Now He's Rolling

KEARNS, Utah — In his way, U.S. speedskater Chad Hedrick is as rebellious and outspoken as skier Bode Miller.

Hedrick has butted heads with his national sports federation and chosen to accept unapproved sponsorship money.

And he likes his play time.

He made a snap decision to switch from inline roller skating to speedskating on ice while sitting in a Las Vegas casino. Sometimes he's late for practice because he's, um, tired from the night before.

Hedrick makes bold statements. He is predicting a haul of five gold medals at the Olympics in Turin even though he's only in his third year of competitive speedskating.

The thing is, Hedrick is backing up the talk. The 28-year-old from Spring, Texas, a region not noted for producing winter-sports athletes, has set three world records in the last year.

He will be the favorite in at least two Olympic events. And although it's unlikely he will tie Eric Heiden's record of five golds, it's not impossible.

"And why dream small?" Hedrick said. "It's my dream. Why shouldn't I say it? If I fail, it's on me."

Unlike Miller, Hedrick has charmingly gone his own way. While some of his sponsorship patches were in conflict with USA Speedskating deals, Hedrick quietly negotiated his own contracts and has not accepted training or travel money from his national federation.

Hedrick hired his own coach, Bart Schouten, who also trains 2002 Olympic sensation Derek Parra, and has willingly fulfilled any public relations requests the federation has made of him.

Hedrick doesn't hide his love of nightclubs or his enjoyment of an alcoholic beverage from time to time, but he hasn't bragged about racing around the ice while "wasted," to borrow a prime-time television quote from Miller.

"Look, if Chad were as bad as some like to say, he wouldn't have accomplished what he's accomplished," Schouten said at last month's U.S. nationals here. "The guy trains hard, he's incredibly talented and immensely likable."

Said Parra, Hedrick's roommate and Olympic teammate: "Chad has a gift. If he enjoys himself too, so what? When it comes time to perform, he's always at the line, ready to go. What he's done in three years is amazing. When he's got the international stage, people are going to say, 'Wow!' "