The Banff/Canmore Speed Skating Club is trying to develop an annual short track race which attracts masters skaters from across Canada to compete against each other.
This year, the organizers will be running the competition in combination with the Banff/Canmore SSC's annual ability meet, but they would like to develop the race so that it would become a Masters-only event that is held at different locations around the country.
For further event information, see http://home.cogeco.ca/~mss/Masters%20Ice%20Racing%20Challenge.doc
Monday, September 25, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
MASTERS INTERNATIONAL SHORT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS
The West Allis Speedskating Club is hosting this event at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee Wisconsin during November 4 - 5, 2006. Additional event information and an entry form is now available.
Friday, September 15, 2006
JOURNEY OF SOUND & LIGHT
Ontario master speed skater, Kevin Frost, recently sent MSS News his own story of personal success...
At a young age he was very active and always on the go. Born in Victoria, B.C. in 1967, he moved with his family to Ottawa in 1972 to begin his life. Always athletic, Kevin played baseball from T-ball through to the Nepean Canadians, and in hockey he played novice through juvenile, he wanted to play Jr. B but he was too small. He also refereed hockey for 25 years, working over 20,000 games!!! He was a paper boy for seven years, cut grass and worked at outdoor rinks for four years. He also worked for a local grocery chain for 16 years. A job he loved very much.
When Kevin was 11-years-old, his math teacher mentioned to his parents that Kevin wasn’t listening well in class. Kevin learned at the age 11 that he had only 25 per cent of his hearing left. As a result, he taught himself to lip read at a young age. He continued going to school despite having to deal with teasing and bullying because of his disability. He attended Gloucester High School for his finals years of school.
When Kevin was 30-years-old, he began walking into walls, tripping over his kids, and his night vision was getting worse. Kevin was too busy being a workaholic to think anything was really wrong. Kevin got his eyes tested.
The doctor told Kevin the shocking news that he was suffering from Usher’s Syndrome. This diagnosis was not positive. The doctor told Kevin you lose your hearing at a young age and your vision later in life. The diagnosis meant losing his drivers licence, his job with the grocery chain and his job refereeing for safety reasons.....
So at 32-years-old Kevin Frost had hit a brick wall. He was left asking himself - what do I do for the now? Well with the help of CNIB, family and friends, he decided that he didn’t want to sit around and do nothing. Instead, he got involved with disability sports groups. He joined a blind dragon boat team called ‘Dragon Eyes’ and also did some tandem biking. That year his dragon boating team even finished first in their division against able bodied paddlers!
Then another great thing happened to Kevin, he got a guide dog name Nemo. With the help of this adorable Labrador retriever Kevin gained a great deal independence.
At 36-years-old, with five per cent vision and 10 per cent hearing, his wife got him back on blades to try something he always had a passion for...skating. However, this was not hockey skating, this time it was speed skating! After trying it for a year Kevin’s coach Ron Guerrard said, “Why don’t you compete against able bodied speed skaters?”
Fast forward two years and 120 races in short and long track later, and Kevin has won four gold, four silver, and seven bronze medals against able bodied skaters.
His future dreams include trying to make speed skating an official Paralympic event by making it a demonstration sport at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Next year Kevin will attend the World Masters Long Track Championships in Calgary. He hopes someday to travel the world competing in speed skating competitions.
Kevin’s other goals include educating schools, businesses, and the Ottawa Police on how to properly deal with deaf, blind, deaf-blind and guide dogs in everyday life. Kevin believes we all need to know how to deal with disabled people in our community.
Kevin believes he owes all his success in speed skating to his sponsors who have helped him get this far. Without them this wouldn’t have happened!!! When his journey is complete, Kevin plans on opening a foundation with the funds that remain in order to help other disabled athletes achieve their Olympic dreams.
If you would like more info on Kevin's journey go to http://www.deafblindspeedskater.com/
At a young age he was very active and always on the go. Born in Victoria, B.C. in 1967, he moved with his family to Ottawa in 1972 to begin his life. Always athletic, Kevin played baseball from T-ball through to the Nepean Canadians, and in hockey he played novice through juvenile, he wanted to play Jr. B but he was too small. He also refereed hockey for 25 years, working over 20,000 games!!! He was a paper boy for seven years, cut grass and worked at outdoor rinks for four years. He also worked for a local grocery chain for 16 years. A job he loved very much.
When Kevin was 11-years-old, his math teacher mentioned to his parents that Kevin wasn’t listening well in class. Kevin learned at the age 11 that he had only 25 per cent of his hearing left. As a result, he taught himself to lip read at a young age. He continued going to school despite having to deal with teasing and bullying because of his disability. He attended Gloucester High School for his finals years of school.
