Striving for Sucess in Long Track Speedskating

Hi! My name is Greta Myers and I am a senior in high school at Gentry Academy, as well as a PSEO college student. I am a speedskater, and this page is here to share a little bit about my speedskating journey and why I am seeking support to reach my goals.

Why I Need Your Support...

Long track speedskating is a small sport that is not government-funded like most Olympic sports, and it does not receive much mainstream attention. For athletes in the sport, this adds in a bigger cost variable they must pay out of pocket. For example, in many collegiate sports, athletes can be paid because of revenue generated from television, ticket sales, apparel, showcases, etc., but in speedskating, there is not a way to gain funds by these means. Skaters on the National team receive minimal funding because of these factors, and Junior skaters see very little in terms of financial aid. As a female Junior skater in a modest-income home, it is incredibly difficult to fund my training, equipment costs, coaching fees, travel, and competition costs. In addition, there are only two indoor ovals in the USA, one in Milwaukee and the other in Salt Lake City. To facilitate my training needs, I am forced to travel and stay out of state in order to properly train.

As humbling as it is to seek support, it will help me pursue my goals in speedskating and enable me to achieve them. I worked when possible this summer to help with training costs, but training splits are time-consuming and very tiring. Your generosity will impact my skating in a huge way and grant me opportunities to strive to meet my full potential on the ice. It will allow me to purchase training tools, such as blades and skating components, facilitate proper coaching and training on an indoor rink in Milwaukee, help with lodging, ice fees, living expenses, and travel to out-of-state competitions. I appreciate your support in any means possible to help me achieve my goals and represent TEAM USA in an honorable and respectable manner. Thank You.

A Little About My Speedskating Journey…

Since the age of two, I have been on skates and developed a love for speed early on in my life. About five years ago I was recruited by a coach to try long-track speedskating and quickly fell in love with the sport. Juggling both hockey and speedskating was tough, but I worked hard to give my best in all practices, competitions, and games. As a freshman in high school and going into my third year of speedskating, I made my first USA Junior World Team in January of 2020. At this point, I was also playing Varsity hockey and promptly had to make a decision about which sport I would fully commit my time to. I chose to speed skate; and by the end of that season, I achieved Olympic Trial Qualifying times in all four distances at the age of fifteen.

The next season, 2020-21 brought shutdowns and limited opportunity to skate and compete due to the worldwide pandemic. Even still, I improved my times by large margins, won Junior Nationals, and earned myself another spot on the USA Junior World Team. Sadly, I was not able to travel to Junior World Championships in Japan as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

2021/22 Season Summary

The following season, 2021-22, was a huge learning year, and I began training with a new coach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For the first few months of the skating season, I spent most of my time at the Petit Ice Center in Milwaukee, training on fast ice. That fall, I competed at the World Cup Qualifier in Salt Lake City. In December, I placed first at Junior Nationals and made the USA Junior World Team for the third time and the second time as the top female junior skater in the US. In early January I competed at Olympic Trials for the 2022 Olympics. At trials, I placed sixth overall and gained much experience racing among the Nation’s best speedskaters. Later that month at Junior World Championships in Austria, I finished in the top ten among the best juniors in the world. Racing outdoors at altitude in variable conditions was challenging, and I appreciated meeting my worldwide competition again.

Season Wrap-Up: The Final Competition of the Season

I returned home for a month following Junior Worlds and continued training for the final races of the season on the Roseville Oval. Skating outdoors in the bitter cold was tough, and there were strings of days when I was forced to train at home on my bike. The conditions of the ice, combined with the wind made it incredibly difficult to work on my skating technique and get the most out of my training sessions. Thankfully, through the support of my family, I received the opportunity to train at the Olympic Oval in Utah for a month prior to the last competition of the year. This allowed me to focus solely on improving my skating technique and the quality of my repetitions since there were no outside variables affecting my skating. When the race weekend finally came, I smashed all my old personal bests by a huge amount and ended the season as the American Cup Champion.

The spring and summer have consisted of months of hard training, six days a week, with two sessions a day. In a few weeks, I will be heading out to Salt Lake City for the first long track ice of the year, to train at altitude, and race in the first competition of the season.

This season, I will base most of my training out of Milwaukee. Training on an indoor track with my coach present will allow me to finally have consistent long track training and focus solely on improving my skating. This is very exciting, as when presented with a similar opportunity at the end of the season last year, it gave me a small glimpse of what I am capable of accomplishing provided with the correct training environment.

My Goals for the Upcoming Season and Future:

This upcoming season, my main goal is to attain new personal bests and beat the current Junior National Records in the 500m, 1000m, 1500m, and 3k. Last year, I was very close to hitting 3/4 of the records, so I am excited to meet these challenges as the season progresses. Other goals I am working towards this year are making the Senior World Cup Team and getting the qualifying funding time, as well as placing in the top five at the Junior World Championships. In the future, my goal is to make the 2026 Olympic Team and someday become an Olympic and World Champion. For now, though, I am focusing on working to become the best skater I can be, one step at a time.

Thank you!

Your generosity will impact my skating in a huge way and enable me to strive to meet my full potential on the ice. I appreciate your support and investment in my speedskating career! Thank you for your contribution, and for the opportunities, it will provide me. I am excited to see what the future has in store!

All the best to you,

Greta

To follow my skating progress during the season, check out Speedskatingresults.com or paste this link into your browser. https://www.speedskatingresults.com/index.php?p=17&s=68934