Wotherspoon trying to look at bright side

FABRIZIO BENSCH/REUTERS

Canada's Jeremy Wotherspoon takes flight during a World Cup event on November 8, 2008.

Canadian speed skating star Jeremy Wotherspoon sounds resigned to the strong possibility he’ll miss the rest of the season with a broken arm, but isn’t professing much concern about it.

The thing is: Wotherspoon sat out the first year in this Olympic quadrennial to give himself a mental and physical breather, and he came back in his best form ever. He won nine of 10 World Cup 500-metre races last season, the world 500-metre and was named the top speed skater in the world.

Wotherspoon broke his left arm in the first weekend of World Cup racing in Berlin on Nov. 8. He was originally told he wouldn’t need surgery, but a second opinion upon returning home to Calgary convinced him otherwise. He said his humerus bone was fractured in about six pieces and that a plate with eight screws was needed to hold it in place.

Ideally, Wotherspoon would like to race in the world single distance championships March 12-15 at the Richmond Olympic Oval, but the odds of that happening aren’t great because he’d have to either have enough World Cup points or have a fast enough time to qualify him. He had only one race before the accident and it wasn’t his best.

“Of course, it’s disappointing,” said Wotherspoon today during a news conference in Calgary. “But I know from past experience that I can do things a little differently than other people have and take the time off. It hasn’t hurt me. I’m going to make sure I use the time I have off to my full advantage to make sure I’m rested and mentally ready for when I do get back into skating again.”

Teamate Mike Ireland, who dislocated his shoulder in a 500-metre race the day before Wotherspoon went down, voiced concerns about unsafe conditions at the Berlin track. He’s also unsure when he can return.