Nancy Swider-Peltz, Jr. hopes third time's a charm

It was almost eight years ago when Nancy Swider-Peltz, Jr. (Wheaton, IL) competed against her mother at the 2002 U.S. Olympic Trials for Speedskating. Nancy, at only 13, was the youngest competitor at the event; her mother, four-time Olympian Nancy Swider-Peltz, at age 45, was the oldest. Neither made the Olympic team that year but Nancy Jr. is back and ready to compete at the U.S. World Cup/Olympic Qualifying event to be held on Oct. 21-25 in Milwaukee. The mother-daughter team is paired up again--but not as competitors: Swider-Peltz is her daughter's coach.

Swider-Peltz, Jr. (22) is the current U.S. Ladies Allround Champion and very confident heading into the competition. She knows her opponents, including three-time Olympian Catherine Raney (Elm Grove, WI), are tough, prepared and focused. "Everybody's bringing their best performances to this meet," Swider-Peltz, Jr. said. "It will be great to see what comes out of it. I try to be as confident as possible and hopefully I'm going to make the (Olympic) team. I have looked forward to this my whole life."

Even though Swider-Peltz, Jr. grew up in ice rinks, it wasn't until she turned 13 that she began to embrace the sport of speedskating. Using hand-me-down skates from Olympian Maggie Crowley (Chicago, IL) she started skating with the Park Ridge Speedskating Club and soon qualified for the 2002 Olympic Trials. Four years later, she just missed making the 2006 U.S. Olympic speedskating team. "It was extremely disappointing," Swider-Peltz, Jr. said. "It was a real learning experience."

Swider-Peltz, Jr. took a year off after the 2006 Olympic Trials and focused on school, attending Wheaton College in Illinois. Fully immersed in her education and college life, she became a member of the swim team and competed for the school at many events. As the 2010 Olympic season approached, she and her mom created a plan to increase strength and endurance, and she returned to the ice stronger than ever.

Coach Swider-Peltz is experiencing double anxiety as both a coach and a mother. She knows the years of sacrifices will be put to the test during the next week. "It's difficult to coach your own kids," Swider-Peltz said. "Your anxiety is always going to be higher. Something is more important when you sacrifice for it and we've had two people sacrificing this time."

She believes her daughter is as prepared for the qualifying event as she's ever been but also understands the competition will be fierce. "I think it's going to be a very tough Olympic Trials," Swider-Peltz said. "It's really hard to predict who's going to do well."

Ready or not, the event this week will determine the 2009-2010 World Cup long track speedskating team who will go on to earn Olympic spots during the five World Cup events this season. Swider-Peltz, Jr. hopes to be among those skaters earning their place in Olympic history.

"I am aware of what my weaknesses are," she said. "I hope, like every athlete, to turn those weaknesses into strengths. I'm really confident going into this event."