From Day One when he first took the ice early in elementary school, Jersey Chytla did not desire to mimic his former competitive figure skating mother Kris Chytla, who also taught the stylish sport.
Too slow.
“Since the start, he told me he was not a figure skater or hockey player,” Kris Chytla said. “He wanted to skate fast. He had actually been after me to get him into speed skating lessons from the start and I had looked into it.”
This week, 18-year-old Jersey Chytla, pride of the Franklin Park Speed Skating Club, couldn’t get to the International Skating Union (ISU) Junior World Speed Skating Championships starting Jan. 28 in Innsbruck, Austria fast enough.
Chytla, a senior at St. Charles East High School, also tried out for the Olympics in early January at trials in Milwaukee organized by US Speedskating. He didn’t make the Olympic team, but Kris Chytla said he was thrilled to participate in trials.
Her son is, however, bound for the ISU championship in Europe. Jersey Chytla departed his St. Charles home to Milwaukee on Sunday. He flew to Indianapolis, where he had a layover until a flight to Amsterdam. Once in the Netherlands, Chytla was scheduled have another layover to catch the final leg to Austria. While that might tire most people, Chytla is used to moving very, very fast.
“When I’m going fast, it feels like I’m flying,” Chytla said. “In speed skating, you’re going 30 to 35 mph. It’s pretty thrilling, but it’s also hard. It hurts, pulling all those G’s going around a corner.”
But long before Chytla could reach warp speed in his sport, he had to learn how to skate fundamentally at slower speeds. His skill in speed skating was partially crafted by skating coach Steve Penland at the Franklin Park Ice Arena, 9711 Waveland Ave., Franklin Park.
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At the arena, Penland also coached Olympic speed skater Emery Lehman of Oak Park, who will be competing in the Beijing Olympics. So Chytla benefited from those who have gone before him. Penland’s chauffeur duties taking the young skaters to one of the two “long track” indoor skating facilities in Milwaukee were also crucial.
“What we all kind of push for with young kids is this is fun. Going fast is fun,” said Penland.
But to experience the thrill of victory, speed skaters must first endure the pain of working out, requiring mental discipline scarcely seen elsewhere.
“I’ve always said in any sport—and I’ve coached baseball, soccer and track—what makes any athlete successful, it’s their drive,” said Penland. “Any athlete has to have a fire within them to push themselves to the limit, not just in competition, but in practice.
“The coach does offer the correct guidance on how to do it. But if all motivation comes from the outside, normally the kids plateau and don’t move up. Top kids give it their all. I’ve had a lot of skaters who cut corners. It is the mental discipline.”
But from the athlete’s perspective, the right coach in the right environment can complete an athlete’s personal portfolio.
“Steve gives me a a lot more personalized training than I was used to doing,” Chytla said, referring to previous training with a Glen Ellyn speed skating club. “He personalized it for us, and takes on just two or three skaters. He drives us up to Milwaukee. Steve gives us workouts for every morning, every afternoon of each day.
“For the skater, you can only feel what you can do. You need confirmation of what you’re doing (from a third party).”
Added Kris Chytla: “Coach Steve is truly the ideal coach for Jersey. He’s a retired educator whose calm, knowledgeable, systematic coaching style is greatly appreciated by my son.”
Lehman said his goal as an OIympian is to improve 1% at a time in each workout. Penland echoed that sentiment about a developing speed skater like Chytla.
– Original Credit: Joe Kudlata
“We focus on one skill at a time,” Penland said. “When we get that one done, we do another one. We start with the gross motor movements and go down to the fine controls of skating. When you watch the top skaters, they don’t look like they’re working hard. They’re efficient.”
Chytla, who used to run track and cross country at St. Charles East,
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knows if he wants to reach Lehman’s competitive level and compete in the Olympics, he’ll need to get gain overall strength.
Jersey needs to get considerably stronger “to get to an Olympic-competitive level,” Penland said, “He’s not strong enough in his deep position. When you see them go by, you see them compact. It’s a matter of power. He’s at that point where young guys start turning into men, and put on some muscle mass.”
Supporting a speed skater on his training and competitive rounds is not inexpensive. An international trip adds to the bill. As a result, Kris Chytla has started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise $8,000, upon the suggestion of Dejan Gakovic, president of the Franklin Park Speed Skating Club.
“There are so many expenses associated with speed skating,” Kris Chytla said. “USS and club memberships, ice time, coaching expenses, equipment, travel, etc. Just having our son speed skate taps us financially.”
The Chytla family also face college expenses on the heels of the Austria trip. He has been accepted to the University of Calgary, the University of Utah and the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He plans to major in environment science.
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