By HOWARD FENDRICH

MILWAUKEE (AP) — All it took was the mere mention of the words “Slippery Fish” for U.S. Speedskating national team coach Ryan Shimabukuro to purse his lips and shake his head.

There wasn’t even a full question asked about the secret project using computer technology aimed at shaving fractions of a second off speedskating times to help the Americans bring home gold medals from the Milan Cortina Olympics. Just those four syllables were enough to catch Shimabukuro off-guard a little more than a month ahead of the Feb. 6-22 Winter Games.

U.S. speedskating national coach Ryan Shimabukuro is seen at the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speed skating at the Pettit National Ice Center, Jan. 4, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

“No comment. I don’t know how you even know about that,” said the genial Shimabukuro, who otherwise was forthcoming about all manner of topics during an interview with The Associated Press about his team and his sport while sitting in the stands at Milwaukee’s Pettit National Ice Center, site of the Olympic trials for long track in January.

“No comment. Nope. Nope,” Shimabukuro said. “Respectfully, no comment.”

So what, exactly, is Slippery Fish? And why would Shimabukuro — and some other folks connected to the American team — be so tight-lipped about it?

Using an app to make U.S. speedskaters faster

According to Shane Domer, U.S. Speedskating’s chief of sport performance, the idea behind the program was to increase athletes’ aerodynamic efficiency by reducing the amount of drag they create pushing against the air during a race.

For years, speedskaters, like cyclists, trained in wind tunnels to study that phenomenon.

Now, Domer explained, it happens virtually: An app lets skaters scan their bodies, creating a “digital twin.” The software simulates wind passing over the avatar, computational fluid dynamics calculate how much resistance there is — and how tweaking a skater’s form alters that.

“We can basically say, ‘How much faster will the avatar be in this position vs. that position at a certain speed?’ You’re trying to make someone a little bit slippery through the air,” Domer said about the work that began in 2023 at a cost approaching $100,000.

“Significant performance benefits from small changes: changing the head position slightly, changing the way your shoulders are positioned, elbow positions,” he said. “You’re talking about tenths of a second per lap in a sport where we look at hundredths or thousandths.”

Casey Dawson, of Park City, Utah, right, and Ethan Cepuran, of Glen Ellyn, lllinois, left, compete in the men’s 5,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speed skating at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)

U.S. long distance coach Gabe Girard said they’ve seen improvements from raising both arms in corners instead of only in straightaways.

“We’re always hoping to bring something a bit out of left field to catch people off-guard,” Girard said. “There’s also ‘mental warfare’ about it and makes people guess if they should (do) it.”

Speedskating secrets at the Olympics

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As with other sports, successful speedskating innovations get copied.

At Beijing in 2022, the U.S. men won their first Olympic speedskating medal since 2010, a bronze in team pursuit. That was thanks to a revolutionary change developed by the not-so-creatively-named Project Push: The team’s three racers remained in the same order and pushed the leader of the trio, instead of rotating who led.

But the Americans debuted that two years earlier, and other countries soon adopted the same strategy. “We unveiled it too early,” Domer lamented.

Nearly everyone now pushes in team pursuit, but Domer said not everyone is doing it well.

“I don’t think they understand the mechanics and the math behind it,” he said. “We have made small changes to the way we’re executing it, based on what we have learned from Slippery Fish.”

Indeed, the U.S. holds the world record and Casey Dawson, Ethan Cepuran and Emery Lehman are favored for gold on Feb. 17.

FILE – From left to right, United States’ Emery Lehman, Casey Dawson and Ethan Cepuran celebrate after their new world record in the men’s team pursuit at a World Cup speedskating event, Nov. 16, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate, File)

Lehman said the 3-D modeling fostered better understanding of the ideal spacing between the three racers.

“We’re thinking about things analytically,” Lehman said. “We definitely have some niche things that we do that we try not to share with other people.”

Does Jordan Stolz use Slippery Fish?

Slippery Fish mostly is being used for team pursuit and long-distance events like the 5,000 or 10,000 meters.

“We were going to work on a program for more of the sprint side, but I had a little too much on my plate to kind of spearhead that project,” said Erin Jackson, who defends her Olympic 500 gold Feb. 15. “Hopefully that’s something we can get more into” before the 2030 Games.

Domer said “a lot” of U.S. skaters and coaches have been shown what Slippery Fish can do. “Some have made changes,” he said. “Some have not.”

U.S. speedskating national coach Ryan Shimabukuro is seen at the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speed skating at the Pettit National Ice Center, Jan. 4, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

The world’s best speedskater at the moment, Jordan Stolz, who excels at shorter distances, hasn’t taken advantage.

“It’s not something that I really got into — changing your technique to be more ‘aero,’” Stolz said. “Everybody skates so differently. If somebody is more ‘aero’ … I don’t know if I would be changing my technique to try and match them.”

Tech will fuel future speedskating changes

U.S. Speedskating has redesigned helmets — including one revealed at the 2022 Games — and employs technology to improve performance in other ways.

Cutting Edge is for skate blades. Iron Fist focuses on weighted gloves. New uniforms will arrive, eventually.

“It’s really hard to change someone who has been training a certain way their entire life, and then you ask them to do something that makes skating feel different. That’s a tough sell,” Domer said. “But I do think we’ll see crazy new things at the next Olympic Games.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

By GRAHAM DUNBAR, AP Sports Writer

MILAN (AP) — Change is coming to the Olympic program of sports and events and it is going to be uncomfortable for some, IOC president Kirsty Coventry cautioned on Tuesday.

In a keynote speech before her first Olympic Games as its first female leader in its 130-year history, Coventry detailed a defining theme of her presidency.

Coventry set in motion last June a review of more than 450 medal events organized by more than 40 sports federations at the Summer and Winter Games.

