General Information

Cathy Turner and Amy Peterson kick started the short track speedskating program at the United States Olympic Education Center.

Turner captured the USOEC’s first medal in the sport at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, taking home gold.  Turner added another gold medal, a silver and a bronze to her collection before retiring. 

Amy Peterson, a nine-time national champion and a five-time Olympian, won one silver and two bronze Olympic medals of her own.  They are only two of many USOEC skaters who achieved their Olympic aspirations.

The team consists of 12-16 resident athletes annually.  The Berry Events Center on the Northern Michigan University campus is the home ice surface of the USOEC squad.  Dry land training is conducted at the neighboring Superior Dome.

Short track speedskating is the fastest, non-mechanically human-powered sport in the world.  Athletes approach speeds of 40 mph as they race around an indoor, 111-meter track.  The sport began in Canada and in the United States in 1905.  It was introduced at the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988 and achieved full medal status at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville.

Unlike long track speedskating, little emphasis is put on time.  Finishing position in the race is all that matters.  Since there are only four to six skaters on the ice during a race, many heats are needed to eliminate the weaker competitors before the quarterfinals, and semifinals, so the finals can take place. 

Only the top two or three skaters from each round advance to the next.  This leads to pack strategies.  Often, when skaters are of similar caliber, it is the one who best executes their strategy who wins.  This pack skating can also lead to contact between skaters, and while some is permissible, there are strict guidelines about what is allowed and what is not.  There are several referees to each race who will disqualify a skater if they deem that he or she has impeded or made illegal contact with another skater.

Strategy is different for each athlete in each distance.  They rely on the knowledge of their own strengths and of the strengths of their competitors to determine their race plan.  Depending on their skills, a skater may, for example, sprint in a long race to tire competitors or they may choose to hang back and position themselves to sprint the final laps of the race.  In the heat of competition, however, much planning goes out the window and athletes must adjust on their feet.

Short track speedskating races at the international level are contested in four individual distances and in one relay distance.  Both men and women compete individually in the 500-meter, 1000-meter and 1500-meter events.  The 500-meter race is four and a half laps, the 1000-meter race is nine laps and the 1500-meter race is 13 and a half laps.  Since the corners are so tight in short track speedskating it is impossible for skaters to skate the exact track.  It is estimated that elite skaters skate about 116-120 meters each lap.

U.S. Olympian (1988 Calgary, 1992 Albertville) and former USOEC resident-athlete Tricia Stennes returned to the program in 2005 to serve as a coach.