Most athletes don’t make it through a lengthy career without some major changes.  For one of the greatest football players ever, Tom Brady, continuing to win into his 40s meant getting the ball out of his hands more quickly as his mobility in the pocket declined. For one of the very best bask etball players ever, LeBron James, remaining a force in the NBA has meant drifting away from relying on his formerly supreme athleticism and leaning into his passing and playmaking abilities.  This offseason, Park City speed skater Casey Dawson will pivot away from the team pursuit race which has landed him two Olympic medals towards individual racing.  Dawson just lost yet another team pursuit teammate after the Milano Cortina Olympics in Emery Lehman. He lost to Joey Mantia after the 2022 Beijing Games. Dawson won his first individual World Cup race, a 5000m competition in Calgary, Canada, in November, and he’s looking for a new challenge to spark a surge of joy for him in the sport.  Dawson has been relaxing, yet not quite kicking his feet up after Milan. He went to Heerenveen, Netherlands, two weeks after the Games to compete in the world championships, quickly pulling out due to fatigue. He has been hanging out with his girlfriend, family, friends and dog and will continue doing so for another few weeks before even thinking about putting the pedal to the metal once again.  “I have just been kind of doing my own thing,” a relieved Dawson said. “It’s definitely a change-up coming from 53-straight days on the road to home.” “I think I’m fully adjusted now,” he said.  Dawson has been loving and taking advantage of the unseasonably warm March temperatures in Park City. Where others have been bemoaning the rapidly approaching end of the ski season, he’s been getting out on bike rides and walks with his dog. “It’s been a good past couple weeks, and I’m just enjoying being home,” Dawson said. Dawson said the vibe of the world championships was more celebratory than intensely competitive. He took the week between the Games and championships to enjoy some biking and sunshine in Spain rather than train.  After pushing his body and mind to the brink over the last year preparing for the Games, Dawson is ready to pick and choose his spots a bit more next season. He’s not sure if he’ll skate at every World Cup next season, where he’ll focus on the 5K and 10K races. Heck, Dawson isn’t even sure where he’ll train for chunks of this offseason: The Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns is undergoing renovations, as many training and competition rinks do following an Olympic season.  “I think it’s going to be a couple more weeks of just kind of doing my own thing and then figuring out what I want to do for training,” Dawson said. “I feel like this year is meant for taking it at your own pace and doing what you want. I will still put in the work, for sure, but I’m going to have some fun with it.” Having fun for Dawson may mean taking a few days off training to rest or maybe even try his hand at some gravel bike races. For him, biking is both a passion and a source of good training. The fun may also include entering a World Cup team pursuit race next season; here’s to hoping U.S. Speedskating can find Dawson and Cepuran a surprisingly strong replacement for Lehman.  “It’s going to be a shift in my training and everything,” Dawson said. “I can definitely be a competitor with the World Cup gold in Calgary last year. That’s a confidence booster. Going into this next couple of years to really focus on that and give it everything.” As with how he was single-mindedly focused on medaling in the team pursuit over the last eight years, Dawson is now looking to achieve individual glory in the French Alps in 2030.  “It’s definitely on my mind,” Dawson said. “I was trying to save that for 2030, and hopefully that’s what will come about. I’m looking forward to putting my efforts elsewhere and seeing what I can do.” The post Casey Dawson is hitting the reset button as an offseason full of changes awaits him appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less