Rachel Skrocki

Rachel at the 2008 U.S. Championships, St Louis, MO

Photo Credit: Jerry Search

'Had no idea that these two were (distantly) related:

Bay City speed skaters Morgan Izykowski and Rachel Skrocki compete in U.S. Olympic Trials
by Bill Petzold | The Bay City Times
Sunday September 06, 2009, 9:54 AM

In February 2006, Morgan Izykowski sat with her family in the stands at Torino Palavela in Turin, Italy, watching her older brother Alex help the U.S. Short Track Speed Skating Team bring home the bronze medal in the 5,000-meter relay at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

On Tuesday, she and her second cousin Rachel Skrocki will compete in the 2010 Olympic Team Trials for short track speed skating at Northern Michigan University's Berry Events Center in Marquette.

Izykowski and Skrocki, both 18 and both from Bay City, join a field of 25 women from around the country attempting to earn one of five spots on the United States team. A list of 30 men also compete for a spot on the Olympic team. The athletes who qualify will compete in the Short Track World Cup this fall to earn starting spots at the Olympic Games.

The number of skaters will be pared down with a nine-lap time trial Tuesday, leaving only 16 of each gender remaining in the competition. After four more qualifying laps Wednesday, which help seed the competitors, skaters will compete in the 500-, 1000- and 1500-meter competitions over two days in a tournament format. Only five will join the U.S. Team.

Izykowski, a 2009 graduate of Essexville Garber, began speed skating at the age of 4.
"It was just something fun that we could all do together (as a family), and it just turned into so much more," Izykowski said.

Izykowski moved to Salt Lake City, where she lives with her brother Alex and trains with U.S. Speed Skating's developmental team.

"We train six days a week, twice a day," Izykowski said. "Normally we're training for seven hours a day."

In the little time she has left over, Izykowski takes classes at the University of Utah.

While Izykowski took her dreams to Utah to train with the U.S. team on Olympic-quality ice, Skrocki spent the summer in California working with former U.S. National Team coach Wilma Boomstra -- known to be the best coach in the country -- on some of the worst ice that North America has to offer.

"Their ice is really bad in California," Skrocki said. "Their ice is really fast in Salt Lake; this is just mush."

While Skrocki re-acclimates herself with Michigan ice at the Berry Events Center, she's excited about the prospects of displaying her strength in the time trial events.

"I'm feeling really good, confident, strong and solid," she said. "My favorite event is the time trials. I think it's because I'm out there on my own and no one can screw me up but me."
But Skrocki, a 2009 Bangor John Glenn graduate who is taking classes at Delta with the goal of being a dietitian, has done her homework. She spent the summer training 4-8 hours a day, six days a week.

"It's a technical yet very physical sport," Bay City speed skating coach Joe Rohraff said. "It's just like any sport when you get to an elite level: It takes a pretty high level of commitment."

Rohroff, who trained as a speed skater with the national team program in the 1990s, has coached the Bay County Speed Skating Club at the Bay County Civic Arena for about eight years. He coached both Izykowski and Skrocki from age 11 until they moved away for more intensive training (he continues to coach Skrocki), and also coached Midland speed skaters Kevin Geminder and Kelsey Schiel, who will also vie for a spot on the U.S. team. The Midland club will also send Ryan Bedford and Barry Winslow to the Olympic Trials, giving mid-Michigan six hopefuls at Marquette.

"I just want to see them all do very well," Rohroff said. "I want to see them set goals and achieve them. I think they're going to do well."

Rohroff said that placing in the top 16 would be a reasonable goal for Izykowski and Skrocki, and whatever happens this week, they still have a chance to earn a spot on the U.S. Junior World Championships team this December in their final year of junior eligibility.

"It's all experience at this point," Rohroff said. "It will be a good benchmark to see where they're at, and how their training is going. There's nothing to walk away from this (with) but all good things.

"This is an important event and it's an honor to be there, but (I would like to see them) use it as a learning tool.

"This isn't the end of the road; it's a stepping stone to where we really want to go."

A follow-up to the article posted upthread:

Bay City speed skaters Morgan Izykowski and Rachel Skrocki try for 2010 Olympics
By bill Petzold - September 17, 2009

There were plenty of spills and thrills at the 2010 Olympic Team Trials for short track speed skating at Northern Michigan University's Berry Events Center in Marquette.

And Bay City's Morgan Izykowski and Rachel Skrocki were right at the heart of it all.

