking
into the top ten! Kelsey Schiel (86)finished 17th overall.
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Jonathan Sermeno finished the American Cup season 12th overall and was also part of this year's Junior World Team.
(They men won Gold for the relay!) A strong season for Jonathan. Way to go!
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Rocker Fund Skater Anthony Barthell (#60).
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Rocker Fund Skater Erin Bartlett finished the season 9th overall. Congratulations to Erin for being in the top 10!
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Rocker Fund skater Barry Winslow finished 10th overall for the season. (Way to Go Barry! Top 10!!!)
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
James Rodowsky (#164) in the lead, followed closely by Barry Winslow (#142) and Levi Kirkpatrick
Levi finished the American Cup season 6th overall, and James finished 13th.
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Robert Lawrence (87) finishes 4th overall for the season
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
‘Speedy’ Eddy Alvarez as he’s been nicknamed finished the American Cup season 2nd overall! Way to Go, Eddy!
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Cherise Wilkins in the lead followed closely by Mary Grace and Kristen Biondo. Mary Grace finished the season 1st overall,
Cherise finished 5th, and Kristen finished 3rd.
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Rocker Fund skater Lezleigh Jaworski (#64) finished the season 6th overall. Good job and all the best to Lezleigh!
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Rocker Fund skater Dan Fiorenza leads James Rodowsky (164) and Walter Rusk (109). Dan finished 16 overall
for the season. Coming up the ranks, Dan!
Walter Rusk finished 11th overall and James 13th
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Rocker Fund Skater Chris McLaughlin in second.
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Rocker Fund Skater Kyle Uyehara in the lead. Kyle finished 7th overall for the season.
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Star Shin (141) coming up on the inside. Star finished 3rd overall for the season.
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Joey Lindsey finished 3rd for the season. We had the pleasure of meeting Joey at American Cup 1 and we all
enjoyed talking to him at the hotel.
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Vicky Labourdette finished 2nd overall for the season, just behind Mary Grace.
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Anthony Lobello (153) in the lead, followed by Kyle Carr (21 – finished 7th overall) Chris Creveling (32- finished 5th overall)
and Levi Kirkpatrick (76- finished 6th overall).
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
Anthony Lobello completely dominated American Cup 4, winning every distance, and placing him 1st overall
for the season. Congrats to Anthony!
To see more photos of American Cup 4 and US National Championships by Jerry Search, click on the following link:
Jerry Search’s photo album
For more pictures of each skater, go to their thread on the Boots & Blades Forum.
(and you are invited to join and help us add pictures, videos and articles of your favorite skaters!)
We’re working on getting photos up for all the skaters.
Boots & Blades Forum
WORLD TEAM PHOTO UPDATE
3-31-2009
The Bronze Medal US Women's relay team. Katherine Reutter, Kimberly Derrick, Alyson Dudek, Jessica Smith and Lana Gehring.
Congratulations Ladies!
Photo courtesy of Kimberly Derrick. Thank You, Kimberly!
WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009, NETHERLENDS
Update 3-15-2009
Travis Jayner
Travis Jayner and Jordan Malone in the Relay.
Kimberly Derrick
Katherine Reutter
JR Celski
JR gives Apolo a mighty push.
Canadian Oliver Jean (L), American Apolo Anton Ohno (C) and Korean Yoon-Gy Kwak (R) compete during the finals
500 m at the WC Shorttrack in Heerenveen, Netherlands,on March 15 2009.
AFP TOUSSAINT KLUITERS netherlands
(Photo credit should read United Photos/AFP/Getty Images)
US Apolo Anton Ohno (L) competes against Canadian Oliver Jean (R) during the finals 500m at the WC Shorttrack
in Heerenveen, Netherlands, on March 15 2009.
AFP TOUSSAINT KLUITERS netherlands
(Photo credit should read United Photos/AFP/Getty Images)
Congratulation Team USA for the Bronze medal in the World Team Event.
The Ladies won the Bonze as well, but the photographer didn't give them any 'Love'. :( Congratulations to you too!
TEAM USA, WE'RE PROUD OF YOU!
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Update 3-9-2009
The USA's Men's winning Gold Medal team!
Apolo Anton Ohno, Jordan Malone, Ryan Bedford and JR Celski. You go, guys!!!
JORDAN
Jordan in the Relay.
JR
JR with the Silver for the overall World Championships! Amazing for his first World Team!!!
