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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, August 23-25, 2017 B-7 The Park Record Maame Biney looking like the future AP Sports Writer KEARNS, Utah (AP) Maame Biney seems like the typical teenager. She giggles with her friends, is making her way through the Harry Potter movies and wants to go to homecoming. But that’s where typical ends for the 17-year-old speedskating phenom. Biney is on a path to be the next great U.S. short track speedskater with the Olympics six months way. The Junior World Championship bronze medalist was the America’s Cup winner at the U.S. Speedskating Short Track World Cup Qualifier this weekend against Olympians and skaters 10-plus years her senior. She won three of six finals over the three days. Biney is intimidated, sure, but that hasn’t stopped her from chasing her dreams _ literally. “Before I came here in the month of June, I had a week worth of dreams about going to the Olympics,” Biney said. “I woke up and was like, ‘(Gasp), oh no, I’m not there!’ “But I’m so excited to go if I make it. And I really want to make it. ... (It would be) mindblowing.” The journey to this point has been a bit random. Biney moved to the United States from Ghana to be with her father at 5 years old. She was supposed to be coming for a short visit and cried her eyes out when she first arrived. Her father, Kweku, had to pull the car over three times after picking Maame up from the airport to settle her down. She wanted to go home. But a trip to the mall and J.C. Penney started to change her mind and soon afterward Maame was repeatedly asking to stay. Kweku was living in Rockville, Maryland, and found a school and day care and their new life began. One day they were driving down the street in Reston, Virginia, and Kweku looked over and saw a sign that read “Learn To Skate This Fall.” He asked Maame if she was interested and that’s how it all started. Ice skating isn’t exactly a popular endeavor in Ghana, so she didn’t know anything about the sport. She’d never seen a rink, but Kweku signed her up anyway. “We weren’t looking for anything, we were just driving around,” Kweku said. “She didn’t even know what skating was. She didn’t even know what that word was and I explained it to her.” “Only thing cold in Ghana is cold beer.” Maame ended up being a natural, and it didn’t take long before the coach suggested speedskating. Twelve years later, Maame has moved to Salt Lake City to train in hopes of making the Olympic team, which begins short-track trials on Dec. 15. Kweku suggested taking the year off from high school, but she didn’t want to fall behind. Maame wanted to graduate with her friends, so the school arranged for her to take online classes to stay on track while she trains. Those types of decisions are the hardest part for Maame, who misses out on many of the normal teenage trappings. “I feel like that’s the worst part of skating 24/7, not being able to go to homecoming the last three ooh years and not able to hang out with my friends whenever they want to do something,” Maame said through another bout of laugher. “It’s like, ‘Oh no, I can’t, I have practice.’ I like it, because I also have friends here. So it’s kind of like a win-win kind of situation, in a way. “Not having a very good social life, I guess. I’m surrounded by speedskaters all the time and I’m not saying anything bad about them or anything, but we’re not the most mature people in the world. We are not. Even though I’m 17, I feel like I’m a 12-yearold. I am not ready to be 18 in four months.” That youthfulness also leads to a lack of confidence. Biney was the second American female since 1996 to medal at the World Junior Short Track Speed Skat- ing Championships, but she still doubts herself while competing against former Olympians like Jessica Kooreman, Lana Gehring and Katherine Reutter-Adamek. National team coach Anthony Barthell and the team psychologist work with Biney on getting out of her own head. Barthell said experience will help as she better learns to master her trade. “She’s a natural athlete,” Barthell said. “Most natural athletes have a hard transition to skating because speedskating is so unnatural. It goes against everyyou’rextaught as an ad athlete. lathing la 3.5” 5”, b&w “Scalp So for her, she’s learned how to skate and is able to use her natural athletic abilities. “In my eyes, I feel she can be one of the top girls in the world. It’s going to take a little bit of time, but she has the potential.” Kooreman remembers hearing about Biney four years ago from her coach and Gehring. At 33, Kooreman is aiming for her second Olympics and first medal while 16 years older than Biney. “Her mentality as a skater and her personality ... she reminds me a little bit of myself,” Kooreman said. “She’s a fighter. She enjoys what she does. She’s energetic and brings good enthusiasm to the team. “It’s nice to have new blood out there and young blood that’s wanting to learn and excited to just skate every day. SOME OF THE PETS AT NUZZLES & CO. LOOKING FOR LOVE These animals are available to be seen at the Nuzzles & Co. Adoption Center and Rescue Ranch. Our Adoption Center is open Monday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is located in the Tanger Outlets in Kimball Junction. Our Rescue Ranch is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Sunday. The Rescue Ranch is located at 6466 N. Highview Road in Peoa. Epic Emma Dontay Flip Epic is a handsome 5-year- old male brown tabby. He has chubby cheeks and is oh, so snuggly! He’s affectionate and loves to tell stories. Epic is FIV positive, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t lead a happy and full life with the proper care and TLC! Emma is a sweet senior gal with lots of love to give. She is eight years old and has a beautiful allblack coat. Emma is talkative and outgoing, but she prefers the company of humans to that of other animals. She loves to snuggle with her favorite people, though! Dontay is a 4-year- old grey tabby and white Domestic