Munzel's fast track to success

Even as a young figure skater who was within reach of making the United States Olympic Team in 1984, speed was Jacki Munzel’s biggest asset on the ice.

So it wasn’t completely off the wall when while watching the Winter Olympics three years ago that the Long Beach resident, after a casual suggestion by her daughter, Sara Allen, decided to give speed skating a try at the age of 46. “Jennifer Rodriguez was competing for the U.S. and my daughter thought out loud, ‘mom, you can go back to skating and do that,’” Munzel said. “I thought about it for a second and said, ‘yeah, I could.’”

Later that year, Munzel competed in the Lake Placid Speed Skating Marathon and enjoyed immediate success, winning the 25K and 40K races in her age group (46-50) while developing an instant passion for it. “I love the thrill of going fast,” she said. “I loved long track right away. It’s so technically demanding and challenging.”

Munzel has overcome challenges throughout life. The biggest obstacle during her long track endeavor has been her proximity to the closest 400-meter oval, which is 300 miles away in Lake Placid. She uses a Plexiglas slide board to simulate ice, but it’s a far cry from how Dutch and Norwegian counterparts train on a daily basis.

“I’m competing against skaters with rinks in their backyards,” said Munzel, who coaches power skating to hockey players of all levels. “They’re going six or seven days a week, and I’ve really never been able to get much ice time. The way the blades are designed for long track, you can’t train at a normal rink.”

Despite being at a major disadvantage when it comes to training, Munzel found her niche in long track nearly 30 years after hanging up figure skates to battle an eating disorder. She started turning heads at the 21st Masters International Allround Games in Germany in March of 2012, placing first in her age group in all four distances (500 meters, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m) with a torn meniscus that required surgery.

“Lots of other skaters approached me and asked who I was,” Munzel said. “I even surprised myself.”

As Munzel’s confidence grew, her times improved considerably. She reached another level this past winter despite another temporary roadblock. Still recovering from Hurricane Sandy, which severely damaged the first floor of her home and displaced her family for 79 days, she returned to Germany in February for the 22nd Masters International Allround Games and once again topped her age group in all four distances while setting a Masters world record in the 1500m.

Three competitions later, by mid-March, she met qualifying times for this winter’s Olympic Trails in all five long track distances. “I’m shocked to say the least,” said Munzel, a mother of three who turns 50 in October. “I’m beyond happy.”

The U.S. Olympic Trials for long track will be held Dec. 27-Jan. 2 in Salt Lake City, Utah. While many hopefuls for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia are likely to concentrate on two races, Munzel is planning on all five events. She ranks 11th in the nation in the 5000m, and 15th in the 3000m. “I didn’t get to go to the Olympic Trials 30 years ago, so I’m going to soak in every minute of it and have fun,” she said.

For more information on Munzel, visit www.gofundme.com/3oyamg and jackimunzel.com.