Short track has a well-earned reputation for being unpredictable, and at times downright wacky. Unlike speed skating, where competitors skate two at a time and are essentially racing the clock, short track features packs of four or more skaters racing around tight corners - a tumultuous blend that lends itself to collisions, disqualifications, controversy, and...often some of the most exciting contests of the Games. Here is a look at some key story lines for 2010.

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Ohno still a threat in all events
Five-time Olympic medalist Apolo Ohno (two gold, one silver, two bronze) came away from the 2009 World Championships in Vienna with one gold (5000m relay) and one silver (1000m). He was fourth in the 1500m and eliminated from the 500m during the semifinal round. He was unable to defend his overall world champion crown from 2008, ceding that title to South Korea's Lee Ho-Suk, but his skating in Vienna was better than the finishes would indicate - a common occurrence in the unpredictable world of short track. Ohno, 27, will be motivated to perform well in Vancouver. The 2007 Dancing With the Stars champion has said that he may have retired from the sport if the 2010 Games were anywhere but Vancouver, which is just three hours away from his hometown of Seattle. His father frequently drove him to British Columbia to compete as a teenager.

New name to know: J.R. Celski.
J.R. Celski, who will be 19 in Vancouver, won four medals at the 2009 Worlds but his Vancouver prospects took at hit after a crash at Olympic Trials in September. He hit the boards coming out of a turn and sliced his left leg with the tip of his other blade, causing a gash about six inches long and two inches deep, just above his knee. Celski is expected to be ready for Vancouver but is unlikely to compete before then. His performance at Trials before the crash was strong enough to qualify him for a spot in the 1000m, 1500m and relay events, provided other U.S. skaters can earn those spots in the World Cup season. Assuming Celski is able to compete at or near his peak form in Vancouver, he is a boon to the U.S. medal hopes. Celski is from Federal Way, Washington, the same area as Ohno, and grew up idolizing Ohno. He was first turned on to short track when he watched Ohno win gold in Salt Lake City on television.

Ahn Out, 'Little Ahn' in
Ahn Hyun-Soo, who won four medals (three gold) in Torino and was a top rival of Ohno, did not qualify for Vancouver. Ahn badly injured his knee during training in January 2008 and did not compete internationally after that. Despite rumors that he was close to being healthy, he failed to earn a spot on the team at South Korean Trials this spring. This means that Lee Ho-Suk, who is referred to as "Little Ahn," will likely be the biggest competition for Ohno and a healthy Celski in 2010. Lee won three medals (one gold, two silver) in Torino and was the overall champion at the 2009 Worlds in Vienna.

China's Wang Meng could sweep golds
Wang Meng obliterated the field at the 2009 World Championships in Vienna, winning individual gold in both the 500m and 1000m events and leading China to victory in the relay. She crossed the finish line first in the 1500m, but was disqualified by the judges for impeding another skater. Wang's stiffest Olympic competition for gold is likely to come from South Korea.

U.S. women seek a medal
Katherine Reutter, who will be 21 in Vancouver, has the best chance for a short track medal by an American woman in quite some time. At the 2009 Worlds, Reutter was fourth in the 1500m and helped the American women to a fourth-place finish in the relay. Reutter hails from Champaign, Ill., the same hometown as Bonnie Blair, and attended the same high school as the short track legend. Reutter credits a conversation with Blair while still in high school with giving her the drive to become an Olympian.

Coaching carousel
The United States coach is Jae Su Chun, a South Korean who has coached both his native country and the Canadian team in the past. He was hired by the United States in 2007 after a one-year stint with Canada. Chun's brother, Kevin, is the coach of the South Korean team. China is coached by Li Yan, who was the U.S. coach in Torino. She still has a picture of herself with Ohno hanging on the wall of her Colorado home, but her Beijing residence has a picture of her with Wang. She was appointed to lead the Chinese short track effort shortly after the 2006 Games. Last year, she hired Paul Marchese, the United States' skate technician in 2002 and 2006, to work as the Chinese equipment guru. Marchese and his wife, Liz, still live near Saratoga Springs, N.Y, where they run their own skate business. Paul is also the personal coach of American long track speed skater Trevor Marsicano, who is one of the rising stars on that circuit.