Kip Carpenter and Dr. Carl Foster Elected into US Speedskating Hall of Fame

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Samantha Snyder, Marketing & Communications Assistant

Monday, May 16, 2022

Kip Carpenter and Dr. Carl Foster Elected into US Speedskating Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame Induction will take place on May 20 in Newark, New Jersey

KEARNS, Utah – US Speedskating (USS) announced today that Olympic Bronze medalist Kip Carpenter and former Team USA exercise physiologist, Dr. Carl Foster, will be inducted into the US Speedskating Hall of Fame on Friday, May 20. The ceremony will take place at The Avenue A Club in Newark, New Jersey and begins at 6:30pm EST.

“What an honor to learn that I have been selected to be inducted into the USS Hall of Fame,” Kip Carpenter said. “For me, this experience will be full-circle. The results I have achieved in this sport could not have happened without the essential support from USS along with family, teammates, and friends. I am and will always be forever grateful for the selfless dedication of the many individuals that stood behind me as I chased after my Olympic dreams.”

Kip Carpenter competed in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, where he won the Bronze medal in the 500m, skating the fastest lap in Olympic history at that time with a time of 24.87 seconds for 400m. Kip would go on to compete in another Olympic Games, competing during the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino. 

As a member of the U.S. National Training Program Sprint Team, he had multiple top-10 finishes at the World Single Distance Championships and World Sprint Championships during the 2003-2006 seasons.

“Kip was a fun skater to coach because he always brought a lot of levity to the team wherever he was, but also remained focused on getting the job done,” said Kip’s former coach and current US Speedskating Long Track head coach Ryan Shimabukuro. “As talented as he was, he never took it for granted. He worked hard and was meticulous about his equipment. After he retired, I was so happy that he decided to redirect his energy and focus and give back to the sport as a coach, a role he proudly continues today.”

After Carpenter retired from competition, he continued to stay involved in the speed skating community. He went on to coach at two Olympic Games during the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Wanting to contribute more to the speed skating community, he started his own speed skating boot company, Carpenter Boot Company (CBC), in 2018.

“I was very surprised, and honored, to be selected to the US Speedskating Hall of Fame,” Carl Foster said. “I am the ‘outsider’ who was never a skater myself (even though I tried enough to give everyone some good laughs). I came to this interesting sport very late in my life. To my pleasant surprise, I found the visual of the sport appealing, the scientific concepts interesting and the athletes and coaches to be friendly and accommodating.”

Dr. Carl Foster (Ph.D., FACSM), an exercise physiologist, got involved with speed skating in 1979. During the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, Foster helped leave his mark on USS as Team USA won five Gold medals in speed skating and eight medals overall. He went on to become the Chair of the Sports Medicine/Sports Science/Drug Testing committee for USS. He is a long-time member of the scientific support team for US Speedskating and was the recipient of a research grant from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to conduct studies at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

"This is a well-deserved honor for Carl,” said Olympic Gold medalist Bonnie Blair Cruikshank. “He is one of those people who works tirelessly over a number of years with our athletes and coaches but is really in the trenches. He gave so much to our sport. Those that worked with him know his dedication, long hours and giving the athletes and coaches the best tools for success." 

He was a Professor of Exercise and Sport Science and Director of Research in the Clinical Exercise Physiology Graduate Program at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He also was a Visiting Professor in the Department of Human Movement Science at the Vrije Universiteit-Amsterdam.

The US Speedskating Hall of Fame Induction is in conjunction with the USS Annual Congress held May 18-21. Fans interested in attending the Hall of Fame induction ceremony can purchase tickets at the Hall of Fame Event Page.

MEDIA NOTE: Media interested in attending or acquiring additional information should contact Samantha Snyder at ssnyder@usspeedskating.org or 801-417-5370.

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From Pond to Podium, we are US Speedskating. We grow and nurture a sport where all ages can experience the thrill of speed and the camaraderie of the skating community. US Speedskating is responsible for the development of speed skating from grassroots to the highest elite racing programs. US Speedskating is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union as the governing body for the sport of speed skating in the United States. The Organization has won 88 Olympic medals to-date, making it one of the most successful sports in U.S. Olympic history. US Speedskating is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, on Facebook and at www.usspeedskating.org.