Inline skater Gillis on fast track

These days, with many teenagers surfing online, Springfields Megan Gillis is more inclined to be skating inline.

Gillis, 13, returned Wednesday night from a one-week trip to France, where she took part in the 23rd International Three Tracks 2009 (Le Troph2Ce des 3 Pistes) AE8 a three-day racing competition that attracts thousands of international inline speed skaters.

A seventh-grade straight-A student at Jefferson Middle School, Gillis placed sixth out of 101 competitors in her 13-14 age class, called Minimes Filles, including an impressive fourth place Monday at the super-fast Gujan-Mestras track in southern France.

This is one of the fastest tracks in the world, said Jim Larson, her uncle and skating coach. The 1994-95 World Championships were held at Gujan-Mestras.

Megan skated really well. The track awareness was just great for her. It was like she was a 10-year veteran, and this was really her first international competition.

Her skating passion and proficiency come naturally, according to her mother and Larsons sister, Laurie Gillis.

Shes competed since shes been about 4; its a family thing, Laurie Gillis said. Its where I met my husband (R.G. Gillis) and my brother met his wife (Denise, also a coach). Our whole family skated. My parents competed, also. 

Jim, Denise, Laurie and R.G. all have won national competitions over the years.

And now Megan Gillis, who works with her uncle as part of the Capital City Racing Club based at Skateland South, is beginning to shine in international competition.

Shes growing into her own, maturing into it, Larson said. Before it was just like, go have fun. Shes having fun at it now because shes doing really well.

The competitive events were scheduled for April 11 at Pibrac, for April 12 at Valence dAgen and for April 13 at Gujan-Mestras. The April 11 competition was rained out because the track was too slick. The April 12 competition, held on a road course, was held despite rainy conditions, and Gillis placed 13th. Skaters performances for the two days of competition were combined to provide the final standings.

Gillis placed first among the six American skaters in her age group, all of whom she knew pretty well and had competed against previously.

Going up against the international competition, however, provided quite a learning experience.

All the girls over there are more physical, she said. Its kind of weird, because everybodys speaking a different language. They look at you as an American, and there all afraid.

They told our tour guide Joe, who was also another coach, that they expect Americans to come out and dominate on the track. They look at you and step away. Its kind of different, kind of like theres a big target on your back.

Gillis, who also plays basketball and volleyball at Jefferson, had other learning experiences on her trip to France, including train rides from Paris to the south of France and back.

The sleeper train ride going down was long and kind of loud, she said, adding she rode a high-speed bullet train on the return trip. It was kind of weird sleeping on the train, going past all these places that I wanted to stay awake to see, but I had to sleep. But it was exciting. I had never been on a train before. 

Probably the coolest thing that I saw was the Eiffel Tower, standing down below it and seeing how many people there were standing in line and stuff.

Megan who already has traveled extensively in the U.S., competing in Florida, Colorado, Virginia and Georgia  and her family are hoping her recent international experience was the start of an international career that could one day lead to Olympic participation, should inline speed racing be added as an Olympic sport.

Actually, in two weeks I leave for a clinic out in Colorado, Gillis said. In June, the Outdoor Nationals will be held out there.&

Gillis hopes to take part in her first Junior World tryouts.

For the Junior World Team you skate all these different races,she said. Ill do my best at nationals to make the Junior World Team. You go out there and train and stuff. Also, if you dont make the World Team but have like six or more points, you make the National Team, which also has a clinic out there.

Either way, Id be happy making the National Team or the Junior World Team.

To make either requires substantial dedication and continued hard work.

We practice indoors at least four times a week, she said. When its nice out, sometimes we practice twice a week, sometimes twice in the same day, or we skate outside after school. Even when it cold out, we throw on Under Armor and still go outside, because youve got be ready for any kind of weather, like the rain we had in France.

Gillis said the practice sessions can last two to three hours and vary in intensity, with Sunday sessions usually the longest and hardest.

But she knows the payoff in seven years could be amazing.

Hopefully by 2016 (inline speed skating) might be in the Olympics, she said, and hopefully Ill be going.

Hal Pilger can be reached at 788-1548.