Episode 146: Talented Student on Fast Track to Achieving Dream of Becoming an Olympic Athlete

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. He is on a fast track to achieving his dream of one day competing in the Winter Olympics. On this episode of the Supercast, we head to the Olympics Speed Skating Oval in Kearns, where Ray Shim, who just completed ninth grade at Mountain Creek Middle School hits the ice for another grueling practice. Ray has already set a national record in short track speed skating, and soon he will be competing in higher level races like the America's Cup and World Cup trials, as he strives to make his Olympic dreams come true.

We're here at Mountain Creek Middle School with Ray Shim. Ray, thanks for taking time.

Ray Shim:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ray is a speed skater preparing for his next race, but for even bigger things beyond that. Tell me about that preparation and how long you've been skating.

Ray Shim:
Well, I started skating when I was four in South Korea and my mom got interested in it. So I've been preparing for going to like bigger races for 11 years now.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what's your ultimate goal?

Ray Shim:
To go to Olympics.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how long before you would be trying out for the Olympics?

Ray Shim:
Well this next quarter would be my first year that I could ever try it out.

Anthony Godfrey:
What's the age of eligibility?

Ray Shim:
I think you have to be at least 16.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And you're gonna turn 16 just in time for that?

Ray Shim:
Yeah, the next Olympics is gonna be in three years, so I'll be able to make it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you remember when you started skating?

Ray Shim:
I don't. I started when I was four, so I barely remember anything.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the only thing you remember is skating for your whole life.

Ray Shim:
Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
And did you have a talent for it early on? What have you been told about your early abilities?

Ray Shim:
Apparently my coaches said that I have a good talent for it. But yeah, I guess it's still improving right now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's always improving I'm sure. Have you always enjoyed skating? Are there times when it has been more exciting for you than other times?

Ray Shim:
The race season is always exciting and yeah, I've always liked skating,

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's easier to be practicing when you're leading up to a specific race, as opposed to just in the off season.

Ray Shim:
Yeah. Off season you kind of get discouraged a little bit, I guess.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about what the training looks like. There's a lot of time on the ice. Is there training off of the ice first of all?

Ray Shim:
Yes, we do off ice training. We run and stuff, but we have our own technical exercises we do for our off ice training.

Anthony Godfrey:
And so what do some of those technical exercises look like?

Ray Shim:
They're just practically skating, but on the ground.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're practicing skating on the ground. Is that practicing in place or are you in motion? How does that look?

Ray Shim:
Mostly in place, but we can also wear inline skates, which is roller blades, but yeah, we could also do that to train.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can you show me what that looks like?

Ray Shim:
Sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Or do you need special equipment to do that in place?

Ray Shim:
I don't need special equipment.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Show me what that looks like. I'm having a hard time picturing that.

Ray Shim:
Okay. First get into a 90 degree position.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Ray Shim:
When your knee's here, and then move this way.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you get into the starting position. You're crouched down really where your torso is horizontal with the ground.

Ray Shim:
That's the best position that you should be able to get.

Anthony Godfrey:
And then you're moving your feet from side to side. All right, I'll step aside. Can you show me what that looks like? Okay. So you're holding the position. So you move from side to side and hold the position for as long as you would be gliding. And is that a means of conditioning your legs so that you get accustomed to that movement and have the stamina to hold in position?

Ray Shim:
Yes, it's also easier to hold it off ice because balance is a lot easier. So yeah, we've practiced our technical moments here off ice.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you get the technical aspect of it down. And then once you go to the ice, you're better off because you've tried it on an easier surface. And then when you get to the ice, you're better prepared.

Ray Shim:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Your core must be just totally ripped.

Ray Shim:
<Laugh> I wish, but not that much.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think you're being modest. There's no way you can do what you just did that low to the ground without being in incredibly good shape. And there's a real grace to the motion from side to side. Is that something that, I guess since if you've been doing it since four, it comes pretty naturally. But do you have to think about that or is that just muscle memory now?

Ray Shim:
Well, I used to have to think about it, but I've done it for a lot of years. So it's like more natural now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what length of races you compete in.

Ray Shim:
I race 500 meter races, 1000 meter races, 1500 meter races and 5,000 meter races.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the 5,000 meter race, I assume is a relay.

Ray Shim:
Yes, a relay. Only four person per team, and there's gonna be four teams. I would take a starter position since I have a pretty good start.

Anthony Godfrey:
So different people have different skills. You're good off of the blocks. Are there blocks that you race off of? Or do you just have to start? You just turn your skate and that's your starting block, right?

Ray Shim:
Right. But everyone has to do one and a half laps every time and I'm a good sprinter type.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you get everyone off to a quick start?

