MASTERS INTERNATIONAL EVENTS - SALT LAKE CITY

On March 2, 2011 - the Masters International 10K Wednesday will be held at the Utah Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City. Both men and women will have the opportunity to skate 5 km (12.5 laps) and 10 km (25 laps) on this same venue that hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.

After a day of recuperation, skaters can compete in the Masters International Champions Challenge during March 4-6, 2011. This event will provide opportunity to race as much as one wishes from 2 x 500m, 2 x 1000m, 1500m, 3000m and team pursuit as well as 5000m for men.

As these events will take place in the week immediately following the Masters International Allround Games in Calgary, it's anticipated that many of the same competitors will travel down to Utah to complete 2 weekends and a Wednesday of racing on the two fastest 400m ovals in the world. There's also the added bonus of earning a $40 prize for every personal best time achieved.

Although the entry deadline is February 14, 2010, forty-three masters have already registered including 7 Russians and 13 Japanese. Skaters should enter as soon as possible as the number of competitors is limited to 200.

CANADIAN RECORDS UPDATE

Masters, wishing to have their times considered to be recognized as a national record, should notify Brett Arnason or Ian Mellors when the time has been achieved.

Brett - brett@arnasons.ca

Ian - ianmellors@yahoo.com

HALIFAX CANADIAN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS - ELIGIBILITY CHANGES

Speed Skating Canada recently announced that this event is also now open both to neo-senior age skaters (20-29 years) and to international skaters.

The entry deadline is still January 7, 2011.

The new Canada Winter Games Oval officially opened on December 20, 2010 and is now being enjoyed by the citizens of Halifax - see photos courtesy of the Halifax 2011 Canada Games Facebook page.

CANADIAN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP - HALIFAX UPDATE

Many thanks to master skater Sheila McGinn for exciting news on progress of construction of the Canada Winter Games Oval which will serve as the venue for the Canadian Masters Championship in Halifax on January 14-15, 2011. As illustrated in this video, installation of the ice surface has begun with master ice guru, Mark Messer (from the Calgary Olympic Oval), in charge.

Photo by Sheila McGinn

As well, Sheila has advised the following skate times will available to visiting speed skaters during the week between this event and the Halifax marathons on the preceding weekend:

• Monday to Thursday - 6:30 am to 8:30 am
• Tuesday and Wednesday - 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

This is great news for masters skaters considering either, or both, of these once-in-a-lifetime events. We hope to see you there!

1ST MASTERS INTERNATIONAL USA SINGLE DISTANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Brett Arnason, Canada's representative to the IMSSC, recently received the following message from USA master skater, Kaari Cox:

Bruce Conner asked me to email the attached letter about our upcoming US masters single distance championships. Don't let the name scare you; we'd love to have as many Canadians as possible, and it would be a nice opportunity for them to get familiar with Milwaukee before North Americans in early February. It's also the first opportunity in living memory for women to do a masters-sanctioned indoor 5K/10K, and men to do a 10K in North America.

Email Olu if you have any questions, and we hope to see you there!

Additional meet information and entry form are now available.

CONSTANT MONTPELLIER RECOVERING

For those who may not have heard, Constant was seriously injured in short track practice in Montreal on November 8. After stepping on a corner block, he went head first into the mats fracturing several vertebrae, tearing the muscles around them, breaking two ribs and a few teeth. Now sidelined for the season, we recently checked up on Constant to see how he's doing and got the following response:

I'm feeling better, moving a little better everyday. The doc said I shouldn't do anything for 6 to 8 weeks. But if I can just get on my stationary bike whenever possible, I will. I have a feeling that I'm gonna get through this fairly quick (positive thinking) lol. My short track season is definitely out, but I think I might be able to put on my long track skates before the end of the season. Long track is lot more safe, well, I think anyway. So, I'll let time tell me but I have not scratched the possibility of skating the worlds in Calgary yet. Of course I will not take any risk to damage myself even worse.

It's been two weeks now and I'm sooooo bored.

World Masters Sprint Championships - 1000m - Milwaukee, February 2010 - Photo by Steve Penland

Fellow masters wishing to send Constant their best wishes and help him through this difficult time, can contact him through e-mail at constantmontpellier@hotmail.com or look him up on Facebook.

CALGARY MASTERS INTERNATIONAL SPEED SKATING GAMES - UPDATE

Excitement is building for the 20th Masters International Speed Skating Games with 97 skaters registered as of November 12 and entries yet to be made by the Netherlands and Norway pending their internal registration processes ending December 3. A list of who's coming so far can be seen here on the Calgary Olympic Oval website.

Photo courtesy of Olympic Oval Facebook page.

Less than 3 weeks remain until the December 10, 2010 registration deadline, after which unused spaces from the 95 skater quota for Canadian entries will be given away to other nations on a first-come-first-served basis. As of November 12, 49 masters have entered from many provinces including Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia.

Photo courtesy of Olympic Oval Facebook page.

