This is will be the first blog that I have written for Mayfield, and I would like to start off by saying how thankful I am to be a part of such a wholesome company. From the very beginning of our partnership they have been such a blessing in my life, the entire staff has treated me with such warmth, and it is forever appreciated. Well I have been back in Milwaukee now for about 3 weeks, which is where I live and train, and I have to say that it is going to be a great season. If you aren't familiar with U.S. Olympic speed skating, I will give you a brief history. I have been skating ice now for about 4 years, and in that time I have never had a complete training season. The first year of my ice career I broke my back, which took me off my skates and out of training for about 5-6 months. The following year, I decided to quit skating due to my previous injury and get back to college at the University of Tennessee, which is another of my life goals. After about 5 months of living in Tennessee and getting a job as a waiter, the former Olympic Short Track coach called me up and talked me into another shot at training with his new team, and me being the focus of the group. I decided after his constant prodding that I would buy a two week ticket and give the program a try. Well, I never used the return ticket, and I ended up making the Olympic team for Long Track, which I had only started 3 months before Olympic team trials. After the Olympic Games, I took another 5 months off just to recover mentally from such a frustrating 3 years of a new sport. This past season I make both Short Track and Long Track World Cup teams, something that only 3 people in history have accomplished: Bonnie Blair, Shani Davis and myself. This upcoming season marks the first time in my ice career that I will start in May and have a full season of training under my belt for the racing season. Typically a skater does summer base and technique training from May-Sept, then races from Sept-March, then has 1 month off to recover. I am looking forward to having a great start to my next 3-year journey to the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. I will be blogging for Mayfield at least once a month to keep everyone updated on my progress in training. Please keep me in your prayers, and as always, LOOK TO YOUR DREAMS!!! -- Charles Ryan Leveille, 2006 Olympian (U.S. Olympic Speed Skater Ryan Leveille is sponsored by Mayfield Dairy Farms)