The week got off to a promising start as Izykowski, 18, posted the seventh-best time in the 1000-meter time trial. Her time of 1 minute, 34.4111 seconds earned her a spot in the top 16 that advanced to the next round of the trials.

"My time trial was the best I've ever skated," Izykowski said. "I couldn't have asked for anything more."

Unfortunately for Izykowski, she was injured while preparing for the four-lap time trial.

"I was warming up off the ice when it happened," she said. "I had just gotten done jogging and I was doing some dynamic stretching when I heard my hip pop. I could barely walk after that."

Izykowski skated the four-lap time trial in a time of 42.691 seconds but was forced to sit out the rest of the competition.

"It's nothing too serious, but it was kind of one of those things where it was hurting me," she said. "There was a possibility that I could hurt it more if I kept skating on it."

Two-time Olympian and five-time medalist Apollo Anton Ohno won the men's competition, while Midland speed skater Travis Jayner finished in the top five and will compete in the World Cup competition to qualify for starting positions for the 2010 Olympic Games.

Katherine Reutter, a three-time U.S. short track champion who holds the American record in the 1,000 meters, won the women's competition.

There were several injuries at the competition, including one to J.R. Celski, who rooms with Morgan and Alex Izykowski in Salt Lake City where the siblings live and train. Celski suffered a nasty cut at the trials but still performed well enough to make the team.

"He fell on Saturday and cut open his leg," Izykowski said. "It's a six-inch cut, about three inches deep. He fell on his own, and he cut himself with his own (skate) blade. (We) just hope that he has a quick recovery. There were actually quite a few injuries.
"There was one girl who broke her collar bone, and another girl who sprained something in her back."

Skrocki, who placed 21st in the 10-lap time trial and didn't qualify, volunteered to help out on the ice with the rest of the trials. She helped comfort Celski while medical staff attended to him, and had the best spot in the house to watch the rest of the competition.

"It was a good experience," Skrocki said. "Even though I didn't make the top 16, I enjoyed watching it and learning from them. I think the California ice built up a lot of strength for me. I had the strength that I needed, but not the speed."

The event gave Skrocki an opportunity to spend the end of summer in an idyllic location.

"We rented a house on Lake Superior," she said. "We'd spend all day on the beach, and then go watch the Olympic Trials (in the evening)."

Now, both Izykowski and Skrocki return their attention to school, and trying to make up for the week of classes that they missed. Izykowski said that she's currently studying for a calculus exam today, while Skrocki said she's feeling a little "overwhelmed."

The next major short track speed skating event that both girls will compete in is the U.S. Junior Short Track Championships, which take place Dece. 11-13 in Green Bay, Wis.

"This is my last year as a junior, so I want to make it a good one," Izykowski said.

City speed skating is once again represented on the United States national speed skating team.

Cousins Morgan Izykowski and Rachel Skrocki found out Monday that they’ve officially been invited to train at US Speedskating’s facilities near Salt Lake City.

Being selected for the national team is both an honor and a challenge. National team members receive the best training and facilities available, but the stakes are also higher.

“You’re in the door, and now there’s no more pretending anymore,” Morgan’s father Al Izykowski said. “You’re going to be expected to perform and progress. This is what everyone aims for; this is where you want to be. You’re going to get the best coaching and the best opportunity to develop your abilities to the fullest. It’s really an honor to have the chance to do it.

“There’s a little danger in it because you come from your home club and at this level the intensity and volume of training is so much higher.”

Morgan Izykowski moved out to Salt Lake City at age 17 to stay with her brother Alex, a bronze medalist for the U.S. team at Turin, Italy in 2006. While completing high school through the mail, Morgan began training with a developmental program at the same facilities used by the national team. That training paid off as Izykowski recovered from a bad fall and pulled hamstring at the Olympic trials last year to make one of the U.S.’s strongest performances at the Junior World Championships in Chinese Taipei.

For Izykowski, the main difference now that she’s made the national team will be more ice time and different coaches. Now 19, she knows the routine in Salt Lake City. Izykowski said the national team hits the ice at 9 a.m. each morning, training six to seven hours a day, six days a week.

“It’s what I’ve been working for,” Morgan Izykowski said. “It’s just the next step towards my ultimate goal. It will be a lot harder and more intense and I’ll be training with different people with the national team.”

