For Olympic hopeful Michael Johnson, it’s hard to
find free time.
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| Skaters Caitlin Pair and Michael Johnson aim to represent the US at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The pair is coached by Chris Pottenger. |
Sure, he made it home to Yorktown for Christmas on
the evening of the 23rd. After a night of sleep, one of the first
orders of business for Christmas Eve Saturday was to meet with a local reporter
for an interview. After spending the rest of the day and most of Christmas with
family, the 17-year old was on his way back to Delaware, where he has been
training and attending boarding school for the past 16 months. When asked how
often he does make it home, the initial reply was short. “Not often…“
Such is the life for Johnson, who along with 15-year
old partner Caitlin Belt, is preparing to compete for Team USA as our country’s
only figure skating pair at the 1st ever World Youth Olympic Games, which is currently being held in Innsbruck, Austria until January 22. The event, hosted by the
International Olympic Committee, is the young skaters’ first foray into international
competition, and a sure sign that it is acceptable for the pair to continue
working with realistic aspirations of competing for America in the 2018 Winter
Olympics.
“If I was a singles skater, 2014 might be more
realistic, but it’s harder with pairs,” says Johnson. “You need more time to
develop.”
One apparent reason for the prolonged growth and
development process comes from the fact that the male skater of a pairs team
has to lift and throw his partner on numerous occasions, while skating. Belt is
fairly tiny, at 5 feet and 95 pounds, but still, she is a 95-pound person that
must be lifted over his head, with one arm.
So how often do you get to practice the lifts? You
must get tired after a while?
“We usually have 10 lift reps on the ice per
practice. Of course, we also do lift work in the gym.” With the help of a
pulley and harness, Johnson is occasionally relieved of his duties. But at 5’10”
and 175 pounds, with a firm handshake not expected from a teenager, he is
sturdy enough to ably handle the physical aspect of his sport. In fact, the
lacrosse coach at West Nottingham has taken notice of Johnson and asked about
his availability. Surprisingly, the lifting isn’t considered the hardest part
of his sport.
“I think the biggest time commitment is training,”
adds the skater, who attended York High School for two years before
transferring to West Nottingham Academy in northern Maryland in September of
2010. “I skate about four hours a day and I’m in the gym for about an hour a
day as well.” His typical day begins at 6:30 in the morning with breakfast,
followed by classes that last until lunchtime, Next is a 30-minute drive to the
training center at the University of Delaware in Newark. After five hours of
practice, it’s back to West Nottingham for dinner and two hours of study hall
before lights out.
So, how did Delaware become a hub for American
skating?
“Mr. Ludington,” replies the skater without
hesitation, referring to his coach Ronald Ludington, best known for training
many American Olympic skating pairs, including 1984 silver medalists Kitty and
Peter Carruthers. As a skater, Ludington and then-wife Nancy Rouillard
Ludington won the U.S. Figure Skating Pairs title four times, from 1957-1960,
and also scored a bronze medal for pairs in the 1960 Winter Olympics. Upon
retiring in 1960, Ludington turned to coaching and found success, eventually coaching
athletes in nine consecutive Olympics, up to 2010. The University of Delaware
took notice early on and built a rink to house its Skating Club, looking for
Ludington to stay as its coach. The facility soon turned into an Olympic
breeding ground, rivaled by the nearby Skating Club of Wilmington where the
coach also works.
“He’s just an excellent coach and he’s really good
at what he does,” adds Johnson.
There is another Olympian who helps with the pairs’
training. Irina Romanova, an Olympic ice dancer for Ukraine at the 1994 and
1998 Winter Games, works with Johnson and Belt as their choreographer. Others
have helped without even knowing. Asked about his favorite pairs skaters, he
recalled recently watching current Japanese pairs champions Narumi Takahashi
and Mervin Tran as they performed and trained at a New York City competition
that Johnson and Belt were also competing in. “They’re amazing.” With an eye
toward the past, Johnson also admires the style of the pairs from the late
1980’s and early 90’s, most particularly two-time Olympic champions Ekaterina
Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov (1988, 1994).
Looking at this winter, Johnson and Belt will be
busy through the end of March, competing in regional and sectional events on the
way to the Junior Nationals and another international competition in the early
spring. Then there will be a two-week break. A well-deserved one.
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