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ANTHONY'S BLOG May 7, 2012 LIFE IS CHANGING COLOURS: I'M AZZURRO NOW It's been more than a year since I published my last blog entry. Many things have happened in the meanwhile. I couldn't update on a few of the major happenings but the dust has settled and now it's time to get back on the horse. Beginning today, I promise that this blog will be my direct link to the world. Since my last blog post:
This is a note I began writing on March 2. I was in the economy cabin of Delta flight 161, from Milan, Italia to NYC-JFK, USA: There is a reason I am flying back from Italia. My last name is a dead giveaway. I have known for a long time about my ability to carry dual citizenship with Italia and the United States. It wasn't until the last ten months that I began to actually explore options outside of the US. In my 13 years representing the United States, I never once thought about enacting my Italian birth right. I have raced some of the best Italian inline skaters and short track speed skaters on the planet and never once did I think about racing with them. It was just a race. Me vs Them. These last few years have been very trying for my family, my supporters, and most importantly, me. My friends and family watched me turn into someone they didn't recognize. They watched the joy slip away and fade into the blackness of my weary eyes. I chalked most things up to bad luck, bad timing, or just my failings. It became too much for me to keep under my hat. The frustration of not making teams, being ostracized, and being taking advantage of all added up and has brought me to where I am now. I hold myself accountable for all my actions, I never try to run from any problem, I do my best to clear up any issues that I cause or am involved in - but somethings take time to be understood. It has taken me until now to move past the past. Some people have a hard time moving forward and letting mistakes vanish in the winds of change. I have been ignoring the wind blowing in my face but a strong gust came through and forced me to open my eyes and realize how many great opportunities we all have and how many we let drift by. I take my first step forward by leaving behind my past with the sentence to follow. You have all seen me race my last competition for the United States of America. I will no longer be wearing red, white and blue. The memories that I share with my friends on the US Team, I will cherish forever. The ups, downs, nights out, nights in, fights, long talks, and all the worldly travels we share will be saved in a special place that we will always share. I will now be wearing red, white and green. I am Azzurro now. Sometimes circumstances are simply what they are. A man has to start fresh. He has to start with a purpose. He has to start with new inspiration. He has to have faith in himself and get respect from others around him. If I were to stay in the US, the above would not be a realistic possibility. My decision to leave has come after months of careful consideration of all possible positive scenarios that could exist in the US - and at the end of the Pros/Cons list there was only one realistic choice. I would be leaving for Italia. I want to thank US Speed Skating for making my decision easy as they did not put up a fight to keep me in their stable. USS and I had a wild ride. I would make a mistake, they would suspend me. I would serve my suspension, they would penalize me further. I would get frustrated. I will always view it as one of the greatest failings of communication in the history of my life and should be one of the largest failings in the history of their organization. Athletes, in niche sports, are taken for granted all the time, even mistreated, and there isn't always an equivalent or better athlete out there to replace him or her with. The world is too large to consider only your immediate option as the only option. What I learned and what I hope to bestow on the youth of all sports is simple: Don't let anyone take advantage of you. Don't let them place the first hand on you. Once they get one hand on you, they will never let go. Stay beautiful, stay you. I visited Team Italia in early January. They had no idea I was visiting, let alone that I would be staying for two weeks. I stayed to train and meet everyone on the team. The team is more important than any individual so I wanted to make sure I fit into their system. Eric and Kenan, the two coaches of Team Italia, have been true gentlemen, in regard to my privacy and their open door policy. I could not have asked for two better liaisons to help me through this process. I look forward to being a part of a youthful team whose potential, if reached, will make many proud and amaze all others. I am returning from one of my trips to Italia now. As I said before, Team Italia is full of young and inspiring athletes and because of their youth, many skaters were in Australia for the Jr. World Championships. I spoke to Kenan and Eric about possibly coming for another trip before leaving for home on my initial visit. We figured the team would need a little help in preparing for the World Championships to be held in Shanghai, China. (It's not such a bad thing to have one of the fastest men in the world leading laps for both your girls and guys teams.) I led a few laps which allowed the rest of the team to save that energy for game day. It was my pleasure