Suddenly, Parra May Be in Line for a Medal at Salt Lake Games

When his cell phone rang, Derek Parra knew his wife was calling from Florida, but he was unexpectedly in a position where answering the call would have been rude.

For the first time,the former world champion in-line skater was doing a medalists’ news conference at an international event in speedskating.

“Finally, after all these years,” Parra said.

The second place in Friday’s 1,500 meters at the World Single Distance Speedskating Championships couldn’t have come at a better time in Parra’s career, for it suddenly has made the 31-year-old from San Bernardino an Olympic medal contender next year.

The single distance meet is the first test of the 2002 Olympic oval and something of a form chart for next year’s Winter Games, because it is the only annual speedskating competition to follow essentially an Olympic format.

Both the rink, which cost $29 million, and Parra, who works up to 80 hours a week at Home Depot in his off-season to make ends meet, shook off a beleaguered past to show that world and U.S. speedskating fans should have plenty to cheer at next February’s Winter Games.

When he spoke to his wife, Tiffany, a minute after the news conference ended, Parra was brushing away tears. The two have seen each other only twice in the last three months, a separation caused by his skating travels, her desire to finish college and their inability to afford his most recent move from Milwaukee to U.S. speedskating’s new training base in Utah. She moved back to Orlando, Fla., with her parents, and he moved to Park City and another Home Depot store.

“Can you believe it? Can you believe it? I got second,” Parra asked his wife of 21 months.

Parra’s silver medal was the first by a U.S. man in the six-year history of the single distance championships. He set one of three U.S. records in the opening day’s three events, which also saw a world record by Canada’s Catriona Le May Doan in the 500 meters.

High-quality ice and lessened air resistance at the highest indoor speedskating surface in the world, 4,675 feet above sea level, combined to make everyone forget the rink’s opening had been delayed several months by a roof collapse and poorly poured concrete.

Fourteen of the 24 entrants in the women’s 500 set personal bests, including Chris Witty, who lowered her U.S. record twice to 38.36 seconds while placing 12th. There were 11 personal bests of 23 starters in the men’s 1,500, and 10 of 24 in the women’s 3,000.

“You’re probably going to have to break the world record to win here next year,” said 1,500-meter winner Adne Sondral of Norway, reigning Olympic champion at the distance.

While Sondral’s time of 1:46.10 was about a half-second slower than his personal best and the world record, Parra’s 1:46.20 obliterated the U.S. mark of 1:47.47 he set last week in Calgary. The 1988 Olympic oval in Calgary, where Le May Doan’s husband is the ice maker, has been considered the fastest in the world.

That is why she felt “bittersweet” about breaking the world record of 37.40 she had set two months ago in Calgary with Friday’s 37.29.

Bittersweet could apply to Parra’s career since his desire to compete in the Olympics led him to change skates in 1996.

He went to the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano as a longshot to race because of entry limits in the 5,000, found out he would skate a day before the race and then was knocked out by a registration mix-up involving a Kazak athlete.

“I went home and asked Tiffany, ‘Do I want to do this again? If you think we can, I’ll try,’ ” Parra said.

It hasn’t been easy. Sometimes Parra was doing better in the electrical department of a Wisconsin Home Depot, where he twice was employee of the month, than on the ice.

“After a couple years, I was ready to give it up,” Parra said.

It seems now Parra has found his calling.