Although no final registration deadline is given, it is expected that skaters can continue to enter after December 3, but will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis up to the overall limit of 353 skaters. Entries can be made on-line via the IMSSC website.

HALIFAX 2011 CHAMPIONNAT CANADIEN DES MAÎTRES

Cette compétition de style olympique aura lieu les 15-16 janvier 2011 sur le fameux site des Commons à Halifax. Toute l’information et le formulaire d’inscription sont maintenant disponibles en ligne.

Vous avez jusqu’au 7 janvier pour vous inscrire en ligne.

Pour ceux qui désirent prolonger leur séjour, Marathon Skating International a organisé d’autres événements aussi ouverts aux maîtres et qui auront lieu la fin de semaine précédant le championnat.

Nous vous encourageons à participer en grand nombre à cet événement unique puisque l’anneau sera démantelé après les Jeux du Canada.

HALIFAX 2011 - CANADIAN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Event information and registration form are now available for this olympic-style long track competition to take place January 15 - 16 on Halifax's famous Commons.

The entry deadline is January 7 and registration can be done on-line.

The temporary refrigerated oval, being constructed for the 2011 Canada Winter Games, is quickly taking shape.

Photos courtesy of 2011 Canada Winter Games Facebook Page

For those wishing to have an extended skating vacation, Marathon Skating International has organized additional events, which are open to masters for the preceding weekend.

Masters skaters are encouraged to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to skate outdoors in this historic maritime city.

MASTERS FALL CAMP IN MILWAUKEE

Seven skaters from Canada and USA accepted Alain Meilleur’s (coach, National Level III) invitation to his first master fall training camp. It was held during the week of October 25-30, 2010 at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, (WI), USA.



The main objective of this camp was not to improve the level of fitness but to go back to the basics of long track technique and improve overall speed. For many skaters who train in short track mostly or on an outside oval, it was to excellent opportunity to have perfect conditions to work on the more than 80 technical points in speed skating.

The daily program included two ice sessions and afternoon presentations with viewings of videos of excellent and well known speed skaters. Campers were also paired to film each other and the videos were reviewed to observe progress and technical points to be improved. Most skaters stayed over the weekend to conclude with time trials, which are held every weekend at the center.


Campers: Ross Hanham, Anika Bedard, Suzanne Dionne, Julie Houle, Kathie Zapotocki, Yves Garneau, Alain Meilleur (coach) and Sheila Mc Ginn

Many thanks to Alain who generously put this camp together and for his commitment to us masters to enjoy faster strides!

20th MASTERS ALL ROUND GAMES - CALGARY

The International Masters Speed Skating Group has just published information and an entry form for this ultimate event to be held February 24 to 27, 2011 at Calgary's Olympic Oval. An allocation of 95 entries has been established for Canadian participants until December 10, 2010 after which unused spaces will be allotted to skaters from other nations on a 1st-come-1st served basis.

Up to 353 entries will be accepted for this olympic-style long track competition which will include -

- 500m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m for women of ages 30 to 65 years
- 500m, 1000m and 1500m for women over 65 years
- 500m, 1500m , 3000m and 5000m for men 30 to 65 years old, and
- 500m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m for men over 65 years.

The masters international all round games were previously held in Calgary in 2007 and drew 328 competitors from 13 nations including 100 from Canada. See Andrew Love's amazing blog posts for all the action, both on and off the ice - Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4.

Entries can be made on-line. See who's already shown interest at the Canadian Masters Speed Skaters Facebook event page.

MSI NEWS

Willem Langenberg recently published the following Marathon Skating International news -

Welcome to the 2010-11 MSI skating season. The schedule is starting to take shape.

A nice video of last year’s Silver Skate Festival marathons is at: Video van de marathons

This year there will most likely be an MSI trip to the Weissensee in Austria from January 23^rd to February 3rd. Unfortunately there is no English website (only Dutch).

Interested skaters need to take out a membership with the ‘Mijn Weissensee’ organization. I talked with the Weissensee office people. They will enter new members manually for us, because the automatic entry is in Dutch (they seem very cooperative). Jake Maarse is already a member. We will also try to carpool from Munich and share rooms at one of the hotels.

In order to facilitate this process, I like to obtain a list of interested skaters (please e-mail me cwlangen@telus.net). For now we have:

Willem Langenberg
Gaetan Rochette
Charles Beaudoin
Jake Maarse
Dan Snipes
Thea van der Geest

I hope to hear from you,

Willem Langenberg, President
Marathon Skating International (MSI)
11439-56 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta
T6H 0Y1 Canada
Ph. 780-436-3767
Cell. 780-289-5176

CANADIAN MASTERS SKINSUITS - ORDER DEADLINE EXTENDED

Regarding the opportunity to order new Canadian masters skinsuits and warm-ups -Randy Plett has extended the order deadline until September 10, 2010.

Richard Hijnen will accept orders at any time but advises delivery takes at least 8 weeks.

