Pittsburgh -- While most of us are working on our list of New Year’s resolutions, Julian Wood, Cole Krueger, and John-Henry Krueger will be on their way to Taipei City, Taiwan, for the International Skating Union (ISU) World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships, January 8-10.
The three RMU short track speedskaters will be part of a four-man team representing the United States at the international competition. Wood and the Kruegers earned a berth on the 2010 Junior World Team during the U.S. Junior Short Track Championships on December 13 in Green Bay, Wisc. All are members of the RMU Collegiate Racing Team, which was launched in 2009 to create an elite training program for short track speedskaters who also wanted to pursue their post-secondary educations.
RMU’s skaters are coached by Kwang-Jae Lee, a high performance speedskating coach, who skated competitively on the second national team in Seoul, Korea. As a U.S.S. Level 2 coach, Lee has coached many national competitors, medalists, and champions.
RMU’s speedskating program was designed to accommodate the rigorous training needs of a competitive short track speedskater. Skaters train in dry-land sessions, followed by work on an Olympic-size ice surface at the RMU Island Sports Center on Neville Island. They also work out at the center’s comprehensive weight studio, which overlooks the ice rink.
“Our program is the first of its kind anywhere,” said Heidi Krueger, program director. “We provide students with the opportunity to pursue a degree while training at an elite level.”
The three RMU speedskaters have two more competitions this year: the Am Cup III, which will be held in Richmond, Va., in February, and the US Speedskating Nationals & American Cup Final, March 5-7, in Westin, Wis.
For more information visit rmuspeedskating.wordpress.com.