Celski was 14 years old and too young to compete at the 2005 Junior World Championships. One season later and one year smarter, Celski is ready to take to the ice with one goal in mind—the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.

“I’ve had this dream for several years now, and I’m sticking to it,” said Celski. “It’s a hard one, and I know it’s going to take a lot of time out of my life. I got myself on track and skating is pretty much my life right now. After the 2010 Olympics, I’m done. I’ll go to college, and after that I’ll focus on my career.”

This Pacific Northwest product is following in the footsteps of Apolo Anton Ohno—literally. Ohno, one of the most recognized faces in winter sports, also calls the Seattle area home. Celski hopes to succeed in a sport that Ohno has owned since claiming a gold and silver at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

“It’s awesome knowing that he came from the same area that I did—he’s been one of my mentors as I was growing up,” Celski said. “Now that I’m skating against him, I get to capture some of the experience he’s gotten as well.”

Thanks to a tough decision to part from his close-knit family in Washington and move to Long Beach, Calif., Celski opened his window of opportunity on his path to an Olympic dream. With the support of his family, this 15-year-old chose to move to a place that could offer better competition in his sport. Celski joined the Ice Club DeMorra—a speedskating organization that is famous for producing Olympians like Rusty Smith.

“My husband and I are back here [Washington], kind of like empty-nesters—that’s the worst part of the whole thing—the separation,” said Sue Celski. “For us, you expect kids to move away when they go to college, and that’s when you have to let him go. He [J.R.] was only 14. It’s tough—we want to be there on those day-to-day moments.”

Why move to Long Beach?

You can point fingers at Coach Wilma Boomstra. She is the brains behind numerous speedskaters that earned spots on U.S. World and Olympic teams.

“I wouldn’t have been anywhere without her,” said Celski. “She’s an inspiration to me. She’s a technician. She is always on me mentally and physically. She’s completely changed me as a person and a skater, so I owe a lot to her.”

Celski, like many promising speedskaters, started his athletic career as an inline skater. At the youthful age of three, Celski strapped on his first set of wheels, and after nine years of competitive inline skating, he has built an impressive athletic resume. He is a four-time national champion in indoor inline speedskating, holds two national records, was the Northwest Regional Indoor Champion for nine consecutive years and was named Region Skater of the Year in 2001.

“Inline is what brought me up to my skating career,” Celski said. “It was my building block to ice. I couldn’t have started ice without inline. Seeing Apolo in the Olympics made me realize I could get bigger and better things out of inline, so I transferred to ice in hopes of earning a medal in the 2010 Olympics.”

Celski has placed himself in a pivotal position to make his debut Olympic performance in the Vancouver Winter Games. While living in Washington, Celski made the trip to Vancouver on a weekly basis to compete in local meets. Although known for his performance at the junior level, Celski is no stranger to the senior division. He had a notable 2004-05 season at the senior level after he placed eighth overall at the U.S. Short Track Championships, captured the second position at the American Cup III and finished second overall in the American Cup Series.

“I am very determined at what I do,” said Celski. “I’m really relaxed at the same time. Nobody can hinder my game.”

Celski resides in Long Beach under the supervision of his older brother Chris. Celski’s move from home was truly a “family project.” The duo has little free time as a result of J.R.’s demanding academic and athletic schedule. He throws all of his efforts into practice, lifting weights, traveling to competitions, and still manages good grades and a social life among his friends in Southern California.

“J.R. left here [Washington] pretty much a straight-A student,” Sue Celski remembers. “Academics have always been a priority for all of our boys. He’s in a California merit program and taking a lot of advanced placement courses. He wants a challenge—he’s always been that way.”

What’s next for the promising speedskater? Celski carries a confidence over from last season’s top-three finish to this year’s 2005-06 U.S. Junior Short Track Championships Nov. 5-6 in Midland, Mich. Celski is back in the lineup this season with no age requirement to stop him from qualifying for the 2006 Junior World Team.

Celski just might become the next Apolo Anton Ohno.