How does an athlete persevere through hours of training, repetitive movements and shear exhaustion, while braving the freezing cold and balancing on thin, precarious blades? “Halfway through a time trial and you're legs would already have hit the wall," said Shaner LeBauer, a 16-year-old speed skater from Potomac, Md. LeBauer was a gold medalist at the U.S. National Short-Track Speed Skating Competition. "The only thing you can do at that point on is push through it which is very difficult because your legs are screaming at you.” For Lexi Burkholder, 16, a speed skater who has represented the U.S. at international competitions, the sport has also taken its toll. Last year, she tore her quadriceps and is still recovering from knee surgery. Because of her injury, she went on a three-month hiatus from skating and was recovering for the next nine. Dealing with the nerves that accompany competitions is another challenge athletes have to overcome. “I used to always choke when I was nervous and I’ve learned to harness it to my advantage just recently,” said LeBauer. He realized that nervousness helps because “I don’t think about the pain as much. I don’t overthink the strategy as much. I think on my feet much better when I’m nervous.” Burkholder’s advice is to “trust your training and focus on the things you can change at that moment. You can’t change how you’re trained at that point or make yourself stronger. You can’t think about the other people. Do what you’ve been training to do.”

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