Please take a moment to read this:
I focused (no pun intended) on getting more of the kids, the younger skaters, since I have featured the older skaters several times before during this season.  Besides being a kick to watch, these kids are the future of our sport!  While most will move on to other things in life, some of these kids may be future Olympians!  One example: A young Rusty Smith can be seen here at the Pettit Center back in 1993.  Of the others, many (if not most) will be able to use their experiences in Speed Skating to achieve their future personal life goals.
One such person is Rebeca Toledo, another skater whom I coached years ago.  Rebeca, who did not make any Teams, and did not win a National Championship, is now Strategic Marketing Manager/Licensing Manager for Sony BMG Music Entertainment in Norway.  She credits her 4 years as a Speed Skater with helping her to choose a life of education rather than one of partying.  So regardless of whether or not these kids continue on, they will, for the most part, become successful as a result of their participation in Speed Skating!
Does actually winning relate to how good of a skater the young skater will be?  What about those kids who do not win a National Championship when they are young?  Well, winning when you are young does not necessarily prove how you will do when you are older.  Did you know that Bonnie Blair, who was born into a speed skating family, started skating with she was just 2 years old, and started racing when she was 4, did not win the Nationals until she was 16?  That just proves that we never can tell!  To quote the late Peter Williamson from Canada:  "We are here to have fun.  If winning occurs, that is great.  But that is not why we are here.  It is to have fun!"
Lastly, some of these photos may have bad colors.  The lighting was un-even, and I did not have the camera set correctly for this situation.  Sorry!
Okay, I'm finished.  Now for the photos.  Enjoy! js