SKATER PROFILE
PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF – THREE MONTHS AFTER LEG INJURY,
SKATER WINS THE NATIONALS By Cecille Molenda
At the end of the 2010 U.S. National
Long Track Championship in Minnesota, Brandon Molenda, who placed 6th, told his parents, “Next year, I will be the Na- tional Champion.” They just smiled. Unfortunately, at the start of the 2011 season, during his second Illinois meet on Oct 23rd, Brandon fractured his right tibia during warm-up. He tried to avoid a small child on the ice and ended up hitting the mats. “We were told that it normally takes 6 to 8 weeks for this type of injury to heal,” said Cecille Molenda, Brandon’s mom. “One of our fellow skaters, Chris Cook, offered to help Brandon with his recovery.” Chris is the owner of the seven WCS Occupational Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine and Sports Performance Cen- ters in Illinois and Indiana. “Brandon was determined to compete in the 2011 Long Track Nationals, but at this point, we didn’t think that it would be possible,” said Cecille. Surprisingly, dur- ing his fourth week check-up, the doctor said that Brandon’s leg had healed very quickly. The day before Thanksgiving, Brandon’s cast was removed and he went directly to the WCS Naperville, IL facility. Chris, a fellow speedskater and physical therapist, created a program custom- ized for Brandon’s recovery.
“Brandon
went to therapy three times a week, after school. By mid-December Brandon he was barely skating. He tried to do a fly-
ing one lapper gliding because he could not do crossovers yet,” said his mother. With one month before the Long Track Nationals, Brandon still had not skated on the oval. He decided to be an on ice volun- teer during the Holiday Classic in Milwau- kee, WI, but occasionally had to sit down because he could not stand on the ice for extended periods of time. Cecille recalls, “He was still determined to compete in January at Roseville. He spent his Christ- mas break doing therapy, and training in Milwaukee three times a week.” The first long track meet was sched- uled for January 16th and the entry dead- line for the Long Track Nationals was January 12th. Although Brandon’s times from the previous season qualified him to skate, he did not have qualifying times for the current season. His coaches sug- gested that Brandon do time trials to see where he stood. On January 8th, Brandon skated the time trials and his entry was immediately submitted. One week before Nationals, Brandon competed in the Great Lakes Long Track competition and performed extremely well.
He placed first in every distance winning the fastest 1000 meter men, midget and below.
His parents were
happy to know he may be able to qualify in the finals at the Nationals. They arrived in Roseville, MN one day before the competition and Brandon did
his warm-up. It was very cold and Bran- don was barely skating. He said his cheeks were hurting from the coldness, but was happy that his leg felt good. The next day, Brandon woke up and immediately start- ed stretching and warming up, something he had never done before in all the years he has been skating. He expressed that he had a good feeling about this competi- tion, even though he hardly knew anyone in his age group. He sat next to some of his friends after arriving at the oval, but was not very talkative, instead he was fo- cused. That tactic worked in his favor for he qualified in the first final. Not really sure where Brandon stood amongst the deep pack field of kids; fac- es covered with neck gators and similar skin suits, his parents had to take the wait and see approach.
The first final,
was a very close race. Just before the finish line, Brandon’s opponent slightly slipped and afforded Brandon his first National gold medal. His mom thought he was just lucky. As the meet progressed, Brandon, placed 2nd in the semi-finals and earned gold medals in all remaining distances. It was unbelievable! Those that knew Brandon were amazed. They knew the obstacles he had to overcome from his broken leg only three months prior. Even more incredible was his skating the time of .026 seconds off the National record in one of the final races. After leaving Roseville, Brandon kept ut- tering, ‘I won Nationals. Mom, can you be- lieve I won Nationals?’ His mom told him when he set his mind on something and follows through, nothing is impossible. Brandon is a high honor roll student at
Granger Middle School. He loves paint- ball shooting, skeet shooting, playing his drums and his nitro car. He has a little sis- ter, Brianne, who also speed skates, but prefers the short track. They both belong to the Glen Ellyn Speed Skating Club.
www.usspeedskating.org Fall 2011 RACING BLADE 25
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