NORFOLK, Va. — After school, after practice, after dinner, David Race does his homework.
A junior in the Ocean Lakes math and science academy, it's not a small amount of work. Every step leading up to this final activity of the day, Race is observing the world around him. He likes to take deep dives into whatever topic grabs his interest as he navigates the world.
When it's time for homework, however, he unplugs. Race stashes his phone out of reach and hones in on the work.
"I really had to learn how to focus really well to get all of my work done in a decent amount of time to leave enough room for training," said Race, "A lot of teachers keep telling you to put distractions away. Kids don't like hearing that a lot, they want to keep their phone by their side all the time, but I've kind of learned to put it away."
That focus has also helped Race rise to the top of his age group as a figure skater. After qualifying for the 2022 US Figure Skating National Development Camp, he secured a top 10 finish out of 30 skaters nationally.
The combined ambition in the classroom and on the ice could easily be enough to fill a teenage athlete's brain.
Race can't seem to get enough of the rest of what the world offers. He bounces around topics quickly, extolling his deep dives into whatever piques his interest.
He notices his bus driver's route is longer than others and ponders what other children eat as his Mom cooks. While the rest of US skating waits to see his career unfold, he'll simply be observing the rest of the world as it does.