Shorthair. He is a relaxed and friendly cat who enjoys the company of people. Dontay prefers to be the only pet in his forever home, but he is sure to be a wonderful companion for years to come! Flip is a handsome 7-year- old Domestic Shorthair with a beautiful brown tabby and white coat. He is a relaxed and mellow guy who prefers to spend his days lounging in a comfy spot. He likes to spend time with people and loves to be petted! Brady Johnny Cash Sophie Vallie Brady is a petite, senior Chihuahua who is looking for a loving forever home where she can snuggle and spend lots of time with her people! She’s about 7 years old and is a sweet and mellow girl. She gets along well with other small dogs, too! Johnny Cash, a 1-year- old Black Lab mix, is super sweet but a little on the nervous side. He needs a home that can help him with his confidence and show him the ropes. He’s great with other dogs and a bit nervous with cats but could do well if properly introduced. Sophie is an energetic 7-year- old Labrador mix who loves to be outside! She would love to find an active family to spend lots of quality time with. She’s not a fan of cats but gets along with some other dogs. This happy dog loves to play, play, play! Vallie is a beautiful 8-year-old Husky/Shepherd mix. She is super sweet, walks nicely on leash, and doesn’t jump up. She prefers a home without cats but may do well with some dogs. Vallie would be great on short hikes or would be happy with a daily walk. WANTED: VOLUNTEERS These organizations are looking for volunteers. If you would like to include your group in this section, please email information to copyeditor@parkrecord.com. Please limit your entry to no more than 75 words. Park City READS Park City READS (Recognizing, Educating and Advocating for Dyslexic Students) promotes elevating literacy. Park City READS helps people navigate through diagnostic testing, school interventions, tutoring and technology resources. For information about volunteer opportunities, contact ParkCityREADS@ gmail.com. PCSD Good Neighbors Program Park City School District needs volunteers to help adult Englishlanguage learners or adults with limited literacy skills and confidence to live and thrive in our community. Tutor conversational English, grammar, reading and/or writing. Morning, afternoon, evening and weekend sessions are available and the time commitment is approximately three to four hours per week. For information, contact Judy Tukuafu at 435-615-0216 or jtukuafu@ pcschools.us. Peace House Peace House is a charitable organization dedicated to ending family violence and abuse through education, outreach, support services and shelter. Peace House is currently looking for volunteers 16 and older to assist in many different ways with an emphasis on childcare volunteers. There is a wide variety of options workable with individual schedules. For information, contact Kate Stone, volunteer coordinator, at volunteerspeacehouse@gmail.com or 435-658-4739, ext. 103. Peer Connections Peer Connections, a program of Easter Seals-Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain, is in need of volunteers to act as peer partners for teens and young adults who find work and social settings challenging. Peers will volunteer at sites where they can help a student learn and practice workplace and social skills. To learn more about how you can help, email peers@esgw.org or apply online at bit.ly/ peerpartner. People’s Health Clinic The People’s Health Clinic is looking for medical professionals and interpreters. If you are a doctor, nurse, PA, MA, phlebotomist, even a retired medical provider, or can translate Spanish, your skills and compassion can be put to immediate use. Volunteers are needed to help staff on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at anytime from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. As much or little time as you can give — weekly, monthly or sporadically — is appreciated. For information, contact Meaghan Miller at meg@phcpc.org or call her at 435-3331849. The clinic provides medical care to the uninsured of Summit and Wasatch counties. Recycle Utah Recycle Utah, the primary recycling hub in Summit County for the last 25 years, is seeking volunteers. Get fresh air, burn calories and make your community cleaner and greener. Help is needed in the front office, the warehouse and with assisting with daily operations. Recycle Utah also relies on volunteers at special events such as its Harvest Fest and collection events. For information, contact Molly Brooks at outreach@recycleutah.org or 435-649-9698 Summit Land Conservancy Summit Land Conservancy is an environmental nonprofit working to permanently protect the beloved open spaces in Summit County. You can see the results of the group’s work when you walk your dog in Round Valley, enjoy the Mid Mountain Trail or fly fish on the Weber River. Volunteers are needed to assist with biweekly recycling and join the Adopt an Easement program. To stay in the loop with other upcoming volunteer opportunities, sign up for the newsletter at wesaveland.org/get-involved/ stay-informed. For information on current opportunities, contact caitlyn@wesaveland.org. Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District Basin Recreation is looking for volunteers with a passion for play to be Park Ambassadors. Park Ambassadors patrol the parks, interact with park users, report maintenance needs, assist with tournaments, promote park safety and encourage an overall positive use of public space. For details, visit www.basinrecreation.org or contact Angie Greenburg at 435-640-8476 or agreenburg@ basinrecreation.org. Massage” Love. Truth. Hair. KAREEM COPELAND lizy You had me at scalp massage. It’s the little things. At Ooh La La, your visit isn’t finished until you look fantastic--and feel that way, too. So we sweat the details from style, to shape, to shade. And we don’t just wash your hair. We treat your scalp to its own little moment of Zen. All for you. 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