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The Derek Parra Page

c. P. J. Baum, February 2002.

02.23.2002

In 1984 Fran Farrell motivated me and my daughter, Maryann, to skate for the Stardust Speed Team in San Bernardino. For a couple of years we skated with Derek Dwayne (always known as DD) Parra coached by George Cottone. After the California State Speed Championships George posted the names of the local winners outside the Stardust rink. I photographed the sign and it appears to the right. DD's name appears last on the sign (arranged alphabetically). Back in 1985 DD and the rest of the team were skating for medals and ribbons like those on the upper right.

One day at practice George told us that DD had been chosen for the first group of Two roller skaters to train at the US Olympic Training Center. (It was then naively assumed that rollerskating would become an Olympic sport soon.) DD was enthused about training at the USOTC but his dad was strongly opposed and it Took quite a bit of convincing by George to get him to Colorado Springs because roller skating was not a "macho" sport like football. DD, Denny Carlson, and I were assigned to the Stardust uniform committee and we adopted DD's design which had slanted red, white, and blue panels. I argued for a band of five stars along the middle panel but DD thought it presumptious. After all, someone might mistake us for Olympic skaters. At that time stars were very uncommon on roller speed uniforms but became commonplace a few years later.

Subsequently we moved to Santa Barbara and DD took up training at the USOTC and moved East to train with the Olympic coach Virgil Dooley.The B/W photo on the left-below is from the US Roller Skating Magazine (USAC/RS) for July 1992 and it emphasizes the thought "HE MIGHT BE GIANT". This seems truly prophetic now but it seems to be based on the facts that "Seven months ago Derek Parra skated faster than anyone had ever skated before" (San Francisco 00:19.9) "...witnesses to the feat still can't figure out how he did it... no one... has come close. It turned Parra into a sprint threat overnight..." And later in 1992 DD took Gold in the National Banked Track Championships at the USOTC. (Muse 2nd, Glass 3rd, J Rodriguez Gold in the Womens race) .

The photo on the upper right (8 medals, 5 gold) reflects DD's unmatched and stellar performance at the 1994 Pan Am Games where Chad Hedrick was just beginning to be a force in inline skating. From US Roller Skating magazine for May of 1995 we see another example of DD's remarkable talent during the 42 km marathon. "Midway through the contest, Parra moved out on a breakaway with Hedrick and Colombia's Jorge Botero. When he moved over to pass for the lead he was involved in a collision with a car full of race officials, which was trying to squeeze between the skaters and their police mootorcycle escort. Parra went down hard, rolling on the highway.... After catching up with the leaders, Parra found the strength to overtake them and win the race going away." Chad came in second.

Shortly afterwards DD realized that roller skating wasn't progressing toward the Olympics and with KC Boutiette's support made the move to ice. The lower right photo above shows DD warming up with Jennifer Rodriguez at the 1998 Olympics at Nagano. DD should have skated at nagano but some rules were bent for an eastern block team which kept him from racing in 1998.

Nevertheless, DD came back with a vengeance in 2002 making the Dutch "Parra-noid" and turning the Salt Lake Olympics into a Skater's "Parra-dise".The photo below shows DD after winning the Gold in the 1500m race (worth $25,000.) at the Salt Lake Olympics.

Below are some short quotes from various sources including the San Bernardino Sun:
"Today, Derek Parra is the Little Guy Who Did, the overachiever from San Bernardino's West Side who set two world records, won a gold medal and a silver, earning $40,000 from the U.S. Olympic Committee in the process. His is a household name, and he is an exemplar of old-fashioned virtues of self-reliance and self-discipline who showed that, yes, sometimes good guys do finish first."
"He had a memorable Olympics, beginning with his participation as a bearer of the World Trade Center flag in Opening Ceremonies, then on to his short-lived world record in the 5K and his silver medal the next day, capped by his world record and gold in the 1,500 on Tuesday."
He will march in Closing Ceremonies on Sunday. Parra has a week off before going to Europe for races in Germany and the Netherlands on consecutive weekends in early March.
``He was amazing,'' his father, Gilbert, said. ``He etched his name in stone, and nobody will ever be able to take that away from him.''
Two weeks in February, 2002. Derek Parra, and San Bernardino County, have never seen anything like it, and may never again. Though he doesn't know it yet, he will be in San Bernardino on Tuesday for Derek Parra Day. His agent, Patrick Quinn, suggested it be a surprise, and as of Friday it still was, despite an official proclamation by the city and the full knowledge of his friends and relatives. After the 10K, Parra said he didn't expect to be in Southern California before June.
``He's a role model,'' said George Cottone, who was Parra's roller skating coach in San Bernardino. ``He's most definitely a role model.''

If you haven't learned enough about DD you can visit the Derek Parra Fan Site: http://go.to/derekparra

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