“We have to be honest about what works and sometimes more importantly what doesn’t,” she said at the International Olympic Committee annual meeting ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics opening on Friday.

“It means we have to look our sports, disciplines and events with fresh eyes to make sure we are evolving with our times,” Coventry said. “We will face difficult decisions and conversations — that’s part of change.

“I know these discussions can be, and potentially will be, uncomfortable but they are essential if we are to keep the Games strong for generations to come.”

The Summer Games has chased youth audiences by adding urban sports like skateboarding and 3-on-3 basketball in the past decade, while breakdance got a debut in Paris 18 months ago.

“We have to ensure the Games remain inspiring for young people everywhere,” the two-time Olympic swimming champion said. “That they reflect their values, their sense of authenticity and their search for something genuine.”

Her words suggesting the need for “a balance between tradition and innovation” could leave sports with a century of Olympic history such as modern pentathlon fighting for its future at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“Yes, Paris was a great success but this moment is now in the past,” she said. “It would be dangerous to rest on our laurels.”

The results of the Olympic program review, part of a “Fit For The Future” agenda set by Coventry, are due to be announced later this year.

More sports, less politics

Another theme of Coventry’s emerging presidency is a renewed focus on sports, less so on engaging in politics — though her previous job was sports minister in Zimbabwe’s government.

Coventry’s predecessor Thomas Bach — who sat beside her on Tuesday — relished the political engagement the job can offer and closely aligned the IOC with the United Nations and its agencies. The IOC’s staffing levels and bureaucratic projects rose steadily in Bach’s 12-year leadership.

Bach’s own keynote speech on the eve of the Paris Summer Games was a defense of the multilateral world order that was under attack then and is even more so now.

“We are a sports organization,” Coventry reiterated on Tuesday, calling sports the IOC’s core priority. “We understand politics and we know we don’t operate in a vacuum. But our game is sport.”

Coventry’s first meeting with United States President Donald Trump is eagerly anticipated in Olympic circles as the LA Summer Games approaches.

Olympic values of diversity, inclusion

Coventry has consistently pledged to defend and protect “Olympic values,” which include diversity and inclusion.

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“That diversity is one of our greatest strengths,” she told more than 100 IOC members, praising the breadth and depth of the experiences they bring to Olympic work. “What an extraordinary group we all are.”

Coventry noted the IOC “will continue to support” its projects in health, inclusion and education.

“That is what the world needs from us,” she said. “When we act with empathy and purpose there is no challenge we cannot face. This is the Olympic spirit that defines us.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth has her sights set on fraud as the state’s next legislative session approaches and she continues her run for Minnesota governor.

Demuth, R-Cold Spring, visited Moorhead’s D-S Beverages earlier this week where she spoke with business and community leaders before touring the building.

Much of Demuth’s gubernatorial campaign messaging has been around fraud. The U.S. The Attorney’s Office has estimated that the scope of Medicaid fraud in Minnesota could reach $9 billion in federal funds lost. State officials have said they did not have evidence to suggest the figure.

“Clearly it’s not at the top of the news cycle right now, but to know that we’ve lost almost $9 billion, potentially, in fraud, and programs haven’t changed, is a focus of everything,” Demuth said.

The Minnesota Legislature convenes Feb. 17. Demuth, 58, said she expects to see a bill to establish an Office of Inspector General come forward again to investigate fraud. During the 2025 session, the bill passed the Senate, but not the House of Representatives.

If elected as governor, Demuth said Ryan Wilson, her running mate, will lead fraud-fighting efforts.

Demuth brought the topic back to fraud when she was asked how violence related to federal immigration enforcement and public backlash against enforcement activities will affect Republican chances of winning the governor’s seat.

Minnesotans are frustrated that money handled by the state has been lost to fraud, she said.

“They want to be able to afford their lives, have safe communities and move forward,” Demuth said. “So as far as how things are affecting my run for governor, I’m bringing that common sense that has been lacking here in the state of Minnesota.”

She said it is important for the state government to work with the federal government as it enforces federal immigration laws. After President Donald Trump and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke last week, local law enforcement arrested people protesting outside of a Maple Grove hotel where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were staying, she said.

“I have to believe that had something to do with the fact that our governor and our president were talking, and that is a good thing,” Demuth said.

Demuth and Wilson planned to visit eight cities between the two of them ahead of precinct caucuses on Tuesday. The tour also included stops in St. Paul, Rochester, Mankato, Crookston, Bemidji, New Ulm and Worthington.

As speaker of the House and a candidate for governor, Demuth said she does not want to forget about other areas of the state.

“We have to make sure, and I have insisted, that I would understand our state and what matters to each area better,” Demuth said.

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By MAE ANDERSON, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The Small Business Administration said in a policy note that green card holders won’t be allowed to apply for SBA loans, effective March 1.

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The move is the latest by the SBA as it works to tighten loan restrictions and restructure the agency.

Last year, it tightened a requirement that businesses applying for loans must be 100% owned by U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or lawful permanent residents, up from a 51% standard.

In December, it issued a policy note that said up to 5% of a business could be non-citizen owned. But the current policy rescinds that, as well as making lawful permanent residents ineligible, too.

The SBA did not respond to a request for comment.

The SBA doesn’t give out direct loans, except when they’re related to disasters, but it works with lenders to distribute loans to small businesses. The loans typically have better rates than traditional loans.

Small business advocacy group the Small Business Majority said the move is “a decision that will limit the growth of small businesses and jobs throughout the United States.”

“The latest decision by SBA fails to recognize that immigrants are twice as likely to start a business as native-born U.S. citizens,” said Small Business Majority CEO John Arensmeyer. “Given that reality, SBA’s severe restrictions will have a negative impact on small business creation throughout this country for years to come.”