Bob Jacquin

Competing at the Gateway meet at the Kirkwood ice rink, junior Joseph Britt finishes first in the 1000m race. “I enjoyed winning, but it was mostly about just how hard I push myself [to] break personal records,” Britt said.

What began as a family legacy continued with junior Joseph Britt as he geared up for the ice in seventh grade. Britt is the third generation to take the ice as a speed skater, following in his grandmother’s footsteps, great aunt, mother, and former Olympian uncle. 

Britt usually attends two two-hour practices a week, one on Sunday and Wednesday. In the first hour, he volunteers to help the younger kids.

“[It makes me feel] happy to see that the time I’m spending [is] helping [the younger kids] and just seeing them have fun at the races,” Britt said.

He skates with around 8-10 other skaters during the second hour of practice. 

“There’s another skater at the club, the fastest at the club. [I look up to him as a skater because] I see the work he puts in and it pays off,” Britt said.

He competes in around three to six competitions annually. After one of his competitions in 2019, he realized he qualified for nationals with a personal record of 52 seconds in the 500-meter race.

“I made it [to nationals] the past few years. I’ve qualified [the past] three years, but I’ve only [attended] my first year because of Covid,” Britt said. “Wisconsin was pretty cool. It was fun going up there and seeing the different areas and getting to meet a bunch of other skaters. Nationals were neat because I knew people from other competitions that I hadn’t seen in a while. It was nice to see them again.”

During one of the races at nationals, Britt was unable to hear his mom or his coach, Scott Schuyler, telling him to go wide to let someone pass him. He did not move and got disqualified.

“[Getting disqualified] was pretty disappointing and disheartening because it was my first year at Nationals, and I just wanted to skate. I was excited [to be] racing against and watching the upper-level groups, and I was enjoying the experience,” Britt said.

Britt is still unsure if he will compete in the Nationals this year due to his robotics team getting a place at Worlds and the uncertainty about those dates. He plans to continue skating but does not have any collegiate or Olympic goals.

“[Speedskating] has been something where I can push myself and see how far I can go. It’s been a place where I have also been able to stop thinking about schoolwork, and all I have to do is relax and skate. More recently, with volunteering, it’s been a way to give back to all the volunteers that helped me on my way up,” Britt said.