Setting world records and being the top inline skater in the world for 10 years, Hedrick switched sports to reach a dream – a dream to be an Olympic champion. Within 14 months of switching to speedskating, he became the 2004 All-Around World champion.

“I think that is what’s amazing about Chad,” said 2002 Olympic gold medalist Chris Witty. “It’s been a year, year and a half, and he’s already podium at World Cup and winning World Championships. That’s just incredible.”

Hedrick’s background might be giving him a jump start in the sport of speedskating. Developing a unique pushing style in inline skating, he transferred that style from wheels to blades.

“I use a technique called the double push, which was a technique I used on rollerblades,” Hedrick said. “When I started speedskating they said it wasn’t going to work, but slowly everybody is trying to copy the different techniques I’m using on the ice.”

Instead of keeping one foot flat and pushing with the other skate and then bringing it back together like the traditional method, Hedrick’s double push allows for both feet to push in the same direction. This technique creates twice the momentum.

“It was really easy to jump out on the ice because with inline skating the cadence for your push is so much faster,” Hedrick said. “You’re pushing twice the amount of pushes per minute. So, when you get out on the ice, you can glide. The ice is your friend and you can glide and still not lose speed. Rather with inline skates, if you stop pushing eventually your bearings are going to slow down.”

The double push and his feel for the ice must be working for Hedrick because he set two world records in 2005 – in the 1,500 meter and 10,000 meter. However, a lot of inline skaters have a hard time adapting to the ice.

“A lot of people that come from inline skating have no idea what the ice feels like,” Hedrick said. “When I jumped on the ice as a speedskater, I knew what the ice felt like. I had a good sense of outside and inside edges. Coming from playing hockey and then rollerblading and now combining the two for ice speedskating it was a really good transition.”

Hedrick played hockey for 10 years starting at the age of 5, but at age 16 he decided that he needed to take inline skating more seriously so he quit hockey.

“I got my first professional contract when I was 16 endorsing products for a company who made inline skate and wheels,” he said. “I looked at it and with the money I was making when I was 16 it seemed like a million dollars a year. When I was 17, I was the youngest world champion ever in inline history.”

In his first two appearances in the World Single Distance Championships, he was crowned champion in the 5000 meter race. Once on top of the world, Hedrick is always on top of the world. However, there was a few set backs when he first stepped out on the ice to compete.

“My first World Cup on the ice I placed 29th,” Hedrick said. “After winning so consistently on inline skates for nine or 10 years in a row, that was hard to swallow. I didn’t know what to do. Everybody was laughing at me, at the way I skated.”

No one is laughing anymore at his technique. After revolutionizing the sport of inline skating, Hedrick is now revolutionizing speedskating.

“When we were taught to learn how to speedskate, we where shown videos of Dutch skaters doing this or doing that,” Hedrick said. “Well, Shani [Davis] and I have the Dutch all-around skaters watching videos of us now. We’re definitely a force to be reckoned with. So, we are really excited that we sort of gave speedskating a breath of fresh air.”

When Hedrick needs a breath of fresh air from the sport, he just likes to be a normal 28-year-old guy. Like most athletes he enjoys playing other sports, but he also likes to have fun. He enjoys partying every now and then, but speedskating comes first.

“Maybe I stay out a little too late every now and then,” Hedrick said. “Maybe I don’t ride a bike. When I go out on the track, I work harder than everybody else out there because there is no substitute for skating.”

Hedrick has been on skates longer than most people. His father owned roller rinks in Houston and instead of paying for a babysitter, Hedrick just rolled around the rink every day. His first pair of skates were laced up on his feet at age 2.

“My dad put roller skates on my feet and tightened the wheels down as tight as he could get them and that’s how I learned how to walk,” Hedrick said. “Then eventually, he just loosened them up and I was cruising around the roller rink.”

All that time he has spent on skates has given him the ability to be the top in the world in every skating sport and event he tries. Hedrick is competing in five events at the 2006 Olympics – the 1,000 meter, 1,500 meter, 5,000 meter, 10,000 meter and the men’s pursuit.

“It’s an honor for me to not only be the best in the world at one thing, but to go after it and be the best in the world at two things,” Hedrick said. “No telling how many miles I’ve spent on skates, but I know it’s quite a few.”