Be A Part Of My Milan 2026 Journey

I grew up in Washington, DC and began skating at age 2. I never wanted to play hockey or figure skate but finally found my calling when I took up short track speedskating at 9. In 2016, I was the US short track age group National Champion. I converted to long track speedskating at age 17 and qualified for my first US Jr World Team that year. After graduating from Georgetown Day School, I took a gap year and moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to train full time. I made my second Jr World Team and qualified for my first Olympic Trials in 2018. After the 2018 Olympic year, I decided to take a step back from full time training and enjoy the start of my college education at Macalester College. While I loved having a “normal” college experience, I realized that my passion for skating was what I valued most. Following my first year at Macalester College, I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where I earned a spot on the US National Team. I have been skating on the World Cup circuit while attending school part-time remotely ever since and will graduate from Macalester College in May of 2024 with a degree in Neuroscience.

In 2021, following a successful first appearance at a Senior World Championship and becoming US National Champion, I was approached by Out Sports to publicly speak for the first time about being a professional gay athlete in a sport where there are no openly queer men. I hoped to be the first openly gay man to compete in speedskating at the Olympics in Beijing, but a bout of norovirus right before Olympic trials saw those dreams dashed. I ended up finishing 4th, one spot off, in the 1000m and 1500m. Despite that setback, I refocused with my eye set on making my Olympic debut in 2026 in Milan.

This last season was my best season yet, finishing with two World Cup medals, being a part of the Overall World Cup Champion team pursuit team, and becoming only the 4th American to ever skate sub 1:07 in the 1000m with the 9th fastest single lap ever skated in the sport. While the year was highly rewarding from a skating perspective, it was also extremely difficult due to the loss of my amazing sponsor that had been sponsoring me since the 2022 Olympic season. Unfortunately, changing market conditions in their industry made athletic sponsorships untenable.

To make it to the Olympic Games you have to commit to over 40hrs a week of training at weird hours that make getting a job extremely difficult. Additionally, the financial support provided by US Speedskating and the US Olympic Committee combined equates to less than $5/hour. Because of the insanely low pay in Olympic sports, sponsorships and community support are our lifeline. I hate to ask for help, and in any other job someone at my level wouldn’t have to, but that is not the reality of Olympic sports in the US. I am actively looking for new sponsorship opportunities, but in the mean time, I am asking for your support. Together I think we can make it to the Olympic Games in Milan!