Congrats JR, what a season you've had!!!
...name that US tush...and our call is it's JR's!
JR a bit out of focus in front of Kwak.
Apolo and JR
JR and Apolo
Apolo (Silver) and JR (Bronze) congratulate each other! (...or the Lion King and Simba as they have just
been nicknamed on GA - LOL!) Way to go!
South Korea's Ho Suk Lee (C) looks on as second-placed Apolo Anton Ohno of the United States (L)
shakes hands with his compatriot third-placed J.R. Celski (R) after the men's 1000m final
at the 2009 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Vienna on March 8, 2009.
AFP PHOTO / SAMUEL KUBANI (Photo credit should read SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images)
KATHERINE
Katherine Reutter (2nd R) of the US leads the pack during the women's 3000m Super Final at the 2009 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Vienna on March 8, 2009. AFP PHOTO / SAMUEL KUBANI (Photo credit should read SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images)
Katherine Reutter.
APOLO
Apolo in the 500m
FANS
Well look what we have here! Two TRF contributors, Karen and Debbie!
Safe travels home, and I hope you cheered LOUD for all of us who couldn't attend.
VIENNA- WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009 - DAY 1
Update 3-6-2009
JEFF
Korea's Ho-Suk Lee leads the pack during the men's 1500m semifinal at the 2009 ISU World Short Track (Jeff Simon in 4th)
Speed Skating Championships in Vienna on March 6, 2009.
AFP PHOTO / SAMUEL KUBANI (Photo credit should read SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images)
KATERINE
Korea's Eun-Ju Jung (R) crashes ahead Katherine Reutter of the US in the women's 1500m semifinal
at the 2009 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Vienna on March 6, 2009.
AFP PHOTO / SAMUEL KUBANI (Photo credit should read SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images)
JR AND APOLO
JR in front, with Apolo coming up behind.
JR Celski of the US leads the pack during men's 1500m final at the 2009 ISU World Short Track
Speed Skating Championships in Vienna on March 6,2009.
AFP PHOTO / SAMUEL KUBANI (Photo credit should read SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images)
JR and Apolo just before they fell prey to the Korean 'pincer' movement. JR comes in third, Apolo 4th. You'll get 'em next time, guys!
Korea's Ho-Suk Lee (C) poses with his medal on the podium with second placed Yoon-Gy Kwak (L),
and third placed JR Celski of the US after the men's 1500m final at the 2009 ISU World Short
Track Speed Skating Championships in Vienna on March 6, 2009.
AFP PHOTO / SAMUEL KUBANI (Photo credit should read SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images)
JR on the podium
Updated 3-1-2009
The auction to bid on a t-shirt signed by Apolo (and generously donated by Tonya) is now up and running. All proceeds will go to a Rocker Fund skater. Below is the link to read the particulars
ebay t-shirt auction link
This item has already raised money for another worthy cause. It's great how this one autographed shirt just keeps on giving.
_______________________________________________________________________________
PRADA BAG AUCTION UPDATE:
Congratulations to Jeff Simon the "beneficiary" of the inaugural auction item through The Rocker Fund. The winning bid came from within members of Got Apolo who asked to remain anonymous.
The future owner of the signed Prada bag is working on another level of "paying it forward" by donating the bag to a speed skating club for their annual silent auction. These funds are made availabe to young skaters-in-training who need to update their equipment or to cover their club dues.
Good Luck to Jeff and TEAM USA as they head to Vienna and on to Worlds.
UPDATE ON ALLISON BAVER
2-26-09
From Peri Kinder, USS
Because of the great concern expressed by US Speedskating members, two-time Olympian Allison Baver issued the following statement regarding her injury at the ISU World Cup event in Sofia, Bulgaria.
"I've been surrounded by a lot of great surgeons and the surgery went very well. I'm in a hard cast for the next couple of weeks and I'll be in a soft cast for four weeks after that. I'm in a lot of pain and this whole situation is really hard for me but I'm very confident using Dr. Wen Chao.
I'll be immobile and will be off my feet for four to six weeks. I'm going forward and happy the surgery is out of the way. I'm able to progress and take things one step at a time. I'm looking at going to Colorado Springs to maximize my rehab and I'll try to be back on the ice as soon as possible.
Everyone has been so supportive and so caring. I'm counting my blessings every step of the way."
______________________________________________________________________________
Heal Fast and Heal Well, Allison!
