Miguel Jose
SPEEDSKATER, EDGEWOOD
-
20+ years speed skating cred
- 5 national championships
- Founder, National SpeedSkating Circuit
“After I saw speed skating for the first time, I was really drawn to it. The first time I put on skates, I thought the only purpose of skating was to go fast,” Miguel said. On skates and in his professional career, Miguel is driven by an entrepreneurial spirit to succeed and help others.
He followed his siblings into skating. At age 8, he won his first national championship in Lincoln, Nebraska. Over his career Miguel won five speedskating national championships.
Each Overall National Championship win came with adversity—Miguel lost the first of the three races that determined the overall champion.
“I do better under pressure,” Miguel laughed. “My approach toward athletics really set the tone for everything in my life.”
The pace and excitement of speedskating makes it a popular sport around the world. But because speedskating isn’t an Olympic sport, Miguel believes it doesn’t get the notoriety it deserves.
“The Armory is ideal—it’s a big, gritty building that works well with our lights, loud music and the energetic crowd,” Miguel said. Speedskating provides more value and more entertainment than any other type of racing, Miguel said. The skaters go 30 mph, and in the intimate setting the spectators can get a feel for speedskating as the skaters fly by. You can’t get that at a NASCAR track.
Today Miguel coaches local speed skaters and is National SpeedSkating Circuit president. “My career as a mortgage loan officer provides me the finances to do my passion,” he said. NSC is self-funded and staffed by volunteers. Miguel said the group’s mission is to bring speedskating to a mainstream audience.
“We created a professional platform that didn’t exist before. The platform has impacted our community in such a positive way that we now have young kids whose goal is to one day skate in the NSC. It definitely feels better helping people reach their goals rather than your own.”