Sanders Hicks | Coach emeritus and club founder Sanders Hicks started ESSC in 1966. He is a National and International Starter, and a former ASU Commissioner of Officials. Sam is also a member of the
Speed Skating Hall of Fame as a Contributor to the Sport. He is a professional photographer who has been photographing the sport for over forty years.
| 
Tess | Tess loves to dance, and considers herself an artist. A regular supernumerary at the Lyric Opera when she is not working on her crossovers, this dynamo is enjoying a new pet rabbit who joined the family menagerie.
|
Jamal | Jim Nubani is an award-winning athlete, professional fitness trainer and coach. His own accomplishments include multiple medals at U.S. Speedskating National Championships and U.S. inline speedskating championship (masters division).
Jim is a certified Level II U.S. Speed Skating coach. He has coached ESSC since 2000, overseeing the training of both recreational and competitive skaters. He has coached several nationally- and world-ranked speed skaters.
| 
Nicole | Nicole and her brother, Fernando, have been speed skating since 2006. Nicole plays basketball, runs track and field. She is in the 8th grade and enjoys sports and video games.
|
George | George started figure skating in 1978, but switched to racing a year later, when he decided going fast was more fun. George retired from competition in 1987 after placing 3rd in Outdoor Nationals, but he continues to speed skate for enjoyment and fitness and is a Level II U.S. Speed Skating coach, mad scientist and works for a private ambulance service.
| 
Jeffrey | Jeff is in 10th grade at The Cove School in Northbrook. He has been skating with ESSC since 3rd grade. Jeff started skating as a constructive way to channel his overabundance of energy. In addition to skating, Jeff plays guitar, soccer and basketball.
|
Fernando | Fernando is in 5th grade. He plays piano and started skating with ESSC in 2006. He likes skating and playing with his sister, Nicole.
| 
Gracie | Gracie is a 7th grader at The Ancona School in Hyde Park. She has been skating for five years. Gracie saw speed skating on TV and knew it was her calling! She also plays soccer and is in Drama Club at school.
|
Mackenzie | Five-year-old Macy just started speed skating and competed in the 2010 Evanston Northshore, her first competition. Although Macy also figure skates and plays hockey, her mother says, "It's all about the speed." Macy likes Minnie Mouse and hanging out with friends.
| 
Don | Don is a fiction-writing student at Columbia College, Chicago. He has been skating with ESSC since 2006. In addition to speed skating, he also has a passion for public transportation and is the creator of the website GreatThirdRail, which chronicles the now-gone Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad.
|
Alec | When Alec is not on the ice, he is a middle-schooler who loves soccer. Alec is a regular supernumerary at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. An athlete with an extensive theatrical resume, Alec also collects Star Wars action figures.
| 
Salyann | Salyann is a 3rd grader at Hillel Torah. Although she has been figure skating for a while, Salyann started speed skating this season and just competed in her first competition.
|
Dan | Dan is a long-time member of ESSC. He recently represented the club in the Masters International Sprints in Milwaukee WI, surpassing his personal best in both the 500m and the 1000m.
| 
Sophie | Sophie is a freshman at Northside College Prep High School. She started skating as a hockey player five years ago, but made the switch to speed skating this year. In addition to skating, Sophie enjoys reading, skiing and playing the violin.
|
Amy | Amy is from the south side of Chicago. When not spending the summer on Mackinac Island, she is a speed skater, baker/cake decorator, bagpiper and good friend!
| 
Rick | Evanstonian Rick has been skating with ESSC for seven years. When not hosting at a nightclub or managing a small advertising company, he can be found water skiing, snow skiing, mountain biking or, of course, speed skating.
|
Cody | Cody is a junior at New Trier High School. He is an alpine ski racer and plays goalie for the water polo team at New Trier. Cody started speed skating this year. He referees for hockey and is also a die-hard 24 fan.
| 
Isaac | Isaac attends Willard School. He has been speed skating since he was five years old. He came to speed skating because he wanted an activity of his own--something that one one else in the family did. He enjoys watching TV, reading, playing his DS game and having play dates.
|
Peter | Peter is a newcomer to speed skating this season. He has been working hard on his technique with his father, Paul's, help.
| 
Cassi | Cassi is a junior at Northwestern University, majoring in environmental science. She has been a long track speed skater since age seven, skating in her hometown of Duluth, MN. Cassi just recently took up short track skating.
|
Paul | Paul is a native of Massachusetts and former hockey player. He skates along with his son Peter and assists the youngest, beginning skaters.
| 
Adam | Adam is from Chevy Chase, MD and is an undergraduate in Engineering at Northwestern University. Adam started speed skating last season. When not skating, he enjoys camping, rowing and swimming.
|
Brandon | Brandon, 11, attends the Challenger School. He wants to eventually work in film. He loves to draw, make videos and skate FAST.
| 
Peter | Six-year-old Peter loves swimming, karate, tennis and piano. He was a hockey player until he watched the 2010 Winter Olympics and was inspired by Shani Davis and Apolo Ohno to try speed skating.
|
Erika | Erika began skating as a toddler and just recently decided to try speed skating. The majority of Erika's time is spent working at the Art Institute of Chicago managing loans of the museum's collection and coordinating exhibitions. When at work, Erika dreams of attending culinary school and looks forward to traveling to Asia for the fifth time this summer to do volunteer aid work in Dharamsala, India.
| 
Mateo | |
Nicholas | Nicholas, 6, and his sister Hayden just started speed skating. They had been attending public skating sessions, when an attendant suggested speed skating, since Nicholas likes to go fast!
| 
Hayden | Eight-year-old Hayden is a 3rd grader at Odgen School. She plays piano and is an avid reader. Hayden and Nicholas just started speed skating.
|
Olawale | Wally has been a member of ESSC for twenty-four of his thirty-four years. He works for AT&T. Conviently enough, Wally started skating because he lived across the street from the rink.
| 
Matt | Matt is the club's "antique" skater and father of skaters, Tess and Alec. He has been speed skating since 2006 and is quite proud of his skater children's accomplishments as well as having improved on his own stamina and lap times. He is a professional photographer. A note to those adults who are thinking about coming out to skate, if you are willing to dedicate the time and effort, it's never too late to start.
|
Valerie | Valerie is a Northbrook native and long-time member of ESSC. She is a graduate of DePaul University and currently teaches gym. Valerie cycles in addition to speed skating.
| 
Paul | |
Jihan | Jihan has been speed skating for more than eleven years. Her hobbies include swimming, reading and hanging out with friends.
| 
Andy | Andy has been skating with ESSC on and off since 1973. He skated actively in the 90s, stopping only while his children were growing up. Now that his daughter is a figure skater, Andy is back on the ice. When not skating, he is a realtor for Coldwell Banker.
|
Christopher | Chris is a graduate of Evanston Township High School. He has been skating twelve years. Chris likes the speed, helping coach the younger kids and the people he has met through skating. He also enjoys video games, basketball, tennis and golf.
| 
Ellen | Ellen started skating with ESSC as a preschooler. While the family is living in Ohio, Ellen is skating with the Pittsburgh club.
|
Andrew | Three-year-old Andrew is affectionately known as the "Little Bullet." He competed in his first meet, the 2009 Evanston Northshore Open, where he earned the moniker and the fans' appreciation.
| 
Joseph | Joe likes soccer, swimming, karate, gymnastics, piano. He started speed skating because he "wanted to go fast." Joe took 2nd place at the Evanston Northshore representing the Pittsburgh Speedskating club.
|
