Each masters speed skater has a unique story of how she or he got started in the sport. Some started when they were young and have been doing it for decades. Others only got into it recently.
Masters Speed Skating News would like to hear how you got started and is grateful for this first contribution from Mickey Kupchyk of the Regina Speed Skating Club in Saskatchewan Canada:
We only have about 10 Masters in all of Saskatchewan. I keep telling all of the other parents that they should just try speed skating for the fun and exercise - they can race if they really like it. That's how I got started. My son Evan (now 10 years old) started speed skating 4 years ago. For the first 2 years I was a coach's helper on the ice in my hockey skates tying kids skates and wiping noses. Last year he moved up to group 2 so I couldn't help any more. Soon I got very bored with sitting at the rink for 1.5 hours three times a week. Last year at this time Randy Wrubleski the president of our club convinced me to try speed skates. What a laugh, I went out to the oval with my hockey gloves, shin pads, elbow pads and speed skates (what a sight) and promptly did about 5 face plants on the ice :-)
Within a couple of weeks I started to get the feel for speed skates and realized I wasn't going to kill myself or more importantly someone else. So I bought all of the gear including a skin suit (now that was not a pretty sight. I'm still getting nasty letters from Michelin over trade mark rights. I keep telling them that I look nothing like their mascot, besides I wear black and he wears white - no resemblance what so ever). The coaches convinced me to enter a short track meet in Moose Jaw in late February 2005. Thank God I got to skate with Masters only. It was a riot and I was hooked.
Bruce Hope from our club saw how much fun I was having so he took it up this year. Bruce is from New Zealand and had never been on skates in his life before last year. He's progressing amazingly well. He's now done 2 long track meets this year. He'll be someone to watch for in a few years. Bruce used to race motorcycles so speed is in his blood.
By the way Bruce Hope was absolutely beaming last week. Bruce has 2 boys age 8 and 10 in speed skating. Bruce finally beat both of them last week at short track practice.
One thing that I would like to point out is that we have exceptional coaching in Regina. We have 5 full-time coaches, 2 part-time coaches, and John Monroe the provincial coach comes out at least twice monthly. I would not have been able to accomplish anything without the help and encouragement of these guys.
Editor's Note: From this humble begining, Mickey now unofficially holds all Sasketchewan records in short track and long track for the Masters 3 (50-59) age class.
See http://www.saskspeedskating.ca/Results/2005-2006/RecordsBrokenJan%2030.pdf
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