Members of Team USA’s Olympic Long Track Speedskating Team have undergone an intense two-week training camp at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee ahead of the Winter Olympics.
The team leave for South Korea on Tuesday.
“Everyone is pretty confident. Skating has been going well here at training camp. Times have been fast,” said Emery Lehman, 21, of Oak Park.
For Lehman, training camp has been especially important to train alongside his teammates who will skate in the 3-man team pursuit. Brian Hansen of Glenview, who won silver in the team pursuit at the 2010 Vancouver Games, and Joey Mantia will skate with Lehman.
“A lot of your races, you’re out there on your own. You’re only as fast as you can go,” said Lehman. “With the team event, it’s a lot different because your teammates are relying on you. It takes me back to when I played hockey. You can’t just give up because you’re not only letting yourself down, you’re letting your team down.”
The athletes have been skating in their new Olympic suits, designed by Under Armour.
At the 2014 Sochi Games, the team’s high-tech suits sparked controversy after the team shockingly failed to reach the podium. The Olympians reportedly switched back to old racing suits partway through The Games.
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The U.S. Olympic Committee has stated they don’t believe the suits were the problem.
“It’s hard to say what actually caused the results,” said Hansen, a three-time Olympian. “In so many ways, we’re never going to know.”
But Hansen said so far, so good.
“(The suits) have been great. They fit super well. It’s like the perfect suit going into the Olympics, and I’m just really looking forward to racing,” Hansen said.
