COVER STORY
OFF THE ICE
Skaters Spend the Off Season Out of Their Elements by Kelly Pugliano
As speed skaters, we are always amongst all four elements
air, earth, fire and water. If they were not present, we could not function in the sport we love. How is this possible? Air is need- ed to fill lungs and to cool the water that has been compressed to make the ice we glide upon. Fire from deep in our soul pro- pels us to fight against the clock with precision turns and fi- nesse and nothing would happen without the earth set beneath providing a firm, stable foundation for which our sheets of ice rest. Without all of the elements occurring at once, we could not perform our sport. So what happens when we remove one from all and focus on the individual? We learn that each is an integral part of a whole…and that each has made up a part of that individuals success.
Air- Glenn Corso of Flushing, NY has been flying since age 7
and “I could see over the console.” With a specially made seat crafted by his father to see the panel, Glenn learned to fly by instruments, which has been helpful on more than a few scary occasions. Aer earning his license for single and multi-engine commer-
cial and instrument ratings in 1985, Glenn shared ownership of a Cessna 182 with three other friends. Today, Glenn is the proud owner of his own Beechcra B58-P, a twin engine, 6-seater with pressurized cabin and turbocharged engines. What is the best part of flying? Avoiding the local Long Island traffic! Other perks of flying for this skater is the convenience of saving 3 or more hours when traveling to Lake Placid, NY to skate on the oval; much better than the 6-7 hour commute by car. When asked if there were ever a time that was scary, Glenn
replied “from the first solo flight…every flight is an adventure. Flying responsibly is about staying current in procedures, under- standing your machine and being prepared for those things that will usually happen when it is the worst time to deal with them.” Like his first rookie flight to Lake Placid, NY opting to leave the plane parked on the ramp over a long weekend rather than in a hanger, Glenn found his aircra covered in thick ice aer a week- end storm. Unable to scrape off, he relied on deicing and hoped it was enough to get him through the snow and darkness that was now setting in. Aer getting clearance and taking off, 300 feet above the ground and deep into the “soup” (clouds), three in- struments critical to flight orientation stopped working. Know- ing the only thing he could do was climb; Glenn went back to the basics and made sure to follow the instruments that were still functioning. At 4500 feet, radio contact was then re-established due to clearing the mountains and at 9800 feet, the plane was able to level off and have an alternate reset of the instruments, teaching this pilot not to panic. Keeping a cool head under pressure, saving a few hours of
18 RACING BLADE Summer 2012
www.usspeedskating.org
Rebecca Dyrud Petra Acker
Glenn Corso
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