WATCH: Christchurch teen Luke Street targets world championships in speed skating and Irish dancing

go through Rebecca BullRNZ Social Media Reporter

Growing up, Luke Street seemed to excel in any sport he touched or played.

Now, at 15, he has a chance to qualify for world championships in two very different sports: speed skating and Irish dancing.

He had already given up two other events in which he had competed at the national level – trampoline and cycling.

The Christchurch teenager, who attends Hillmorton High School, is aiming to compete in next year’s World Junior Short Track Speed ​​Skating Championships in Canada and the Irish Dancing Championships in Dublin.

“The goal at the moment is to qualify,” Luke told RNZ at rinkside during a training session.

Luke, who does speed skating after school on Mondays and Fridays and dance practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays, said his goal is to finish all his homework during the school hours so he can make time to practice.

In speed skating, Luke has two chances to qualify for the World Junior Championships: the National Championships in Dunedin from September 6-8 and the Australian National Championships in October.

To qualify for the 500m he will need to be one second faster than his current time of 48.2. Luke is currently the fourth-ranked junior skater in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Luke has already competed in two World Irish Dance Championships: in Montreal in 2023 and in Glasgow earlier this year – placing 42nd both times.

Luke is a two-time national champion in the boys under 13 to 15 category. This year he will move up to the under 15 to 17 category, performing the Horn, the Reel and his signature dance, “The Lost Lake”.

First pair of skates

So how does a young athlete achieve such success in a series of events?

Luke put on his first pair of skates when he was 2 years old, and started speed skating around age 5 — following in the footsteps of his speed skater mom Kendra and ice dancer dad Chris.

To stay healthy, he started dancing around the age of 11.

“My skating coach at the time said I needed some cardio… (and my) dance school had a boys’ class near my house.

“We did that, and from there, my career took off and I became really good at it.”

Luke soon had to balance his new love of dance with other physical activities.

He has been trampolining since he was 4 years old, mainly because his mom worked at a gym, and has competed in national competitions “many times.”

Luke started cycling seriously around the age of 11, and has been competing in road and track cycling ever since. “Mainly when my feet could get to the pedals.” He still competes in inter-school events.

The goal now, he said, is to not get “too stressed out” about managing it all.

“It’s fun to juggle school and sports, and it’s fun to juggle sports and sports. But I don’t know, I’ll just make a good schedule and stick to it.”

Luke’s mum Kendra told RNZ at the rink she didn’t normally come to training.

Kendra, a former coach of the New Zealand speed skating team who immigrated to the United States from Canada and coached at the 2002 Winter Olympics, found it hard not to offer advice.

But she watched, smiled and said she was “extremely proud of her son.”

“He’s a bit of a perfectionist, which means he wants to do everything right. So far, he’s actually doing pretty well.”

“But I’m excited, he’s a good kid. As long as he tries his best, we won’t ask for more.”

Kendra joked that she might need to stop introducing Luke to new sports. Ice time alone for shared speed skating training with other skaters can run into the hundreds per hour, not including travel expenses to competitions.

She is seeking sponsors or funding to help Luke compete overseas and said she would “greatly appreciate any help”.

Now, they will let Luke decide which sport he wants to pursue and will support him in any way they can.

Luke himself was confused about his future direction.

“I do think I need to make a choice early on because I’m getting to an age where if I don’t focus on something now, I’m not going to be as good when I’m old enough to be competitive,” he said.

“I love skating, but I also love Irish dancing and cycling, so it’s hard.”