OSSA MASTERS COMPETITION PROPOSAL

The following draft proposal has been put forward by David Stewart, VP Technical Programs for the Ontario Speed Skating Association:

Good Day All:

I have included you all in this list as I have heard from each of you at one time or another with reference to how to better serve our Masters skaters. Please share this with others for their thoughts, but we only have so much time before these rules need to be finalized and put into place in the Technical Bulletin (TB).

As we seek to finalize the TB for next season, there are a couple of items that we would like you to comment upon.

OCup Meets - Age Group

As with last season, suitably qualified Masters skaters (by time) may skate in the Open groups. The addition of a Master to the group balloons the group and DOES NOT displace an eligible Open skater.

Regional Meets - Ability

The Masters will skate as they have in the past. Mixed gender based on ability with groups not exceeding 15 in number. Where possible, group sizes can be adjusted to maintain a competitive spread in seed times within the group.

Regional and Masters Championships

All skaters, other than Masters, will skate as Age Class.

Masters will be skated as a separate group and will be broken down by gender and ability. The women will skate as one or two groups separated by ability and the men will skate as one or two groups separated by ability.

This change has DRAMATIC impacts on the meet and can only be accommodated with additional recorders. The Masters meet will be a "meet within a meet" and will have to be recorded on a completely separate protocol as age class and ability formats cannot be mixed in one meet using any of the programs available.

Therefore, in order for this change to be accommodated, the Masters group will have to be able to provide at least one additional volunteer for this meet who is capable of acting as recorder for the Masters races. The primary recorder will oversee their work and will work to integrate the race numbering, etc.


I would appreciate hearing from you in the next couple of days so I can finalize the next TB draft and issue for TC comment.

Cheers,

David Stewart

Those wishing to comment are encouraged to do so in the next few days by e-mail to Dave at stewoak@sympatico.ca.

CAMP A MILWAUKEE/LONG TRACK CAMP IN MILWAUKEE

See the english invitation below.

Je vous transmets l’invitation à un camp maître d’Alain Meilleur.

25 OCTOBRE AU 2 NOVEMBRE 2010
Offert aux patineurs maitres (intermédiaires et avancés) en préparation pour le championnat mondial des maitres à Calgary en février 2011

OBJECTIFS

Le principal objectif est de permettre à tous les patineurs maîtres d’améliorer certains points techniques. Il sera donc axé sur les points techniques fondamentaux afin d’améliorer la vitesse générale du patineur. Il est demandé au patineur d’amener une caméra photo avec l’option film car nous ferons beaucoup de vidéos et de rétroactions individuelles. La philosophie du camp est beaucoup basée sur les interactions entre les patineurs.

Le camp ne se veut pas une mise en forme. Par conséquent, chaque patineur aura la responsabilité d’arriver au camp avec la meilleure forme possible.

Le camp est limité à 20 patineurs. Il est donc conseillé de s’inscrire le plus tôt possible. Les principaux coûts viendront de vos déplacements de du logement. Dans le cas du transport, il est possible aux gens de Toronto de venir en auto. Pour les autres, il est possible de s’y rendre par avion par Chicago et louer une auto ou aller directement à Milwaukee. L’hôtel retenu est le Best Western Woods View Inn de Milwaukee. Il est situé à 3 km du National Pettit Ice Center. Le prix négocié par jour pour une chambre pour deux est de $56 US (+ environ 15% de taxes) ou de 66$ US (+ environ 15% de taxes) si vous prenez l’option cuisinette incluant frigo et micro-onde. Le prix comprend internet haute vitesse, piscine et déjeuner continental. Pour chaque personne supplémentaire par chambre (jusqu'à 4 personnes par chambre), il faut ajouter environ 10$ par nuitée.

Lors de votre réservation au Best Western Woods View Inn, 5501 W National Avenue, West Milwaukee, WI au (414) 671-6400 et pour avoir le prix négocié, mentionnez que vous êtes avec ALAIN MEILLEUR, GROUPE DE PATINEUR pour le camp d’entrainement au PETTIT NATIONAL ICE CENTER. Un total de 10 chambres a été réservé pour le camp et ce, jusqu’au 30 septembre. Après cette date, le prix négocié ne sera plus valable.

Au Pettit National Ice Center, le cout d’entrée est de 10$ par session (j’essaie toujours d’avoir un montant fixe pour la semaine). Les 2 sessions quotidiennes d’heures de glace sont de 9 :00 à 11 :00 et de 16 :30 à 19 :00. Le samedi et dimanche se tiennent des «Time trial». Le camp se complétera par un retour technique sur les Time trials le lundi et mardi. Bien entendu, certains d’entres vous ne pourrons pas rester au lundi compte tenu de leur travail, donc pour certains le tout se terminera le dimanche 31 octobre.

La limite des inscriptions est fixée au 1er octobre et le cout est de $30 afin de couvrir essentiellement des frais de préparation des entrainements et leur encadrement. Le tout sera payable à Alain Meilleur, votre organisateur et entraineur qui est un patineur expérimenté et qui a fait les cours de niveau III (Niveau national) du PNCE canadien.

