Athlete profile: Jennifer Rodriguez

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

Athlete notes

A speed skater from Florida? Yes, the Sunshine State which also boasts native Brian Shimer in bobsledding will probably have a presence on the 400-meter oval as well...a champion inline skater and roller skater, Rodriguez has followed the wave of inline skaters onto the ice..."I have been in the top for so many years, but in sports that nobody knows anything about, so nobody knows me," she says. "No one appreciates those sports because they don't know anything about them, they never see them on television. Going to the Olympics is my dream. The Olympics are everything"...in her first US All-Around Championships in 1997, Rodriguez placed fourth overall... "I still have a lot to learn. As the year goes on I think I can do better with more experience on the ice," she says. "Compared to last year, everything is better. My times are getting better and every time I break my own times I think that's great"...Rodriguez has followed coach Gerard Kemkers' advice by taking a piecemeal approach to her skating..."One day I will work on my straightaways, then I'll work on the corners for a week and on my edges another week," says Rodriguez. "I can't say enough about Gerard. The neat thing is he is so young. He is 32 and he just mingles so well with all of us. He is everything you could possibly want. He writes programs, takes care of details for us like transportation and on top of that he can always get us hyped up"...her boyfriend is KC Boutiette, the first of the inliners to cross over and by far the most successful one..."He gives me advice or suggests certain things to me that he thinks can help. I really look up to him," Jennifer says. "After all, he knows what he's talking about"...her first love was roller skating, "I used to have all my birthday parties at the roller rink."...Jennifer competed as a roller skater for 16 years...she was a two-time World Team member for speed in-line skating and a five-time world team member for artistic roller skating..."It's like figure skating, but you're on roller skates," explains Jennifer. "We have world championships and everything else but not competition on the Olympic level yet"...Jennifer has earned 12 world championship medals in roller skating, finishing second overall in 1993...she also won the silver medal in the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina, making her the only female to have made the world team and to medal in both speed-inline and artistic skating...Rodriguez has found very little time for outside activities with her training schedule..."I don't do much. I basically skate, sleep and eat," says Jennifer. "But this summer the big thing was golfing. I would tag along with KC and his buddies for a few rounds when I had the chance"...Jennifer is chipping away at a degree in physical or massage therapy at Florida International University near Miami where her mom, Barbara, her dad, Joe, and younger brother Eric still live..."My whole family is very supportive. My dad is really involved in sports so he is thrilled. My mom's never been into sports, but she enjoys watching me"...