VOA标准英语2010年-Belbin, Agosto Make Final Push for Oly

2006 Turin Olympics ice dancing silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto will have to deal with numerous changes as they head to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Games.  The 2010 U.S. Championship silver medalists feel confident in their preparations as they seek another trip to the podium.

Canadian-born Tanith Belbin, 25, and the recently-turned 28-year-old Ben Agosto have been skating together competitively for 11 years.  They are the most decorated American ice dancing couple in history, having won five U.S. championships and four world championship medals in addition to their Olympic silver.
 
But after missing the podium for the first time in four years at the worlds in 2008, Belbin and Agosto decided¹ it was time for a change.  They left their longtime coaches in Detroit.  And as Ben Agosto explains, they moved to Aston, Pennsylvania, to train with the 1980 Olympic champions who are from Russia.

"We did not feel like we were progressing the way we wanted to.  So we looked at a very short list of the top coaches in the world and Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov were at the top of the list for us," said Agosto.

But then Ben injured his back and the ice dancing couple was forced to miss the 2009 U.S. Championships as he recuperated² from his injury.  Agosto says his rehabilitation³ program was well-structured.
   
"One of the most important things was just giving the nerve time to heal.  And strength, core-strengthening is just the biggest thing," he said. "Keeping up with the exercises, I think consistency⁴ is the most important thing.  I had my physical therapist give me a specific set [of exercises].  My chiropractor gave me a specific set.  My trainer gave me a specific set."

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto have been working on their Vancouver Olympics program for the past year.  Belbin says ice dancing itself has changed in the past few years, with new acrobatic and more physically⁵ challenging choreography, moves and lifts.  She says that means a lot of extra preparation and hard work. 

"Trying to keep up with the sport as it is growing with the lifts and the choreography that is more complex and all the tricks, you need more time during the day," said Belbin. "And unlike the other disciplines that are repeating at least from a basic level the same elements every year, we have to create new lifts and new spins and new elements every year, and it takes such a long time and so many hours at the rink."

Ben Agosto is well aware of what will be a key to their success. "Most of my focus has been on just getting stronger," he said. "Strengthening, adjusting some bio-mechanic stuff that makes everything more in alignment⁶." 

"And if I can be strong enough, then we can do whatever we want.  So really, that has been the main focus is getting strong so we can do more acrobatic things more intricate⁷ movements and have it not be a problem," he added.

Tanith Belbin says she has gotten much stronger as well, which has given her more confidence.

"I feel great!  It is really exciting just, you know, on a personal level to feel stronger than you ever have before, because I just feel so much more capable on the ice.  Together with the technique that Natalia and Gennadi have given us, it gives us a new layer of confidence and it is great that it timed out with the Vancouver Olympics right around the corner," she said.

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto are already the oldest ice dancers on the U.S. team, which means Vancouver will probably be their final shot at the Olympic gold medal they have always wanted. 

And as the Winter Games draw nearer, Agosto says they are really looking forward to their opportunity.

"You know, we have been waiting for four years, since Torino, and it seemed like it was going to be a long time," he said. "But now time is just flying by and we are really excited it is coming up."

Belbin says they plan to put themselves completely into their performance in Vancouver and not hold back.  The feeling they are striving⁸ for when their music ends is: "Yes, we just did everything we could."  And if they can do that, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto could end their Olympic careers at the top of the podium.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 recuperated   

v.恢复（健康、体力等），复原( recuperate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• For a while she recuperated there. 她曾在那儿休养了一个时期。 来自辞典例句
• Can chronic rhinitis cause giddy tinnitus? What method can be recuperated! 慢性鼻炎会引起头晕耳鸣吗？有什么方法可以调理！ 来自互联网

3 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

4 consistency   

n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度

参考例句：

• Your behaviour lacks consistency.你的行为缺乏一贯性。
• We appreciate the consistency and stability in China and in Chinese politics.我们赞赏中国及其政策的连续性和稳定性。

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

6 alignment   

n.队列；结盟，联合

参考例句：

• The church should have no political alignment.教会不应与政治结盟。
• Britain formed a close alignment with Egypt in the last century.英国在上个世纪与埃及结成了紧密的联盟。

7 intricate   

adj.错综复杂的，复杂精细的

参考例句：

• We were able to thread but slowly through the intricate reports.我们能弄懂这些复杂的报告，只是很慢。
• The plot of the novel is intricate and fascinating.这部小说的情节错综复杂，引人入胜。

8 striving   

v.努力奋斗，力求( strive的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The swimmer was striving against the current. 游泳者正在和激浪搏斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rows of dragons pull downstream, each striving to take the lead. 各色各状造型的“蛟龙”如箭离弦，顺流而下，欲争群龙首。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译