Whoa! First off, the hits for the site have been through the roof for the last couple of days.
Could it be that you are looking here for Dresden photos? *grin*
I’ll give ya a small tip – and not to send you wandering off elsewhere… but photos for events tend to be posted on GotApolo first (and there is usually more of them) because –
A) It’s A LOT faster and easier to post them on a forum format than on a website.
B) More people than just little ol’ me are finding and posting them – and
C) More people cruise the site looking for them. I’ll grant you, it’s necessary to scroll through several pages of ‘chatter’ to find them, but hey, now ya know. Hope that helps. Some of them will make their way here eventually. (In Dresden’s case – like TODAY.) Sorry to keep you waiting. 
WORLD CUP 6, DRESDEN, GERMANY 2009
Last Updated 2/21/2009
First things first, what a medal haul for Team USA!
You were SMOKIN’ HOT in Dresden! Congratulations to the whole team!
New Photos courtesy of NBC Universal
 Congratulations to Anthony Lobello for the GOLD MEDAL in the 500m(2). After a disappointing US Championships, this victory must taste especially sweet. We knew you had it in ya, never doubted it for a moment!
Click here to watch Anthony's 500m win- NBC Universal
More photos courtesy of NBC Universal
A big smile after the race…
...and another one!
 JR wins GOLD for the 1500m!
 …and Silver for the 1000m! J.R. does Just Rock!
Click here to watch JR's 1500m win- NBC Universal
 Kimberly Derrick Wins the Gold for the 1000m! ...... Katherine Reutter win's the Silver!
Kimberly Derrick (right- Gold) and Katherine Reutter (left- Silver) – a one-two punch!
Click here to watch Kimberly's 1500m win- NBC Universal
Katherine Reutter. Photo courtesy of NBC Universal
Katherine with a matching silver for the 1000m
Ryan Bedford.
(Is it me? or does this perspective with everyone crouching and Ryan standing up makes him look like a giant amongst the little people?)
Travis Jayner
Travis just couldn't quite catch a break in Dresden. Your day will come.
Jordan Malone (before the fall - and a scratch for the rest of the weekend)
ahhh! Com'on Jordan, we just got ya back! You can't be broken already! 
We hope it was only some bumps and bruises and you're just fine.
Lana Gehring
Jeff Simon. Dresden wasn't all that kind to Jeff, but no doubt he will 'bring it' in Austria. Good Luck Jeff!
Jessica Smith. Oh, so close!...and yet so far... Jessica's making a strong showing for her first World Cup Team.
 ... It was the ladies turn to grab the Gold for the Women's Relay and be on the top of the podium! Congratulations Ladies!
....more photos of each skater posted under their threads on The Rocker Forum....
WORLD CUP 5, SOFIA, BULGARIA
Updated 2/17/09
A couple more photos finally emerged for Sofia - those wonderful podium pictures.
Jeff on the podium for the Bronze - 500m.
Jordan on the podium for the Silver - 1000m (2)
Updated:2/10/2009
Travis Jayner of the United States leads the race during the men's 500 metres final of the ISU World Short Track World Cup 5 in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009.
Australia's Tatiana Borodulina, Jessica Smith of the U.S, Canada's Marie-Eve Drolet, Czech Republic's Katerina Novotna, Japan's Mika Ozawa and Italy's Arianna Fontana compete during the women's 1500-metre final at ISU World Cup Short Track 2008/2009 in Sofia February 7, 2009.
I can't begin to describe how distressing it is to post these pictures. Allison Baver takes a very bad fall and seriously injures her leg. The bottom picture has more of a look of frustration and anguish than outright pain.
Allison, you're one tough cookie! Our thoughts and prayers are with you for a speedy recovery!
Korea's Eun-Ju Jung leads the pack during the women's 1500m final at the 2009 ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Sofia on February 7, 2009. Korea's Eun-Ju Jungwon the gold medal followed by US Katheine Reutter, silver and China's Yang Zhou, bronze.
Katherine Reutter making her move!
Jordan Malone makes his!
(Lee Ho-suk of South Korea (166) leads his compatriot Lee Jung-su (167), Jordan Malone (L) of the U.S. and Yuri Confortola of Italy on his way to winning the men's 1000-metre final at the ISU World Cup Short Track 2008/2009 in Sofia February 8, 2009.) Jordan gets the Silver! Way to come back from an injury!
