In Line for Success
Friday, May. 23, 2008
Haslet Teen Rising to the Top in Skating Competition
By John English
Contributing Writer
One Northwest High School student is competing for the chance to go to the national competition in a sport that is trying to gain traction in the realm of American sports.
Brandon Esianor, 16, of Haslet, is a member of the DFW Speed in-line skating team, which will compete in the South Central Regional Championship on May 24 in Waco for the opportunity to compete in the national championships in Lincoln, Neb., in July.
Esianor, a sophomore, who also played junior varsity basketball at Northwest, has medalled five times at the national contest in past years, and DFW Speed representative Carolyn Gibson said Esianor is one of the team’s best skaters.
"Our skaters range from ages five to 50, and within that there are several age groups and skill levels," Gibson said. "Brandon is what they call a standard skater. He is the top skill level in his age group. He is a very good skater. The top four contenders in each divisions will go on to nationals, and we feel like he has a good chance."
The skaters compete indoors in races of different lengths, and Gibson said the team would be competing against skaters from Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana at regionals.
"Pretty much every major city in Texas has a team," Gibson said. "The sport is really taking off in popularity … some skaters are even going from skating in-line to ice, which is not a real huge transition. From what they’re telling me, the ice skating coaches at the Olympic level are looking to in-line skaters, because they can make that transition."
Esianor said he has been skating for the past seven years and said he got started when he visited the Arlington Skatium.
"I went there to buy some regular skates," Esianor said. "The owner showed me some speed skates, and I tried them on. I liked them, and she told me about the practices they had, so I started showing up."
Esianor said the appeal of the sport is the social nature of it, and said he has set some lofty goals for himself this year.
"I like the competition, and you get to meet a lot of people around the country and the world," Esianor said. "I want to make the Junior World Team this year."
Esianor visited France in March, where he participated in an international competition and placed 14th out of 92 skaters.
Esianor said he practices two hours a day, three days a week at the least and up to six days a week at the most, and said he has an ultimate goal for the sport of in-line skating that does not necessarily involve making the switch to ice skating.
"I would like to some day medal at Worlds," Esianor said. "I’ve thought about maybe trying ice skating, but I kind of like in-line more."