Les détails concernant les entrainements et l’horaire complet des discussions et présentations vidéo vous seront communiqués après votre inscription.

Sites WEB:

Best Western Woods View Inn, 5501 W National Avenue, West Milwaukee http://www.bestwesternwisconsin.com/hotels/best-western-woods-view-inn/

http://www.thepettit.com/">Pettit National Ice Center, 500 South 84th Street, Milwaukee href="http://">http://www.thepettit.com/


Blog des patineurs maitres http://mastersspeedskatingnews.blogspot.com/

Pour informations supplémentaires Alain Meilleur : meilleua@total.net

FORMULAIRE D’INSCRIPTION
CAMP PETTIT MATIONAL ICE CENTER

Nom _________________________________________________
Adresse _______________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Téléphone : ___________________ Courriel : __________________
Téléphone cellulaire : __________________
No de patineur #________________________________________
Club _________________________________________________
Date de naissance ________________Age au 30 juin 2010______
Temps au 500m_________________
Personne à rejoindre en cas d’urgence _______________________
Au numéro de téléphone suivant #___________________________

Le paiements de $30.00 devra se faire au nom d’Alain Meilleur et a envoyé à l’adresse suivante :
Alain Meilleur
4646 avenue Charlemagne
Montréal (QC) H1X 3P2
____________________________________________________

Here is the invitation to a masters camp from Alain Meilleur.

CAMP IN MILWAUKEE
October 25 to November 2, 2010

The camp is offered to intermediate to advanced masters in preparation for the World Masters Championships in Calgary held in February 2011.

The main objective of the camp is to work on technical aspects to help masters skaters to increase their speed. Each skater should bring their own video camera because videos will be used to observe and provide feedback on each skater’s technique. Interactions and discussions between skaters are also part of the philosophy of this camp. The objective of this camp is NOT to improve your fitness level. It is therefore the responsibility of each skater to arrive at the camp in the best possible shape.

The camp is limited to 20 skaters so early registration is recommended. The main cost will be accommodation in Milwaukee and transportation to and from Milwaukee.
Twenty rooms have been reserved at the Best Western Woods in Milwaukee (Best Western Woods View Inn, 5501 W National Avenue, West Milwaukee, WI au (414) 671-6400) located 3 km from the National Pettit Center. Prices for a room for two are US$56 +tax or US$66 + tax with fridge and micro-wave oven. These prices include internet and continental breakfast. Additional guests in room over four people: approx. $10. This special rate is available for booking until September 30 and with the mention ALAIN MEILLEUR, GROUP OF SKATERS for the training camp at PETTIT NATIONAL ICE CENTER.

Skating costs at the Pettit Ice Center are $10 per session and there are two sessions per day: 9AM to 11PM and 4:30PM to 7PM (there might be a possibility of a weekly rate). There will be Time Trials on Saturday and Sunday. For those who can stay longer, Monday and Tuesday will provide an opportunity to go back to technical aspects observed during the Time Trials.

The registration deadline is October 1. Please fill the registration form and, to cover preparation, training and supervision costs, send a check for 30$ payable to the organiser and coach(National III level) as well as experimented skater Alain Meilleur.

Details and the schedule of the camp will be given to you after registration.

WEB SITES:

Best Western Woods View Inn, 5501 W National Avenue, West Milwaukee http://www.bestwesternwisconsin.com/hotels/best-western-woods-view-inn/

Pettit National Ice Center, 500 South 84th Street, Milwaukee http://www.thepettit.com/

Master Speed Skating News/La Page des patineurs maîtres http://mastersspeedskatingnews.blogspot.com/

For more information : Alain Meilleur : meilleua@total.net

MASTERS CAMP AT THE PETTIT NATIONAL ICE CENTER
REGISTRATION FORM
Name_________________________________________________
Address_______________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Phone: ___________________ e-mail:_______________________
Cell phone__________________
Skater’s #___________________________________________
Club_____________________
Birthdate ________________Age as of 6/30/10 _______________
500m time_________________
Emergency contact______________________________________
Emergency Contact Phone #_______________________________
Payment should be made by check to Alain Meilleur and send to:
Alain Meilleur
4646 avenue Charlemagne
Montréal (QC) H1X 3P2

HALIFAX OVAL PROGRESS

As summer winds down and outdoor events on the famous Halifax Common are completed, construction of the new 400m outdoor refrigerated oval will begin in preparation for the long track speed skating events of the 2011 Canada Winter Games.

Progress is being reported in a variety of media including -

City of Halifax website

Halifax Metro News - August 5, 2010

Chronicle Herald - August 15, 2010

This historic venue will also be the site of the Masters Canadian Championship on January 15-16, 2011. The Masters Championship will also serve as a test event for the Canada Winter Games competition scheduled a few weeks later.

