Kip Carpenter
Encyclopedia
Kip Carpenter is an American
speedskater who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics
, as well as the 2006 Winter Olympics
, winning a bronze medal in the 500 meter race at the 2002 games, while also skating the fastest lap in Olympic history in the 500 meter race with a time of 24.87 for a 400 meter. He is currently a member of the USA National Sprint Team, as well as the DSB Corporate Sprint Team, being coached by Ryan Shimabukuro and Jeroen Otter. At the end of the 2007-2008 season Kip retired from professional speed skating and is now coaching an elite speed skating team Swift Speedskating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
. He later moved to Brookfield, Wisconsin
to train at the U.S Olympic Training Facility, the Pettit National Ice Center
, in Milwaukee.
A former short-track speed skater, Carpenter made the transition to long track in 1998. Three years later, he placed among the top dozen in the 500m at the 2001 World Single Distance Championships. He is best known for his flawless form on the turns from his years skating short track which gives him a distinct advantage over most skaters. Since Salt Lake Kip continues to be one of the best American sprinters, finishing second in the overall U.S. Sprint Championships standings in 2004. He's also been a force on the international scene, finishing in the top 10 in the 500m, 1000m and overall standings at both the 2003 and 2004 World Sprints Championships. Carpenter also tallied two top 10 finishes in the 500m (eight and seventh) at the 2003 and 2004 World Single Distance Championships, and was sixth in the 1000m in 2004. Carpenter finished eighth in the 500m at the 2005 World Single Distance Championships and ranked 11th in the 500m and 12th in the 1000m in the 2006/2007 World Cup standings, as well as finishing 15th in the 500m and 12th in the 1000m in the 2007/2008 World Cup standings.
Started skating in 1983...father skated for fun and passed the sport on to Kip and his brother Cory...first ice rink was in his backyard and during the winter his father would line the backyard with plastic and flood it with a hose...Kip and Cory would push chairs around the ice to learn how to balance...considers his greatest accomplishment as being an Olympic bronze medalist from the Salt Lake Games because "it's something an athlete dreams and works towards for their entire career. It was a dream come true"...cites his strongest influences to be his mother's struggle through surviving breast cancer, and Coach Mike Crowe teaching him "incredible skating technique and the ability to think outside the box"...also cites a "fire inside that burns to represent my country well and do 'right' for America and American athletics"...owns an Italian greyhound named "Swift"...plans to get a degree in business...enjoys listening to techno, electronic, dance and industrial music...favorite foods are pizza and olives...favorite movies are "Fight Club", "Interview With The Vampire", Minority Report" and "The Matrix".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
speedskater who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, as well as the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
, winning a bronze medal in the 500 meter race at the 2002 games, while also skating the fastest lap in Olympic history in the 500 meter race with a time of 24.87 for a 400 meter. He is currently a member of the USA National Sprint Team, as well as the DSB Corporate Sprint Team, being coached by Ryan Shimabukuro and Jeroen Otter. At the end of the 2007-2008 season Kip retired from professional speed skating and is now coaching an elite speed skating team Swift Speedskating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Background
Kip was born in Kalamazoo, MichiganKalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
. He later moved to Brookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 37,920 in the 2010 census. Brookfield is the second largest city in Waukesha County, and the leading commercial suburb of Milwaukee. The City of Brookfield was formed in 1954 from the Town of...
to train at the U.S Olympic Training Facility, the Pettit National Ice Center
Pettit National Ice Center
The Pettit National Ice Center is an indoor ice skating facility in West Allis, Wisconsin featuring two international-size ice rinks and a 400-meter speed skating oval. Located adjacent to Wisconsin State Fair Park, the center opened on December 31, 1992, and was named for Milwaukee philanthropists...
, in Milwaukee.
A former short-track speed skater, Carpenter made the transition to long track in 1998. Three years later, he placed among the top dozen in the 500m at the 2001 World Single Distance Championships. He is best known for his flawless form on the turns from his years skating short track which gives him a distinct advantage over most skaters. Since Salt Lake Kip continues to be one of the best American sprinters, finishing second in the overall U.S. Sprint Championships standings in 2004. He's also been a force on the international scene, finishing in the top 10 in the 500m, 1000m and overall standings at both the 2003 and 2004 World Sprints Championships. Carpenter also tallied two top 10 finishes in the 500m (eight and seventh) at the 2003 and 2004 World Single Distance Championships, and was sixth in the 1000m in 2004. Carpenter finished eighth in the 500m at the 2005 World Single Distance Championships and ranked 11th in the 500m and 12th in the 1000m in the 2006/2007 World Cup standings, as well as finishing 15th in the 500m and 12th in the 1000m in the 2007/2008 World Cup standings.
Started skating in 1983...father skated for fun and passed the sport on to Kip and his brother Cory...first ice rink was in his backyard and during the winter his father would line the backyard with plastic and flood it with a hose...Kip and Cory would push chairs around the ice to learn how to balance...considers his greatest accomplishment as being an Olympic bronze medalist from the Salt Lake Games because "it's something an athlete dreams and works towards for their entire career. It was a dream come true"...cites his strongest influences to be his mother's struggle through surviving breast cancer, and Coach Mike Crowe teaching him "incredible skating technique and the ability to think outside the box"...also cites a "fire inside that burns to represent my country well and do 'right' for America and American athletics"...owns an Italian greyhound named "Swift"...plans to get a degree in business...enjoys listening to techno, electronic, dance and industrial music...favorite foods are pizza and olives...favorite movies are "Fight Club", "Interview With The Vampire", Minority Report" and "The Matrix".