Monday, February 11, 2002
Klassen great without puck
By ERIC FRANCIS -- Calgary Sun
KEARNS, Utah -- Up until four years ago, Cindy Klassen's Olympic dreams always involved sticks and gloves.
Despite the urging of her parents to take up speed skating as a child, she figured any sport on ice without a puck was silly.
"I thought speed skating was a really dumb sport," smiled Klassen yesterday, minutes after winning Canada's first medal of the Winter Games with a 3,000-metre speed skating bronze.
"There was no way I could take it up seriously when I was younger. I didn't want to do it."
Klassen changed her tune in the spring of 1997 when she was cut from the women's national hockey program following a spring tryout. Although she wasn't told why she hadn't been selected, her guess was that it had little to do with her speed.
Called back a month later by Canadian hockey officials, who urged her to return to Calgary to start training for the 2002 Olympic hockey squad, the then-17-year-old decided after one week perhaps the life of an athlete wasn't her thing.
Her Olympic dreams shattered, Klassen returned to Winnipeg, ready to move on.
"I expected to go further than that (in hockey), so it was pretty tough," said Klassen.
"I was going to quit sports, actually. I thought that was it. I was actually going to move to Germany and go to Bible school there. I'm a Christian and thought it would be a good experience."
However, at the urging of her parents, she stayed home that fall and enjoyed the stress-free environs of recreational speed skating.
All that changed in the winter of 1998 when the Olympic medal-winning performances of Catriona Le May Doan, Jeremy Wotherspoon, Susan Auch and Kevin Overland changed her life forever.
"I just got a spark watching Catriona win gold and Jeremy and all the speed skaters do so well," said the shy Klassen.
"It was very inspirational. When I saw them, I said, 'I want to be there.' I'm a pretty determined person and want to do the best I can at whatever I do."
She immediately decided to move to Calgary for university and full-time training at the Olympic Oval, where the inspiration of Le May Doan, Wotherspoon and others was combined with their guidance and world-class coaching.
Next thing she knew, she was one of Canada's best young skaters, qualifying for four different events at these Winter Games.
"It starts off with a dream," said Klassen, a graduate of the Winnipeg Speed Skating Club.
"You just work hard and have fun doing it. When I was younger, my parents read women's hockey was going to be in the Olympics, so that was my goal. That changed."
So surprising was her medal, Klassen's parents, Jake and Helga, and her three younger siblings stayed in Winnipeg watching her on TV.
"I called my brother right after I won but I had to get on the podium," she smiled. "He was pretty pumped for me."
Her goals vastly changed over the years, it may be
important to note she conducted her post-race press conference while riding a stationary bike in preparation for her three upcoming events.
A future in cycling perhaps?
"I'm just trying to cool down and flush out the lactic acid -- the 1,000-metre is next," she smiled.
With Klassen, one shouldn't assume what's next.
2002 Games Columnists
