Gregg finding her stride on unlikely track
Daughter of two Olympians carries family tradition into 2010
Last Updated: Monday, January 4, 2010 | 12:05 PM ET
By Lindsey Craig, CBC Sports
Jessica Gregg's parents, Randy and Kathy, met while competing at the 1980 Olympic Games. Gregg's brother, Jamie, may also compete for Team Canada at the Vancouver Games. (Ian Jackson/Canadian Press) Call it a twist of fate.
But Calgary’s Jessica Gregg ended up on a much different track than many would have expected.
Her mom is a former Olympian in long-track speedskating. And at five-foot-eight, 130 pounds, her long, lean legs suit her to that very sport.
Instead, she found herself on a much smaller oval.
"Everyone kind of looks at me and thinks, 'Oh you must be a long-track skater,'… but you can still be a short-tracker, you just have to bend your legs a little more," the 21-year-old said, adding the sport typically attracts shorter athletes who have an easier time "getting low" and leaning into the corners.
The speedskater's talent in short-track is taking her to the Games in 2010. It will be her first Olympics.
"Just getting on that starting line and hearing all the people cheering for the Canadians ... I'm just excited to race," she said.
Career highlights for the emerging athlete have included a set of bronze medals in the 500 metre - her specialty - and in the 3,000-metre relay at the 2009 World Championships.
Over the past two seasons, she's had eight World Cup podium finishes with the relay team. In the 500 metre, Gregg came second in September and had two podium finishes last year.
At five-foot-ten, Jessica Gregg is one of the tallest on the short-track speedskating circuit. (Petar Petrov/AP) Schedule conflict
How she ended up on the smaller oval was simply a matter of chance.
First, Gregg had every intention of pursuing long track. But at the age of 16, she decided to try out for both versions of the sport - and qualified to compete in short track at the junior world championships
"I was actually thought I had a better chance to make the long track team," she said.
And she still could have. Gregg intended on trying out for long track, but there was a catch.
The qualifications for the junior world championships in long track were scheduled for the same time as the world championships for short track - for which she'd already qualified.
If she passed up her chance to compete in short track but didn't qualify for long track, she wouldn't be competing at either world championship.
"We were sort of fortunate with the timing," joked her coach, Jonathan Cavar, who's been working with Gregg since 2004. "She basically went after short track because she had the qualification wrapped up, and I think it's just continued as a passion."
It's the tactical aspect of short track, such as learning when and how to pass opponents, that Gregg really enjoys (and which long track doesn't offer).
Father won five Stanley Cups
While the type of skating she pursued may not have been expected, what could have been predicted, perhaps, was that there'd be blades of some sort strapped to her feet.
Gregg comes from a family so engrossed in skating, she was practically raised in an arena.
Her dad, Dr. Randy Gregg, is a former Edmonton Oiler who spent 10 years in the NHL, winning five Stanley Cups, and who represented Canada in two Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, speedskating mom Kathy (née Vogt), also competed in two Winter Games.
The Olympian parents inspired not only Jessica, but her siblings.
Long-track skater Jamie, 24, who's currently competing on the World Cup circuit, will soon find out if he, too, will be a 2010 Olympian. Canada's long-track trials take place Dec. 27.
And Sarah, 20, also in long track, may be well on her way. She's competed at two junior world championships and hopes to make the senior development team.
Ryan, 23, meanwhile, excels not in skates but in a pair of cleats- he plays for the University of Calgary baseball team.
Cavar says Randy and Kathy provide model support.
"They encourage Jessica to be her best, I think they do that with all their kids," he said. "They were always well supported, no matter what happened."
Jessica Gregg won a bronze medal in the 500m race at the 2009 World Short Track Speed Skating Championship. (Hans Punz/Associated Press) 'More independent'
As much as Gregg has thrived off her support system in Calgary, moving ahead in her career has also meant moving away from that support.
Much of her training is now in Montreal, where the Olympic team is based. While there, she lives alone in an apartment.
"It's forcing me to be more independent, which is a good thing," she said, adding that she's trying to learn French to feel more connected with her Francophone teammates.
Pushing the envelope
Moving outside of her comfort zone is becoming a theme. She's beginning to do it on the ice too.
Known mostly for her speed, she's trying to enhance the strategic part of her game.
The change didn't go smoothly at a recent World Cup in Montreal. She was disqualified in the semifinal for charging.
"When you push the envelope, you don't know what too much is until you get there, and that's what Montreal was sort of about, that self-discovery and experimentation," Cavar said. "She was putting it all out on the line. It shows she's attempting to be even better."
He said the World Cups were a good chance to test her more aggressive approach, which she'll need on the ice in 2010.
And when that time comes, Gregg says she'll be ready.
"When we first found out the Games would be in Canada, I didn't really know where I would be ... but last year I had a great season, this summer I made the Olympic team ... and having the Games in Vancouver, things have kind of aligned for me," she said.
In a sport with much longevity, this Olympics likely won't be Gregg's last. And in the future, she might even follow in her mom's footsteps a little more directly.
"I think I had potential in long track … we'll see what happens," she said.