This looks like Kimberly tucked in third.
Francois-Louis Tremblay of Canada (117) leads Britain's Jon Eley (131), Jeff Simon (197) of the U.S. and Sung Si-bak of South Korea during the men's 500-metre final at ISU World Cup Short Track 2008/2009 in Sofia February 8, 2009.
Jeff get's the Bronze
After a rough start for Team USA, with DQ's a plenty, JR having to withdraw and Allison's injury, Sunday turned into a welcome surprise.
The ladies walked away with a Bronze Medal for the Relay, Katherine and Jordan both with a Silver and Jeff Simon and Kimberly Derrick make the podium with a bronze for a total of 5 medals overall. Good Job! On to World Cup 6!!!!
UPDATE - PRADA BAG AUCTION:2/10/2009
The auction for the Prada bag is closed, with the final bid at $305.
The winning bid wishes to remain anonymous, and we will update you on which skater has been chosen to receive the money once they have been notified.
Thank You to all who bid - and support the skaters with your generosity.
AUCTION FOR PRADA BAG SIGNED BY APOLO
This is a Genuin Prada bag that was donated to TRF after it was signed by Apolo at World Cup 2 in Vancouver, 2008 (and we did get Yuki's permission to do this, since it was an afterthought. Apolo wasn't available to ask permission as he was a bit busy doing something really important - like competing - to ask him. LOL)
Click on the link below to be taken to the ebay page to read about the auction and/or to bid on the bag. All proceeds will be given to a Rocker Fund skater.
Signed by Apolo Prada Bag on ebay
AMERICAN CUP III, 2009
Updated: 2-1-2009
Short-track speedskater Eduardo Alvarez, from Team Southern California, tries to nose his way past Anthony Lobello, left, from Team Direct, during the final lap of the men's 1,000-meter finals during the American Cup 3 championships on Sunday at the Cornerstone Community Center Resch Olympic Pavilion in Ashwaubenon. Also shown is Joey Lindsey from Team Southern California. Lobello won the race. Photos by Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette
Eddie Alvarez stays on his skates, while Robert Lawrence has an unfortunate incident.
Rocker Fund Skater Dan Fiorenza "Goes To The Start".
Mary Grace leads the pack...and the weekend, finishing in first place for the ladies. Good Job, Mary!
Eddie Alvarez
From left, Short track speedskaters Kyle Carr (75), Kyle Haun (36), Barry Winslow (25) and Eduardo Alvarez (26) cruise along the track as they compete in the men's 1000m semi-finals during the American Cup 3 championships
Levi Kirkpatrick in the lead.
Anthony Lobello wins the whole enchilada for the men's team at American Cup III. Way to Go, Anthony!
Updated 1/14/2009
ISU WORLD JUNIOR ST CHAMPIONSHIPS, SHERBROOKE, CANADA
Sunday
The Winning USA Men's Gold Medal Relay Team - Junior Edition.
Robert Lawrence, Jonathan Sermeno, Eduardo (Eddy) Alvarez and J.R. Celski.
Way to Go, J.R.!
From Left to Right: Robert Lawrence, Jonathan Sermeno, Alyson Dudek, Eddy Alvarez, Vicky Labourdette, Mary Grace, Lana Gehring.
Congratulations to Team USA for a strong showing at Junior Worlds!
Saturday
TEAM USA, THE JUNIOR EDITION:
Front Row: Mary Grace, Lana Gehring, Vicky Labourdette, Alyson Dudek.
Back Row: (oops?), SCSSA Coach Wilma Boomstra, Robert Lawrence, Jonathan Sermeno, J.R. Celski, Eduardo (Eddy) Alvarez, USS Coach Laurent Daignault.
J.R. Celski wins gold for the 500m, and breaks a Junior World Record in the process. (On top of the Podium - Right where we like him!) Photo courtesy SCSSA
Read more about it here: Universal Sports
Mary Grace placed 7th overall, the highest of the US women. Way to go, Mary!
Lana Gehring placed 9th overall. Lana will be joining the Seniors at World Cup 5 & 6. You're a busy gal, Lana.
No Pictures of Alyson Dudek so far, who placed 10th overall. Good Job Ladies! You all finished in the top 10!
This must be a warm up shot, and it's beautiful to behold! Robert, J.R. and Eddy.
