Mickey Kupchyk of Regina sent the following report:
This weekend the North American Long Track Championship was held in Winterpeg. Okay, we concede - Winnipeg is the coldest place on the planet. We awoke to -29C Saturday morning with a breeze that brought the wind-chill to -38C. Sunday morning was even colder at -39C with the wind-chill coming in at a balmy -51C. It was so cold – “how cold was it?” – my eye lids froze open after only 3 laps of the warm-up. I’m not joking, I had to go back inside just to close my eyes.
Wayne Fleming (the head referee) had to cancel the second day because it was truly unsafe to skate. It was a tough decision but definitely the right one. The next time they hold a world conference on global warming, it has to be in Winnipeg.
Cold weather aside, we had a great time. The meet was very well organized. The awards banquet Saturday night was excellent. 15 Master skaters from Canada and the USA signed up for the event.
Without a doubt the Women’s Master Divisions were the most hotly contested. In the 1000m race “the Doc” Jo-Ann Johnson broke the Master Women 2 North American Record with a time of 1:43.99 while Leela Braun broke the Master Women 1 record with a time of 1:44.23. In the same race Karla Cybulsky just missed the old MW2 record by .14. Now that’s what I call racing!! I wonder if Cindy Klassen will be as fast as these other Winnipeg natives when she joins the Master’s rank?
Jo-Ann Johnson also broke the 500m Master Women 2 North American Record with a time of 50.49. Is it just me or do you think that maybe she might be spending more time at skating practice then her medical practice? It’s just a thought.
Jan Zurcher traveled all the way from Roseville, Washington to compete. It’s a pity that she didn’t arrive .56 seconds sooner at the 500m finish line – it would have been a new MW3 record. If the temperature would have been a little warmer or the ice even fractionally faster she would have crushed the record. Great effort Jan!
Oh yah, I almost forgot there were some guys skating there as well.
Jean-Francois Godbout kept Randy Plett honest in both finals of the Men’s Master 2 Division. Meanwhile Brett Arnason lost out on a photo finish to yours truly in the Master 3 500m final. See Brett, you should have gone with the 17 inch blades instead of the 16’s.
Wayne Fleming (the head referee) had to cancel the second day because it was truly unsafe to skate. It was a tough decision but definitely the right one. The next time they hold a world conference on global warming, it has to be in Winnipeg.
Cold weather aside, we had a great time. The meet was very well organized. The awards banquet Saturday night was excellent. 15 Master skaters from Canada and the USA signed up for the event.
Without a doubt the Women’s Master Divisions were the most hotly contested. In the 1000m race “the Doc” Jo-Ann Johnson broke the Master Women 2 North American Record with a time of 1:43.99 while Leela Braun broke the Master Women 1 record with a time of 1:44.23. In the same race Karla Cybulsky just missed the old MW2 record by .14. Now that’s what I call racing!! I wonder if Cindy Klassen will be as fast as these other Winnipeg natives when she joins the Master’s rank?
Jo-Ann Johnson also broke the 500m Master Women 2 North American Record with a time of 50.49. Is it just me or do you think that maybe she might be spending more time at skating practice then her medical practice? It’s just a thought.
Jan Zurcher traveled all the way from Roseville, Washington to compete. It’s a pity that she didn’t arrive .56 seconds sooner at the 500m finish line – it would have been a new MW3 record. If the temperature would have been a little warmer or the ice even fractionally faster she would have crushed the record. Great effort Jan!
Oh yah, I almost forgot there were some guys skating there as well.
Jean-Francois Godbout kept Randy Plett honest in both finals of the Men’s Master 2 Division. Meanwhile Brett Arnason lost out on a photo finish to yours truly in the Master 3 500m final. See Brett, you should have gone with the 17 inch blades instead of the 16’s.
Brett Arnason dragging Mickey Kupchyk around the track in the 800m final with David Lawler is in the background
Mickey passing Brett on the final corner of the 800m race.
The weather might be cold in Winnipeg but you can always count on a warm handshake or hug from the local skaters there. I’ll be going back.
Photos by Dr. Jo-Ann Johnson's brother.
See also Results
No comments:
Post a Comment