Matt Rittenhouse 2014 Sochi Hopeful

Long Track Speedskating is only in the public eye for two weeks every four years during the Winter Olympics. Most people don't realize that the majority of aspiring Olympians and Olympic athletes are self-funded. While we may not compete in sports aired on prime time television or have major corporate sponsors, Olympic athletes train just as hard if not harder than the ones on TV. This page was designed to help raise funds for my travels across North America, equipment and coaching fees. I hope you can join me on my quest to compete in the 2014 & 2018 winter Olympic Games!




After graduation from Saratoga Springs High School in 2010 I moved to Boston Mass to study International Relations at Northeastern University. While in Boston I continued to train for skating and in 2011 qualified for the Junior World Team and Junior World Cup Team. After returning from my competitions in Seniajoki Finland and Groningen Netherlands I was invited to join the SWIFT skating team in Milwaukee Wisconsin coached by Olympic bronze medalist Kip Carpenter. In Milwaukee I made great progress in skating taking 2 seconds of my 500m and 3.5 seconds off my 1000m personal bests. I also continued my education in International Relations at Marquette University. At the end of the 2012 season I was named the 2012 Overall American Cup Sprint Champion winning the 500m in overall points and coming in second in the 1000m. At the end of the 2012 season the SWIFT speedskating team was dissolved and I moved to Salt Lake City where I trained with Matt Koorman's FAST team out of the Utah Olympic Oval. I am also enrolled in the University of Utah's honors college still working towards my degree in International Relations.


After an unsuccessful 2012-2013 season I have happy and excited to report that I have been selected to join the KIA Speedskating Team located in Inzell, Germany. Despite not having the best season the manager and coaches of team KIA saw potential in my skating and athletic ability and have offered me a spot on the 2013-2014 team, which I said "yes" to immediately. The team is coached by current 500m World Record holder Jeremy Witherspoon, I am the first and only American to have ever been invited on the team, which has produced some of fastest skaters to compete in last seasons World Cup circuit. I am so incredibly thankful for this amazing opportunity and I look forward for my move to Germany. I will keep all my sponsors updated on training for the 2014 Winter Olympics. I will also continue my enrollment with online classes the University of Utah while abroad.


Here is a link to the teams website:


http://www.kiaspeedskatingacademy.com/



2012 American Cup Sprint Champion
2011 Junior World Team
2010-2011 Junior World Cup Team
2010 Junior National Long Track Champion
2010-2013 Category 1 Athlete




Goals:
2013-2014 World Cup Team
2014 Olympic Team Member
2014-2013 World Cup Team
Medal contender at 2018 Winter Olympics




Education:
2010-2011 Northeastern University GPA: 3.7
2011-2012 Marquette University GPA: 3.8
2012- present University of Utah GPA: 4.0




Personal Bests:
500m: 36.09
1000m: 1:11.55
1500m: 1:51.71




Projected expenses for the 2013-2014 season:
Coaching: $3000
Skates: $1800
Blades: $800
Travel&lodging: <$4000