ARTICLE ARCHIVES ARTICLES Olympian Anthony Lobello Visits Capital City Runners January, 2011 2006 Olympian Anthony Lobello with 2010 Canadian Olympian Nate Sullivan Tallahassee – After a short visit with family over the holidays and before flying back to Northern Michigan University for the spring semester, Tallahassee native Anthony Lobello visited Capital City Runners, a local specialty running store owned and operated by Kevin Sullivan and Nate Brannen. Anthony visited the store after he heard that both Kevin and Nate were members of the Canadian Olympic Team and also because he needed to find a good pair of running sneakers for a marathon that he promised a friend he would run in after he finished the 2010-11 ISU short-track speed skating season in March. During Anthony’s Fit Process he learned that Kevin finished 4th in the 1500 at the 2006 Olympic Summer Games in Sidney, Australia and had moved to Tallahassee in 2007 when his wife, Karen Harvey (former Canadian national team 3000 m steeplechaser), accepted the women's cross-country and track and field coaching position at Florida State University. As Kevin explained to Anthony, Capital City Runners started with an idea after a lunch between his wife and the wife of co-owner Nate Brannen. They realized that they both had the same interest in owning a business and the need for a specialty running store in Tallahassee. During their conversation about the inception Capital City Runners and how Anthony was gearing up for his last Olympic run, Kevin put Anthony through their Fit Process, a free video gait analysis provided to all customers to correctly identify a running shoe that fits a person’s biomechanical needs. Ultimately, Kevin was able to recommend several running shoes for Anthony to select from. The decision was tough but Kevin’s knowledge about each shoe made it easier for Anthony to select the right pair. In the end, camaraderie between Olympians cannot be measured. As a token of good will from one Olympian to another, Kevin offered Anthony the running shoes and wished him good luck in his training for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. January 16, 2011 Olympians Anthony Lobello and Kimberly Derrick are among USOEC athletes participating in Opening Ceremonies at the Winter Special Olympics at Northern Michigan University MARQUETTE – Olympians Anthony Lobello and Kimberly Derrick were one of a handful of United States Olympic Education Center athletes to participate in the annual Upper Peninsula Winter Games for Special Olympic athletes. Anthony and Kimberly joined hundreds of athletes at Northern Michigan University to help kick-off the opening ceremonies for Special Olympic athletes. The games are named in honor of Rico N. Zenti, longtime department head of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Northern Michigan University. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. It gives them the continuing opportunity to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendships with their families and other Special Olympic athletes and the community. January 8, 2011 West end kids get chance to skate with Olympians By JOHANNA BOYLE / Journal Ishpeming Bureau / January 8, 2011 MARQUETTE - Kids participating in the Bell Hospital Strength from Within Wellness Challenge got a chance to have fun and exercise with two Olympians Thursday. Olympic short track speedskaters Anthony Lobello and Kimberly Derrick hit the ice at the Berry Events Center at Northern Michigan University to hang out with west end middle school students who are working to improve their health through the Bell program. "I think most importantly, we have used everything to build onto the next step. We used athletics to build into education and we used education to build onto other facets of our lives," Lobello said. "There's all kinds of things you can do as long as you stick to what you feel good about, what you're passionate about. If it's designing clothes or building rockets, it doesn't matter." Lobello and Derrick spent some time talking with the middle schoolers before heading out onto the ice to skate and play some relay games. "They came up with this idea of a skate with the Olympians night," said Josh Drew, wellness manager at Bell Hospital, of Lobello and Derrick. The Strength from Within program is a school year-long challenge for middle school students in which participants set health goals, improve fitness and attend educational workshops for the chance to win a year of tuition at NMU. "We thought this would be a good opportunity for the kids to relax," Drew said. "Attitude, perception - these things are so important." June 7, 2010 PROgression: Jake Thompson - VW TDI Cup Utah Review All-Star Cast of Guest Drivers in Utah CLICK HERE for the complete article This weekend, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race featured four guest drivers including Roger Hayden, who currently competes on the World Superbike Tour; Anthony Lobello, who was a member of the 2006 US Speed Skating Olympic team; Grete Eliassen, who is a professional Red Bull freeskier; and Thomas Lyman, a journalist who currently writes for 0-60 Magazine and has a significant amount of seat time in various SCCA classes. Lyman was today's top-finishing guest driver as he recorded an impressive eleventh-place result. Roger Hayden was knocked out of the race early due to contact on lap 2, which placed him 