Omroep Flevoland – Sport – The Olympic 500 meter speed skating champion started his career on ice

Olympic 500 meter speed skating champion Erin Jackson of the USA began her skating career at the Leisure World ice rink in Dronten.

She put on her skates for the first time five years ago. She was led by marathon skater Bianca Roosenboom. Jackson stayed with her in Heerenveen in the fall of 2016 because she wanted to learn how to roller skate. “Let’s see if you like skating,” Roosenboom said according to the LIT for.

The first meters were scribbled. Roosenboom: “She could barely stand, she seemed like a beginner.” Jackson too, of course. She quickly learned speed skating and in just five years managed to skate to the top of the world.

Roller
Sixteen years ago, Roosenboom and Jackson first met in Ocala, Florida. Bianca, 16, flew to the United States alone to train at a top inline skating school. Erin was 13 and had just started rollerblading.

“I remember when she came on the runway,” Roosenboom said. “She had the oldest rollerblades and no money, she came from a very poor family. Buying food was hard enough.” Additionally, Erin Jackson was a caregiver for her mother who became seriously ill. Going to school also suffered. To clear her mind, she roller-skated and later in-line skated at a local track. She was talented.

“I want to skate”
Thanks in part to contact with online coach Renee Hillebrand, she was regularly in the Netherlands and stayed in Heerenveen, where she switched to skating: “She always had the will to skate,” says Roosenboom, but at because of caring for his mother and his college in Florida could not. “She said: I’ll finish this first.”

Jackson’s mother died in 2013. And in 2015, Jackson graduated with honors in Applied Physics and Chemistry from the University of Florida. After that, she was able to fully concentrate on skating.