February 12-28, 2010.
The dates are always there for short track speed skater J.R. Celski. That’s the way it is when you have been training for more than 12 years to realize your dream of competing in the 21st Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC.

J.R. has been an AIM-sponsored athlete for six years. He trains for several hours a day six days a week consisting of beach running, weight training, and skating. The bulk of his training comes late afternoon-early evening because he is also a high school senior who has classes five days a week. He has six classes in Advanced Placement and Honors courses. He carries a 3.8 grade point average and will most likely attend the University of California-Irvine to major in business and continue with his Olympic training.

Each AIM product he takes plays a role in his Olympic dream:

• AIM BarleyLife®: Immune system protection to ward off illness, provide energy, mineral replacement, and ridding the body of lactic acid buildup.
• AIM Proancynol® 2000: Strong antioxidant properties to offset accumulation of free radicals.
• AIMega®: Provides the body with essential fatty acids to maintain cell membrane fluidity so oxygen and nutrients can enter the cells easier and to remove toxins, restore energy, and aid in digestion.
• AIM CellSparc 360®: Helps convert meals into energy, necessary because at some meets J.R. skates for 10 hours and must consume a number of small meals.
• AIM Peak Endurance®: Great source of ATP, benningelectrolytes, calcium, and other essential nutrients.
• AIM Herbal Fiberblend®: Detoxes the body of waste products. The less weight carried during a race, the better.

To qualify for the Olympics, J.R. must finish in the top six at the U.S. trials in December of 2009. “My goal is to be the United States’ top competitor when entering these Olympics,” says J.R. If the past is prelude to the future, all those years of training are paying off. A back injury and a bout with burnout after more than a decade of training sidelined J.R. for 18 months. He came back with a vengeance in late 2007-08 despite only training for six months. He dominated the U.S. Juniors and finished fifth at the Worlds competition out of 69 skaters. He also competed at the U.S. Seniors to measure where he stacks up against that level of competition. He says he is ready to do what it takes to qualify for the Olympics “then winning gold medals at the competition. My heart tells me that I can and will do this.”

The Celski family calls J.R.’s dream “Our Family Project.” The dream has taken J.R. twice to California to live year-round and once back to Washington state. He lived with his brother during his first California stay, now his father, Bob, has moved to Long Beach to live with him. His mother, Sue, remains in Washington at her job so there is some income and medical benefits for the family. Sometime this year the family plan is for Sue to move to California to be with her husband and son. Bob admits the family has had some tough times balancing a family with J.R’s dream but “we are enduring this knowing it will come to a close” when Sue relocates from Washington. Bob says being away from Sue this year has made him appreciate all the more his 29 years of marriage to her. “She has never complained,” he marvels.