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Column: The epicenter of US speedkating is … Florida?

FILE - Speedskaters Erin Jackson, left, and Brittany Bowe answer questions before boarding a plane en route to the Beijing Olympics at a Delta Airlines terminal Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, in Los Angeles. When one looks down the roster of the U.S. speedskating team at the Beijing Olympics, three names jump out. Brittany Bowe. Erin Jackson. Joey Mantia. They're all among the world’s best skaters and leading medal contenders at these Winter Games. But that’s not what draws your attention. It’s the hometown beside each of their names. The same city for all three. Ocala, Florida, of all places. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) FILE - Speedskater Brittany Bowe answers questions before boarding a plane enroute to Beijing for the Olympics at a Delta Airlines terminal Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, in Los Angeles. When one looks down the roster of the U.S. speedskating team at the Beijing Olympics, three names jump out. Brittany Bowe. Erin Jackson. Joey Mantia. They're all among the world’s best skaters and leading medal contenders at these Winter Games. But that’s not what draws your attention. It’s the hometown beside each of their names. The same city for all three. Ocala, Florida, of all places. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) FILE - United States' Erin Jackson skates during the women's 500-meter World Cup speedskating race at the Utah Olympic Oval Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Kearns, Utah. When one looks down the roster of the U.S. speedskating team at the Beijing Olympics, three names jump out. Brittany Bowe. Erin Jackson. Joey Mantia. They're all among the world’s best skaters and leading medal contenders at these Winter Games. But that’s not what draws your attention. It’s the hometown beside each of their names. The same city for all three. Ocala, Florida, of all places (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) FILE - United States' Joey Mantia celebrates following the men's 1500-meter World Cup speedskating race at the Utah Olympic Oval Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Kearns, Utah. When one looks down the roster of the U.S. speedskating team at the Beijing Olympics, three names jump out. Brittany Bowe. Erin Jackson. Joey Mantia. They're all among the world’s best skaters and leading medal contenders at these Winter Games. But that’s not what draws your attention. It’s the hometown beside each of their names. The same city for all three. Ocala, Florida, of all places. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
Column: The epicenter of US speedkating is … Florida?