to skate with such a genuine and beautiful group of people. Every day I am on the ice is a gift. I thank them for having me again and look forward to coming back in full force very soon. Their hospitality. Their passion. Their food. Their strengths. Their weaknesses. They are mine now. They always have been. Some people might not understand this move. Some people might. If you judge me based on my patriotism, lack thereof, or your lack of true understanding of how sport works, be my guest. I did not make this decision for you. I made this decision for me and the people who care about me. I have the support I need to be successful. I will wave to everyone from the podium, whether or not you think I'm in the appropriate skinsuit. The next two years will be the most exciting and most well documented years of my life. I hope you decide to return to read a little more and see some of the pictures and videos I promise I will share with you. May 4th, 2012 Today I leave from Tallahassee to graduate from Northern Michigan University on Cinco de Mayo. What a fitting day to have a celebration. I leave Marquette and close a chapter in my life. On Monday, I begin writing a new chapter from Milan, where training will begin in earnest for the 2014 Olympic Games, in Sochi, Russia. Ciao! INSPIRATION! March 4, 2011 My week of training at the Olympic Training Center in Salt Lake City has come to an end. The U.S. Team had a great week of practice, but it's off to Sheffield, England tomorrow for the World Championships, March 11-13. The past month has been a busy one for me. In mid-February I was with the U.S. Team in Russia and Germany competing in World Cup 5 & 6. Following World Cup 6, I flew back to Northern Michigan University to attend some classes, then flew into Tallahassee for a short visit with family and friends. To be honest I was a little drained from all the recent travel, but then I spent last Sunday putting on an inline speed skating clinic for my friends at Southern Speed. It's been a few months since my last clinic there, but one thing is for sure - they have some skaters on the team that I believe can do well at Nationals. All they need to do is keep focused and train hard for the next few months. I want to thank Coach Lee and Nicole for their support and commend them for doing a wonderful job with their skaters this season. I also want to thank each skater because each time I visit them to do a clinic they reinforce my love for the sport and inspire me to work harder each day to improve my skating for the National Team. I'm looking forward to a productive week of training in England. After the World Championships it's off to Poland for the ISU Team Championships, March 18-20. Thank you to all of you who have been supporting me. It means more to me than I can possibly express. RUSSIA WAS AWESOME! February 25, 2011 My first trip to Russia was a great experience. Of what little I did see was amazing! Walking around St. Petersburg Square, Russia’s greatest historical and cultural treasure, a.k.a., "Venice of the North", was truly special. Downtown St. Petersburg is crowded with splendid palaces, impressive historical monuments, magnificent avenues and beautiful bridges. St. Petersburg is by far a city crammed with historical and cultural places to see. For anyone looking for a special place to visit Moscow may be it. Take a look of some of my photographs from my tour. The ice castle of the Square in the background was pretty cool (literally). Ha, Ha. ON MY WAY TO MOSCOW! February 5, 2011 Hi everyone. In less than 12 hours I will be boarding a plane for my transatlantic journey to Moscow for World Cup 5. The first leg of the trip will include stops in Detroit and JFK. From JFK I will fly straight into Moscow, which alone will take approximately 8 hours. I’m excited to compete in Russia, especially since it's the host country of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. I’m also excited to be competing again. After my fourth place finish at the U.S. Short-Track Speedskating Championship in December, I’m eager to face international competition and improve upon my world ranking in the 1000m. Before I leave for Europe I want to thank everyone for visiting the website. Speaking of the website, I thought I would share with you a few responses to questions posed by GFGL followers. Question: What is it like to represent the United States overseas? Answer: I have been representing the United States since I was 15 years old. Quite simply, it’s an honor and privilege to represent USA anywhere I go. Question: What do you pack for long trips? Answer: Extra food, lots of workout clothes, iPod, jeans, and comfortable t-shirts. Question: As a member of the U.S. National Speedskating Team does the airline allow you to carry-on your skates? Answer: No, airline security does not allow us to carry-on our skates because the blades pose a security risk. However, we are allowed to carry-on our boots. Therefore, I remove the blades and carefully pack them away in my luggage. The boots get packed away in my carry-on bag (can’t afford to lose them). If you have a question, please visit the Contact page and fill out the contact form. Keep in mind that I'll be overseas until the 24th, so I wont be able to answer your question until I get back. As always, thanks for your support. DA-SVI-DA-NIYA and wish the U.S. Team well. WHERE DID JANUARY GO? It’s hard to believe that