For Rachel Skrocki, the invitation also includes the bittersweet condition of having to leave her family behind in Bay City while she pursues her speed skating goals in Salt Lake City.

“It wasn’t too bad for me because my brother had already lived here,” Morgan Izykowski said. “I definitely missed being away from family. I think that’s going to be a tough transition. We’re second cousins, so … we’ll always be there for each other.”

Skrocki said the excitement outweighs the nervousness.

“It’s definitely a dream come true, it was a big surprise,” Skrocki said. “It definitely feels like all the work pays off. I’m excited to just start training and just get in really good shape and make friends with the skaters out there.”

Skrocki lived in California for a month to train before. But if all goes well, she could be in Salt Lake City for four years.

“You’re selected to the national team with a four-year project in mind,” local speed skating coach Joe Rohraff said. Rohraff trained with the national team for seven years in the 1990s and is currently the head coach of the junior national team.

“The results aren’t going to be so important (the first year). They look at things in a four-year type manner. That even makes the invite a little more sweet knowing that of all the people out there you earned a spot on the team because it truly defines Olympic hopeful. It’s a long ways away, but it starts now. For these guys it started a long time ago; it’s one step closer to the Olympic team.

“Every level that you go through it takes more and more dedication, time and effort. The level that they’re at now is about as high as you can go. I don’t think either one of them know what it’s really going to take. It’s something that they’ve been preparing for so I don’t think it’s going to be a surprise. The training is harder, the expectations are higher. I think they’ll do well, but it’s certainly going to be a challenge for them.”

Skrocki will be in good company when she arrives in Salt Lake City, where she will be rooming with Olympian speed skater Katherine Reutter. Reutter won a silver medal in the 1,000 meters and helped the U.S. take bronze in the 3,000-meter relay in Vancouver.

“I couldn’t ask for a better roommate for her than Katherine Reutter,” Rachel’s mother, Christine Skrocki said. “She will be a big inspiration to Rachel. She asked Rachel to be her roommate last year in hopes Rachel would come to Utah. I’ve been watching Katherine skate since she was 15 because she always reminded me of Rachel and that inspired me to have many conversations with Beth, her mom.

“We would sit together at the meets and talk about how hard it will be to let our girls go further into the sport knowing they would leave at a young age to train. Katherine is an only child and left home at 16. Her mom contacted me last night via e-mail and said ‘I’ve been there done that as a mom - feel free to cry on my shoulder if you need to.’”

Skrocki is busy packing her bags this week. The family will host a small going-away party on Friday. On Sunday, Skrocki will attend a baptism ceremony where she will become a godmother for her cousin. Then she and her father Jerry Skrocki will get in the van and drive 26 hours straight through to Salt Lake City.

“I’m going to miss her a lot,” Jerry Skrocki said. “She’s older, but it’s going to be sad to have her gone. Last time she went to California it took a couple weeks to get used to her not being around.”

Rachel Skrocki said she will also miss her current roommate, her dog Timber, as well as the family, coaches and skating partners at the Midland and Bay County speed skating clubs who have helped her prepare for this moment.

“I’m way more excited than nervous,” she said. “I’m ready to go. I’ve been training at home my whole career except for that California summer.

“I don’t feel pressure at all. I’m pretty good at listening and doing what they say at least with my coach back here. I’m just excited to have them whip me into shape and have them make me a really good speed skater.”

Thanks for the pic Lori (hee hee)

Over the weekend, Rachel helped out with a Habitat for Humanity build in the Salt Lake City area. Check out US Speedskating's Facebook page for more great photos from the build!

www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/USSpeedskating?ref=ts


L to R: Jonathan Garcia; Travis Jayner; Morgan Izykowski; Katherine Reutter; Alyson Dudek; Rachel Skrocki; Andrea Dehnke

Rachel skated at US Championships, Dec 16-19, 2010 – Salt Lake City. Here are her results:

14th Overall
9-Lap Time Trial – 15th
4-Lap Time Trial - 16th
1500M – 5th (B Final)
500M – 3rd (D Final)
1000M – 3rd (C Final)
3000M – 4th (B Final)


Rachel (in red) leads Brittany Salmon and Kimberly Derrick at US Championships, 2010. Photo Credit - Jerry Search

See more of Jerry's photos at: www.nationalspeedskatingmuseum.org/Photo%20Albums/JerrysAlbums.htm

Tags: Rachel Skrocki / Kimberly Derrick / Brittany Salmon / Short Track Speedskating