- - Friday, March 05, 2004 In the words of U2: "The Sweetest Thing" It really was. I'll never forget Lupes tossing that hoodie over the banister, and watching Apolo say "what's this?" while opening the sweater to read it.... And having Apolo respond to the ST gear hoodie so well was beyond any hopes I could have had. Having him walk down the hallway toward us, point us out, and inform us that he wore his hoodie that day...man. I guess it's a weird, surreal thing that artists/designers feel when you've created something that not only your inspiration is wearing, but proudly at that. This isn't a guy that can't wait to run out of the building, or someone that just can't "stand it" when fans throw him clothing to wear. He was such a ham once he put on the sweater, it was fabulous. My misson with ST gear was to finally give the short track fans something that they could sport loud and proud to show their love for this sport, as well as spread the word about ST. We may think we'll never see Short Track on TV, or see it become mainstream, but who's to say we can't try? Apolo and Rusty have won Olympic medals, worked their asses off to be the best and bring some light over to short track. But the more I see these guys in competition, the more I realize that they can't do it alone. NBA stars are a part of basketball's allure, but it's the fans buying season tickets, sporting their favorite player's jersey, and being supportive...that's what makes a sport successful. Well, ST fans have got it down to a science when it comes to VIP packages and bringing full tanks of support from around the US, but we've been missing out on being "Human Billboards". Hopefully, not for long. My feedback from fans has been tremendous if not overwhelming, but the support I received from members of the US team, parents of team members, and a good chunk of east coast speedskating clubs was warming to my heart. Apolo's never give in attitude has rubbed off on me, and as long as he gives his all for what he loves, I'm going to give my all to short track, and those amazing people that I've met because of it.

posted by April @ 5:21 PM 0 Comments: Post a Comment << Home