This July skaters from Manitowoc’s Rollaire Speed Team went to nationals in Lincoln Nebraska.
Rollaire had three skaters travel to nationals including Zakia Kalista, Owen Garcia, and Braylon Jenson who is now the 2nd best elementary division skater in the nation.
We spoke with their head coach, Carly Valdez-Romdenne, and learned just how hard these skaters had been working to prepare for nationals this year.
“They work so hard and are so dedicated, they have taken my action plans for them and executed them flawlessly,” she explained. “We put into place different action plans for each one of them… and made sure that they were there as far as a times perspective, we ran times like it was our business leading up until nationals to know where they needed to be.”
Skaters competed well this year and were well prepared, however, there was one challenge they all needed to face that could only happen at nationals, and it wasn’t physical.
She said her biggest concern was “nerves. I kind of knew that was going to be the case going in because they are such a new team, and It is such an intimidating, large event.”
With the success of the three that traveled to Lincoln this year, Coach Valdez-Romdenne hopes to get more skaters prepped and ready for nationals next year.
“My goal is to get most of the team if not all of them to the bigger meets to kind of see where they are, much like we’ve done with Z, Owen, and Braylon,” she revealed to Seehafer News. “Get them to those races see where they go and kind of do the same action plan with them, all while executing what these kids needed to do, make up for nationals the things where they fell short.”
Practices have started again for the team with the next season coming up fast, beginning in October.
