Crystal Lake team sends three young athletes to compete on world stage
On heels of national competition, Xtreme Speed skaters will head to Italy. Inline speed skating is rising in popularity worldwide and Crystal Lake happens to be a regional hub and breeding ground for the sport.
At Xtreme Wheels Roller Skating & Family Fun Center on Virginia Road, inline speed skaters train year-round under the leadership of former national champion and rink owner, Dean Hohl.
Now, after years of training, three young athletes have made the international stage.
Trevor Kreplin, 21, of Sleepy Hollow, Eleri Scott, 19, of Woodstock, and Caleb Adams, 15, of Crystal Lake qualified for USA World Team and will head to Montesilvano, Italy to compete in the Inline Speed Skating World Championships this September.
This is Scott’s second year as a member of the world team. Adams was eligible to try out for the first time this year, since the minimum age is 14. He is the youngest Xtreme Speed skater to make the team.
This is Kreplin’s year trying out for the world team. He stepped up his training over the past year in order to qualify for the team, including training oversees.
In April, Kreplin, Scott, Adams, and brother Jakob Adams recently trained at Arena Geisingen International 2024 in Germany, where they competed against hundreds of skaters around the world for the second year in a row.
Kaleb Adams finished second overall at Geisingen.
Dominating at Nationals
The Adams brothers both medaled at the recent USA Rollersports National Championship in Lincoln, Nebraska earlier this month.
Kaleb Adams took two silver and one gold medal and broke the track record in the 1,500 meter, taking second overall in the Sophomore division.
Jakob Adams won two bronze medals and took third overall in the Sophomore division.
In addition, the Adams brothers took gold in the Sophomore 2-Man relays and third in the Senior 3-Man relay. They were the youngest team on the floor in that race.
Another young teammate, 5-year-old Xtreme Speed member Charlotte Turner of Woodstock, took second overall in the Tiny Tot division at Nationals.
“These kids have spent hours a day training to compete at a high level and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” Hohl said. “We’re looking to get the word out to show support for the opportunity these skaters are being given to compete at such a high level.”
To cover the cost of expenses, Xtreme Speed has launched a GoFundMe.
Sanctioned by World Skate, the Inline Speed Skating World Championships (World Roller Speed Skating Championships) is an inline speed skating competition held unofficially since 1937. The 2024 competition will take place this year Sept. 13-20.
Learn more about the World Skate Games at worldskate.org.