Blair-Cruikshank’s daughter must sit out trials
Bonnie Blair-Cruikshank's 21-year old daughter, Blair, has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be able to compete in this week's U.S. long track speedskating Olympic trials at the Pettit National Ice Center, Blair-Cruikshank said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Blair-Cruikshank, a four-time Olympic speed skater, and her husband, Dave Cruikshank, tested negative and will be allowed to continue as coaches with the DASH team at the trials, set for Wednesday through Sunday, as long as they mask up and continue to test negative.
As of Tuesday night, 110 participants – including athletes and Tier 1 officials and staff – had been tested, according to US Speedskating. Of those tests, three athletes and two non-athlete participants were positive for COVID-19. Contact tracing was performed and anyone considered a close contact or potential close contact will be tested daily.
In a phone interview Tuesday afternoon, Blair-Cruikshank discussed her daughter testing positive, as well as the many issues surrounding the trials and the Winter Games as they attempt to play out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are excerpts:
On her daughter’s recent test: “She tested positive last Thursday. An athlete needs two negatives to compete. She had another test done by Froedtert, in the hopes that the first test was a mistake. So that basically took her out of the competition. She has no symptoms and is not allowed to compete.”
On asking US Speedskating if Blair could adhere to the new five-day quarantine protocol recommended by the CDC: “They're going with their original rules and regulations: be out for 10 days.”
On working with a group of athletes who are in the Olympic trials: “As long as we test every day and we keep testing negative, we're allowed to be there, making sure we keep our distance, obviously have a mask on and everybody in the building has a mask on anyway.”
On how her daughter is taking the news: “She was more so looking at the next Olympics down the road; she knew she wasn't in serious contention for these Olympic Games. However, these Olympic trials were like Olympic Games. That's disheartening. And, and it's frustrating. You know, she might have felt a little bit better if she felt, you know, crappy! But she doesn't even feel bad (but is symptom free).
“You obviously don't want anyone else to test positive. We for sure don't want that happening. We don't want other people missing out on opportunities.
“I know USS talked about trying to provide a competition bubble. That's not exactly what this is. Because so many athletes flew in from the Salt Lake area, are coming down from Minnesota. You're getting here different ways. They're staying in different hotels, they're eating different things ....
“Now, of course nothing is ever perfect but … it wouldn't be perfect unless you let everybody that qualified stay in the same area . ... A true bubble. You know, like what the NHL did, they always worked in one place. They were in one hotel, eating in one room there. Back to a true bubble. This isn't a bubble.
“Yes, it's a competition bubble because now people have tested, and they may be limiting who can be in the facility. But once the competition starts, then they're stopping the testing.”
On US Speedskating’s stance: “I wonder if US Speedskating asked if, you know, do we give each athlete 10 tickets and allow at least their families to come in?
“I for sure don't want anybody to test positive and I for sure don't want those athletes that make Olympic teams to have any more issues than I know what they're already going to have: getting ready to make the next step to go to China. And all the testing that has to be done and all the hoops to jump through with them.
“How do the ones that make it to the Olympic team, live even in a more enclosed bubble before they get on the airplane to go to Beijing? They're going to have to do something - because numbers are so crazy out of control.
“My daughter, our family, couldn't have been any better with the precautions. Over the Christmas holiday we didn't go to anybody that we would normally visit. We really lived in our own quarantine leading up to this and it still didn't work . ...
“It's a difficult road to navigate. You look at these athletes and they're in the best shape of their lives. They're all supposed to be vaccinated. You don't want them to have anything bad to happen to them. My husband and I, we got a strong kid and she won't let it get the best of her and she's going to look forward and she's going to keep plugging away.
“I get we want to keep our athletes safe. But it is a big building and, it's also a great way for us to showcase our sport and get people to be excited about it. You know, we lose windows on that.”