As a kindergartner, Eddy Alvarez was known as ``Eddy the Jet.'' He would put on his inline skates and fly down the sidewalk. On weekends, he performed tricks and jumps to the delight of tourists on Ocean Drive.

Thirteen years later, he has the same nickname but now he flies around the ice, in the combustible sport known as short track speedskating.

Alvarez is so fast he's among the favorites to make the U.S. Winter Olympic team during trials starting Tuesday in Marquette, Mich. He will be competing against two-time Olympic gold medalist and Dancing With the Stars champ Apolo Anton Ohno -- among others -- for one of five spots.

If Alvarez qualifies, he will follow Jennifer Rodriguez as the second Cuban-American from Miami to make the U.S. Winter Olympic team and set his sights on racing at the 2010 Vancouver Games in February.

``I'm excited, I'm confident, I'm ready,'' Alvarez said.

Anything can happen in the unpredictable races of 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters. Skaters bump and crash as they churn around the track at 30 mph, using their pivot gloves to hold a sharp angle. The sport demands explosive acceleration, agility, endurance, a high pain threshold and keen tactical thinking. Disqualifications and bizarre finishes are common, leaving skaters and fans to shrug and say, ``That's short track.''

``Sometimes we're so close to the ice our knees hit it,'' Alvarez said. ``Once you see it up close, you understand the intensity. And you're hooked.''

UNUSUAL ROAD

This is the story of another kid from the subtropics excelling in a cold-weather sport. Like J-Rod, Alvarez switched from inline wheels to thin blades. But unlike J-Rod, who clung to the boards when she first braved the ice, Alvarez took to the slippery surface like a little Eric Heiden.

At age 10, with limited practice time at the Kendall Ice Arena under coach Bob Manning, Alvarez won national titles in inline, short track and long track.

``People asked me, `So, can he play hockey?' '' said Alvarez's father, Walter. ``He could do gymnastics, water sports, basketball. He's a great dancer and was invited to all the quinceneras. What if I had given him a tennis racket? There's a lot more money in tennis than in speedskating.''

He was popular at competitions because he was good and he was an oddity.

``They announced his name and hometown and people did a double-take and told me, `We didn't know you had ice in Miami,' '' said Alvarez's mother, Mabel.

Alvarez, 19, became friends with Rodriguez. Her father was born in Cuba. Both of Alvarez's parents were born in Cuba.

``Jen was an inspiration to me,'' said Alvarez, who grew up in Miami's Roads section.

``She told me any dream is possible.''

They see each other almost every day at the Kearns oval in Utah, where they are national team members. Rodriguez, 32, a Miami Palmetto High graduate who won two long track bronze medals in 2002, is making a comeback, hoping to join her fourth Olympic team.

``Two Miamians in Opening Ceremonies -- that's the goal,'' Alvarez said.

Alvarez is making a comeback, too. He took three years off from skating to concentrate on baseball at Miami Columbus High, where he played shortstop and second base. He broke his ankle one week before short track trials in 2005.

``While he watched the Torino Olympics he cried as if he was actually there,'' Mabel said.

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