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SPEEDSKATING
Because she has a master's degree in molecular biology, you would expect to find Eva Rodansky in a lab. But don't go looking for her there yet. First, try the Utah Olympic Oval, where Rodansky sharpens rental skates.
She could be making more money if she were using her degree, but Rodansky has chosen to hold back and let speedskating be the most important thing in her life.
"I don't just love to race," said Rodansky. "I really enjoy the day-to-day life of a speedskater. I need a great deal of physical activity and I find the training to be fun."
When Rodansky came to Utah in 1994, she expected her speedskating career to take off with top-flight coaching at Utah's state-of-the-art facility. Instead, Rodansky's life came to a screeching halt.
"The coach abandoned us," she said. "And the facility wasn't built yet."
It was then that Rodansky decided to take a break from the sport she loved and go to college.
She returned to Kearns in 2001 to try again. That October, Rodansky made her first World Cup team in the 3,000 meters.
"I had just come out of a six-year retirement from the sport in January and by October I was competing against the best speedskaters in the nation," she said.
Rodansky finished first, 6 seconds ahead of the second-place skater - no small margin in speedskating.
"I love the fact that metric speedskating is all about 'me against the clock,' '' she said. "You have a great deal of control over your results and there isn't much of a chance that someone will interfere or that something will be unfair."
After that race, it was clear that Rodansky's skating career was back in full swing.
The 2003-2004 season was the year Rodansky trained with the U.S. national team.
"That year I got severely overtrained," said Rodansky. "For the first time since my comeback I did not make a single World Cup team."
Unlike on the ice - where Rodansky says nothing can interfere or be unfair - off the ice something did interfere.
She says that U.S. Speedskating also made it clear to her on several occasions that it was not interested in working with her.
"One of the main reasons I had to go with a program outside those offered by my federation," she said, "is that U.S. Speedskating did not believe that I had the potential to be a good speedskater and this is why I had to find a way to go around them."
After that season, Rodansky decided to try a new training program. Boris Leikin, a friend from her previous years skating in Utah, offered to write a training program and coach her.
"The season turned out to be a great success," she said. "And as a result, I had my best skating season ever."
During the 2004-05 season, Rodansky recorded personal best times in the 500 meters, 1000, 1,500 and 10,000.
"The most exciting thing to me," she said, "is looking up at the scoreboard after I've just finished a race and seeing that I have just skated a personal best time."
Leikin was happy with her season as well.
"Her progress was impressive over the last season," he said. "She had the best season and competed on the international level."
Not only was last season a turning point in Rodansky's skating career, but it also changed the future of speedskating in Utah.
Their successful season together prompted Leikin to consider forming his own speed skating team in Salt Lake City.
"We started working together," said Leikin. "It happened to be a success and it kind of initiated High 5."
So far, High 5 has been been able to recruit several skaters as well as a second coach, Rex Albertson, and a manager, Kim Kraan.
"Without this team," said Rodansky, "it would be much harder for me to pursue my Olympic goals."
After narrowly missing the 2002 Olympics, Rodansky is determined to qualify for the 2006 Winter Games.
"If I finish the same place as I did at U.S. Nationals last year," said Rodansky, "I will be on the team for sure."
For now she is training with High 5 and preparing for the fall World Cup races that start in November and Olympic trials in December.
Leikin speaks highly of Rodansky and her skating skills.
"She's a team leader," he said. "Even though we have some strong men [on the team], she's the all-star."