Masters speed skaters from all countries are encouraged to mark this date on their personal 2010-11 event calendar. As the oval will be decommissioned after the Canada Winter Games, the Masters Championship 2011 represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to skate in one of Canada's most famous historic maritime cities.

MASTERS SKINSUITS - REMINDER

Regarding the new Canadian masters skinsuits and warm-up clothing, skaters are reminded that orders need to be placed by the end of August.

For those interested in the non-custom fit lycra suit from Randy Plett, the following sizing information should be provided:

- Stature (cm), Weight (kg), Inside leg (cm), Arm (cm), Size thigh (cm)

The warm-up jacket and pants, also available through Randy will look like this:
Sizing can be determined from this chart:

Race Jacket and zip-up pants

SIZE	XS	s	m	l	xL
Height(cm)	155-160	160-165	165-170	170-175	175-180
Weight(kg)	50-60	60-65	65-70	70-80	80-85
Chest	31''-34''	34''-36''	36''-38''	38''-40''	40''-42''
Arm Length	28''	29''	30''	31''	32''
Waist	24''-28''	28''-32''	32''-36''	36''-40''	40''-44''
Thigh	14''-16''	16''-18''	18''-20''	18''-22''	20''-24''
Inseam Length	25''	26''	27''	28''	29''

CALGARY OVAL MASTERS CAMP

Thirty-four skaters attended the masters camp at the Olympic Oval in Calgary Alberta during July 26 to 31, 2010. Participants were equally split between men and women, and ranged in age from 18 to 77 years. Canadian participants came from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick. Skaters from the USA (Pennsylvania and Wisconsin), Netherlands and Switzerland also brought some international representation to the event.

The typical daily program, during Monday to Friday, included a 45-minute dry-land warm-up session followed by a 60-minute on-ice session followed by a cool-down/stretching session in both the morning and afternoon, with a mid-day presentation or camp meeting after lunch.

Many camp participants elected to take advantage of the optional Fuel for Gold lunch program and were treated to the same food prepared for National Team members and Oval athletes.

Special surprise guest coaches/presenters included –

Kevin Crockett (1998 Nagano Olympics bronze medallist) who led the afternoon dry-land warm-up on Day 2. Todd McClements (former National Team member and Oval coach) who provided mid-day presentations on athlete effectiveness (Day 1) and rest & recovery (Day 3).

Jessica Gregg (National Short Track Team member and 2010 Vancouver Olympic silver medallist) and Sarah Gregg (National Long Track Development Team member) who provided a mid-day presentation on race preparation (Day 4). Jeremy Wotherspoon (1998 Nagano Olympics silver medallist, 4 times World Sprint Champion, 15 World Records, 67 World Cup victories) who provided coaching for starts during the Day 3 ice session. Marcel Lacroix (former National Team coach, 3 times Olympic Team coach and current Olympic Oval director) who led the Day 4 afternoon dry-land agility training and a fascinating question & answer session at mid-day on Friday. Excellent on-and-off ice instruction and encouragement was capably provided by the camp’s dedicated full-time coaches – Joshua Ajohn, Jackson Hill (son of Edmonton master skater Blaine Hill) and Kaylin Irvine (daughter of Calgary master skater Bob Irvine). Coaching included video recording and analysis. The camp concluded with mass start racing on Saturday morning including 500m, 1000m and 1500m events followed by an open speed skating session. Many thanks to the camp organizers, Keith Sulzer (son of Calgary master skater Brian Sulzer) and Aletta de Rooij, who went more than the distance to put together this excellent event. Additional camp photos may be seen here.

NEW CANADIAN MASTERS SKINSUIT

With only 6 months left before the 4th Masters International Canadian Open in Halifax (January 15-16, 2011) and 1 month further until the 20th Masters International Allround Games in Calgary (February 24-27, 2011), skaters in western Canada have taken steps to make a new Canada skinsuit available to masters throughout the country. The new design is the result of consultation with many masters over the past several months and is intended to be complementary with warm-up jackets that many masters already have.

Masters will have a choice of materials and fit – either, more conventional and less expensive non-custom fit lycra, or the newer rubberized lycra being used by elite skaters in both non-custom fit and custom fit.

Skaters interested in the custom fit rubberized lycra suit, manufactured by Sportconfex of the Netherlands, should contact Richard Hijnen of Calgary. (e-mail: etaks@shaw.ca, phone: 403-208-2613). Cost is $800 including taxes and shipping within the Calgary area. Shipping outside the Calgary area is extra.

Those wishing a non-custom fit lycra suit manufactured by Hunter ($175), or a non-custom fit rubberized lycra suit manufactured by a Dutch company for Louis Garneau ($625) should contact Randy Plett of Winnipeg. (e-mail: info@redriverspeed.com, phone: 204-997-7938). Randy can also provide a custom fit kevlar-lined short track version, manufactured by Louis Garneau (price to be determined) and complementary warm-up jackets ($109) and pants ($95) manufactured by Bont. Randy’s prices exclude taxes and shipping.