Ray Shim:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you like best, solo races or relays?

Ray Shim:
Solo races. They're a lot more exciting than the relays.

Anthony Godfrey:
Because it's just one person against everybody else.

Ray Shim:
Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell me, I have no sense for scale here. Tell me how long a 1500 meter race takes roughly.

Ray Shim:
Average race would be a two minute 32 second race. A fast one would be like a two minute six second.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I would think that two minutes or two and a half minutes of skating at that speed would just, for most people feel like an eternity. Does it feel like a long time for you? Because there's so many things going through your head?

Ray Shim:
It's painful, but the time actually passes by pretty quickly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Will you do multiple races in one day? Or how does that work? There must be a lot of recovery time in between races because you're giving it your all.

Ray Shim:
Normally there's only gonna be like 20, 30 minutes between races. Yeah, we normally do prelims first. So all the 500, 1000 meter, 1500 races on the first day, and then the semifinals on the second day, and finals on the third day.

Anthony Godfrey:
How much time, since you were four years old, do you think you've spent? How much do you spend in an average week?

Ray Shim:
In an average week? Well, every day I spend around six, seven hours training. So times seven, that would be like 30-38, maybe in between, on average I guess.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm not gonna make you do the math. I'm gonna call it over 10,000 hours right now. That's pretty amazing. Six or seven hours a day. So tell me what a typical day looks like.

Ray Shim:
So you wake up at five and you eat a light breakfast, be there at 5:45 AM train until around 10 30. Come to school. After school is done, I go back to the oval train for another three hours, get back home and sleep.

Anthony Godfrey:
So do you have much time for much else? It sounds like that's pretty much your free time.

Ray Shim:
Yeah. Not really, but I manage.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it sounds like that is a stress reliever and kind of energizing for you to be able to be part of the racing and part of the training.

Ray Shim:
Yes. It's also a little bit stressing too, but it's also my stress reliever.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do your friends know that you do speed skating?

Ray Shim:
Well, most of my friends are speed skaters, but in this school, I don't think a lot of people know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, well they will after this podcast because we're gonna spread it everywhere. You're ready for that, right?

Ray Shim:
Maybe

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. We're now talking with Ray's counselor, David Parker here at Mountain Creek Middle. Tell me about Ray.

David Parker:
Ray is a very polite, quiet kid who is very humble. And one of one of the nicest kids you’ll meet. You would never know, like he had said, what he has done. In fact, I've learned he's been speed skating for these three years, but to the level he's been doing, I found out after last April.

Anthony Godfrey:
You wouldn't know what an animal he is on the ice and how competitive he is.

David Parker:
Right? For example, I knew he was going to be gone, cause we were trying to work some things out for future planning and I knew he was gone. He came back from his trip and he talked to his AP teacher and she asked how it went and he said fine. And then as we reached out to do all this thing, and I think it was interesting as we sent this stuff out and his accomplishments at that race, she approached me saying, he just said it was fine. And he's breaking these records and getting first place and you know, up there on the podium, that went ‘fine.’

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about what accommodations to the schedule and everything you've made to make all of that training possible.

David Parker:
So as Ray said, he's done ed release. This is his third year. He's one of the original Moose in fact right. This is our third year as a school at Mountain Creek. So he and his brother are considered some of the original Moose because Becky Hunsaker, our head counselor was the first hire in the department. And the very first meeting she ever had was with them to help kind of accommodate that. So Ray has always done ed release for the first three periods of the day and then at the afternoon period. And he supplements that with the virtual learning that's been available through the district. So he is here four or five periods a day and is taking AP classes in the midst of all that. And so like he said, he manages and I don't know how.

Anthony Godfrey:
But what he's been able to accomplish.
Stay with us when we come back, we'll head down on the ice with Ray Shim, an aspiring Olympic athlete and successful student.

Break:
Hello, I'm Stacee Worthen, Secondary Counseling Specialist for Jordan School District. Do you know all the ways Jordan School District counselors can help you and your students? School counselors play such an important role in our schools. They provide parents with resources to help guide their children in academics. They provide support with the mental and social well being of students in our schools. And if you are in the process of preparing a student for college, or just beginning the conversation of higher education, now is the perfect time to reach out to your child counselor. We can assist with college applications and college readiness. I encourage parents and guardians to schedule an appointment and get to know your student's counselor. Together, counselors and parents can help develop plans and strategies for students to succeed long after they leave Jordan School District. Reach out! We're always here to help. You can find us and learn more at counseling.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
How much time do you think you've spent in this building?

Ray Shim:
Too much to count. I have no idea.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure. So is there always two sets of ice here? Two rinks?

