DOWNEY - Sixteen-year-old speed skater Stacy Caprilli is ranked fifth in the nation after competing in the USA National Age-Class Speedskating Championships held in Green Bay, Wis., from March 16-18.Caprilli, a Downey resident and sophomore at Downey High School, earned her fifth place title by skating to a silver medal in the 500 meter event. She placed fourth in the 1,500 meters and sixth in the 27-lap, 3,000 meter distance. Caprilli's other event of the meet - the 1,000 meters - ended in disappointment after a fall. Caprilli is the 2012 California state champion in the Junior Women's Division (ages 15-16). Short track speed skating, which most people associate with decorated U.S. Olympian Apolo Ohno, is raced "pack-style" with three to five other competitors at a time on 16-inch razor sharp blades. Caprilli competes in several local competitions during the September to April season, and trains year-round at DeMorra Speedskating in Lakewood with renowned coach Wilma Boomstra. Boomstra is responsible for training current Olympic, World Cup and Junior World Cup team members J.R. Celski, Sarah Chen, Kyle Utehara, Jacqueline Chen and Kendal Pumphrey, among others. Caprilli's goal is to improve her skating and earn a spot on the U.S. national team.

********** Published: March 29, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 50