27th; Lobello finished 25th and Eliassen brought her car home in 26th. June 2, 2010 Volkswagen To Host Four Guest Drivers This Weekend In Utah A Varied Group of Stars to Join the Jetta TDI Cup at Miller Motorsports Park CLICK HERE for the complete article HERNDON, Va. - Volkswagen of America, Inc. has announced that four guest drivers will participate in Round Four of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah on Sunday, June 6. The field will move from 25 to 29 drivers as the following personalities will join the Series-regulars on race day: Roger Hayden, who currently competes on the World Superbike Tour, has earned a total of 13 AMA Supersport wins in his career; Anthony Lobello, a member of the 2006 US Speed Skating Olympic team, currently holds the 1000m American short track speed skating record; Grete Eliassen is a professional Red Bull freeskier who has found gold at the Winter X-Games twice; and Thomas Lyman, a journalist who currently writes for 0-60 Magazine, but has also dabbled in a career in professional motorsports making his way to competition on the national level. While these four guest drivers may all come from different corners of the sporting world, the one thing they have in common is their love of speed; which will certainly make for an interesting weekend as they square off against the Jetta TDI Cup field on the East Course at Miller Motorsports Park. Each of the guests will participate in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race, as well as take part in all on and off-track events, including practice and qualifying. While they'll be full participants, they will be ineligible for points or prize money. Full-time series participants will move up the final race results accordingly. "I'm looking forward to seeing our guest drivers compete in the TDI Cup this weekend," said Clark Campbell, Motorsports Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "All four of our guests have very different experiences with racing, but they all share the common thread of competition. I think they will definitely be able to not only educate our drivers about their past experiences throughout their professional careers, but they also have the unique ability to broaden the reach of our Series." Anthony Lobello: Anthony Lobello, originally from Tallahassee, FL, began skating on roller skates when he was seven years old, and won his first national championship that same year. He's been winning ever since. He decided to switch to short track speed skating, on ice, in the summer of 2003. His transition to ice was made complete less then three years later, when he made the short track Olympic Team in 2006. Anthony has been representing the United States of America in international competition since he was 15. His accomplishments range from inline national champion and world champion to short track world cup champion and a place on the US Olympic Team. Anthony has numerous world championship and world cup medals to his name as well as the current 1000m American record in short track speed skating. Currently, Anthony is continuing his higher education this summer on the campus of Northern Michigan University at the United States Olympic Education Center, in Marquette, MI. Anthony is committed to his education as well as being the very best skater he can be. Majoring in Sports Marketing and teaching skate clinics, Anthony is passionate about mentoring to help young skaters pursue their dreams. Lobello: Racing is Racing Olympic Ice Skater Takes to the Asphalt Oval May 28, 2010 Marquette, MI - Anthony Lobello, short track Olympic speedskater, Salt Lake City resident and speed junkie has partnered with Volkswagen as a guest driver in their SCCA race series. The series will make its Utah stop at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele on June 5-6, 2010. Lobello will take his short track ice skills to the road course and test his talents behind the wheel of a VW Jetta. Sharing the need for speed is pro driver Ryan Arciero. Lobello has invited Arciero to step off the asphalt and exchange the fire suit for Spandex; they'll take a turn around the short track ice and get a taste of speed on Salt Lake City's Olympic ice oval. Racing is racing. "I got my first speeding ticket before I was even old enough to drive. When my parents asked me to explain myself; all I could say was 'I needed speed,'" says Anthony Lobello. "I watched race cars on television and was trying to practice cornering; driving my Mom's car in our suburban neighborhood. Very bad idea." Luckily no one was injured and the lesson was learned; save the racing for the track. Any track. He strapped on his skates and practiced taking the turns of an ice oval, racing his way to the Olympic ice of Turino in 2006. The reigning US record holder for the 1000m distance on the short track ice, Lobello is always looking to break new ground and take on personal challenges. After suffering the set back of illness during the 2010 Olympic Trials, Lobello pushed himself to recover in time to help the US Olympic team establish their berths for Vancouver. "It was hard but I think of it as a test of Olympic character. 