Ray Shim:
Yes. One's for hockey skating, so they have hard boards. And one's for figure skating and skating and stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And this is the skating one over here?

Ray Shim;
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. I remember hearing about this building, that it is one of the largest buildings without any posts in it at all, so that you could get line of sight for the cameras when the Olympics were here.

Ray Shim:
Oh, I had no idea, but yeah, there are no posts now that you say that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me about your skates. I shouldn't be surprised, but those blades look really long.

Ray Shim:
Yeah. They're 17 and a half inch blades.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow. And you keep this cover on 'em to keep 'em sharp and keep from injuring yourself on those blades, I assume?

Ray Shim:
For protecting the blades mostly though.

Anthony Godfrey:
You compete on the short track, so is this pretty much the same as the ice that you would compete on?

Ray Shim:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
How long does it take you to get all suited up? Oh, okay. Now you've just uncovered that blade. Can I take a look at that? That is a serious blade that could protect you in the parking lot on your way to the car. Wow. That is a serious business. And in proportion to the size of your foot, that's a pretty long blade.

Ray Shim:
Yeah. It's, I don't know. It's supposedly supposed to be longer than your foot. So like, you don't have to worry as much about the front and back shifting.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah. Gives you stability.

Ray Shim:
Well, this would last around maybe like half a year to a whole year because you would sharpen them like every two or three times you skate on them. It lasts a pretty long time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ray, it looks like you're double laced and Velcro strap. It's a bit of a process. So it takes you 10 minutes, but it’d take me 20.

Ray Shim:
Yeah. Double laces are for the tightness of your ankle so that it doesn't become loose. And then Velcro’s more like to keep the laces so that it doesn't.

Anthony Godfrey:
There are no brakes on these things. Once you get going, you just have to kind of turn and put your skates at a 90 degree angle to your trajectory.

Ray Shim:
Well, I guess you would just kind of glide until you start losing speed or kind of like start stepping like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
I can't wait to see you in action here, because this is a lot of build up. All right. Now you're all geared up. You've got your helmet on. You always skate with a helmet, I assume?

Ray Shim:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very good. And you've got, is this all one piece from shoulders to ankles?

Ray Shim:
Yes. All one piece.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And your US Speed Skating jacket. That's pretty cool.

Ray Shim:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. So tell me, how does it feel to be all suited up? Does that feel?

Ray Shim:
It's pretty uncomfortable. It's skin tight. So it wouldn't be something that I would want to wear the whole time. But it's best for your aerodynamic activities.

Anthony Godfrey:
How much skating do you do before a race to warm up

Ray Shim:
Before? They only give you 10 minutes on ice and then you would have to wait until it's your racesnd then just skate then. So you would have to do like a lot of off ice warmups, like running, stretching.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, okay. So a lot of off ice warming up and then 10 minutes on the ice and then you're ready to go.

Ray Shim:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you've got these, these gloves. It looks like you dipped just the fingertips of the gloves in latex. Is that part of your start? Tell me about that. And it's only on the left glove.

Ray Shim:
This is for pivoting. So when you go, when you start going fast and you start to lean more on ice, since you can't just kind of do it without the support of your hand on your ice, this is for like gliding it on.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Let's see you out on the ice.

Man, he looks great out there. He's going so fast.

Ray, that was awesome.

Ray Shim:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
That was really, I don't know. I was very overwhelmed seeing you skate. I thought that was incredible. It was so graceful, so fast. And when you finished, you glided all the way around with no effort, you had so much energy you'd built up, you went around once doing nothing.

Ray Shim:
Yeah, these skates glide really easily. So once you get speed, it's kind of hard to slow down.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. When you turned and leaned in and just put your hand down, I just thought, well, that's something I'll never do. That was incredible. I am so impressed. I'm so glad we got to come here to the ice and see you skate. It was just honestly, just astonishing to see how fast you go, how graceful it is, how effortless you make it look.

Ray Shim:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
When we walked up to the ice, there was a kid who is obviously a speed skater who wanted to show you his skates. Do you have that happen sometimes when you're all geared up? You have a very gold medal look right now.

Ray Shim:
Oh, thank you. Yeah, from time to time. He just started learning how to skate so he's probably really interested in like other people who would be skating like him.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That's really cool that you are already getting the chance to encourage younger skaters. When is your next competition?

Ray Shim:
It's gonna be in August, mid August, right before our school's gonna start again.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you compete here at any point where I could come and see?

Ray Shim:
In August.

Anthony Godfrey:
In August it's here?

Ray Shim:
Yeah, it’s here this year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, great. Well, we'll be here. We'll be here. Thank you. Thanks for spending the time Ray, we'll be cheering you on from these stands.

Ray Shim:
Thank you for taking time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.