2/15/2010
Engineering physics major Jonathan Kuck won't be in class this week. In fact, he's been away all year, pursuing the dream of Olympic glory. Editor's note: Kuck and teammates Brian Hansen and Chad Hedrick captured the silver medal in the Men's speedskating team pursuit--one of two events in which Kuck competed at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
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Engineering physics major Jonathan Kuck won't be in class this week. In fact, he's been away all year, pursuing the dream of Olympic glory. Editor's note: Kuck and teammates Brian Hansen and Chad Hedrick captured the silver medal in the Men's speedskating team pursuit--one of two events in which Kuck competed at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Last year, Kuck (pronounced "Cook"), who is majoring in engineering physics with a minor in computer science at Illinois, was a regular fixture at the U of I Ice Arena. As a member of the Champaign Regional Speedskating Club, Kuck was able to utilize the short-track facility three times a week, which was not quite enough for an elite athlete. As the possibility of an Olympic berth became a reality, he took a hiatus from his studies last fall to train at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
"To make an Olympic team, it starts in mid-October," said Kuck's father, David. "There's no way you could really take that seriously and go to college. We had a serious discussion about doing (only skating for) 12 months. It would make sense."
"Based on the previous season's results, I thought that I should have a pretty good shot at making the (Olympic) team," Kuck said. "I figured that if I moved up to Milwaukee, it would just help me even more."
The effort paid off, as Kuck earned a spot on the 2010 Olympic team by finishing third in the 10,000 meters at the 2009 U.S. Speedskating Championships in Salt Lake City. Next week, the Champaign native will be going for the gold in Vancouver.