Athlete profile: Kevin Overland

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

Overland is a classic example of how the clap skates have enabled sprinters to carry their speed a little longer and thus vault into the middle distance Events, the 1,500 meters, with overwhelming results...in a sport where world records seem to be changing weekly, Overland held the world record in the 1,500 meters for about a month...his time of 1:49.07 was set November 29, 1997 in Calgary but was broken on December 20 by Dutchman Rintje Ritsma who scorched a 1:48.88...most skating pundits believe that Overland will not skate nearly as fast on foreign ice in Nagano...before competitions, Overland can often be seen wearing a pair of headphones..."I get away from all the hype by listening to my stereo. I like most types of music, but my favorite is hip-hop and rap. I love the Wu-Tang Clan from New York City! It's the ‘Wu' forever baby!" shouts Overland..."Triumph" is the name of the Wu-Tang Clan's most popular song -- so does Overland plan to be triumphant in Nagano?..."I'll be on better equipment; in a great environment for skating," he says. "I've put in four hard years of technical training and I know I'll be ready. What ever happens though; with the family and crew I have behind me, I'm already a winner"...Overland and his sister Cindy, who is also a member of the speed skating team, live and train together in Calgary...according to Kevin, his relationship with his sister has helped to make him the competitor he is, and vice versa..."She's a year and a half younger than me and we've always competed together, but there's never been any competition between us," says Overland. "We have a strange relationship that way. She's always been very supportive of me and has always been there for me 100 percent. I couldn't ask for anything more"...in addition to Cindy, Kevin also has a younger sister, Amanda, who is on the Canadian national junior speed skating team and a younger brother, Justin, who is a competitive swimmer...mother, Linda, is a homemaker and father, Ernest, works at the Schneider Meat Factory in Ontario...Ernest also coaches speed skating and runs marathons in his spare time..."My family has always been very active," says Kevin. "Sports is kind of the center of our lives in a way; it's a way we all connect"...Ernest's co-worker suggested to him that Kevin and Cindy try speed skating..."Cindy was a lot better than me at first and I started to get discouraged," recalls Kevin. "Dad kept my spirits up and made me better by coaching me. After I won my first medal I was hooked"...Overland received his first pair of clap skates in September..."Even though I started on them later, it's been fine because I've been working on bettering my technique for the past four years and technically strong skaters have done best on clap-skates"...Overland expresses less enthusiasm for the new rule changes in the 500m race..."I like having that one race for the 500 meters. Two races doesn't have the same drama or impact to me," says Overland. "I guess in a lot of ways, I'm a traditionalist. I'd still rather not have to use clap-skates, but I know I have to adapt to changing times. The 500 meters should be a one-shot deal; you give your all one time and you win or lose. That's it, that's all she wrote"...