By Ryan Laverty
An air of confidence rises from him as he sits alone at the table. With mics propped in front of him, lights glare in his eyes, cameras capture his every movement, his every expression. It is fitting situation for one of Canada’s best individual athletes.
Speed skater Jeremy Wother-spoon has seen it all before and he knows before all is said and done in Salt Lake City there will be plenty more questions and a lot more dissection of his personality and performance. But, as one of the Great White North’s top hopes for hardware at the 2002 Olympics, it’s a reality he takes in stride. A long, powerful stride.
"I definitely feel more comfortable and confident this time around," said the Red Deer native. "I’m not necessarily a much better skater now than what I was in ’98 but I have a lot more experience. I have a different attitude going in.
"If I want to do my best I have to race like I have nothing to lose. In the last Olympics, I kind of went into it trying to maintain a position and it cost me."
Wotherspoon is putting the finishing touches on his preparations-a regimented schedule that has lasted since the last Winter Games in Nagano-for the world’s biggest show. He’ll leave the friendly confines of his Calgary home and the local Olympic Oval for the hurly-burly Athlete’s Village and Salt Lake rink. He looks forward to both venues as much as he dreads them. With the increase in security due to the events of September 11 and an avalanche of media activity, Wotherspoon expects nothing short of mayhem in Utah’s capital city.
"It’s definitely been great being able to stay at home to prepare," he remarked. "I’ve been able to stay home and keep my normal routine. A lot of countries have decided to come to Calgary to train to avoid the busyness of Salt Lake."
A lot of media expectations surround Wotherspoon and Co. going into the Games. But, the 1998 silver medallist is as serious as he is kidding in his response to the growing buzz in Canada.
"I don’t care if I live up to your expectations. It’s not why I’m in the sport," he deadpanned. "I have my own expectations and that’s what motivates me. But it’s good to have a bit of pressure, it keeps you hungry."
At the top of the World Cup rankings in both the 500m and the 1,000m for the entire 2001/02 season, Wotherspoon is definitely the favorite going into the Games, but he won’t take the gold as a given. His training partners, Canadian Mike Ireland and American Casey Fitzrandolph, have challenged him all year long and "The Spoon" doesn’t expect that to change.
"Casey and Mike are both very talented, they could beat me on any given day. And they have," he said of his friends. "I’ll be cheering for them. I want the competition. I don’t want to win a race because someone else had a poor performance.
"Above all else when I leave the Games I want to leave with a sense of self-satisfaction. I want to know I did my best against the best."