Auburn’s Shianna Moses zooms around rink on her way to twin titles at indoor speed skating nationals

She’s only 10 years old. But already, Shianna Moses is making it a point not to rest on her laurels.

“I’m trying to catch up with harder competition,” the Auburn girl said. “I’m going to be up with them next year.”

That’s for next year.

During last month’s Indoor Speed Skating National Championships, it was Moses who was the harder competition.

And nobody could catch up with her.

A real deal on many wheels, Moses came home from a week in Lincoln, Neb., during July with gold medals in both the 200-meter and 300-meter events. That represented a jump from a fourth-place finish in 2006 and more than made up for last year when she had to cancel the trip shortly before departing because a family member suddenly was facing serious health concerns.

“I like the two-lapper (200-meter event) the best because it’s the shortest,” said Moses, a Muckleshoot Tribal member who has lived with grandparents John Beatley and Diane Schweiger since she was born. “(After I won), I was going, ‘Oh my god.’

“She said, ‘Mom, we’re crying?’ I said I was, but it was a happy cry,” Schweiger said. “It was her time.”

Moses practices at the Auburn Skate Connection and skates for the Southgate Skating Club. Like so many others who become proficient speed skaters, she started out with something else adorning her feet.

“I used to skate on roller blades, and I used to beat all the kids,” Moses said. “They thought I would be better on speed skates.”

“I thought I would be good at it,” she added.

That became evident in a hurry.

In 2006, Moses won a regional championship and practically rewrote the record book for that event. She broke seven-records in two-lap, three-lap and four-lap races.

But at nationals, everyone was that good, and Moses took fourth place.

So “her goal this year was to be a gold medalist,” Schweiger said.

Moses didn’t rely on sheer talent to do it, either. She put in the work.

“Before nationals, I would practice from 7 to 10 (in the evening), then I would go early from 5:30 to 6:30. I was going to both,” she said, estimating that an average practice for her is 150 laps around the 100-meter oval.

One thing Moses gets at the Skate Connection is an idea of how fast she really can go.

An average lap, says the 4-foot-3, 70-pounder, is about 11 seconds.

“Our floor is different than other floors,” she said. “The new plastic makes it faster.”

Moses, who’ll be a fifth-grader at the Muckleshoot Tribal School and also takes part in the tribe’s Pow Wow dances, already has learned to deal with the many choices that 10 year olds face, such as how many activities to take part in – or which ones.

“I did gymnastics for four years,” Moses said, calling the floor exercise her favorite event and the balance beam her toughest. “And I want to do cheerleading.”

Cheerleading might still be an option at some point. But, at least for now, she has dropped gymnastics in favor of skating.

“It was very hard for her to pick,” Schweiger said, but adding, “I think we would be at the rink 24/7 if she had her way.”

As is true for most every athlete at every level, Moses knows what it’s like to feel the nerves twinge a bit as she approaches the starting line.

But not for long.

“I’m only nervous until I start,” she said.

Then, Shianna Moses is off – not resting on her laurels, trying to catch up with that “harder competition” ...

... and making sure that no one can catch up with her.

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