INTERNATIONAL MASTERS SHORT TRACK

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.

ONTARIO MASTERS SHORT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP

Thank you to Alicia Weiss, of the Ottawa Pacers Speed Skating Club, for her following account:

Despite being held on Easter weekend, 41 masters representing 16 clubs participated at the 2008 Ontario Masters championship March 22-23. And what a show they put on!

The women skated together and most finals were won in well-fought races by Shannon Rampton (Masters 2 - Ottawa) and Olga Maidankina (Masters 1 - Clarington). Both were beautiful to watch and they kept us guessing as to who would win the race. Unofficially, both set provincial records (pending formalities). The meet was a real positive experience for the women and many PBs were shattered, not just beat.

Some masters appear to travel with their own cheering squads. I’ve never heard so much noise from the stands as when the Masters Men 2 heats came on. With 18 skaters, the 40-something men were able to skate a proper age class group. Newcomer Constant Montpellier (Brampton) put on quite a show to win the gold, followed by silver medalist Cameron Boyd (London) and bronze winner Vaughn MacDonald (Niagara).

Masters Men 2 will have to watch out next year as Masters Men 1 gold winner. Paul Pickard (Quinte) will be among their ranks. Masters Men 1, 3 and 4 skated together and again, led some close races.

It was exciting to see and hear all the masters cheering each other on. The energy was just awesome and showed the real spirit of masters racing.

Congratulations to all for a successful meet. I look forward to seeing our ranks grow next year!

Masters 1 – Women
Gold: Olga Maidankina
Silver: Alicia Weiss

Masters 2 – Women
Gold: Shannon Rampton
Silver: Kelly Ball
Bronze: Lisa Meyer

Masters 3 – Women
Gold – B Rootham
Silver – Carol-Anne Grey

Masters 4 – Women
Gold – Anna Delaney

Masters 1 – Men
Gold: Paul Pickard (QUI)
Silver: Jaroslaw Dubicki (OAK)
Bronze: Hal Lightwood (TBB)

Masters 2 – Men
Gold: Constant Montpellier (BRA)
Silver: Cameron Boyd (LON)
Bronze: Vaughn MacDonald (NOL)

Masters 3 – Men
Gold: Elio Cozzarini (KAW)
Silver: Greg Dabrowsky (BRA)
Bronze: Ali Rahnema (MAR)

Masters 4 – Men
Gold: Graham Lodge (KIN)
Silver: Roger Buxton (MAR)

Complete results can be seen here.

ROY WHITNEY ON CTV NATIONAL NEWS

Calgary master speed skater, Roy Whitney, was profiled on the CTV National News last evening.

See the video and written report here.

Way to go Roy!!

HEERENVEEN MASTERS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS

MSS News has been silent for the past few weeks while we travelled in Europe. Part of this vacation included a stop in Heerenveen, NED during March 19 - 21 for the 5th Masters International Long Distance Races and the 1st Masters International Heerenveen Sprint Competition.

In the one-day Long Distance Races, all 62 competitors skated 500m and then chose from 3000m (16 skaters), 5000m (22 skaters) or 10000m (24 skaters). Although the majority of competitors were from the Netherlands, international participation included 2 Canadians, 1 Finn, 3 Germans, 2 Italians and 3 Norwegians. Complete results can be seen here.

The Sprint Competition, consisting of the standard 2 x 500m and 2 x 1000m format over 2 days of racing, attracted 69 masters competitors including 1 Australian, 2 Canadians, 4 Germans, 1 Irish, 2 Italians and 2 Russians with the balance of skaters from the Netherlands. Complete results can be seen here.

International participants were welcomed with towels embroidered by local volunteers featuring the MCLN logo. In keeping with the tradition of the Easter holiday, there were also gifts of chocolate eggs.

The Canadian contingent included Ann Hanham (sprint only), Ross Hanham (long distance & sprint) and our good friend and fellow blogger, Anika Bedard (long distance only). We were very fortunate to be coached by Corry Zwaal from Amsterdam, who Ross had met at the 2007 Olympic Oval Masters Camp and who had also coached Mickey Kupchyk to a 1500m Canadian masters record in the 2006 Oval Finale.