January has come and gone. It was just last week (or so I thought) when I returned to Northern Michigan University to register for spring classes and resume training for Word Cup 5 & 6. Where did January go? It’s Sunday and I’m sitting here in my dorm thinking about what my next few weeks will be like. Here it goes. This time next week I will be boarding a plane for Europe and will be gone until the 24th. On my return from World Cup 6, I plan to make a short trip to Tallahassee to see my family, put on a speed skating clinic at Skate World, and attend a friend’s engagement party. After that I will report to Salt Lake City to train with the rest of the U.S. National Team in preparation for the World Championship. Tentatively, the team will leave for England on or about March 6. The season concludes at the World Championship on March 13 and I’ll be back at the University the following day for the remainder of the semester. So while attending school, training, and flying thousands of miles to compete around the world, in less than 45 days, the 2010-11 ISU Short-Track Speed Skating season will come to an end. The competition this year has been outstanding and I feel reinvigorated. Even though we’re not quite done yet, in some strange way I’m already looking forward to the start of the season next year. I’ll be dropping everyone a short note before I leave for Europe. I already know that there will be a group of die-hard short-track fans that will be out to the Championships in England. You know who you are and I just want to say “Thanks ladies!” I can never say it enough, but without the support of family and friends I could not muster the energy to take on school, training, and international competition. From the bottom of my heart I’m eternally grateful. MEMORIES OF MY FIRST PALM BEACH CHALLENGE It’s January and that means only one thing for inline speed skaters – it’s time to converge in South Florida for one of the great racing invitational of the year – the Palm Beach Challenge. Inline speed skaters from all over the country and teams from Columbia, Mexico, New Zealand and Puerto Rico will meet at Brian Piccolo Park in South Florida on January 15-16 for the 2011 Palm Beach Challenge. For you first-timers this is the only USARS sanctioned Banked Track and Road Course invitational in the US. It was 1999 when I made the long journey from Tallahassee with my mom and coach (Erik Hildebrand) to my first PBC. I was only 14 years old and to be honest, I was nervous. It was my first competition having taken some time off from speed skating. Nevertheless I was eager to race. Now for those of you who don’t know the layout of Brian Piccolo Park, there's a road course and velodrome. The road coarse has been around a little longer than the velodrome (banked track). Velodrome racing dates back to the 1800s, when, cycling enjoyed the sort of popularity NASCAR racing has today. There are currently 20 or so outdoor velodromes in the United States, but the Velodrome at Brian Piccolo Park in Cooper City is the only velodrome in Florida and one of only three in the southeastern U.S. (the other two are in East Point, Georgia, and Asheville, North Carolina). It opened in March 1992 and on April 17, 1993, hosted its first major race. It attracts more than 3,500 athletes annually. While I cannot remember how well I did at my first PBC, I do recall how much my skating blossomed after learning how to use the bank to help propel me around the track. In all my years of racing I firmly believe that to be a good skater you need to try new things. For you skaters traveling to your first PBC and are nervous - don’t be because this experience alone will help you become a better skater and prepare you for your next PBC or outdoor competition. In closing, my advice to the younger skaters is to listen and trust your coaches and have FUN! Champions are not born overnight and it takes time to excel at new things. Have a great time and if you have any questions please email me through the contact page on the GFGL website. Please also visit my Facebook page at "Go For Gold Lobello". Have fun and skate hard - Anthony January 8, 2011 It's 2011. The fall semester is over. Fall world cups are over, so are US Championships. Christmas and New Years have come and gone. The Winter/Spring semester begins tomorrow. WOW!!! 2011 is on and 2010 is gone. For me 2010 was all about making changes within myself. Demons were put to rest and passion was restored. I took back a piece of myself by becoming a full-time student again. This was done only after finding passion in a sport, by way of my family, that has given me a turbulent ride for the last three years. It's all been fun but it's nice to once again look forward to something that has caused both heartache and supreme satisfaction with creativity and excitement. The fall semester was a blitzkrieg. The fall was very scholastically challenging as I expect the Winter/Spring semester will be. Last semester I took four courses while traveling to the first two world cups in Canada and preparing for US Championships. US Championships was held in Salt Lake City this year. It was a very stressful competition for me. I have not had a good pair of blades since January of last year and it is difficult skating against guys who have dialed-in equipment when my own equipment leaves something to be desired. Competition in Salt Lake City was exciting; I overcame and finished fourth. Following the racing I headed home to Tallahassee for Christmas. Christmas with the family was nice. Having everyone in the same house reminded me of my youth. There were new faces at Christmas this year. Two of my cousins brought their boyfriends. Our family is primarily female so it was nice to have some balance this year in our always-interesting family discussions. Preceding Christmas, Kimberly Derrick and I put on another Inline Boot Camp in Tallahassee. Every time we put an event on for youthful skaters I find it more rewarding then the last event. Kids are the most inspiring skaters to me. They are fearless and have no limits. 