When Kevin was 30-years-old, he began walking into walls, tripping over his kids, and his night vision was getting worse. Kevin was too busy being a workaholic to think anything was really wrong. Kevin got his eyes tested.
The doctor told Kevin the shocking news that he was suffering from Usher’s Syndrome. This diagnosis was not positive. The doctor told Kevin you lose your hearing at a young age and your vision later in life. The diagnosis meant losing his drivers licence, his job with the grocery chain and his job refereeing for safety reasons.....
So at 32-years-old Kevin Frost had hit a brick wall. He was left asking himself - what do I do for the now? Well with the help of CNIB, family and friends, he decided that he didn’t want to sit around and do nothing. Instead, he got involved with disability sports groups. He joined a blind dragon boat team called ‘Dragon Eyes’ and also did some tandem biking. That year his dragon boating team even finished first in their division against able bodied paddlers!
Then another great thing happened to Kevin, he got a guide dog name Nemo. With the help of this adorable Labrador retriever Kevin gained a great deal independence.
At 36-years-old, with five per cent vision and 10 per cent hearing, his wife got him back on blades to try something he always had a passion for...skating. However, this was not hockey skating, this time it was speed skating! After trying it for a year Kevin’s coach Ron Guerrard said, “Why don’t you compete against able bodied speed skaters?”
Fast forward two years and 120 races in short and long track later, and Kevin has won four gold, four silver, and seven bronze medals against able bodied skaters.
His future dreams include trying to make speed skating an official Paralympic event by making it a demonstration sport at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Next year Kevin will attend the World Masters Long Track Championships in Calgary. He hopes someday to travel the world competing in speed skating competitions.
Kevin’s other goals include educating schools, businesses, and the Ottawa Police on how to properly deal with deaf, blind, deaf-blind and guide dogs in everyday life. Kevin believes we all need to know how to deal with disabled people in our community.
Kevin believes he owes all his success in speed skating to his sponsors who have helped him get this far. Without them this wouldn’t have happened!!! When his journey is complete, Kevin plans on opening a foundation with the funds that remain in order to help other disabled athletes achieve their Olympic dreams.
If you would like more info on Kevin's journey go to http://www.deafblindspeedskater.com/
DREAM BIG DINNER
The Ontario Speed Skating Oval is organizing a cocktail reception and dinner for Thursday, November 2, 2006 at the Evinrude Centre in Peterborough Ontario. The event, which starts at 6:00 pm, will give participants the opportunity to meet olympic champion and world record holder Catriona Le May Doan - the fastest woman on ice.
For event details and ticket information - see http://home.cogeco.ca/~mss/DreamBigDinner.doc
For more information about the Ontario Oval project - see http://www.ontariospeedskatingoval.com/
For event details and ticket information - see http://home.cogeco.ca/~mss/DreamBigDinner.doc
For more information about the Ontario Oval project - see http://www.ontariospeedskatingoval.com/
Saturday, September 09, 2006
IMSSC CALGARY GAMES - CANADA/USA PARTICIPANTS
In the recent post re: IMSSC Calgary Games Schedule Change, I incorrectly reported the number of entries allocated to Canadian and USA skaters. The article should have stated that the quota for Canadian skaters is 91 and the quota for USA skaters is 50.
See Item 3 at http://www.imssg.org/MIS061%20Minutes%2024th%20Session%20IMSSC%20Helsinki%20FIN%2004-49.pdf
My apologies for any confusion this error may have created.
See Item 3 at http://www.imssg.org/MIS061%20Minutes%2024th%20Session%20IMSSC%20Helsinki%20FIN%2004-49.pdf
My apologies for any confusion this error may have created.
Friday, September 08, 2006
IMSSC CALGARY GAMES SCHEDULE CHANGE
The International Masters Speed Skating Group (IMSSG) website has recently posted a change in the schedule for the 16th International Masters Speed Skating Games now scheduled for Thursday February 22 to Sunday February 25, 2007 in Calgary's Olympic Oval. One day of competition has been added in order to accommodate the higher than usual number of entries expected for this event. See http://www.imssg.org/05LNIG-060616-Latest-News-IMSSG-05-46.htm
Canada-USA entries appear to be limited to 89 skaters according to International Masters Speed Skating News http://isssc.kolappus.nl/imssc.html
According to the IMSSG website, entry forms will be available at the websites of the International Masters Speed Skating Committee (http://www.imssc.org/) and the International Masters Speed Skating Group (http://www.imssg.org/) sometime in October.
Canada-USA entries appear to be limited to 89 skaters according to International Masters Speed Skating News http://isssc.kolappus.nl/imssc.html
According to the IMSSG website, entry forms will be available at the websites of the International Masters Speed Skating Committee (http://www.imssc.org/) and the International Masters Speed Skating Group (http://www.imssg.org/) sometime in October.
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