WEST BEND — "Well, it felt pretty good. Beating the national team members," Jordan Stolz says.
That's speedskater Jordan Stolz, taking the 500 meters. As a member of the U.S. Speedskating Junior development team, he shouldn't be beating the national team members.
"I'm only 16. It's kind of surprising. But kind of not, because like I did train really hard over the summer," Stolz says.
But at 16 years old, he is.
"500, 1,000 will always be my best event," Stolz says. "I just have that snap, the twitch for sprinting."
His journey started with Apolo Ohno.
"So I was like 5 years old," Stolz says. "I was watching the 2010 Olympics, and I was like watching Apolo do the short track racing. And I was just watching him beat everybody and it looked pretty cool. So my Dad, we have like this pond in our back yard. And he shoveled off a little short track on there. And we went and bought some hockey skates. And yeah, that's how I started."
And then from West Bend to the Pettit National Ice Center.
"I went to the Pettit for the learn to speed skate," Stolz says. "And then joined the Badger Speed Skating Club."
Now it could lead to the Olympics as a teenager.
"Well I hope they're right, because you know, you never know what can happen. I could get injured. Training might not go as planned or something. Anything could happen," Stolz says. "So, I'm not making any predictions yet. If training goes well, yeah, I think I should be able to make the team."
And yes, as a high schooler, he fuels up, as any teen would.
"Usually like just cheese pizza," Stolz says. "Cheese crust filled with some Coke. I'll eat that maybe, I actually eat it a lot. Maybe, I mean I don't drink the Coke every day, but I do eat the pizza every day before training."
