This month The Cracked Pot had the opportunity to interview Potter’s School seniors Rachael Duncan and Trinity Hokama about their venture into the sport of speedskating. Interestingly, both live, and consequently speedskate, in Hawaii.

You may wonder, “Speedskating in Hawaii? Hawaii, as in the realm of blue oceans and white sandy beaches? Where finding an icicle hanging outside your window would indicate very dire climate conditions?”

Yep.

Well, let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.

During the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Apolo Ohno pushed the sport of speedskating into the forefront of the Olympic scene. First, while leading in the 1,000 meter speed skating race, he crashed on the last lap and lacerated his leg with a skate, but still managed to crawl over the line for a silver medal. Then, a couple days later he made an admirable comeback from the injury to finish first and win the gold medal in the 1,500-meter race. His heroics inspired Trinity and sparked her interest the sport. As she put it, “Short-track speedskating was fast, furious, and all-around dangerous.”

Intrigued by speed skating, Trinity contacted the sole ice rink in Hawaii to see if they offered lessons. To her dismay, they did not, so in a desperate attempt, she contacted the official United States speedskating organization via e-mail. Surprisingly, shortly afterwards an e-mail reply appeared in her inbox from an United States Olympic speedskating coach and Hawaii native, Ryan Shimabukuro. In 2003, Mr. Shimabukuro flew to Hawaii and held a speedskating coaching clinic which Trinity attended. At the clinic, Trinity learned about the basics of speedskating and passed a written exam to earn certification as a Level 1 speedskating coach. Figure skating coaches who also participated in the course consequently formed a speedskating club.

Following the establishment of the club, Trinity talked Rachael into trying out the sport. Rachael said, “At that time I was considering whether or not to continue playing soccer. Having played soccer for 10 years, it was a little hard to decide ... I wanted to try something a little different so I joined Trinity.”

Due to the limitations of the facilities available in Hawaii, Rachael and Trinity do not have the opportunity to hold or participate in official speed skating races. Nonetheless, that hardly keeps them from training for speedskating. Training for speedskating takes place in two forms: “dry-land” or “on-ice” training.  Trinity explained that beginner speedskaters typically learn basic maneuvers on land first, “because it’s easier to learn a concept without slipping and falling all over the place.” Dry-land training also holds applications for conditioning, since it allows skaters to stretch and train their muscles without having to step on the ice.

On-ice training takes the elements of dry-land training and tosses them into a new environment: the ice. Trinity noted, “[On-ice] Drills are similar to exercises on dry land, with the exception [of] shoes, the addition of skates, the absence of grass, and the presence of a rock-hard floor.” Every week Rachael and Trinity attend an intensive thirty-minute training session. It typically starts with warm-up laps, and then goes on to more vigorous activities, such as relay races. Rachel notes, “Occasionally, we have to lie down on the ice and do sit-ups, jumping jacks or '6-inches,' [an exercise] where you hold your legs six inches above the ice while lying flat on your back.” Other times they do a drill practicing cross-overs, a method of crossing one foot in front of another in order to gain speed and momentum. Rachael adds, “Because most of the skaters are figures skaters, [cross-over for them] includes going backwards. Thankfully, the instructors allow Trinity and myself to go forwards during those times, much to the dismay of the figure skaters.”

On other occasions, they also play games. For example, Trinity fondly recalled one memorable game of Sharks and Minnows. “I was the last ‘minnow’ left, and being greatly outnumbered, everyone tried to jump on me. I ended up crashing into a coach, sprawling across the ice, bruising my ribs, and having a great time.”

Despite the initial interest in speedskating, Trinity says that they have encountered difficulty sustaining interest in the club, “Through the years, it’s had rocky times due to the lessening enthusiasm it draws from the Hawaii audience.” However, she also points out that God has blessed them in this unique opportunity. “I believe God is the mastermind of helping me carry out my dream of bringing speedskating to Hawaii. It’s not every day that an Olympic coach is enthusiastic to work with amateurs. And it is equally unusual for figure skating coaches to be willing to work with a bunch of clumsy speedskaters. It’s been an amazing experience from the beginning to end.

”I think the greatest thing God has taught me is to persevere, and not just in the physical sense. It’s been difficult to keep the speedskating program running with so ... little participation. It’s been frustrating, but God has continually reminded me that He works everything out for good. He has blessed me every step of the way.”

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