Robert Lawrence only skated in the Relay, so no individual points - but he DID get a medal for his contribution to the Relay - GOLD!
Eddy takes the lead. Eddy finished 30th overall with some tough calls, but you can say this for him, he is aggressive! One of the up and coming skaters to watch. Good Job on the Relay, Eddy!
Jonathan is one of our Rocker Fund skaters and finished 14th overall. He was also part of the Gold Medal Relay Team!
J.R. Celski placed 3rd overall, adding a Bronze Medal to his 2 Golds for the weekend. J.R. is just on fire this season, and will join the Seniors for World Cup 5 & 6 in addition to Worlds in March.
A nice showing for Team USA! Congratulations to all!
More photos at: Sport Action- Yves Longpre
12/27/08
U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS, ST. LOUIS, MO.
Day One:
Ladies Time Trials Winners: Katherine Reutter, Kimberly Derrick and Allison Baver.
Katherine gives Allison the 'thumbs up'.
A sea of Reutter's Rooters.
Reutter's Littlest Rooter!
The Men's Time Trial Winners: Apolo, J.R. Celski and Anthony Lobello.
TRF skater Jonathan Sermeno leading the pack. Jonathan was 11th overall in the standings for the Men, and he will be a part of the Junior World Team that will be competing in Canada in January. Go Jonathan!
TRF skater Barry Winslow skating with the big guns. Barry finished in the top ten for the men's competition. Way to go Barry. TRF skater Jeff Simon is right behind him.
Barry makes his move.
Jordan's dog, Oly (3 guesses what that stands for - and the first two don't count!) I think the whole team has adopted Oly, he was with everyone!
Ladies 1500m Winners: Katherine Reutter, Kimberly Derrick and Jessica Smith.
Men's 1500m Winners: Apolo, Jeff Simon and J.R. Celski
TRF skater Lezleigh Jaworkski waiting for the gun. Lezleigh was 12th overall for the Ladies. She also was a real sweetie and asked to meet all of the TRF ladies who donated to her for skating expenses. This is more than we ever expect from the skaters, but it surely is appreciated.
(My pictures of Morgan came out waaaaayyyy too blurry, so we'll just have to wait for the wonderful Jerry Search to post his photos. As always, Thank You Jerry, in advance.)
Day Two
Ladies 500m Winners: Kimberly Derrick, Maria Garcia and Alyson Dudek.
I spoke briefly to Alyson after the end of the races on Sunday. After being on the World Cup Team this fall, it was obvious she was disappointed in not repeating that feat. It really is telling how tough these skaters are on themselves. This is Alyson's first year mixing it up with the vets, and I think she's doing great!
Men's 500m winners: Travis Jaynor, Jordan Malone and Apolo.
There are no words to describe what happened on the Men's 500m - ya just had to be there!...but barring that, you can watch it on YouTube.
Day Three
Ladies 1000m Winners: Katherine Reutter, Kimberly Derrick and Jessica Smith.
Men's 1000m Winners: Apolo, J.R. Celski and Ryan Bedford. (Do you think J.R. is thinking as he studies the Missouri flag. " It says 'The Show Me State'. Well - Show me what???")
Ladies 3000m Winners: Katherine Reutter, Allison Baver and Kimberly Derrick.
Men's 3000m Winners: Apolo, J.R. Celski and Jordan Malone with their victory pillows. (I miss the penguins....)
Jordan starting a pillow fight?
The current National Team that will compete at World Cups 5 & 6, Worlds and World Team.
Back Row: Lana Gehring, Allison Baver, Katherine Reutter, Jessica Smith and Kimberly Derrick.
Front Row: Ryan Bedford, Jeff Simon, Apolo, J.R. Celski and Jordan Malone.
Congrats to Team USA, and a special Thank You to all the skaters who gave their all last weekend. We enjoyed it immensely!
12/08/08
WORLD CUP 4, JAPAN
Congratulations to the Ladies. It was your week to shine.
KATHERINE REUTTER, SILVER MEDAL, LADIES 1500M(2)
Your first medal of the season. It's nice to see you on the podium.
ALLISON BAVER, BRONZE MEDAL, 1500M(1)
Way to go Allison! On the podium for the 3rd straight World Cup.
It was a tough week for Team USA's men's team, however, since we fans were relegated to ISU's 'blinking numbers' (or more often than that - NOT) I'm sure we don't know the whole story. ( But we would LOVE to hear all about it! ) :-D
Ryan, regarding the DNS, we all hope you are OK.
