MILWAUKEE, Wis. — I've gone ice skating several times as a kid, but every time the Winter Olympics come around and I see speed skating, I'm blown away. I'm a naturally curious person, so with an Olympic training facility right here in Milwaukee and the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games underway, not only did I want to learn how to speed skate, but I had to recruit the best coach out there.
That coach turned out to be Bonnie Blair, the most decorated female U.S. Winter Olympian of all time with five Olympic gold medals.
"Welcome to the Pettit National Ice Center! Ashley, we're happy to have you here," Blair smiled as I arrived at the facility.
I was happy to be there, though admittedly a little nervous about what I had gotten myself into.
"I don't know, but I think we'll have fun no matter what," Blair said when I asked if she knew what she had signed up for.
Fun is a given if you've ever met Bonnie Blair, but after a quick warmup and getting fitted for skates, I quickly realized I was going to need more than just a little encouragement. I started with a walker on the ice to get my bearings.
"You're cruising," Blair called out encouragingly.
"That means a lot coming from you, Bonnie," I replied, laughing.
It helps when you've got a five-time Olympic gold medalist teaching you the ropes. Blair offered technical advice as we skated together.
Watch: Olympic legend Bonnie Blair teaches Ashley Washburn how to speed skate
"Don't think so much about making (the skates) unclap," she instructed, referring to the skating technique.
Once we ditched the training wheels, I was starting to feel like I had this speed skating thing figured out. But then I remembered I was skating next to someone who holds an incredible legacy in the sport.
"Records are always made to be broken. But yeah, to know that I did that five times is something that I'm obviously very proud of," Blair said.
Before she retired, Blair was still rewriting the record books. Her fastest 500-meter time was 38.69 seconds in 1995, a world record that stood for years.
I wanted to see where I stacked up against her world record time, so we decided to time my attempt at the 500 meters.
Speed skating has a way of reminding you who's really in charge, and as I navigated the curves and tried to maintain my speed, Blair cheered me on from nearby.
"You're going to do it! All the way through the finish line," she called out as I approached the final stretch.
Let's just say I've got some work to do. My final time was four minutes, 43.19 seconds - quite a bit slower than Blair's world record.
"Someone signed me up for 2030," I joked after crossing the finish line.
Or maybe not.
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