Erica Lai trains indoors for inline speed skating. Lai said she wants to continue skating after high school. (Submitted: Erica Lai)

How did you first get into speed skating, and what drew you to the sport?

I first got into speed skating when I was 4 years old, as my best friend’s dad is our speed skating coach and my friend and I did skating together. I love the feeling of being on wheels, going fast and feeling the adrenaline. So that’s what drew me to skating. 

What does a typical training session look like for you during the season?

A typical week of training during my season is around three to four practices a week, and the practices vary depending on the type of race I’m training for. If the course is more hilly, we’ll do more hill training laps, and if it’s a longer race like a marathon (26.2 miles) or more like A2A (87 miles) then we’ll train endurance skating, with longer routes that are 16-26 miles in length. During the season we also have indoor practices to hone our technique, and I usually go to that one to two times a week. Along with this, I am a coach for Carmel Inline Skate Club, and so I teach kids on Mondays and lead 8-10 mile kid skates on the Monon on Sundays.

Have you ever had to make sacrifices socially or academically for your sport?

Sometimes I sacrifice time with my friends to go to practice. I usually hang out in the library with my friends after school until 7, just to chat and have fun, but practice can be right after school, so in my season I see my friends a little less. Academically I don’t really make sacrifices for my sport, as I have pretty good time management and am able to keep high grades along with my skating.

What’s the most mentally challenging part of being a speed skater?

The most mentally challenging part of being a speed skater is either the distances I skate or the fear of injury. In longer skates like A2A it can be hard to fight through the pain and weariness for eight hours, and to have the motivation to keep going. Speed skating long distances means that we skate on roads, which always comes with the hazards of people, cars and accidents. Falling on asphalt gives an injury called “road rash” which is painful and can be large. Going at fast speeds also means that crashing could induce larger and more serious injuries.

Have you ever faced burnout or injury, and how did you handle it?

I have faced a lot of injuries. One of my larger injuries was April 19th, 2024. I clipped my own skate and wiped out on a particularly rough pavement, and it gave me a six inch long road rash, and it broke off my ulnar styloid. The healing process was annoying, as I couldn’t do anything with my left forearm, and showering was a hassle. Since the road rash was such a large area and on my knee which is a highly moving joint, the road rash took forever to scab over and I still have a huge scar today, but it’s slowly fading over time. Coming back after that injury was mentally and physically challenging, as I took eight weeks off of skating right in the start of the season which set me back physically, and coming back to going fast speeds after a huge wipe-out was a little scary, but with time passing and getting better at skating I’m more confident in my abilities.

How do you stay motivated when the sport gets tough?

I stay motivated when skating gets tough by reminding myself that I always have other skaters to talk with and to help me with whatever I’m struggling with. For example, my skates were really bad last year, they didn’t fit, had two inch holes, and were old enough to the point that the leather was crumbling. They were a main part of why I wasn’t making a lot of progress and the source of my frustration, but when I talked to more experienced skaters like my indoor coaches they were able to help me get a skate that fits and allows me to skate really well.

Do you ever feel misunderstood or overlooked as an athlete because your sport is less mainstream?

Sometimes I feel overlooked as an athlete with those who aren’t as familiar with me or skating, because skating is really a niche sport. With my friends and those who do inline speed skating, it’s easier to understand each other and feel more impressed by others achievements as we know what it takes to get those results. People who watch the Olympics know that speed skating is on ice, but a lot don’t know that there is inline speed skating. However, I love it when people are curious about skating and ask me questions, as I love talking to people about skating and getting to introduce this whole new world to them.

Do you plan to continue the sport after high school?

I 100% plan to continue inline speed skating after high school. Most definitely recreational, and competitive if I can. Inline speed skating provides me with a way to stay active and healthy, which is really important as I get older. Skating also connects me with so many people, as there are skate clubs all over the US and the world. Getting to know these people with the events and races I go to brings me so much joy, and I really want to be able to keep these connections with skating. Skating makes me so happy, and I totally want to do this for the rest of my life.