Speedskaters coming to Vancouver

Chances to watch Winter Olympic athletes without fighting the crowds and expense of the sold-out Vancouver Games are running short.

But one of the best looms this week, when the world's greatest speedskaters descend on Richmond Oval for the World Single Distance Championships, Thursday through Sunday.

It's a rare chance to see U.S. stars and Olympic medalists Shani Davis, Chad Hedrick and Jennifer Rodriguez in action against the world's best, including Anni Freisinger of Germany, Sven Kramer of The Netherlands, Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic, Enrico Fabris of Italy and Cindy Classen and Jeremy Wotherspoon of host nation Canada. America's Davis set a world record in the 1,500 meters last week at a World Cup event in Kearns, Utah.

Scalpers' tickets to see these same athletes likely will cost hundreds — several hundreds — at the Olympics a year from now.

The other star attraction, let's face it, will be Richmond Oval itself. The suburban Vancouver speedskating barn, which sits on the banks of the Fraser River across from Vancouver International Airport, is the grandest of all 2010 Olympic venues. The 363,000-square-foot building will be converted to a massive public recreation facility after the 2010 Games.

USOC shocker

A palace coup of some sort seems to have occurred last week within the U.S. Olympic Committee, with CEO Jim Scherr getting the heave-ho from his board of directors — a group that includes U.S. Olympic luminary Peter Ueberroth, always considered a strong supporter of former athlete Scherr.

Not much scuttlebutt yet on the internal politics behind this one. But it's an odd occurrence, coming as it does just before an International Olympic Committee visit to Colorado, the autumn selection of the host for the 2016 Games, and that little event known as the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Scherr, a 1988 Olympic wrestler, enjoyed unparalleled U.S. medal success since taking the reins on an interim basis in 2003, and officially in 2005. Funny time to "retire," as the announcement put it. He'll be done by the end of March.

One suggestion: Maybe the USOC, which likes to talk about how it puts athletes first, can suck it up and eat Scherr's $550,000-plus salary instead of laying off quite so many people in a 15 percent staff cut also announced last week.

The interim CEO is Stephanie Streeter, another corporate type, a former Stanford hoops player and a USOC board member since 2004. Streeter also sits on the board of Chicago 2016, an odd and perhaps conflicting role for a USOC head.

Still believe in miracles?

Al Michaels does. And on the 30th anniversary year of the memorable "Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid in 1980, Michaels will be back in a broadcaster's chair, working for NBC during the Vancouver Games. Michaels, 64, will be the daytime host, handing off to Bob Costas in prime time.

Luddite update

Among the things you missed last week by not snooping around on the Olympic Insider blog at seattletimes.com/olympics:

• Pat Deneen of Cle Elum shocked the world by claiming a gold medal at the moguls World Championships in Japan. And on the same day, J.R. Celski of Federal Way did some shocking of his own by winning a bronze at the short-track speedskating worlds in Vienna.

• Sliding is a family tradition in the Adirondacks. We report from Lake Placid about the multigenerational volunteer effort to build a new bobsled garage for U.S. athletes at Mount Van Hoevenberg.

Ron Judd: 206-464-8280 or at rjudd@seattletimes.com