Clifton Park — Petra Acker is a 24 year old from Clifton Park, New York currently training to earn a spot on the 2018 Winter Olympic Team. She is a Long Track Speed Skater, specifically long distance events. Acker trains with the US All-Around National team in Salt Lake City, Utah under coach Tom Cushman, she also has two coaches back home in New York, Pat Maxwell and Paul Marchese, who also participate in her training.
“It’s a team effort and I have great people on my side!” Acker gushed.
This will be her third Olympic Trial, after participating as the youngest competitor at the 2010 trials at just 16 years old. She has competed on the World Cup circuit for many years, along with the Junior World Championships at 15, which was her first international competition. Last year, Acker took on the World Single Distance Championships in South Korea at their Olympic venue as part of the team pursuit, which took sixth place.
Acker trains for six hours a day, “some days are more, some days are less,” she said.
Her training incorporates different types of cross training, especially during the summer months.
“Daily, you can find me running on the track, cycling, inlining, lifting weights, doing dry land, which specifically targets skating muscles and techniques, and skating both long track and short track,” she explained.
Acker keeps her schedule rigid and busy, “In racing season, we general get to the rink around 8:00 a.m. and finish around 12:00 p.m. Then I’ll eat lunch and try to sneak in a little nap if I have time. Around 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. we will start our second session, which usually lasts two to three hours. Then I’ll go home, eat dinner, and pass out pretty early.”
Acker was a homeschooled student and needed to fulfill a physical education. Her mom contacted Acker’s grandfather, Howard Ganong, an internationally ranked Masters skater, and asked him if he would take her to the rink and teacher her how to skate.
“Despite holding on desperately to the sideboards and falling my way around the rink the first few times, I loved it. Eventually when I could skate on my own, he would time me and I would always respond with, ‘okay let’s go again, I know I can go faster!’ The rest is history,” Acker recalled.
Acker has faced a few setbacks in her career, as any athlete can.
“Going into the 2014 Olympic Trails, I had been skating well and had a strong chance of making the team. I ended up finishing fourth in my distance which didn’t qualify me. That loss broke my spirit and for the next year and a half I really struggled. My results were really poor so I moved back home to New York from Utah and decided to take a break from the sport. After a few months off, I decided I wanted to continue and I’ve now come back even stronger with a renewed passion and greater focus,” Acker said.
That renewed passion and focus certainly paid off. “I skated personal best times last season, finishing on the podium in all my events at the US Championships. I’m feeling more fit than ever so I am hopefully anticipating skating some more personal bests this season,” Acker informed me.
Acker is ready to move forward with her skating dreams.
“With the heartbreaking setback of missing the 2014 team, and the death of my father last year, I think my greatest achievement in the sport is that I’m still here and I’m still fighting,” she said.
Acker’s father took her to all of her practices and also fell in love with the sport, becoming involved as an official.
“Skating was ‘our thing” and both him and my mom have unconditionally supported me since the beginning. His dream became seeing me accomplish my dream of becoming an Olympian, and he went above and beyond anything I could ask to help me realize that. Whenever I have imagined making my first Olympic team, the greatest moment was imagining crossing the finish line and having my dad’s face be the first I see and the tears and hug we would share. He always told me, ‘skating is what you do, not who you are.’ I know he loved me and was proud of me even if I never become an Olympian. I want to finish this journey we started together for the both of us, and that is an inspiration that fuels me,” Acker explained.
“I love waking up every day and having the opportunity to challenge myself and push my limits. There is an insane amount of pressure being an elite athlete, sometimes that can be extremely draining, but it also teaches you how to cope with difficult situations that can carry over into other areas of life. I don’t like the stress that comes along with racing, but I love the intensity and adrenaline rush you experience from competing, especially when you see all the hard work translate into a good performance,” Acker finished.
Acker will be competing in the Long Track Qualifiers on October 11 through 15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She will also be competing in the Long Track Olympic Trials January 2 through 7 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
