For American speed skaters, the journey to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games runs through Wisconsin.
The Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee is hosting the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team long track speed skating trials this weekend. Around 80 of the best speed skaters in the nation will compete in the event from Friday through Monday.
It’s the third consecutive time the trials have been held at the Pettit Center.
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“Over the last two Olympic Trials, we had a sold-out venue, incredible enthusiasm from the local community, and exciting racing from the skaters,” Ted Morris, executive director of U.S. Speedskating, wrote in a statement about the event.
Athletes will compete in 14 races during the four-day event.
The competition is the last chance the skaters have to win a spot on the U.S. team for the Winter Olympics, which takes place in Italy in February.
“I’d say the crowds are unmatched,” Matt Kooreman, long track program director for U.S. Speedskating, said about the Pettit Center. “It’s really rare in the U.S. to get a speed skating audience like they have here.”
Eric Ribecky, president of the Wisconsin Speed Skating Club, said some of the shorter races could be done in under 40 seconds, while the longer races could last six minutes. Some skaters can reach speeds of close to 40 mph, Ribecky said.
“Make no doubt, they are going really fast, and there are no brakes on those skates either,” Ribecky said.
Around 1,700 people will be in attendance each day, according to a spokesperson for the Pettit Center.
“When it (Pettit) gets full and there’s tons of people, and everyone’s cheering and all the energy … it’s really exciting,” Ribecky said.
One of the speed skaters competing is Kewaskum native Jordan Stolz, a seven-time world champion and a former member of the Wisconsin Speed Skating Club. The 21-year-old also competed in the Olympic Winter Games in 2022.
Kooreman called Stolz a “generational talent.”
“It’s really fun to watch him and he’s like such a nice guy too,” Kooreman said. “He’s not one that’s going to be out there pounding his chest and looking for attention.”
Tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are sold out, but there are some tickets still available for Monday.
Ribecky’s daughter Charlotte has been speed skating for about two years. The 12-year-old is excited to see the fastest skaters in the nation compete in Milwaukee.
“It’s just amazing getting to see all the people who have worked so hard to get to that level, and being able to see them race and do what they’re best at,” Charlotte said.
Marissa Werner, the director of Sports Milwaukee at Visit Milwaukee, the city’s tourism bureau, said the event will be televised on Peacock, USA Network and NBC.
“These are athletes who have trained all year long, for years on end, and have had to qualify to get to this point, and now to be able to take that next step to potentially make the Olympics is just … an amazing feat for any one of the athletes,” Werner said.
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