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U.S. speed skater Jennifer Rodriguez
Seasoned by four full years of experience on the international circuit, the roller skater-turned-speed skater can now look forward to the 2002 Olympics knowing she belongs there as much as anybody. "I feel pretty established now," Rodriguez said. "I've had my ups-and-downs just like we all have. The season before last was very poor, but I feel like I'm getting back on top now. When I first started, I had to prove myself. Now people know my name, know who I am. I guess I'm more of a threat, more often now." Rodriguez followed the path from roller/inline skating to the ice blazed by her now-fiancé' KC Boutiette and since traveled by a handful of other current top U.S. speed skaters. Like Boutiette, she was a dominant force in her former sport. A holder of 12 World Championship medals, Rodriguez was the first to medal in both speed and figure skating events at the World Championships. However, her first season (1996-97) on the slippery surface was fairly forgettable, but Boutiette and her parents continued to encourage and support her after she finished 41st in the overall World Cup standings at her "specialty" distance of 3,000 meters. A year later in the 3,000, she finished hundredths of a second away from an Olympic podium position in Nagano. "I surprised myself, my coaches, everybody," she said. "I was not expected to do anything. I think the highest I finished in any of the fall World Cups leading up to the Olympics was 16th. That's kind of what I expected at the Olympics. If I got into the top 15, I would have been really happy. When I finished fourth, I couldn't believe it. Then people asked me if I was disappointed I didn't win a medal, and I was like, 'Are you kidding me? I thought I was going to finish 15th!"' Rodriguez added a couple more top-10 finishes at 1,500 meters and 5,000 and a 13th at 1,000 meters. Instantly, Rodriguez became a Salt Lake City favorite as others projected four years ahead. But, as she said, she's experienced some ups and-downs, slipping out of the overall top 10 in the world in her down year in 1999-2000. Rodriguez, the American record-holder in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters, recovered a bit last year, collecting two World Cup medals in the 1,500 meters on way to an overall ranking of fourth. Rodriguez and Boutiette were the only Americans to compete at four distances at the 1998 Olympics and Rodriguez is likely to repeat the feat. She now considers her best chances will come in the 1,500, 1,000, 3,000 and 5,000, in that order. The fact that she's a contender at all in this strange sport is fairly remarkable to a girl who grew up on roller skates in Miami. Born to a Cuban-American father and American mother, she is believed to be the first Hispanic athlete to compete in the Winter Games as well as the first American from sunny Miami to compete in the Winter Games. "I watched the Olympics growing up a little bit - I watched Dan Jansen and Bonnie Blair," she said. "I just loved to roller skate so much and as a kid I thought it would be nice if it was an Olympic sport, but I figured it was too late until KC came along and paved the way to speed skating. "Now there's a whole new generation of skaters. People ask, 'What's up with U.S. Speed Skating?' The world level is so much higher than it was 10 years ago. It's much more competitive with the clapskates and the speeds so fast now. We have quite a few skaters with medal potential and I'm looking forward to it. We can win more than two medals this time. Maybe three, or four or five " If one or more are hanging around Jennifer Rodriguez's neck, it won't come as a surprise to anyone. Especially her. Go to An Olympic Moment with Jennifer Rodriguez
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U.S. speed skater Jennifer Rodriguez surprised herself and nearly shocked the world by finishing fourth in the 3,000 meters at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, despite being a virtual newcomer to the sport. Rodriguez, 25, of Miami, no longer is an unknown quantity in speed skating.