Freshman Jared Wood could first be seen on the ice at age five. Ever since, he has been tearing up the sport of speed skating. With 14 short-track speed skating competitions already under his belt, and two gold medals, Wood is making his mark in the speed skating world.

Wood has been able to sharpen his skills by working with World Gold Medalist Sooyeon Yeo.

Outside of speed skating, Wood is a member of the indoor track team. He says that has contributed to his high endurance while speed skating. Track coach Tom Rogers finds Wood’s training to be very beneficial at developing his speed and strength.

“He is still very young, but has pretty good natural speed,” says Rogers.

Special equipment and technique are also required, for the demanding sport.

“You need a skin suit, gloves, a helmet, shin guards, boots, good blades, eye protection, neck guard,” said Wood. “You can’t learn it easily. It takes time to get better at it. You need to learn a lot of form and technique.”

Despite the training and commitment required of speed skaters, Wood thoroughly enjoys it and continues to work hard. Currently, Wood continues to train in preparation for the U.S. National Short Track Championships in Bay City, MI., this coming March.

But beyond winning competitions, Wood’s draw to the sport is speed.

“What I like about speed skating is going really fast around the track,” said Wood.