All prices provided are approximate (subject to quantities, time of order, etc) and should by confirmed by Richard or Randy as applicable. Orders will be accepted up to August 31, 2010.

BLOGS MERGER-FUSION DES BLOGUES

The authors have decided to merge the two blogs- La Page des Patineurs de Vitesse Maîtres et Master Speed Skating News- into only one bilingual blog. As of now, all news of interest for Canadian master speed skaters will be posted only on http://mastersspeedskatingnews.blogspot.com/.

You are always welcome to submit your stories, news or reports in english and french and they will be posted as send.

The archive of La Page des Patineurs de Vitesse Maîtres remains accessible for consultation on its former address.

_______________________________________________________


Les auteurs des deux blogues, La Page des Patineurs de Vitesse Maîtres et Master Speed Skating News, ont décidé de fusionner en un seul blogue bilingue pour continuer à vous informer. À partir de maintenant, toutes les nouvelles d’intérêt pour les patineurs de vitesse maîtres canadiens seront publiées uniquement à l’adresse http://mastersspeedskatingnews.blogspot.com/ .

Vous êtes encore cordialement invité à nous soumettre vos nouvelles, compte-rendu, ou invitations pour publication en anglais ou en français et celles-ci seront publiées intégralement.

La Page des Patineurs de Vitesse Maîtres restera accessible pour consulter les archives des articles des années passées.

Anika & Ross

PATRICK KELLY PROPOSES TO LEASE LAKE PLACID OVAL

Former Olympic speed skater, Patrick Kelly, has offered to lease the Lake Placid oval from the Olympic Region Development Authority (ORDA). Details, published in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, may be seen here.

Photo from Adirondack Daily Enterprise

Expressions of support for Patrick's proposal from speed skating organizations, and individuals, similar to this letter to the editor, would be appreciated and could be sent to:

NYS Olympic Regional Development Authority
Olympic Center
2634 Main St.
Lake Placid, NY 12946
Tel: 518-523-1655 / Fax: 518-523-9275
Olympic Center Box Office: 518-523-3330
e-mail: info@orda.org

ATTENTION: Ted Blazer, President & CEO

blazer@orda.org

MILWAUKEE MASTERS CAMP

Many thanks to Olusegun Sijuwade for the following heads-up -

Hello all;

I hope your summer training is going well.

I writing to (you about) our summer training camp in Milwaukee WI with 2002 Olympic Bronze Medalist Kip Carpenter and his SWIFT speed skating team. This camp, from June 25-27, is a fantastic and rare opportunity for world class instruction, technique building, and performance upgrades.

I hope you all can make it.

Be fast and be well.

Interested skaters should note that the Swift Speed Skating Team website indicates a June 11, 2010 deadline to register.

CANADIAN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP 2011 - HALIFAX

Speed Skating Canada has recently confirmed that the Canadian Masters Championship will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia on January 15 - 16, 2011.

This incredibly unique speed skating opportunity is possible due to the construction of a temporary refrigerated 400m outdoor oval being built for the 2011 Canada Winter Games to be run in Halifax during February 11 - 27. The oval will be built on Halifax's historic Common which has hosted many other major events including a royal visit (1983), Pope John Paul II (1984), the Rolling Stones (2006) and Paul McCartney (2009).
The Masters Championship will be a test event for Canada Winter Games officials and volunteers and will, therefore, adhere to the format and schedule to be used for the CWG including 500m, 1500,m 3000m and 5000m for men; and 500m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m for women plus 100m and team pursuits. The event will also likely be combined with racing for regional CWG competitors. Depending on participation, the number of skaters may be limited in the 100m, 5000m and team pursuits.
Past Masters Championships participants have been blessed with unique competition opportunities including 2009 in the Richmond Olympic Oval. Halifax 2011 represents yet another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to skate outdoors in this historic maritime city.

CANADIAN RECORDS

At the request of Speed Skating Canada, Brett Arnason and Ian Mellors have volunteered to update Canadian Records for masters speed skaters. Brett will be handling long track times and Ian will take care of the short track records.

Current records can be seen on Speed Skating Canada’s website.

Masters, wishing to submit their times for consideration, should do so in accordance with Speed Skating Canada’s Red Book (Procedures & Regulations) – Section U by requesting that meet coordinators submit record applications to the National Office following Canadian, SSC sanctioned meets.

In submitting times achieved at International Masters Speed Skating Committee (IMSSC) meets, skaters should recognize the difference between age class definitions under IMMSC regulations (age reached during the competition year: July 1 - June 30) and Speed Skating Canada regulations (age on June 30 prior to the competition). To assist in this regard, birth dates should also be provided.

Skaters are asked to not submit their times directly to Speed Skating Canada’s office. Informal submissions may be made to Brett regarding long track (brett@arnasons.ca) and Ian for short track (ianmellors@yahoo.com).

SUMMER CAMPS

Even though the speed skating season is mostly over, information is now available for masters camps this coming summer.