Safe travels home to all, and the fans will be in St. Louis in a couple of weeks to cheer you on!
12/3/08
Well, this is a bit out of sequence, and it was never the intent of this site to be Ohnozone, but since said entity has been MIA, this seems as good a place as any to post the following pictures until OZ is back in action.
WORLD CUP 3 - BEIJING, CHINA
Congratulations to the US Men's Relay Team who won Gold for the second straight World Cup! Way to go Team USA.
A special Kudos to Allison Baver for winning the Bronze in the Women's 1500m and the only individual medal for the US at World Cup 3.
(...and you were expecting a picture of her from China? ...bwahahahaha!...don't make me laugh!)
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2008-09 JUNIOR WORLD TEAM
The Ladies: Lana Gehring, Alyson Dudek, Mary Grace and Vicky LaBourdette
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Search)
The Men: JR Celski, Jonathan Sermeno (Yaaa! Jon!, the only TRF skater to make the team!)Eduardo Alvarez and Robert Lawrence.
(Photo Courtesy of Jerry Search)
WORLD CUP 1 (out of sequence)
A Silver Medal for the Men's USA Relay in Salt Lake City!
Back Row: Anthony Lobello,(top of his head, anyway) Travis Jaynor
Bottom Row: JR Celski, Jeff Simon, Apolo Anton Ohno.
Kimberly Derrick wins the Bronze for the Women's 1000m
Jeff Simon wins the Bronze for the Men's 1500m
Apolo wins the Bronze for the Men's 1500m
US Junior Short Track Championships
11/12/08
Good luck to all the skaters this weekend! - especially to all our Rocker Fund participants. (Morgan Izykowski, Dan Fiorenza, Kyle Uyehara, Barry Winslow and Jonathan Sermeno) Go Fast, Turn Left & No Injuries!
WORLD CUP 2
11/1/08
Well, World Cup 1 and 2 have come and gone, with a wonderful start to the season for Team USA.
WC1 in Salt Lake City found Kimberly Derrick, Jeff Simon, Apolo Anton Ohno and the men's team who took the relay silver medal all on the Podium!
WC 2 in Vancouver had Allison Baver, Anthony Lobello and Jeff Simon with individual medals, and the men's team topping their last performance to win GOLD in the relay! Woohoo! What a ride!
World Cup 2 Men's Relay Gold Medal Winners! Charles Ryan Levielle, Apolo Anton Ohno, Jeff Simon, JR Celski, Travis Jaynor and Anthony Lobello
Anthony Lobello wins Silver for the Men's 1000m
Jeff Simon wins the Bronze for the Men's 1500m
Allison Baver wins the Bronze for the Women's 1000m
JR Celski, Getting It Done! (Photo courtesy of Getty Images.)
For more great pictures of WC2 courtesy of Tom DiNardo on Andrew Love's site, go to:
Zen and the Art of Speedskating
ROCKER FUND UPDATE
10/4/08
The Rocker Fund has raised over $2400 for the skaters so far - all from fans like You! The skaters appreciate everything you've done for them, and your generosity has afforded them more ice time and much needed boots, blades and such. Keep up the good work. With short track season underway, help with expenses are needed and appreciated more than ever.
AMERICAN CUP 1 UPDATE
10/03/08 (From Ohnozone)
U.S. World Cup Team & American Cup 1 Overall Results
Congratulations to the following members of the U.S. short track World Cup team! These are the teams that will represent the U.S. at the first 3 World Cups of the season in Salt Lake City, Vancouver and Beijing:
WOMEN
Allison Baver – Reading, PA
Kimberly Derrick – Memphis, TN
Allyson Dudek - Hales Corner, WI
Maria Garcia – Carson, CA
Lana Gehring – Glenview, IL
Katherine Reutter – Champaign IL
Jessica Smith
Note: Maria is declining her spot for the SLC World Cup only, but will skate in World Cups 2 and 3. Jessica will therefore take Maria's spot in SLC.
MEN
J.R. Celski – Long Beach, CA
Apolo Anton Ohno – Seattle, WA
Travis Jayner – Midland, MI
Charles Ryan Leveille – Atlanta, GA
Anthony Lobello- Tallahassee, FL
Jeff Simon – Las Vegas, NV
Thank You to Plymouth Ice Center for putting on a nice event. A good time was had by all...
