Reprinted from The Mesquite News, June 26, 2008
Area in-line skaters continue busy summer season
Pair of brothers
help make big strides for DFW Speed skating team
BY DEVIN HASSON
STAFF WRITER
It has been a busy month for a handful of Mesquite-based in-line
skaters who have been competing in events all over the region.
On May 24, brothers Joseph
Burns, 15, and Spencer Burns, 8, who compete for DFW Speed, each won titles at the South Central Regional Championships in
Waco. As a result, both qualified for the 2008 National Speed Skating Championships in Lincoln, Neb. on July 13-17.
Joseph Burns won the title in the novice sophomore men's division, while also taking second in the Standard
Division. He beat out five other competitors in five races. In the 500 meters, Joseph Burns was off to a big lead only to
be edged at the wire by a DFWSpeed teammate.
Undeterred, he bounced back to take first
place in both the 1,000 and 1,500 meter races.
Spencer Burns followed a similar path to
his Primary Boys Division championship, getting edged at the wire in the 200 meters, but coming back to claim first place
in both the300 and 500 meters.
The two brothers will be joined in Lincoln by Mesquite resident
Joseph Hooks. The 12-year-old Hooks placed in the top three of the Novice Elementary Boys Division to earn his spot at the
national competition.
In all, 10 members of the DFW Speed team won regional championships
and 23 members earned qualifying berths at the national meet.