After the Fire - Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman
by Andy Fledderjohann, usolympicteam.comSALT LAKE CITY (2/8/02) - For a moment, Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman put their Olympic aspirations on hold.
Frozen in time, they watched with horror as attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., shocked the entire world on Sept. 11. Not only did they watch, they did so with their own eyes just a few miles from the chaos in lower Manhattan.The figure skating pair team - two time defending national champions - trains and practices just 15 minutes from the World Trade Center and both witnessed much of the pandemonium firsthand from their homes before watching on television from their practice rink, the Ice House, in nearby Hackensack, N.J.
"It was an unthinkable act of hate crime," Ina said. "When the first plane hit, you knew there was something terribly wrong. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. Then the second plane hit and it was obvious it was something more."
"It was so shocking and surreal. We have four ice surfaces at our practice rink and there was no one on the ice - not one. Everyone just was glued in front of the televisions."
For Ina, the situation hit a more personal level. Her mother works just two blocks from the World Trade Center, and Ina spent much of the day waiting by the telephone for a call from her mother.
"It was really tough because I would say to my mom, 'come home,' but then you would see all the debris falling and say, 'no, stay there,'" Ina said. "Fortunately, she was evacuated from her building and not in the area when the second tower collapsed."
"I woke up because a friend of mine called me, and he told me what had happened," Zimmerman said. "I looked out and could only see the one building. It was like seeing only one arm. You're so used to seeing both and all of a sudden, it's gone."
Aftermath of the Attack
While New York City slowly is attempting to return to some sense of normalcy, it's obvious it won't be happening any time soon - if ever.
"I went down with a friend of mine recently and we were within a half-mile of the scene," Zimmerman said. "Until you go down there and smell the concrete and electricity still burning in the air, you can't get the full effect of the situation. It was just a sad, disgusting feeling."
"The hardest thing is that even in Connecticut, which is just about 30 minutes away, they don't feel the impact," Ina said. "You have to actually be in the city - with the bridges closed and the security checkpoints everywhere. You have to carpool just to get into town because they won't let you in by yourself. They check every single van. Then you realize how much they're affected. The whole area is on hold."
Ina's mother was out of work for two weeks. She just got power and phone service back within the past week.
The reminders of the tragedy and its heroes are all over the city.
"You drive by firehouses and police stations, and there are so many flowers and cards outside," Ina said. "It's really amazing."
Back to Work
Ina and Zimmerman are back to their normal practice regime with big hopes for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake.
Ina and Zimmerman will feature a 'classical style with a modern twist' as they shoot for a medal at the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake.
"We're working hard right now," Zimmerman said. "We do most of our tough training during the summer. Now we're working more on fine-tuning, the details of our program and the technical elements – all of the finer points. We're really trying to prepare hard before each competition and be focused on each competition."
Featuring a 'classical style with a modern twist,' Ina and Zimmerman are preparing for the first Olympic berth together since joining forces in the summer of 1998. The duo is the United States' top hope at pairs figure skating after winning the last two U.S. Championships.
"We're pretty anxious right now," Ina said. "Right now, we want it to be here next week, but I'm sure when they are a week away, we'll wish they were a month away. We're really looking forward to competing at the Olympics."
Ina competed at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, with then-partner Jason Dungjen, finishing just out of the medals in fourth place. Zimmerman will be competing in his first Olympics.
Rising to the Occasion
While Ina and Zimmerman have won at the U.S. Championships, they haven't garnered the same success at the international level. Despite being one of the top-ranked pairs in the world, the duo took seventh each of the last two years at the World Championships. They agree that confidence will be the key to their success.
"I think we're just as good as everyone else we compete against," Ina said. "We just have to get our stuff together."
At the same time, as the national champions, they have to deal with the expectations of the home-standing American faithful. While the pressure definitely will be on, Zimmerman said preparation will be critical.
"If we are prepared, we'll be more relaxed," Zimmerman said. "You create more pressure for yourself by not being ready to go. It's all up to us, so we need to go out and be confident."
The pair plans to gain as much confidence as possible from what is sure to be a pro-American crowd.
"Especially after the tragedy, we're feeling patriotism unlike anything we've ever felt before," Zimmerman said. "I've never seen so many flags on cars before."
Ina and Zimmerman have visions of an even bigger flag as their Olympic hopes come to fruition.
"I think it would be the greatest to win here in Salt Lake and stand on top of the podium and hear our national anthem," Ina said. "That would be an amazing feeling."
