Community Corner
Young McMurray Speed Skaters Compete Internationally
Lexi Burkholder, and brothers, John-Henry and Cole Krueger return from Courmayeur, Italy and head to the AmCup finals.
In 2004, young Lexi Burkholder watched a speed skating interstitial (a one minute mini-documentary shown between television shows) on the Disney Channel and pointed at the TV and said, “I want to do that.”
“We didn’t even know what she meant at first," said Becky Burkholder, proud mother of Lexi. "Finally, my husband and I saw [the speed skating interstitial] and the rest is history.”
Now at 15, Lexi is one of Pittsburgh’s speed skating champions, placing on the national level since 2007. She holds national speed skating record times and was eligible to compete on an international level this February in Courmayeur, Italy at the ISU Junior Worlds Competition.
“Lexi trains six to eight hours a day, and we go all over,” said Becky.
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The ninth grader attends online classes with 21st century cyber charter school. Her sister, Margo, 13, also a speed skater has a less rigorous training schedule and attends seventh grade at Peters Township Middle School.
Lexi was joined in Italy by two additional McMurray athletes, John-Henry, 15, and Cole Krueger, 19. All three are members of the Pittsburgh Speed Skating Club. Cole, John-Henry and Lexi were three of 60 participating skaters chosen to represent the USA at the Junior World Championship.
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The three short track speed skaters are hoping to secure positions in the XXII Winter Olympics in 2014 (held in Sochi, a city near the Black Sea in Russia).
Coach Kwang Jae Lee, affectionately dubbed Coach K, trains the kids at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center. “Lexi goes all over for training, though. Sometimes we go out to Bladerunners in Cranberry,” Becky said.
Italy was the furthest location so far.
“She didn’t get to see much of anything. She had to train most of our trip. It’s a quaint little village in the Alps, but she had to train because of the higher elevation.”
“Lexi had the fastest times for the US women, but couldn’t get out of some very fast heats and actually ended up finishing the lowest of the US women in 28th place, but that’s the way it goes in speed skating,” Becky continued.
The Burkholders remain undaunted. They are speeding their way to the Olympics.
Next up for Lexi and the Krueger boys is the AmCup finals on March 12 and 13 in Wausau, Wis.
