A bundle of energy, Eben Jackson found a challenging sport that matched his endurance and desire.

Inline speed skating isn’t a novel game, but it certainly is unique. And it’s the type of demanding sport that brings out the best in the home-schooled 16-year-old from Auburn.

“It’s exciting,” said Jackson, quick, lean and strong at 5-foot-6 and 145 pounds. “It’s great. It’s the thrill of going fast and the chance to meet a lot of interesting people around the world and the country.”

A world-class competitor in sprint and longer distances, Jackson is a frequent flier, on the track and in the skies. He recently joined the country’s best skaters for world-race preparations at the U.S. Olympic Training Center Velodrome in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Jackson is representing USA Roller Sports (USARS) – accompany five other junior men’s division teammates – at the Federation Internationale de Roller Sports Speed Skating World Championships in Haining City, China, Sept. 16-27. Jackson is expected to compete in any number of outdoor events and distances, ranging from 200-500 meters, including individual time trials and team relays, either on the track or on the road.

“I just hope I make it to a final,” Jackson said of his goal. “I still have a lot to learn.”

Jackson has proven to be a quick study competing regionally and nationally for Puyallup-based Tiffany’s Speed Team.

“It’s definitely an honor to have the first male (USARS) team member from the Northwest,” said Dennis King, one of Jackson’s coaches at Tiffany’s. “It’s quite an accomplishment for Eben and for the team as well.”

While inline speed skating is not an official Olympic sport, it slowly has been embraced in other countries. “We’re not that popular, not yet anyway,” said Jackson, who harbors gold medal dreams.

To take the next step, Jackson and other top athletes are encouraged to make the “wheels-to-ice” transition, such as Olympic great Apolo Anton Ohno did before embarking on a decorated short-track speed skating career on ice. Ohno, a five-time medalist in the Winter Games, began his career on roller-skating rinks in the area, including Auburn and Federal Way.

A former gymnast who enjoys skateboarding, Jackson caught the inline speed skating wave through friends at church.

The sport immediately caught his attention. Other mainstream sports did not bring out the passion and commitment that inline speed skating did for Jackson.

“He’s competitive. He was born with it,” said his mother, Jan. “This sport is for a high-energy person … and he’s always been an incredibly persistent person.”

Not to mention a resilient one. Jackson competes in memory of his father, Charles, who died unexpectedly last year from heart failure at age 58. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Jackson served eights years of active duty in Vietnam and Germany before being discharged and joining the Army Reserves, with which he served an additional 24 years. In civilian life, he was an equipment technician for IKON Office Solutions and an active member of Grace Community Church.

“The boys really looked up to him,” said Jan, who is raising two sons.

Jackson began to compete three years ago, joining the Southgate Speed Team, which practiced at Auburn Skate Connection. He excelled while absorbing the physical costs of rounding tight, indoor ovals and following a crowd on longer, outdoor courses. He competed in his first race with a cast on his broken arm.

“It’s a tough sport,” Jan said. “They all get tough, not so much from broken bones, but from floor burns.”

By 2007, Jackson began to race in front, scoring several wins. Last year, in his first season in sophomore standard, he finished ninth in the 300-meter indoor nationals and got his first taste of competing in the outdoor nationals.

Jackson emerged this year, grabbing top finishes in local, regional and national races, competing for the Auburn Speed Team and eventually, Tiffany’s. He was third in the 200-meter road time trial, third in the 500 road race, fourth in the 300 time trial and fifth in the 500 at the outdoor nationals in Colorado Springs. Overall, he was fifth in junior men’s outdoor nationals.

In addition, Jackson won the overall sophomore men’s indoor national championship in Peoria, Ill., on the strength of winning the 500 and 1,500.

A natural sprinter, Jackson covers 500 meters in less than 45 seconds. He also is building his endurance for longer races.

“You have to be in good condition. You have to be in top shape,” Jackson said. “In the longer races, you have to learn how to conserve energy. And you can’t make mistakes or it will cost you.

“People don’t realize how difficult it is.”

To train effectively, Jackson often endures 30-mile runs on his skates.

There is no substitute for hard work, and Jackson intends to put in the time and keep the edge.

“If you (race) in the back, someone could fall and you will be in trouble,” he said. “For me, I like to race up front.”

Jackson has much potential, a bright future, according to his coaches.

“He’s just a very smart and talented kid who understands the whole aspect of speed skating,” King said. “He’s a naturally gifted speed skater.

“For us, as coaches, it’s an honor to be able to teach such a high caliber of athlete. … He’s a good kid who listens well. He has a good image for the sport.”

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Note: For those who would like to make a tax deductible donation in support of the U.S. Junior Team, contributions can be sent (with a note) payable to USARS, USA Roller Sports, 4730 South St., P.O. Box 6579, Lincoln, Neb., 68506; phone (402) 483-7551; fax (402) 483-1465.