About the Collierville Speed Team:

Collierville Speed Team was formed in 2010 by Jonathan McGraw. The team was born out of a desire to bring the sport of inline speed skating back to the Memphis area. At one time, a speed skating team known as GT Speed Team (also known as Memphis Speed Team) had one of the most prestigious and most diverse group of skaters in the nation. This team consisted of national champions and commercially-sponsored skaters. Unfortunately the team disbanded in the early 2000's and a void was created. Collierville Speed Team hopes to fill that void by creating a new legacy in the Memphis area by educating skaters on the discipline of inline speed skating, preparing skaters to race with the best in the world, help recreational skaters reach their target goals, and to create leaders. Being a champion is hard work, but with a time and dedication, anyone can become the next national champion! Collierville Speed Team is a family friendly team and we encourage all members of the family to not only watch, but also participate! We want to see moms and dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and siblings come out and participate in sport. Our team practices at Funquest Skating Center, located at 440 US Highway 72 W in Collierville. For practice times and dates, please visit view our Practice Information.

About the Coach:

Lisa L. Carlson has been involved in the sport since 1993 skating with Piedmont Speed Club in North Carolina until 1997, Southern Speed Team in Tallahasse, Fl from 1999-2000 and with Collierville Speed Team from March 2010 until present.   She has competed in numerous USARS sponsored regional indoor races, as well as many outdoor races across the south.  Her goal is to bring a love of speed skating to the team by helping them skate faster, be fitter and have fun.  Families are encouraged to participate together in her program.   She also skates with her daughter Camille, age 7, and husband Chris, age 36.   Skaters of all ages and varying abilities are encouraged to come out skate. 

About Competitions:

Collierville Speed Team will compete in both the USA Roller Sports' southern regional and the N.I.R.A. (National Inline Racing Association) national championship. USA Roller Sports competitions are the most common and have been around for many years. The track that is skated is a 100 meter track. Depending on the skaters age, they may race as little as 300 meters (3 laps) or as many as 5000 meters (50 laps). There are also relay events where a skater can team up with their friends to compete together. Our team will try and stay as close to Tennessee as the competitions will allow us. Many races are held in GA, NC, and FL. The N.I.R.A. championship series is fairly new when compared to that of the USA Roller Sports series. In the N.I.R.A. championship, skaters also compete on a track that is 100 meters, however this track is laid out similar to the Olympic short track that gold-medalist Apollo Anton Ohno races on. The USA Roller Sport' southern regional championship is held in Florida typically in June. It is a qualifier for the National Championship held in Lincoln, Nebraska in July. If a skater places 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in their division, that skater will then qualify to compete for the national championship. In the N.I.R.A. national championship in Atlanta, Ga has been held the past few years during the month of September. This race is open to all skaters. Outdoor competitions are also available to skaters. N.I.R.A has a 10k event held at their national championship. Athens-To-Atlanta is another widely known competition and attracts skaters from around the world. Skaters have the options to skate 3 distances, with the largest being the 86 mile marathon.

About Local Races:

It is the desire of the Collierville Speed Team to host local "fun" competitions, to allow skaters from all over the Memphis area to compete in a local, non-sanctioned event. What this means is that the race will not be affiliated with USA Roller Sports or N.I.R.A. and will simply be a fun competition of locals under the same rules. It allows anyone to come and race in their respective divisions for medals or trophies. We also hope in the future to host a sanctioned event to attract professional teams from all over the nation. For outdoor races, our vision is the same. At one time the Germantown Mayor's Cup 5k included inline speed skating in their race. We will be working to either host our own race or work with an organization who already hosts a race.

For more information, please Contact Us