Goals more than golds for Richardson

By Steve Hanf, High Point Enterprise, N.C. (MCT)

From the time she first strapped on inline skates at the age of 9, Heather Richardson raced to success.

Two national records as part of High Point Rol-A-Rink's speed team in her first year of competition.

A spot on the U.S. Junior World team in 2005 and three gold medals.

An invitation to be whisked from inlines to speedskates, which netted a top-12 showing at the Junior Worlds in her first year competing on a frozen surface.

Sure, the 2007 High Point Central graduate pondered a shot at the Olympics -- the 2014 games in Russia.

Then again, Richardson's not been one to take it slow.

"Me and my parents, it was 'either go now or wait a long time to go,' " Richardson recalled when chatting by phone last week from Salt Lake City. "We were in the moment. I was definitely shooting for 2014, so I wasn't sure I would be able to come out here this soon."

This soon is 2010 -- now -- and the decision made by Heather and parents Jeff and Pat set the precocious speedskater blazing a trail to the Vancouver Games. On Tuesday, Richardson and her Olympic teammates departed Salt Lake City for the Olympic Village. The 20-year-old will compete in the 500 meters on Feb. 16, the 1,000 meters on Feb. 18 and the 1,500 meters on Feb. 21.

Richardson and Ryan Shimabukuro, head coach of US Speedskating's national long track sprint training, believe this trip primarily will benefit the young skater in the long run.

"Right now I believe it's just to get experience," Richardson said of her spot on the team. "In the beginning of the year, we were even talking 'if you just make the team, you make the team.' We were definitely looking at 2014 like I was."

But...

"I'm right with the other girls," Richardson added. "It's pretty much whoever has the best race that day."

Shimabukuro agreed.

"To say she's a medal contender right now would be a little bit of a stretch; however, if she puts together a near-perfect race and has the right frame of mind going into the 1,000-meter, I think she has an outside chance at the podium," the coach said. "I don't think too many other countries have her on the radar, so there's not a lot of pressure on her to perform."

Of course, how would countries know of Richardson? She was only whipped into shape -- literally -- three years ago.

Richardson's breakthrough came when the Olympic committee and USA Roller Sports launched an initiative called the "Wheels to Ice Program" -- WHIP. Her first year saw a top-12 showing at the Junior Worlds. She followed that with a top-20 effort at the World Sprint Championships and was named to the U.S. national team the past two years.

In December of 2008, Richardson became the U.S. Sprint champion, sweeping four races against some of America's best and most experienced performers on the ice.

She earned a spot in the Olympics in the 500 and 1,000 with her performances in U.S. Speedskating's World Cup Qualifier last October. At the 2010 U.S. Speedskating Championships at the end of December, Richardson also broke through in the 1,500, racing to first place there for her third Olympic qualifying time.

The 1,000 is Richardson's favorite event, she explained, "just because there's enough room to where if you make a mistake you can make it up, but it's not too long, so it's not quite into the endurance."

And as someone who still battles mistakes regularly from her inline days, Richardson appreciates that margin for error.

"The biggest adjustment is working on my form, for sure," she explained. "On inlines, you can get away with anything. On the ice, you have to be crisp with every move you make. It's something I work on daily off the ice."

Shimabukuro said those who transition from inline to speedskates face obstacles with their body positioning and how they deliver force to the ice as opposed to a hard track.

"I do know it was frustrating for her in the beginning," the coach said. "We're trying not to dramatically change her style. We've tried to slowly change the technique and stay within her style. Heather's been a true blessing. Working with her over the last few years, she's very coachable. She works really hard to improve her skating and has a really good attitude."

Slow changes so far have led to fast gains in Richardson's new sport. That's exactly why no one is counting her out even at these Olympics.

"She's very young and she has a very, very bright future. We're very excited to see in this short period of time she's already come along so far," Shimabukuro said. "One strong thing about Heather is she likes to compete. Under that gentle smile is a fierce competitor. I really think that's her secret weapon. A lot of skaters underestimate her, and because her style is a little unorthodox, she flies under the radar."

Now that she's flying to Vancouver, that picture may change.

shanf@hpe.com -- 888-3526

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Copyright (c) 2010, High Point Enterprise, N.C.

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