KEARNS ? Derek Parra, as it turned out, had a choice. He could watch his baby daughter being born in Florida, or he could stay in top form to qualify for the U.S. Olympic 1,000 meter long-track speed-skating team.
He chose family over glory, and ended up missing the Olympic team Friday by a mere 17 hundredths of a second at the Utah Olympic Oval.
Was he disappointed? Sure. Parra already has qualified for the Olympics in the 1,500 meters, where he is considered a strong contender for a medal, and he may yet qualify for the 5K, but he would have liked to have shown what he could do in the 1,000 meters on the world's most watched stage. Still, he was clear about one thing.
"I don't regret going home."
This was the couple's first child. He spent four days in Florida, including an entire sleepless night in the hospital. His daughter, Mia Elizabeth, was born a healthy 6 pounds, 13 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long. Both daughter and mother, Tiffany, are doing fine. But when Parra returned to Salt Lake City for the Olympic qualifiers this week, he was exhausted.
The men's 1,000-meter team will consist of Joey Cheek, Nick Pearson and Kip Carpenter, the top three finishers Friday, as well as Casey Fitzrandolph, whose strong performances in international competition this year pre-qualified him. Cheek, who turned in impressive times earlier this week in the 500 and 1,500 meters, finished the 1,000 in 1:08.04 on Friday, only 32 hundredths of a second off the world record.
The ladies also finalized their 1,000 meters team Friday. Chris Witty, Amy Sannes and Becky Sundstrom won the honor to join Jennifer Rodriguez, who pre-qualified. All four were on the 1998 Olympic team in Nagano.
"These are the same people who got top-10 finishes in Nagano," Witty said. "We're older and better now."
Parra said his brief trip to Florida did more than exhaust him. It made it difficult for him to readjust to the high altitude when he returned.
"I came back and couldn't breathe," he said, noting that his heart rate after a workout went from 130 beats per minute to 160. "It's been an emotional roller coaster ? mentally draining."
Still, he plans to return to Florida on Sunday for a Christmas visit with his wife and child before turning his mind back to speedskating full time.
Skaters also competed in the ladies' 3K and the men's 5K distances on Friday. Catherine Raney won the 3K with a time of 4:11.94. Kristine Holzer and Annie Driscoll finished second and third, respectively. J.P. Shilling, who qualified for the 1,500-meter team earlier in the week, won the 5K with a time of 6:32.04. Jason Hedstrand and Clay Mull finished second and third.
The women's 5K and men's 10K will be held Saturday. However, unlike with the shorter distances, the 3K and longer races do not automatically qualify anyone for the Olympic team. The long-distance teams are chosen through a complicated set of rules and likely won't be determined until after a World Cup event next month in The Netherlands.
E-mail: even@desnews.com