Calgary's Olympic Oval will host a long track camp for masters during July 26 - 31, 2010. This is a great opportunity to check out the world's fastest ice prior to the 20th Masters International Allround Games scheduled for this venue in February 2011. Detailed information can be found here.

Calgary Oval Masters Camp - 2005

For short trackers, Ellis Edge is running a masters camp in Ottawa during August 5 - 8, 2010. Additional information can be seen here. Registration opens May 18.

Cambridge Masters Camp - 2007

These are both great opportunities to enjoy skating and the friendship of the masters community during the off-season.

CALGARY OVAL FINALE

Masters were definitely in the mix, posting many personal records and season best times, at this year's Finale in Calgary's Olympic Oval during March 16 - 21, 2010.

Brian Boudreau (USA Masters 40) clocked a 500 m time of 38.01 ranking him 9th in this distance out of 60 allround short skaters of all ages. Other 500 m times included Bob Irvine (CAN Masters 55) in a season best of 40.84, Don Bumstead (CAN Masters 50) in 42.22, Rejean Lavoie (CAN Masters 40) in a season best of 42.39, Brian Johnston (CAN Masters 55) in 43.63, Werner Meyer (CAN Masters 70) in a season best of 59.21 and Roy Whitney (CAN Masters 70) in 1:05.67.

Brian Boudreau burned up the track with a personal best 3000 m time of 4:01.48 ranking him 12th in this distance out of 53 allround short skaters of all ages, followed by Bob Irvine in a season best of 4:27.37, Rejean Lavoie in a season best of 4:37.19, Don Bumstead with a personal record of 4:40.08, Brian Johnston in a season best of 4:49.81, Werner Meyer in a season best of 6:23.50 and Roy Whitney in a season best of 6:58.75.

1500 m results were equally impressive including Bob Irvine with a personal best of 2:02.84, Rejean Lavoie in a season best of 2:08.17, Don Bumstead also in 2:08.17, Brian Johnston in a season best of 2:14.69, Werner Meyer in a season best of 3:04.88 and Roy Whitney in 3:21.90.

Brian Boudreau was back for the 5000 m with a personal record time of 6:53.65 ranking him 7th in this distance out of 44 skaters, followed by Bob Irvine with a personal record of 7:49.10, Rejean Lavoie with a personal record of 7:56.83, Don Bumstead with a personal record of 8:06.20, Brian Johnston with a season best of 8:10.68, Werner Meyer in a season best of 11:03.55 and Roy Whitney also in a season best of 11:31.11.

Complete results can be seen here.

Congratulations to all skaters for a great finish to another speed skating season. The possibility of similar numerous personal records and season best times will be possible for as many as 300 masters skaters when the Masters International All Round Games returns to Calgary for its 20th edition in February 2011.

ONTARIO MASTERS SHORT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

Combined with the Ontario Regional Age Class Short Track Championships during March 20 - 21, 2010; this masters competiton attracted 9 women and 21 men from clubs across the province including Clarington, Durham, Gloucester, Hamilton, Kawartha, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, Newmarket, Niagara, Oakville, Ottawa, Quinte (Belleville), St. Lawrence (Brockville) and Toronto.

Women, of all ages, skated in a separate group while men were sub-divided into 2 groups combining competitors under and over 45 years. All participants raced distances for which provincial records are maintained including heats and finals in 500 m, 777 m and 1000 m plus a 1500 m final.

Sunday's racing concluded with a super drop-out final of 2000 m for women and 3000 m for men. Competitors, if lapped twice, were eliminated from the race. The first 2 laps of the men's race were led out by Newmarket Jet's (host club) President and master skater emeritus Don Ego.

Complete results were provided both by group and by 5 year age classifications. Ontario provincial medals were awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each age division for women and men. Handcrafted wood plaques, made by a local artist, were given to Becky Seames and Paul Pickard (both from Quinte) for their victories in the super final races.

Many thanks to the Newmarket Jets, Ontario Speed Skating and the dozens of volunteers from all clubs who organized and conducted this excellent event.

MILWAUKEE INTERNATIONAL MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Masters International Championships held in Milwaukee's Pettit National Ice Centre during February 27 - 28, 2010 capped an incredible series of masters long track competition in North America during 2009-10 including the 3rd Masters International Canadian Open, the 1st Masters International American Allround & Sprints, and the 2nd Masters International Sprint Games.

In this final competition of the season, three Canadians were among four women and twenty-one men who participated. Larry Magloire, Richard Wismer and Dave Clements comprised the entire Men 45 classification respectively finishing 1, 2, 3 based on points awarded for placement in each of 8 races.

All skaters raced 500m and 1000m olympic (metric) style plus 300m, 500m, 800m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m mass start (pack style) making for an action-packed, no-sitting-around race weekend. In fact - the Mens 50 group, with 8 competitors, definitely got their money's worth also racing heats and finals in the mass start events.

