Axel Moore, a 17-year-old speedskater from Sacramento, is representing Team USA in the Junior division at the World Skate Games in Paraguay
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Seventeen-year-old Axel Moore from Sacramento is representing Team USA this week at the World Skate Games in Paraguay, competing against top athletes from around the globe.
“Basically, every roller sport we have from skateboarding, downhill skating, speed skating, and artistic skating [is] coming together in Asunción, Paraguay, this year to all compete at the same place at the same time,” said Moore, who will compete in the Junior Division.
Last year, Moore was unable to compete for Team USA due to the cost of traveling to the competition in China. This year, with the help of a GoFundMe campaign, he gets to wear the USA uniform.
“I’m super proud to represent my country in Paraguay,” Moore said. “It feels like a chance to get back from last year that I didn’t get to go.”
Moore’s journey into the sport began unexpectedly during a family outing.
“Every Saturday when I was a kid, me and my dad and my sister used to go out, and we called it Dad-er day,” laughed Moore. “And one of the Saturdays, he was like, ‘We go skating, guys.’ And I said, ‘No, no, we don’t want to go.’ And he finally wore us down, convinced us. We went. And then I said, ‘Let’s go next week, too.’ And then I was pretty much every week after that for the next ten years.”
What started as a fun weekly event turned into serious training. Moore then joined Triad Racing.
“It’s special to see him come in from a nine-year-old kid to, you know, almost a man and be able to go and represent the country and represent us,” said Josh Jozwiak, Triad Racing’s head coach.
Moore, now a three-time indoor national champion, is focused on giving this competition everything he’s got.
“I try to minimize stress. Mostly I want to remain as calm as possible before I get out there. And I just want to stay ready and stay warm,” Moore said.
“Our focus is on looking at what we can control, not worrying about whoever else is out there,” Jozwiak said. “At the end of the day, to me, his best effort is the result that matters, not the end result of ending on that podium.”
Jozwiak can feel that way because of everything that Moore has already given to the sport and to him as a coach.
“He has invested a ton in the local athletes in this area that compete in this sport,” Jozwiak said. “He will leave behind a legacy that he may never even realize, because he has affected people’s lives in ways that they may never tell him. And that’s a pretty cool thing to leave behind when you do walk away from the sport.”
The World Skate Games take place over a two-week period, and Moore’s final race is scheduled for this Saturday, October 17th, in the 100-meter race.
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