MARQUETTE - Anthony Lobello, Charles Ryan Leveille and Jeff Simon. For the United States Speedskating team competing in the International Skating Union World Cup this weekend at the Berry Events Center, the trio can be considered the replacements.
Each of them - Lobello, Leveille and Simon - has stepped in for an ailing member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic speedskating team, in order for the U.S. to receive as many starting positions as possible in February at the Winter Games. The World Cup in Marquette is the last Olympic qualifier before the Games.
Simon, an alternate for the games in Vancouver, replaced the second-ranked American skater, J.R. Celski after Celski's crash during September's Olympic Trials in Marquette.
This weekend, Lobello is standing in for Jordan Malone, the third-ranked American who is out with a lower leg injury, and Leveille, who had just retired from the sport before getting a call from U.S. Speedskating, replaces two sick speedskaters: fifth-ranked American skater Simon Cho and Simon, who has been under the weather recently.
"In essence, we always refer to it as an order of eligibility," U.S. Speedskating Vice President Jack Mortell said. "Generally, it's how you finish at the Olympic trials. And as people would get injured, or if they would elect not to skate - which wasn't a concern - you'd just go to the next available person."
For this weekend's World Cup, the team had to dig down to No. 9 on the eligibility list when Leveille was asked back. The eighth-ranked short track speedskater is Ryan Bedford, who is competing this weekend in the ISU long track World Cup.
Regardless of how Lobello, Leveille or Simon fare this weekend, though, it's unlikely they'll be competing for Team U.S.A. in Vancouver.
Only if one of the top five skaters from the Olympic Trials is unable to compete, will any of the three be a member of the U.S. Olympic team.
"They're helping us here. That's the way you've got to look at it," he added. "They're helping the Olympic team guard the start spots."
The only two male U.S. Olympic Team members competing this weekend are Anton Apolo Ohno and Travis Jayner. And they're appreciating the work of the replacements.
"Those guys, they're great skaters, and they're definitely guys who are strong enough to be on the Olympic team and the national team and the world team," Jayner said. "They bring a great energy.
"They're giving it everything they can, and that helps. It helps a lot."
Lobello said he realizes the importance of the World Cup outcome on the Olympics, and that he's doing what he can to secure those spots.
"I've been about the team forever. But it's more or less now, just do what I need to do, focus on what I have to focus on,because the (Olympic) team's going to be there no matter what," Lobello said. "There's nothing I can do to stop it or make it worse or better, but the only thing to think about the team, really for me, is 'get out there, do my job, make sure everybody's settled and calm,' and push us toward what we need to do at the Olympics.
"Individually speaking, it's a heavy mind burden. Mentally, it's very difficult."
Lobello said every athlete in the replacement role is in a different, and difficult, situation. Leveille, for example, had just bought a motorcycle in Atlanta when Malone was injured and he was called up out of retirement. And Simon, who ranked seventh in World Cup points going into this weekend's competition, was the top-ranked American, with Ohno ranked No. 10.
"It's even more difficult for him, because he's skating - he's like on fire," Lobello said of Simon. "He's been in every 500 meter final in every World Cup."
And for Lobello, a former United State Olympic Education Center resident athlete, there's certainly some bad memories from not making the Olympic Team at the trials, but he's dealing with it.
"I love doing this. It's not like I'm in it for a big paycheck. I'm in it because, dude, I love to go fast," Lobello said. "I love to go battle. I love to just - I love to do this. It's not like I'm upset over one team.
"It's fine. I'm definitely not stressed about it. But, it would have been nice to see some light at the end of the tunnel rather than pitch black."
So this weekend, it's a chance for Lobello and the other replacements to show everyone what they've got.
"I mean, who doesn't want to go down with a blaze of glory?" he said. "If I'm going out, I'm going out trying to kill somebody. I'm going out on fire.
"And that's the other thing, if I don't give it what I know I should give, or what I know I had to give, I'd come away even more empty-hearted."
