I've been speedskating for about 4 years now. It's the best sport I've ever done, and about 2 years ago I'm like "I'm getting real good at this. This feels right, this is my sport, and I think I can take it all the way to the Olympics". And that was pretty much it. We (that is my family) redesigned our existence to suit the life of a competitive speedskater. As a rule, we are a fairly stable family. W're not the type to run all over the country for sport alone. We like just being home and reading and having the privelige of staring off into space for a while and then going and taking care of stuff on our own time. But no longer. This past season, running from August 9th, 2008-March 23, 2009, we traversed the North American continent in a search for speedskating glory. We went to Wausau, Milwaukee, Chicago, Midland, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Saratoga Springs, Minneapolis, Seattle, Calgary Alberta, Vancouver, Bay City, Rochester, and St. Louis. All over the place, in short. It was quite a ride, but it was worth it. I'm now a National team member and have earned a right to wear a skinsuit that says USA. It's the first of many steps to take, but the first ones always hardest, especially in this sport.