Olympic style results can be seen here.

Overall rankings for all events can be seen here.

Many thanks to all Pettit Center volunteers for their support of 2 masters competitions within the past 2 months, and to Olu Sijuwade for his coordination of both.

CANADIANS IN ITALY

Three Canadians were among 193 masters skaters competing in the 19th Masters International All Round Games held in Baselga de Pine, Italy during February 26 to 28, 2010. Participants included 40 women and 153 men from 17 different countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Norway, Latvia, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United States.

Photo courtesy of Marty Haire

Heavy snow made conditions difficult and times slow on Day 1 but warmer sunnier weather on Days 2 and 3 led to more enjoyable and faster skating.

Photo courtesy of Marty Haire

Skating in the Men 40 classification, Rejean Lavoie (Edmonton) finished 10th overall including a 9th place showing in the 3000 m.

Randy Plett (Winnipeg), continuing on his amazing comeback from last Spring's cycling accident, ended up just off the podium standing 4th in the highly competitive Men 45 group. In his Facebook page, Randy commented "finishing 4th overall in the 45 age group was a huge accomplishment following my surgery post crash last summer. I feel grateful to be skating again and competing at this level".

Randy Plett chasing Boris Orlov (RUS)
Photo courtesy of Andrew Love

And Brett Arnason (also Winnipeg), after winning his age class one week earlier in Berlin and placing 2nd in the 500 m through Day 1's driving snow, was unfortunately DQ'd in the 1500 m for not changing lanes thereby ending his podium chances. Undaunted by this, Brett commented he still considers 2009-10 the best skating year of his life.

Complete results can be seen here.

Andrew Love's reports from Days 1 & 2 and Day 3 are also definitely worth reading.

CANADIANS IN BERLIN

Many thanks to Randy Plett for the following report and photos -

Two Canadians were among 18 women and 64 men competing in the 14th Masters International Masters Cup in Berlin Germany.

Brett Arnason, from Winnipeg, was the top overall skater for the Men 60 age class placing 1st in the 500m (43.52), 2nd in the 1500m (2:16.84), 3rd in the 3000m (4:56.80) and 4th in the 5000m (8:43.54) distances.

Randy Plett, also from Winnipeg, was on track for a high overall standing in the Men 45 group after placing 2nd in the 500m (41.32), 2nd in the 1500m (2:03.25) and 6th in the 3000m (4:25.71) distances. Unfortunately, Randy was DQ'd in the 5000m after missing a lane change with only 2 laps remaining and on track for a PB.

Congratulations Brett and Randy!

Complete results can be seen here.

MASTERS SPEED SKATING STORY

A video by Dave Clements, of the Quinte Blades Speed Skating Club, is one of 8 finalists in the ongoing Canada's Best Speed Skating Story contest. Dave's story provides a unique insight into what motivates masters to keep skating despite the aches and pains that might otherwise relegate us to the couch.

The entries of finalists can be viewed here. The first stage of voting concludes tomorrow on February 21, 2010.

Not only a master speed skater, Dave is also a hard-working volunteer as President of the Quinte Blades Club. Good luck Dave and the Quinte Blades!

MASTERS INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN OPEN

Seven Canadians, including 5 men and 2 women, were among 54 skaters from 10 nations who took part in the 1st Masters International American Open held during January 30-31, 2010 in the Utah Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City. The olympic-style long track event offered a choice of short all-round (500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m) and sprint (2x500m, 2x1000m) competitions.

This venue, a legacy of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, is arguably one of the 2 fastest ovals in the world resulting in 29 new IMSSC records and over 60 personal best times being set at this event. Brett Arnason (Winnipeg) was temporarily the holder of the Men's (60) 1000m record with a time of 1:25.01 only to see it broken again minutes later by American John Diemont with a time of 1:22.34. Remarkably, John lowered the record again the following day to 1:21.96.
The most inspirational performances of the weekend were delivered by Randy Plett (also of Winnipeg) who, only 8 months after serious injury in a cycling race, set numerous personal bests and high overall placements in the men's short all-round competition - 6th in 500m (40.96), 3rd in 1000m (1:19.34 - PR), 3rd in 1500m (2:02.82) and 6th in 3000m (4:23.39 - PR).
Other Canadian competitors included Ann Hanham (Burlington), Julie Houle (Saint John - PR's in 500m and 1000m), Daren Lind (Edmonton), Don Bumstead (Calgary) and Ross Hanham (Burlington).

Complete results can be seen here.
Many thanks to event organizers Andrew Love and Brian Boudreau as well as all of the many officials and volunteers for the event which included with a track-side lunch and awards ceremony which recognized all IMSSC records and personal bests.

Many thanks also to Eric and Kimberly Kraan who graciously hosted a post-event party and buffet at their beautiful home in the neighbouring mountain foothills.

Watch for the 2nd edition of this event which is hoped to be held 1 week before the Masters International Speed Skating Games planned for Calgary's Olympic Oval in 2011.