Welcome! I’m Russell Olsen and I have a pretty significant learning disability. I have overcome many challenges due to my disability and typing has been a constant source of happiness in my life that has kept me going when times get hard. I was given access to typing at a fairly young age and, from fourth to ninth grade, I was above average at typing. In tenth grade, I was pretty fast, and ever since my junior year of high school, it’s been my favorite thing to do. I would be too tired to do my homework, but would type it and get it done much more quickly. I graduated from Utah State University in my mid-twenties with a Bachelor’s Degree in Parks & Recreation. I work for Bank of America, a job that requires paying and denying customer insurance claims. And when I have a question, I type it up. The constant passion of typing hour after hour helps me get through the sometimes-monotonous work day.

The Problem: Typing is becoming a lost art.

Typing is a skill that can be helpful in many areas, but many students don’t know how to type effectively by the time they reach high school. How many papers in school involve paragraph after paragraph of valuable information? Hundreds, right? The average typing speed is about 40 words per minute. Experts say only 6 percent of the US can type 75 wpm or more. If more people had a higher access to typing at a younger age, much time could be saved, and writing articles and essays could be more efficient. It is important for young children to develop hand-eye coordination and typing is a great way to do that, as well.

The Solution: Create a Competition that encourages students to get excited about typing.

Typing has become a passion of mine and I am thrilled about sharing that passion with others who want to develop their typing skills. I type about 3 words per second; it feels like I’m flying! There is a sense of adrenaline that flows through my fingertips each time I take a typing test. I want children to start typing young so they can experience that thrill of typing while improving their typing skills and commit them to memory by the time they’re writing essays in middle school and high school.

Here at Firefingers we host typing competitions, called Typeathlons, for elementary-aged children. All participants receive a certificate highlighting their typing improvements for the year and awards will be given to those “Typeathletes” who are the fastest, most accurate typists in their grade, school, and district.