Sunday, February 3, 2002
Kraus gains an edge
By CAMERON MAXWELL -- Calgary Sun
Some Olympic athletes are too busy to even worry about the upcoming Winter Games.
Short track speed skater Alanna Kraus certainly fits into that category as she's been agonizing over the blades under her powerful legs, rather than fretting over how she's going to do in Salt Lake City.
Kraus, 24, has just gotten new steel for her skates and is finally able to concentrate on her skating again after her old blades became soft and essentially useless.
"I'm relieved and very happy just because I've been struggling with the blades. They weren't holding my bend, so it was like skating on club skates, so basically those ones are garbage. I've been waiting for the ones which finally came in the mail on Wednesday," said the Abbotsford, B.C., native, who will compete in her first Olympics in four events for Canada: the 500 metres, 1,000 and 1,500 as well as the 3,000-metre relay.
Kraus put the new blades to good use yesterday in the CODA Winterfest pre-Olympic competition at the Olympic Oval, finishing second in a 500-metre race behind China's Yang Yang (A), who is ranked second in the world over that distance and is a medal favourite for Salt Lake.
"It sounds crazy but I haven't thought a lot about (the Olympics) because of the blade problems but now that I'm getting all my confidence back, I'm starting to think about it more and I'm sure I'm going to feed off the excitement," said Kraus, who loves to skate in front of loud, rowdy crowds.
"It doesn't bother me -- I like it. I'm looking forward to seeing how many people are going to be there."
The Utah Olympic Oval houses 6,500 people, including her parents, who will no doubt be going nuts during the short track competition, which is one of the most entertaining Olympic sports to watch.
Kraus, the Canadian record holder in the 500 metres, is no stranger to packed houses, especially after she and several other Olympians were invited to the recent Calgary Flames game at the Saddledome against Vancouver. The Canucks are Kraus' favourite NHL team, even though she's lived in Calgary for the better part of seven years.
The Olympians were at ice level during the singing of the national anthem, then some of them got to enjoy the game from the vantage point of Flames co-owner Harley Hotchkiss' suite, which presented a bit of a dilemma for Kraus.
"Of course I'm a Vancouver fan, so it turns out that we're in (Hotchkiss' box), so I couldn't cheer for the Canucks and I really had to watch my actions," laughed Kraus, who nonetheless enjoyed seeing Vancouver beat Calgary 2-0.
"There were some real serious Flames fans up there and I was sitting beside him. He was really mad."
Besides the pleasure of the Canucks victory, Kraus also enjoyed being at ice level with the players during the anthem.
"It was cool being on the ice with the hockey players for O Canada," she said.
And Kraus would love to hear those familiar refrains on the podium at Salt Lake City after one of her events.
Her coach, Yvon De Blois, said Kraus is right where she should be in terms of training for the big competition.
"The progression seems to be working. We've been working a lot on volume and she's been working hard on the ice and in the weight room," said De Blois.
"Now I'm starting to unload and decrease all the volume and her top speed is getting there. She's exactly where she wants to be and just has to work on her equipment."
Kraus and the rest of the Canadians will take to the ice next Wednesday for the 1,500.
2002 Games Short Track Speed Skating Coverage
