May 02, 2011<\/p>\n
Deaf speedskater from Mesquite has Winter Olympic dreams<\/strong><\/p>\n May 02, 2011 (The Dallas Morning News – McClatchy-Tribune Information Instead, the Mesquite speedskater listens to his heart, which is telling him Hubbs, who is deaf, is making up for lost time. His childhood dream of being He’s back in North Texas taking a break, speaking at schools and telling The speedskater wants to show people, regardless of whether they can or “You can do anything,” he said.<\/p>\n ‘I could make it, too’ Growing up, Hubbs was an inline skater. He wanted to Instead, Hubbs was sent to the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin. There, He continued to swim at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., where he But Hubbs knew that swimming wasn’t his passion.<\/p>\n So last year, after a 10-year break, he returned to inline skating.<\/p>\n As he skated, he thought about inline skaters who transitioned to the ice “I knew I could make it, too,” Hubbs said. “If they can, I can.” So, last He trains at the Utah Olympic Oval, where Parra is one of his coaches.<\/p>\n Hubbs trains up to eight hours a day. Skating on ice is trickier than inline Joe Ballent, a fellow speedskater training in Utah, said Hubbs is already at “Michael has a ferocious work ethic,” Ballent said. “He’s one of the most “Most of these kids start at the age of 12 or younger,” Barthell said. “He “He could possibly surprise people over the next couple of years,” he said. Hubbs, who was born deaf, said he’s glad that he can’t hear. It’s easier to “It’s art,” Hubbs said.<\/p>\n While in town, he’s met with deaf students, and he has a message for them: Like this: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their Source:<\/p>\n
\nServices via COMTEX) — Michael Hubbs can’t hear his skates as they slice
\nthrough the ice. He can’t hear his coaches yelling from the sidelines.<\/p>\n
\nthat he’s in the right place at the right time.<\/p>\n
\nan Olympic skater was snuffed out when he was a teen. But Hubbs, 28, has
\nmoved to Utah, where he’s training on the ice. His eyes are set on the 2014
\nWinter Olympics in Russia.<\/p>\n
\npeople about his Olympic dreams. There’s no guarantee that he’ll make it.
\nCompared with other skaters, he’s older and inexperienced. But Hubbs isn’t
\npaying attention to naysayers.<\/p>\n
\ncan’t hear, that they should never give up on their dreams.<\/p>\n
\nmove to Colorado and pursue an Olympic skating career, but he said his
\nfather wouldn’t let him.<\/p>\n
\nhe joined the only sport the school offered that he liked: swimming.<\/p>\n
\ngraduated in 2009.<\/p>\n
\nand earned Olympic medals, such as Jordan Malone of Denton, who competed
\nlast year in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Derek Parra, who medaled in
\nthe 2002 Olympics.<\/p>\n
\nfall, he moved to Utah.<\/p>\n
\nskating but more fun, Hubbs said. One of his coaches brings a laptop to the
\nice to communicate. Sometimes, Hubbs brings an interpreter.<\/p>\n
\nthe oval when he arrives in the morning. When he leaves for the day, Hubbs
\nis still there.<\/p>\n
\nintense and energetic [people] I’ve ever met. His enthusiasm is contagious.
\n… There’s almost like a social inhibition that’s knocked down with him.
\nHe’s not afraid to break the ice and come up and talk.” Because of his age,
\nHubbs is considered an “old fogy” in speedskating, said Anthony Barthell,
\none of his coaches. But Barthell is impressed with Hubbs’ work ethic.<\/p>\n
\nstill has some work to do, just finding himself, finding balance. But in the
\nlittle time he’s been around, he’s doing fairly well.” An Olympic appearance
\nisn’t guaranteed, Barthell said.<\/p>\n
\n“If he gets a great understanding quickly, then it’s possible he could make
\nan Olympics.” ‘One chance’ Over coffee in Mesquite, Hubbs gestured
\naggressively, his eyes filled with energy. While he can’t hear, he can talk.
\nIf he can’t get his point across, he scribbles words in a notebook.<\/p>\n
\nfall asleep, he says. He also enjoys communicating through sign language. He
\nsays it’s beautiful to watch signers as their arms and hands float through
\nthe air.<\/p>\n
\nBelieve in yourself. Say “I can make it.” His Facebook postings reflect that
\nupbeat spirit.<\/p>\n
\ndreams.” And this: “ONE life, ONE chance, YOUR choice. :)” To see more of
\nThe Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
\nhttp:\/\/www.dallasnews.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Dallas Morning News
\nDistributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information
\nabout the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
\n(MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com.<\/p>\n