USS Names the 2024-25 Short Track Development Skaters of the Year
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USS is proud to announce your Short Track Development Skaters of the Year; Benjamin Sullivan and Isabella Chen! These skaters were awarded this title based off of their performances during the 2024-25 season. We asked each skater to fill out a questionnaire to get to know more about their speed skating careers, hobbies and so much more! To learn more about Ben and Isabella, read what they had to say below.
Name: Isabella Chen
Age: 15
Club: Potomac Speedskating Club
Coach: Simon Cho and John-Henry Krueger
Who inspires you in speed skating?
My biggest inspiration in speed skating is my dad. Due to the time consuming nature and mental toll that comes with driving, he has to work incredibly hard to balance his work and my practice. Supporting my speed skating is like a second job to him. His commitment and dedication give me all the resources I need to be successful, which inspires me to try my very best to get good results in speed skating.
Where will you be in ten years?
In ten years, I hope to be pursuing a higher education in the medical field and continuing to skate as a hobby.
What other sports do you play?
I don’t play any other sports as competitively as speed skating, but I occasionally like to play table tennis and badminton with my sister for fun.
What are your other hobbies?
My other hobbies include reading books and playing video games. I don’t have many other hobbies other than speed skating because I mainly focus my time on skating.
How did you get involved in speed skating?
I used to figure skate, but my passion is not with it. My friend’s mother saw that I was already skating around in circles during public sessions, which is very similar to what you do in speed skating, and so recommended to my mother to have me try speed skating. I found the sport very entertaining and the environment friendly.
What would you consider your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment is becoming the junior national champion this year. Even with arduous training, I think this achievement was a pleasant surprise.
What is your favorite subject in school?
I enjoy all of my classes, but I especially like the engineering class I am currently taking. It is definitely above the others because the hands-on creation of ideas and the modeling in a 3D modeling software are very enjoyable.
What are your goals for speed skating in the next few years?
My goal is to continue to improve and make the junior and national teams.
What is your favorite exercise during dryland training?
My favorite exercise during dryland training is belt crossovers since it simulates the lean on ice. Being on land allows me to focus on my form, because holding in a specific skating position isn't as punishing as it is on ice. That allows the coaches to correct any problems in my form.
What’s your favorite post-race snack?
My favorite post-race snack is a protein bar because it is quick, light, and gives me a boost of energy in preparation for the next race.
Where is your favorite place to race?
The ice in Utah is very fast, feels smooth to skate on, and allows me to get many personal best times, and that makes it my favorite place to race.
What’s your craziest hidden talent?
One hidden talent I have is that I can sleep pretty much anywhere. This gives me the ability to regain energy whenever I need the rest and be prepared to skate. There's a chance you can catch me snoozing in an abnormal position in a terribly loud environment, but normally I choose a hidden spot so that I wouldn’t be caught by others.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I hope to have the chance to compete in a future Junior World Cup in China so my grandparents can watch me race live. They’re not able to travel to the U.S. due to their age, so I want to take my speed skating from the screen to the real world for them.
I also would like to thank my coaches for helping me make it this far. I appreciate my first coach, Coach Koo, for being very encouraging and giving me a very strong base for skating. Ever since I have been skating at Potomac, Coach Simon was present and listening and implementing his tips given to other skaters or directly to me definitely helped me develop my form. And finally, Coach John-Henry in the past 2 years he has been at the club reinforced my form with advice specific to my skating. Both of these coaches have directed me wonderfully at races, giving me instructions to achieve victory.
Name: Ben Sullivan
Age: 16
Club: Potomac Speedskating Club
Coach: Simon Cho and John-Henry Krueger
Who inspires you in speed skating?
Hwang Dae-heon, Victor Ahn, Shaoang Liu and J.R. Celski. I like skaters who have great technique and make skating fast look effortless.
Where will you be in ten years?
I want to be skating in the 2034 Olympics with my younger sister, Veronica.
What other sports do you play?
I played pretty much every other sport there is, including baseball and olympic lifting and I wrestled for my high school. I’m now just really focused on skating.
What are your other hobbies?
Music and movies.
How did you get involved in speed skating?
I was at a learn-to-play hockey lesson in Evanston, when I saw speed skaters who were skating at Shani Davis’ old speed skating club. My dad asked me if I wanted to try it, and I said, “yes.” I went a few times and then we moved to Maryland and joined Potomac when I was four-years-old.
What would you consider your greatest accomplishment?
I have a few things I'm happy about. Skating under 41 seconds in the 500 this year was a big goal I wanted to accomplish. Winning the B final at the Jr. World Tour in Quebec this year and skating at Jr. World Champs.
What is your favorite subject in school?
Philosophy and Psychology.
What are your goals for speed skating in the next few years?
I want to be selected for the National Team, be in a position to win some medals at Junior World competitions and hopefully skate in the 2030 Olympics.
What is your favorite exercise during dryland training?
Corner belt
What’s your favorite post-race snack?
Cliff blocks or any kind of sports gummies.
Where is your favorite place to race?
I like Quebec City because the rink is so nice, but I like competing in Montreal because it’s a really beautiful city.
What’s your craziest hidden talent?
Baking Chocolate chip cookies. My family is always asking me to make my brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I have a lot of people to thank, but I want to thank Simon Cho, who has been my coach for eight years. He started coaching me when I was 8, and he’s a big reason I am the skater I am today.