COMING SOON - UPDATE AND SUMMARY FOR
(a) WORLD CUP #1 IN SALT LAKE CITY
(b) WORLD CUP #2 IN VANCOUVER
(c) US SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (NATIONALS) IN ST. LOUIS.
Yahoo Short Track Trip Planning Group
Website for fans to plan their trips for the 2008/09 Season Short Track events.
2008-2009 Short Track Season thread at GA
New Skaters on The Rocker Fund
July 27, 2008
The Rocker Fund introduces 2 more skaters, Dan Fiorenza and Jon Sermeno. Dan will be Skater of the Month for September, and Jon will be Skater of the Month for October.
We are sad to report that Jade Wheeler has chosen to retire from skating and is moving on to the next phase of her life. We wish Jade all the best in all her future endeavors.
Skyler McCormick is up next for Skater of the Month for August in a few days.
Kyle Uyehara's month is almost up for Skater of the Month, so if you would like to donate to this wonderful up and coming skater, now is the time.
We hope to see all the skaters at the first American Cup in September, which will be the qualifier for the first World Cups.
If you're a fan who would like to attend some of the events and hook up with your fellow fans, go to the Yahoo trip planning group Link below. You can also access trip planning information on the forum at GotApolo. The Link is also included below.
Yahoo Short Track Trip Planning Group
Website for fans to plan their trips for the 2008/09 Season Short Track events.
2008-2009 Short Track Season thread at GA
FYI
July 13, 2008
Just a reminder to refresh your screen when you visit The Rocker Fund. Information does get changed/updated periodically, and the website is cached, meaning your browser will pull up the page from the last time you visited if you haven't dumped your cookies and browsing history lately. If I can figure out how to make that feature 'go away', I'll let you know.
Skater Bling
July 1, 2008
Southern California Speedskating Association is selling some fun jewelry to help raise money for their skating program. Check out the link below to purchase your skater bling and support a good cause as well.
Southern California Speedskating Association
Update on Donations.
July 1, 2008
The Rocker Fund has raised over $1200 to date in donations for the skaters. Thank You to all who have donated so far to help the skaters with their expenses. We hope others will be moved to not only participate in this endeavor, but to come to the competitions this fall to cheer all these skaters on!
Growing Pains
By mtnme
The Rocker Fund was launched a few months ago on the fansites, GotApolo and Ohnozone, with our first Skaters of the Month - Lezleigh Jaworski and Barry Winslow. We are now on our third Skater of the Month, Anthony Barthell. Thank You to all of you who have participated by sending your donations to the skaters.
In the meantime, the website for the skaters has been evolving, suffering the growing pains of any new endeavor in uncharted territory. Now after several months, we think we have something work-able. We hope you take some time to check out the site. We look forward to your suggestions and feedback to make the site even better.
The Yahoo Trip Planning Group
By mtnme.
For the West Coast-ers, Southwest Airlines has some great deals for the upcoming Short Track World Cups in Salt Lake City and Vancouver in October. (Provided you don't wait too long to book your flights)
For those of you who are interested in joining the group, several of us will be attending the First World Cup (October 17-19) and flying from Salt Lake City on October 20th, on the 10:15 am Southwest flight to Seattle.
From there we are planning to rent a car and drive to Whistler and Vancouver - spending the week seeing the sights, possibly getting some hiking in. (Bring your boots...)
We will attend the Vancouver World Cup and drive back to Seattle on Monday, October 27th and fly home on Tuesday, October 28th.
Anthony Barthell, our third Skater of the Month, just posted this at the Yahoo Trip Planning Group. He works at the Hilton Garden Inn, just across the street from the host hotel. We've already made our reservations - Thanks, Anthony!
"Hey all! For those of you who are planning on coming to SLC. The hotel that I work at will be extending a rate just for you all. The rate will be $89 per night. For those of you who stayed there last World Cup, I'm hoping that you will return and bring more people with you. For everyone wanting to make reservations, feel free to email me your information. Name, dates, bed request (king or 2 queens) and address. Don't worry about a credit card. I'll just put a hotel hold on all reservations.
Once I make the reservation and send you the confirmation email you can call in to add a credit card if you'd like.
My work email is anthony.barthell@hilton.com.
If it takes me a few days to get back to you don't worry. I'll get your reservation for you. If you have any questions feel free to contact me anytime."
Anthony
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