'Can I help my team while I'm still recovering physically and mentally?' It may not have been the most graceful recovery but we got the job done." Lobello's racing in the World Cup qualifiers helped put the US Olympic Short Track Team in medaling position. A new challenge is around every corner for Lobello. "I'm proud to represent Salt Lake City and share my love for racing with a new audience. I think people will be really impressed with Utah's passion for racing sports." The SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup was launched in 2008, introducing clean diesel technology to the U.S. market and developing the best of motorsport's up-and-coming talent. Young, up and coming drivers (between ages 16-26) compete on road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared clean diesel Jetta TDI's. Utah's proud racing heritage will be showcased at Miller Motorsports Park and on the ice at Salt Lake City's Olympic ice oval. Replacements Excel Speedskaters step up when called to action by Curt Kemp / The Mining Journal / November 15, 2009 MARQUETTE - Anthony Lobello, Charles Ryan Leveille and Jeff Simon. For the United States Speedskating team competing in the International Skating Union World Cup this weekend at the Berry Events Center, the trio can be considered the replacements. Each of them - Lobello, Leveille and Simon - has stepped in for an ailing member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic speedskating team, in order for the U.S. to receive as many starting positions as possible in February at the Winter Games. The World Cup in Marquette is the last Olympic qualifier before the Games. Simon, an alternate for the games in Vancouver, replaced the second-ranked American skater, J.R. Celski after Celski's crash during September's Olympic Trials in Marquette. This weekend, Lobello is standing in for Jordan Malone, the third-ranked American who is out with a lower leg injury, and Leveille, who had just retired from the sport before getting a call from U.S. Speedskating, replaces two sick speedskaters: fifth-ranked American skater Simon Cho and Simon, who has been under the weather recently. "In essence, we always refer to it as an order of eligibility," U.S. Speedskating Vice President Jack Mortell said. "Generally, it's how you finish at the Olympic trials. And as people would get injured, or if they would elect not to skate - which wasn't a concern - you'd just go to the next available person." For this weekend's World Cup, the team had to dig down to No. 9 on the eligibility list when Leveille was asked back. The eighth-ranked short track speedskater is Ryan Bedford, who is competing this weekend in the ISU long track World Cup. Regardless of how Lobello, Leveille or Simon fare this weekend, though, it's unlikely they'll be competing for Team U.S.A. in Vancouver. Only if one of the top five skaters from the Olympic Trials is unable to compete, will any of the three be a member of the U.S. Olympic team. "They're helping us here. That's the way you've got to look at it," he added. "They're helping the Olympic team guard the start spots." The only two male U.S. Olympic Team members competing this weekend are Anton Apolo Ohno and Travis Jayner. And they're appreciating the work of the replacements. "Those guys, they're great skaters, and they're definitely guys who are strong enough to be on the Olympic team and the national team and the world team," Jayner said. "They bring a great energy. "They're giving it everything they can, and that helps. It helps a lot." Lobello said he realizes the importance of the World Cup outcome on the Olympics, and that he's doing what he can to secure those spots. "I've been about the team forever. But it's more or less now, just do what I need to do, focus on what I have to focus on,because the (Olympic) team's going to be there no matter what," Lobello said. "There's nothing I can do to stop it or make it worse or better, but the only thing to think about the team, really for me, is 'get out there, do my job, make sure everybody's settled and calm,' and push us toward what we need to do at the Olympics. "Individually speaking, it's a heavy mind burden. Mentally, it's very difficult." Lobello said every athlete in the replacement role is in a different, and difficult, situation. Leveille, for example, had just bought a motorcycle in Atlanta when Malone was injured and he was called up out of retirement. And Simon, who ranked seventh in World Cup points going into this weekend's competition, was the top-ranked American, with Ohno ranked No. 10. "It's even more difficult for him, because he's skating - he's like on fire," Lobello said of Simon. "He's been in every 500 meter final in every World Cup." And for Lobello, a former United State Olympic Education Center resident athlete, there's certainly some bad memories from not making the Olympic Team at the trials, but he's dealing with it. "I love doing this. It's not like I'm in it for a big paycheck. I'm in it because, dude, I love to go fast," Lobello said. "I love to go battle. I love to just - I love to do this. It's not like I'm upset over one team. "It's fine. I'm definitely not stressed about it. But, it would have been nice to see some light at the end of the tunnel rather than pitch black." So this weekend, it's a chance for Lobello and the other replacements to show everyone what they've got. "I mean, who doesn't want to go down with a blaze of glory?" he said. "If I'm going out, I'm going out trying to kill somebody. I'm going out on fire. "And that's the other thing, if I don't give it what I know I should give, or what I know I had to give, I'd come away even more empty-hearted."