Over the past year, I've received a few e-mails from Jim Lynch in Australia asking when there's going to be some international masters short track competitions. Jim, who just recently turned 60, was the first world short track champion back in 1978. There have been some recent indicators of progress toward giving Jim and other masters short trackers this opportunity.
Out of discussions at the February 2007 meeting of the International Masters Speed Skating Committee (IMSSC) in Calgary, a separate parallel organization called the International Masters Short Track Committee (IMSTC) was formed. Coordinated by Antonio Nitto, of Italy, the committee includes additional provisional representation from Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and USA. In its first news release in March 2007, it was hoped that one or more international masters short track competitions might take place during the 2007-08 season. To our knowledge, this unfortunately does not appear to have occurred.
There are other signs of activity, however, that indicate the possible beginnings of opportunities for masters to race short track in various locations around the planet such as:
During November 4 - 5, 2006, the West Allis Wisconsin Speed Skating Club ran its 1st Masters International Speed Skating Competition at the Pettit National Ice Centre in Milwaukee. The event, unfortunately, did not appear to be repeated in the club's 2007-08 calendar.
In December of both 2006 and 2007, the Banff-Canmore Speed Skating Club (headed by Ian Mellors, Canada's representative to the IMSTC) organized the 1st and 2nd Masters Ice Racing Challenge. Coined as the "unofficial Canadian masters short track championship", Ian has recently offered this event to Speed Skating Canada's Competitions Development Committee. Interested international competitors should contact Ian to determine their eligibility to participate.
There was a short track competition during August 3-4, 2007 in Chamonix France called the Trophee Leon Quaglia that appears to have attracted some masters competitors from Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, and the US. Results of the 26th edition of this event were published here.
Then, the Opening Games in Turnout Belgium on October 13, 2007 also included masters skaters from Belgium and the Netherlands. See here for the results.
On March 1-2, 2008 in Odense Denmark, the Danish International 2008 included mostly Danish masters, but also one skater from the Netherlands as indicated by the results.
Closer to home here in Canada, the results of the North American Championships in Milwaukee Wisconsin show masters competitors from Canada and the US, but also a senior skater from Australia. This is an event in which Australia's Dennis Pennington has been seen to compete in past years.
And lastly, the Closing Games (Golden Sun Award) took place, again, in Turnout Belgium on April 12, 2008. The results show that masters competitors came from Denmark, Belgium, France and Italy,
The eligibility of international masters skaters to compete in these events isn't known for sure. For interested masters competitors, watch here for future entry information and ask the competition organizers if you can participate.
Finally, a recent link on Peter Doucet's Speed Skate World led me to find the World Masters Short Track website of Frank Anderson in Perth Australia. This is definitely good news for international masters short track and we look forward to hearing more from Frank in the future.
Out of discussions at the February 2007 meeting of the International Masters Speed Skating Committee (IMSSC) in Calgary, a separate parallel organization called the International Masters Short Track Committee (IMSTC) was formed. Coordinated by Antonio Nitto, of Italy, the committee includes additional provisional representation from Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and USA. In its first news release in March 2007, it was hoped that one or more international masters short track competitions might take place during the 2007-08 season. To our knowledge, this unfortunately does not appear to have occurred.
There are other signs of activity, however, that indicate the possible beginnings of opportunities for masters to race short track in various locations around the planet such as:
During November 4 - 5, 2006, the West Allis Wisconsin Speed Skating Club ran its 1st Masters International Speed Skating Competition at the Pettit National Ice Centre in Milwaukee. The event, unfortunately, did not appear to be repeated in the club's 2007-08 calendar.
In December of both 2006 and 2007, the Banff-Canmore Speed Skating Club (headed by Ian Mellors, Canada's representative to the IMSTC) organized the 1st and 2nd Masters Ice Racing Challenge. Coined as the "unofficial Canadian masters short track championship", Ian has recently offered this event to Speed Skating Canada's Competitions Development Committee. Interested international competitors should contact Ian to determine their eligibility to participate.
There was a short track competition during August 3-4, 2007 in Chamonix France called the Trophee Leon Quaglia that appears to have attracted some masters competitors from Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, and the US. Results of the 26th edition of this event were published here.
Then, the Opening Games in Turnout Belgium on October 13, 2007 also included masters skaters from Belgium and the Netherlands. See here for the results.
On March 1-2, 2008 in Odense Denmark, the Danish International 2008 included mostly Danish masters, but also one skater from the Netherlands as indicated by the results.
Closer to home here in Canada, the results of the North American Championships in Milwaukee Wisconsin show masters competitors from Canada and the US, but also a senior skater from Australia. This is an event in which Australia's Dennis Pennington has been seen to compete in past years.
And lastly, the Closing Games (Golden Sun Award) took place, again, in Turnout Belgium on April 12, 2008. The results show that masters competitors came from Denmark, Belgium, France and Italy,
The eligibility of international masters skaters to compete in these events isn't known for sure. For interested masters competitors, watch here for future entry information and ask the competition organizers if you can participate.
Finally, a recent link on Peter Doucet's Speed Skate World led me to find the World Masters Short Track website of Frank Anderson in Perth Australia. This is definitely good news for international masters short track and we look forward to hearing more from Frank in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment