HOORAY!!!!
FEBRUARY 6 UPDATE FROM JIM WHITE
Today the skates of Jennifer Rodriguez were
found, and can you guess where?
In a snowdrift outside the Landvetter Airport!
ORIGINAL REPORT
FEBRUARY 5, 2003 - Jennifer Rodriguez lost
her best chance at winning a gold
medal at the 2003 World Ice Speed Skating Championships
in Göteborg, Sweden when her custom-made
ice speed skates were stolen outside that city's Landvetter Airport.
Jennifer arrived in Sweden on Monday with the rest of
the United States team and during a confusing time when
the team's luggage was being loaded onto a bus, the bag
containing her skates was stolen.
Her suitcase was the hard-sided metal
type used by photographers for their camera equipment,
so it might have been stolen because someone thought it
contained something valuable. The skates are not useful
to anyone else because they were custom molded for
Jennifer's feet, so radio stations in Gothenburg are
pleading with the thieves to return the skates to Jennifer
or leave them someplace where she can pick them up.
Jennifer Rodriguez was among the favorites to win
a gold medal at the 2003 Worlds, especially
after the reigning world champion,
Anni Friesinger of
Germany, was forced to drop out due to a virus infection.
The U.S. and Swedish teams are trying to arrange
to have boots and ice blades shipped from the United
States and Holland in time for the event, but Jennifer
needs her own custom skates to have a real chance
of winning a gold medal. Her participation in
the 2003 Worlds is now in doubt, but if
she can receive her replacement
skates quickly enough, and she has enough time to
feel comfortable in them before the event,
she will probably still participate. The entire
world is waiting to see what will happen.
The 2003 World Ice Speed Skating All-Around Championships will
be held February 8-9 in Göteborg (Gothenburg) Sweden.
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Thank you to Maria Hölling of Uppsala, Sweden
for sharing this news and helping
with the translation from Swedish to English
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Related Links
2003 World Ice Speed Skating Championships
International Ice Speed Skating Federation
United States Speed Skating Federation
United States Olympic Committee
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