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le over, it seemed Paul reached for it be- fore any of the skaters got a
chance...it made us all laugh, as we felt we should be the ones getting the nutrition...” Paul, who was always friendly, shared a quick hello to everyone, loved to make every- one feel like family. Family is really what made Paul smile.
His treasured moments were spent fishing with his grandson and watching his grand- daughter skate. He was an avid stamp collector, loved to hunt and have fun and laughs playing, (or some would affection- ately say “cheating” at) a game of cards. “The Big Cheese” as he was known in the
skating community was inducted into the Speedskating Hall of Fame in 1998, hon- ored for his years and depth of contribution to the sport. If there was a meet, then Paul would be there, with a smile on his face. “He is someone who gave tirelessly
to the sport way aer his kids were in- volved, it really was in his blood and he is a person who will be missed dearly at the rink,” shared Bonnie.
Lyle LeBombard Lyle LeBombard had two great nick-
names, one given to him “The Iceman” and one self-proclaimed “Old Buzzard”. Lyle was well known for his talents as a su- preme icemaker and traveled world-wide to prepare 400m ovals for speedskating competitions. He always set out to do the best job he could and he did so with pride as skaters lauded such perfect skating ice.
Lyle LeBombard
Oen asked to share his secret, he would always claim no one would want to hear about such tedious, intricate details of temperatures or compressors, that it was boring. Lyle just “knew” the ice; he learned how to “read” it and make adjustments, to make it safe and fast. He had a gi for natural ice as well. Lyle
built a first rate 400m oval, through snow and shiing ice for the 1977 Ladies World Speedskating Championships in which a young Beth Heiden competed along with other skaters from around the world. As technical as Lyle was in making
ice, he was just as meticulous with skat- ing technique he shared in his coaching skill. Coca Cola named him with the 1992 Coach of Honor award for his guidance of Olympian Dan Jansen. Lyle made an impact on any skater or
coach he worked with. Olympian Casey FitzRandolph fondly remembers train- ing with LeBombard on many chilly and windy workouts on the outdoor Olympic Oval in West Allis (now the Pettit Na- tional Ice Center). “He would oen have us do candy canes
- 200m drills – and he’d stand there on the sidelines in his big boots, parka and hat hollering out his famous ‘Lyleisms ’” recalled FitzRandolph. Casey began working with Lyle when
he was just 8-years-old and continued training with him until the age of 16. “Lyle taught me the true technical aspects of the sport, and for that I am eternally grateful,” he added. “He also taught me to never rest on my laurels, but to look back on my races and learn from things I could do better.” “The Old Buzzard” was anything but
set in his ways. “While he kept to the ba- sics, he was a creative thinker who oen thought outside of the box on ways to improve, whether it be blades or skating technique,” Casey shared. Long track junior skater Emery Lehm-
an, 15, began training with LeBombard at the Pettit as a 9-year-old, and has fond memories of his coach. “He had a really good way in just watching you skate for a few seconds and then telling you how you could improve,” said Lehman. Em- ery’s mother Marcia agreed, “Lyle didn’t tell you how to skate, but why you should
16 RACING BLADE Winter 2012
www.usspeedskating.org Pat McNamara As luck would have it, Pat met another
skater who did believe in him and con- vinced him to join the club by guaranteeing Mac that he could indeed wear the jersey and tights that everyone else was wearing. Pat would go out there and skate lap upon
skate that way, and in a way that a young skater could understand.” “Speedskating in the U.S. draws in very devoted people, and Lyle was no excep- tion to that rule. His tremendous contri- bution to the sport will live on in the lives of the many skaters he impacted,” added US Speedskating Sprint Head Coach Ryan Shimabukuro. “From what I saw, and from the skat-
ers that he worked with, Lyle was one of our best technical skating coaches and stressed the fundamentals necessary to become a top skater. He is responsible for the development of a lot of our top skat- ers over the years and will definitely be missed,” said Olympian David Cruikshank. “The older he got, the wittier he be-
came,” said FitzRandolph. “He was a lot of fun to be around.” We will also miss some pioneer athletes that demonstrated true spirit of the sport.
Matthew Francis Patrick McNamara Matthew Francis Patrick McNamara,
“Pat” as he was known to friends was quite the storyteller. This two-time Olym- pian had many adventures to share from his speedskating days. He did not pick up the sport until he was an adult. Every Sat- urday morning, he and his friend Bob Riley would head over to the local rink for inter- mission, where in loaned, beat up hockey skates, Pat would fall into the pace line led by a fella named Ozzie. When following his friend Bill to the outdoor oval, he was told by a local club that he was too old to skate.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CASEY FITZRANDOLPH
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