Pettit Center Hosts 2026 Carl Cepuran Memorial Interscholastic Speedskating Challenge

The 2026 Carl Cepuran Memorial Interscholastic Speedskating Challenge was held at the Pettit National Ice Center on July 3rd, 2026. The competition featured 61 skaters, representing 29 schools from the US, Canada, and Great Britain, who came together to race for the pride of their schools.

The skaters were categorized into six groups: Vision, Faith, Courage, Wisdom, Compassion, and Legacy. These names are characteristics that all point to Carl Cepuran, an esteemed figure in Midwest speed skating and longtime advocate for youth development, who passed away recently. Carl was instrumental as a key supporter of last year’s inaugural Interscholastic Speedskating Challenge, and worked to bring speedskating a step closer to schools. The name of the competition and groups were to honor his legacy and inspire skaters both on and off the ice for generations to come.

In addition to this event, Carl’s sons Ethan and Gordon Cepuran shared their perspectives on the impactful legacy of their father. Ethan believes that, “While my dad cared deeply about skaters finding their way on the ice, he cared even more about skaters being ready and able to succeed in life outside of sport. He’d be deeply proud to be associated with the event and he’d be proud of every skater taking part.”

Gordon built upon this by saying that, “I remember talking to our dad about 12 to 15 years ago about him wanting to have a meet where skaters could represent their school, so hearing that the Let’s Skate Foundation had created that kind of event really brought me back to that discussion from years ago. I can’t express the depth of my gratitude to Let’s Skate for coming up with the idea and offering to rename the event after Dad. He never did what he did for individual recognition or accolades but rather to give others something to be a part of.” 

This challenge was especially meaningful as it proved an interscholastic format could rally the speed skating community together. Watching skaters race to represent not just their clubs/training programs but also their schools created an atmosphere reminiscent of the past. 

From the 1920s to the 1980s, speed skating enjoyed a rich presence within Illinois schools, and attracted thousands of enthusiastic spectators to cheer on their favorite student skaters on the ice. These events often incubated the careers of many Midwest speed skating Olympians and built the foundation for their legacies. But following various difficulties maintaining school teams and awareness, the excitement and popularity surrounding interschool speed skating competitions fizzled out by the 1980s.

The Carl Cepuran Memorial Interscholastic Speedskating Challenge sought to bring this atmosphere back. Students can once again represent their schools with pride on the track. By growing student excitement surrounding speed skating, the sport’s numbers can grow in unprecedented ways. 

Melissa Koening, co-meet director of the event, expressed her positive outlook on the impact of the event, saying: “It was a great competition that allowed skaters to apply what they have been learning at summer training. Lots of good racing and a great memorial to Coach Carl.  He would have loved to see his vision of school competitions coming into practice.”

The individual division awards were presented by Olympians Dave Tamburrino (1994 & 1998), Katherine Reutter (2010), Andrew Heo (2022 & 2026), Qi Yin (2022 & 2026) and Youth Olympian Xiucheng Lyu (2012).

While she was presenting the awards, Katherine Reutter reflected on the whole event: "The Carl Cepuran Memorial Interscholastic Speedskating Event was a joy to witness. Skaters, parents, coaches, and volunteers from multiple countries embodied the qualities of Carl both on and off the ice. He was such a believer in sharing skating in schools. It has been a privilege to see the beginnings of this dream come to life thanks to Let's Skate, Glenn Ellyn, and Pinnacle."

But the name of this event is not deceiving; athletes competed for more than just personal experience but also accumulated points for their schools. The awards ceremony also incorporated a section for the schools with skaters earning the most points. 

The school awards were presented by Aaron Liu, president of the Let’s Skate Foundation. As co-meet director and assistant referee during the competition, he noted: “The energy of the competition was off the charts, and I am really excited to see how Let’s Skate can continue the legacy of Carl Cepuran’s contributions towards speedskating with future renditions of the interscholastic challenge.”

Thanks to the Glen Ellyn Speedskating Club, Pinnacle Speedskating Program, Pettit National Ice Center, and Let’s Skate Foundation for making this event possible, as well as all volunteers and guest presenters for their contributions to making the competition smooth and memorable. We hope to see everyone again next year for another edition of the Interscholastic Speedskating Challenge!

Results(School):

1st place: Brookfield Academy, Wisconsin

2nd place: Burleigh Elementary School, Wisconsin 

3rd place: Decatur Classical School, Illinois

Results(Division):

Vision:

1st: Ian Chien (UW Madison)

2nd: Martzel Montes (Juliusz Slowacki Polish School)

3rd: Daniel Chen (Brookfield Academy)

Faith:

1st: Max Mountainbear (Decatur Classical School)

2nd: Max Yu (Brookfield Academy)

3rd:  Zongxin Zhou (Wisconsin Hills Middle School)

Courage:

1st: Ethan Lee (Garnet Valley Middle School)

2nd: Max Wanta (MacDowell Montessori)

3rd: Brandon Li (Brookfield Academy)

Wisdom: 

1st: Jaydon Dong (Burleigh Elementary)

2nd: Maxwell Bailey

3rd: Aadvik Pothina (Francis Howell)

Compassion: 

1st: Fiona Cheng

2nd: Jeff Li 

3rd: Emma Chen (Brookfield Academy)

Legacy:

1st: Aiden Yu 

2nd: Scarlett Feng 

3rd: Jayden Wu