To illustrate exactly where American speedskater Chris Witty's head is, 3 1/2 months away from the Winter Olympics, consider this: Someone introduced her to a writer on Friday by saying, "This is Chris Witty. She's going to win a gold medal in February."
To which Witty added: "Or maybe two. Why not three?"
She said it unpretentiously, even matter-of-factly, the way someone announces she is going for a walk.
It wasn't a wish, it was a statement.
The Park City resident is on hand this weekend at the Grand America Hotel, along other top American athletes, to preview what's ahead in the next few months. The answer: grueling workouts, considerable travel hassles and, eventually, a raging home-site advantage. After all, the 2002 Winter Olympics are right here in Salt Lake. The venues, altitude, weather and overall atmosphere will all be familiar to the Americans. What's more, it will happen in a time when patriotism is at high tide.
As Neil Diamond put it, everybody's coming to America.
The Americans, well, they're already here ? and expecting to take full advantage.
"This," says skier Picabo Street, "is beyond a dream come true."
In some ways, working toward Salt Lake has been an arduous task for Witty. In 1998 in Nagano, she won two medals ? a silver in the 1,000-meter race and a bronze in the 1,500 meters. Even so, it was a disappointment. She was favored to win the gold in the 1,000 and considered a contender in the 500.
On the other hand, waiting for another chance at gold couldn't have been THAT difficult. There wasn't enough time. That's because Witty also competed in cycling in the Summer Olympics in 2000, making her only the ninth American ever to compete in both Winter and Summer Games. She finished fifth in the 500-meter time trials at Sydney.
Which raises a couple of questions: Is she primarily a speedskater or a cyclist? Or just someone who never has an off-season?
Though she says she is a speedskater first, she is quick to admit she's considering returning in 2004 as a cyclist in the Summer Games.
Clearly, this is a person who doesn't know the meaning of the word quit ? unless it involves a bad habit. To wit: Four years ago, Witty was a gifted but very human athlete. She was capable of turning in great times (she is a former world record holder in the 1000 meters) but also did small things that couldn't have helped her performance. For example, there was her weakness for the twin temptations of pizza and ice cream.
Seems she couldn't completely do without the companionship of Ben, Jerry and the Red Baron.
That isn't to say she was getting fat. On the contrary, she remained a wonderfully fit athlete. It's just that there is good fitness and there's better fitness.
It's safe to say pepperoni and extra cheese fitness isn't the best.
But that appears to be a thing of the past. "My diet is not a concern now. I'm eating well; it's working and I'm really healthy," she says.
Too bad. Winning Olympic gold is one thing, but doing it without giving up ice cream?
That's the stuff of legends.
Then there were the hobbies of playing guitar and dreaming of owning a Harley-Davidson. But those are apparently history, too. She stopped playing guitar when travel got in the way. As for whether her dream of owning a Harley-Davidson is still alive, she says, "Well, if you speak to Harley it is. But otherwise, I don't own a Harley and I don't have one."
Put her dream of driving a hog down the highway on the back burner, too.
All this could mean good things for her in February. She's more focused, dedicated and content. She says in 1998 she was competing with too many expectations, most of them from outside influences. She skated out of rhythm and finished just short of winning the gold.
This time, in Salt Lake City, there will be even higher expectations. With the wave of patriotism enveloping the country, it's likely Americans will not only be expecting, but craving American medals.
"Maybe in the media there's that pressure, and people will talk about it, but I'm going to focus on my race first," she says.
This time she's going in with a lot less baggage and feeling comfortable.
Which is only natural. If you can't get comfortable in your own back yard, where can you?
E-mail: rock@desnews.com