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Torino update Skating on the 13th anniversary of his grandmother's death, Chad Hedrick blazed to gold in the men's 5000m at the Oval Lingotto on Day 1. Lone star Hedrick had a breakout year in 2004, winning the world allround title -- becoming the first American to claim the crown since Eric Flaim in 1988 -- and claiming gold in the men's 5000m and bronze in the 10,000m at the World Single Distance Championships. His success earned him speed skating's prestigious Oscar Mathisen Memorial Trophy and he was named U.S. Speed skating's 2003-04 Athlete of the Year. The Texan, who didn't begin speed skating until 2002, followed his 2004 accolades with a silver medal (behind compatriot Shani Davis) at the 2005 World Allround Championships and defended his 5000m title and was third in the 10,000m at the world single distance championships. "The Paris Hilton of speed skating" Hedrick has become a star in the Netherlands, where he is constantly covered by the media. One journalist even labeled the American as "The Paris Hilton of speed skating." "I'm pretty much a household name in Europe, especially in Holland. It's a little hard to swallow to come back to the U.S. and be an unknown," Hedrick said. Inline accolades Long before Hedrick laced up his clap skates, he was an inline skating star. Hedrick, who spent 10 years as the overall world in-line champion and is generally regarded as the best inline skater in history, has a brand of inline skating wheels -- the Hyper Chad Hedrick Micro -- named after him. Hedrick, who first put on roller skates at age 2, also has his own signature inline move called the "double push," where he simultaneously uses both legs to accelerate (watch video). He has adapted the maneuver to the ice, where speed skaters usually push on one leg at a time. FACTS FROM Inline skating: Mastering the basics The family business Skating is the family business with the Hedrick clan. Hedrick's father, Paul, worked at a roller rink as a young man and by age 27 he owned his own rink. Paul now has five roller rinks in the Houston area called Champions Roller World. The elder Hedrick, who used to be Chad's inline skating coach, occasionally attends his son's races in Europe, where he wears his trademark cowboy hat. Hedrick's mother, Wanda, works at one of the roller rinks on the weekends. Hockey in Houston? As a child Hedrick played hockey, which he credits for helping him get his basic feel for the ice in speed skating. "People thought I was nuts for playing hockey in Texas," Hedrick said. Hedrick started the winter game because his best friend, who hailed from Canada, was an avid hockey player. In his spare time Hedrick now plays golf and says his handicap is between eight and 10. "The Exception" Hedrick's training techniques are very different from his U.S. teammates. Whereas most skaters spend a lot of time training on bikes, Hedrick does not cycle. Instead the Texan does a lot of plyometrics for explosiveness and flexibility. "Derek Parra calls me 'The Exception.' He stretches, I watch TV. He rides the bike, I take a nap. It's amazing that we get along so well," Hedrick says. Second time was the charm Hedrick originally tried speed skating in 1997, when he moved to Calgary to train. But it didn't last long because the Texan didn't think the coaches were ready to accept inline skaters. At that time American KC Boutiette had made a successful transition from inline skating to speed skating at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, but the swarm of inline skaters had yet to make the switch to the ice. Hedrick gave speed skating another chance when while playing blackjack in Las Vegas he saw Parra win the 1500m at the 2002 Salt Lake Games. After watching Parra break the world record, Hedrick realized he had accomplished everything he could in inline and decided to make the switch. He moved out of his Houston home, went into semi-retirement from inline and relocated to Utah to focus on speed skating. Help from home Hedrick's entire family helps out with his career. His mother, Wanda, acts as the speed skater's financial adviser and bill payer. His younger sister, Natalie, who is a student at Texas A&M, is her older brother's fan and supporter. His father, Paul, is his mentor. "He's one of those guys that knows what buttons to push to get the best out of your performance. And he knows within five seconds he can get me pumped up and make me excited to take my performance to the next level," Chad says of his dad. Hedrick's deceased grandmother also played a major role in his career, providing inspiration. The Texan opens his Olympic campaign on Feb. 11 in the men's 5000m, the anniversary of his grandmother's death. Eric Heiden on Hedrick "Chad is not satisfied with second best. Second place to Chad is the first loser. He is very driven. I think Chad will be competitive in the 1500m. In the 5000m, I think he has got to be one of the favorites. In the 10,000m, I think that he will have to skate a good race. Some people may consider him a favorite, but I think he's going to be challenged by a couple of Dutchmen, and a Norwegian skater." Book Chad HedrickContact Gold Medal Greats, the booking agency for Chad Hedrick as a motivational speaker or for personal appearances. As Chad Hedrick's booking agent, we will be pleased to create a custom package to liven up your conference or trade show, or to make your product launch, infomercial or other endorsement occasion the best possible.
Gold Medal Greats, LLC is an outsourcing Olympic gold medalist talent broker for any occasion or requirement for endorsements, speaking or personal appearances. Because we do not exclusively represent any of the Athletes listed, we make no statements of any kinds as to guaranteeing availability, interest or access to any Athlete. GMG's relationships with Athletes directly, managers and agents provide us access to competitive cost benefits when booking Talent and a knowledge base that would be a significant benefit for all opportunities. In most cases, a Gross Offer for Talent will include GMG's fee. In some cases, GMG's fee will be in addition to the Gross offer. Contact a GMG representative to discuss your specific needs for speakers, motivational speakers, personal appearances, satellite media tours, print, television and internet/web advertising, endorsements, spokespeople, voice-overs, etc.
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