At a time when most kids are toddling, Brandon Molenda was taking a cooler approach. By age 3, the Aurora native was on the ice, where he quickly found his passion for skating.
“I’ve been skating for as long as I can remember,” said Molenda, 17. “When I was little, I would skate in a hockey rink and do short track (speed skating). (In) my freshman year of high school, I started to get serious about long track (speed skating).”
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His seriousness has paid off. Last month, Molenda qualified to represent the United States at the 2016 Junior World Speed Skating Championships, which take place March 11-13 in China. He is one of eight U.S. athletes who will compete.
“It means a lot to me to qualify again for the team,” said Molenda, who graduated from Metea Valley High School in December so he could focus on training. “It means it was another successful year of training and all the hard worked paid off.”
Long-track speed skating is an Olympic sport in which racers compete on a two-lane oval of ice with dimensions similar to an outdoor running track. Each skater works to achieve the fastest time, staying in their respective lane and racing against the clock.
“Speed skating is deceptive in that when you watch it, it looks easy, but it is very technical, and every little aspect of your technique is important,” said Steven Penland, Molenda’s long-track coach for more than a decade. “He has been skating for so long and he is technically very proficient. It is something that we are constantly working on.”
Because there are only three indoor long- track facilities in the U.S. – one each in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Utah – the Aurora teen heads to Milwaukee three times a week to practice. Molenda trains 11 out of 12 months for the sport.
“My training schedule consists of me working out six days a week with one day of rest,” he said. “On the days I don’t have long track, I do short track (speed skating) in a regular hockey rink in Glen Ellyn.”
Molenda continues to work on skating efficiency, and increasing his strength, power and stamina through workouts on and off the ice. It seems to be working given that this is his third appearance at the Junior World Speed Skating Championships, after earning a spot at the Norway games in 2014 and at the Poland games in 2015.
“When you go to the junior worlds, it’s like all of your hard work has paid off,” Molenda said. “The opportunity that U.S. Speed Skating gives the junior athletes is really cool. You get to meet people from other countries, make new friends and compete in front of a big crowd. It’s really awesome. It’s the time of your life.”
Molenda plans to attend college in the fall to pursue aviation and would like to become a pilot someday.
In addition, he plans to continue pursuing his passion on the ice.
“There are low days when you are training, but you have to think about what your goals are,” Molenda said. “In the long run, they are your inspiration to keep going.”
Jane Donahue is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.