"I am from Ocala, FL. Born and raised. I grew up in a neighborhood full of boys so I was always a little tom boy. I loved playing football, basketball etc. It seemed though I was attracted to being on wheels. It started first with skateboarding all over the neighborhood. Learning to be better than the boys. One day my family took me into my brothers physical therapy office for a brain injury he had when he was about 4. There was a picture on the wall of a speed skating team and I said “ I could beat all of them”. The coach said bring her on in. After that, it was all over. I was in love. I remember getting my first pair of skates and skating all through the house. On the carpet. I was going to speed skating practice about 6 days a week after school. I could not wait to get home and eat dinner and then head to skate practice. All of this started when I was about 7. After a couple years of getting the hang out it, I started traveling domestically to competitions. I moved up in divisions very fast and started winning and staying top 3 almost every event for my age division. Fast forward a few years I was now 12-13 years old. These were my best years. Traveling to indoor national and outdoor national every year. Always ending up on the podium. Skating was the love of my life. I couldn’t thing of anything I loved more than to skate. I wondered if it would ever come to and end because I always heard my parents talk about how expensive of a sport it was. The endless sets of wheels you needed and other equipment that was necessary. I hoped that day would never come.
Fast forward another year to Indoor Nationals in Lincoln Nebraska. I believe it was 2004. My first Nationals with out my parents being there. I was excited to just be with my assistant coach at the time. Being that age it was cool to not have your parents with you. Podium in every race and even a few National records with my relay partner. It was an amazing competition. I was finally getting older and to a point where I was really about to take off with my skating career. Well at least that’s what I thought. The last night one of the older girls was having a party in her room and ended up having alcohol all over the room. I show up and so many skaters are there. We were having a blast and I knew I wasn’t supposed to be drinking at 13 but everyone else was doing it so I did to. Next thing I knew I woke up that next morning in the hospital. Not knowing what happened or how I got there. I knew I was in big trouble. I missed my flight back to Florida and ended up having to make other plans to get home. Once I got home, that was the end for me. My parents said I was never going to skate or see anyone from skating again. Devastated isn’t even a proper word for the feeling I felt. I thought my life ended. What else could I do besides skate? I fought them and begged them for sometime but they were firm on their answer. I ended up going through middle school always thinking about skating and how much I missed it but eventually it did start to fade. I knew I would never skate again and I had to move on. Taking away skating was the worst thing they could have done. Once I got into high school, I tried to play basketball and dabbled in other sports but nothing really resonated with me like skating. So I chose not to do anything. Instead, I found another hobby. Smoking pot and drinking beer. I got put into a Catholic private School my freshman year and found out that those kids threw some of the best parties. After a year in catholic school I ended up moving on to a public school where I got mixed in with the wrong crowd. At the time it seemed like the right crowd because I was having so much fun being a rebel. I would sneak out and wanted nothing to do with what my parents had say. I was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day at age 16 and drinking like it was my job. I ended up skipping school more than I went so eventually my JR year I dropped out and got my GED. I wanted to work and be able to party and hang out with my friends when ever I wanted. I worked at a carwash for about two years and that was where I got my money to smoke and drink. At this point it felt like my parents finally gave up because I pushed so hard. I eventually started trying more things like ecstasy and painkillers. When I look back and think of the countless nights I woke up and didn’t remember how I got there or how I didn’t crash driving home, it makes me feel like someone was really watching out for me. I finally ended up getting out of hand and I ended up getting a public intoxication violation and had to go to court. I had just turned 18. After my first court date I was put on probation.  After a month of behaving and trying not to violate my probation, I violated. I went to a hotel to drink with my friends and I remember that next morning my mom calling saying your color has been called and I have to go in and take a breathalyzer test. I was still drunk and blew positive. Two weeks later my mom called to tell me the cops just came by the house and I have to go turn myself in.
This is where my life turned upside down. I have hit rock bottom. Never did I think I would end up in jail. Ever. It was a rude awakening for me. Going into court to find out how much longer I had with shackles on my feet and cuffs on on my hands. This wasn’t meant for me. I knew after my 30 day sentence I needed to get myself together. Once I got out I started working at a gym and getting somewhat fit again. Long story short, one day a girl I use to skate with came into town and said she was Moving out to Salt Lake City to skate ice because she waned to go to the Olympics. Most people know her. Britany Bowe. She never stopped racing inlines and was finally transitioning to ice. I was at my grandmas ( Diane Dodge) at the time. She knew how much loved skating and I knew how much she wanted me to stop getting in trouble. After Brittany left she asked me if I still had a desire to skate.
I didn’t really know how to answer that. I always thought about skating but knew it would never happen. Because we financially didn’t have it and most of all, I had been destroying my body with drugs and alcohol for years and I was too old to start a new sport. I also had never set foot on ice in my life. She asked me again, “do you want to skate”? I said sure but how is this possible? She said “don’t worry about that and pack your shit, we are leaving in two weeks”. I didn’t believe her, there was just too much standing in my way. I was renting an apartment at the time and I asked my mom ( Tracy Anderson ) if she would take over my rent so I could move and skate again. She was 100 % for it. Two weeks later my car is packed and I’m driving out to Utah with my grandmother. It was terrifying and beyond exciting at the same time. I didn’t know what I was getting into. No place to stay there. No idea where to get skates or even start. When we arrived she got me all set up with equipment and an apartment and took a grey hound bus home and left me to start my skating career.
I wanted to move back instantly. I had my first practice on ice at age 20 and I needed a bucket to stand. I knew there was no way I would ever go to the olympics or let alone skate with out a bucket. I Decided to go out with some old skating friends that night that I knew from when I was a kid racing and went to jail for another public intoxication. I thought I ruined everything. Thought if my grandma found out she would yank me back to FL. I knew then it was time to really get my act together. I was out in salt lake city to train for the olympics. It took me a few years to really take that seriously.  2015 I finally made the US National Speed Skating Team. I never saw that coming. That year I also made me first World Cup team and have been making Word Cup Teams every year since then. I have attended two World Championships and am now on the path to making the 2022 Winter Olympic Team. A lot has happened in my skating career and I’m so grateful for my grandmother and mother for giving me a chance to turn my life around. Sometimes I have to take a moment and realize how far I have come.