2011 has me scheduled to be in Russia and Germany for World Cups 5 and 6 then 3 weeks later in Sheffield, England for the World Championships. I will be doing this while carrying 5 courses and an internship. I am passionate about what I am doing, that is why I find myself energized everyday to try new things and take on every obstacle. Here's to a challenging and rewarding 2011! September 17, 2010 Sorry it has been so long since I refreshed my page, I have been up to no good. The last two months have been filled with many things that have grabbed my attention. I am fairly selective when it comes to the things I really want to pour myself into so when I decide on something I give all I have in order to have no regrets when it is all over. This summer has been filled with new adventures; scholastically bound, personal, and business related. The last three months have been exciting beyond most time periods in my life due to the rate at which things have been developing. In August, a few of my close personal friends, Kimberly Derrick, and myself put on the first of a new type of inline skating clinic in Tallahassee, FL. Appropriately we named it The Lobello Inline Boot Camp, as it was held in my hometown. The camp was designed to shed light on training methods used by Olympians and the understanding between parent and coach that must develop if there is to be a relationship between coach and skater, at a young age. After having a very enjoyable and successful clinic I made my way back to Marquette, MI, where I have been attending class at Northern Michigan University while preparing for another season of short track speed skating. Upon my return I bought books, took a two-day rest, and began class again at Northern Michigan University for the fall semester. Currently, I am enjoying all my courses and am especially interested in Communication Law. I am also finishing my preparation for the first domestic short track speed skating competition of the year, in Milwaukee, WI. Racing begins in two weeks so I have a lot of work to get done before I can enjoy the first race weekend of the year but I look forward to seeing everyone in Milwaukee and hope everyone had a great summer. July 3, 2010 It's only been a little over a month since I had my last blog entry but it feels like so much more time has passed. There is so much going on. I just finished finals for my summer courses (glad to be finished), they pack so much into a six-week course. I have been working on a few other side projects that I will be able to write more about in the months to come, but for now I'll have to keep my cards close to my chest. It feels good to be busy and excited about life again. Sometimes the monotony of training can create a stale mind and a tired soul. Luckily, my training along with my life has not been filled with the monotony I had become so accustomed to in Salt Lake City. I am preparing for all facets of life in new and challenging ways and look forward to unveiling them all very soon - either on race day, in the classroom, or in the conference room. I have had the guidance of many through these exciting processes but have my family to thank mainly. What a wealth of knowledge my family truly is. I am already looking forward to going home in August, for my birthday and to see my family. Excuse me, family then my birthday. This spring, when I was able to spend so much time with my family, it allowed me to open up and realize some of the simplest things in life that are so easy to forget. Family is what it is all about. The more time you can spend around the ones you love, the happier you will become. It took a long time for me to remember or understand the implicit nature of this concept but I am already counting the days to be surrounded by the craziness of family. May 23, 2010 The last few years have been filled with ups and downs - many more downs than ups. As a result, I had to take a serious look at what is important to me. The importance of family has never been more evident then in the past few months, or maybe I overlooked it before. I am looking forward to so many things in life, this year and in years to come. This year will be one filled with school and skating. For the last four years, skating has been my main focus, as it should've been. Now, I get a chance to finish school while maintaining a high level of athletic achievement. My goal for this year is the same as every year - be the best skater I can be. With that in mind, I have made changes in my training schedule to accommodate my school schedule, so I can squeeze in the training that will allow me to be one of the best skaters in the world. I am looking forward to the years ahead and I look forward to sharing what happens in my life through this blog. |