Ross Hanham (CAN), Corry Zwaal (NED) and Anika Bedard (CAN)
photo by Ann Hanham (CAN)

Anika Bedard (CAN) - 5000m
photo by Paolo Gemme/Fabio Ravanelli (ITA)

Ann Hanham (CAN) & Paolo Gemme (ITA)
photo by Fabio Ravanelli (ITA)

Ross Hanham (CAN) - 1000m
photo by Paolo Gemme/Fabio Ravanelli (ITA)

Along with our good friend Victor van den Hoff, we had excellent bed & breakfast in the thatch-roofed De Markestee in the peaceful and quiet village of Blesdijke about 15 km south of Heerenveen.

De Markestee - Blesdijke NED
photo by Ross Hanham (CAN)

These competitions were an opportunity to skate in Thialf, the first and one of the great indoor ovals of the world. Although the stands were somewhat empty for our events, one could imagine the energy and excitement of 12,500 exuberant speed skating fans cheering for their world cup heros. Thialf also has some unique features such as a restaurant overlooking the ice and a tight-cornered 333m long inner track suitable for teaching and warming-up.

Thialf - Heereveen NED

photo by Ross Hanham (CAN)

As the premier ice facility in the Netherlands, Thialf is constantly in use and there were no times specifically available to masters for pre-race training. As such, we joined approximately 300 other locals in public skating on the evening before the competition. With long trains of skaters, all on long blades and of increasing speed from the outer to the inner lanes, this is an exhilarating and somewhat nerve-wracking situation that all visitors to Thialf are encouraged to experience.

The ice conditions were excellent and may contributed to 17 new IMSSC records as reported on the MCLN website.

Heerenveen, itself, is a beautiful Dutch town with a pedestrian-oriented centrum configured around beautiful canals and historic buildings. Many of skaters from Italy, Russia, Germany, Canada and the Netherlands gathered at the Ristorante Paolo for some fine Italian food on the night between the 2 sprint days. Despite this training-breaking revelry, most skated faster times on the next day - although a coincidental drop in air pressure may also have helped.

Heerenveen Centrum

photo by Ross Hanham (CAN)

This was a great experience, highly recommended for all masters skaters. Many thanks to the helpful and friendly volunteer officials and to the hard-working competition organizers - Bram and Trudi de Vries.

Paolo Gemme (ITA) and Fabio Ravanelli (ITA) greeted by Bram de Vries (NED)

photo by Ross Hanham (CAN)

CANADA IN/EN GERMANY/ALLEMANGE (ERFURT 2008)

Thank you to Rejean Lavoie, of Calgary AB, who put together this great video of the Canadian team's experience at the recent Masters International Games in Erfurt GER.

ONTARIO MASTERS SHORT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

Registration is now open for this year's edition of the season finale for masters short track racing in Ontario. Join the fun at Ottawa's Bell Sensplex Arena during March 22-23, 2008.

Hosted by the Ottawa Pacer's Speed Skating Club, a sufficient number of entries should allow for separate race groups for women and men over distances for which Ontario masters records are maintained. Entry forms are available here and must be submitted to your club in time for submission to the event organizers by March 12. Don't delay and miss out on this opportunity to set your own personal best times for the season.

For an account of last year's event, click here.

CHRONICLES OF THE TRAVELLING SKATES - EISSCHNELLLAUFEN IN ERFURT, DEUTSCHLAND

Once more - thank you to my friend, The Travelling Skates, for this latest edition -

This past weekend, I packed my suitcase, with my skates of course, and headed to Germany to the most anticipated competition of the year: the 17th Masters International Speed Skating Games. The first edition was held in the 1991-1992 season in Frankfurt with only 20 skaters, mostly from Germany and the Netherlands. Now, this event attracts over 150 master skaters from all over the world. This year, this allround competition was held in Erfurt at the beautiful Gunda-Niemann-Stirnemann-Halle, built in 1997 and named after her, to honour her many speed skating medals and because she was one of the most successful German speed skater ever from that area.I arrived in Erfurt two days before the competition to get some ice time before my first race. This time, I did not suffer from jetlag coming from Belgium like my Canadian friends, but I guess, stress crept in and I woke up many many times. Racing started on Friday with the fast 500m for everyone. This first race is the most important one, if you are you too far behind, the chances that you move up the ranks are low. On the last day, only the top first half of each age class is allowed to compete the last and long distance. I have been attending this championships a few times already and for the first time, I did not qualify for the last race. I was disappointed since it is usually my best race. According to Volker Serini, the level of competition in all age classes has increased over the years and it was very obvious this year, especially for example in the Men 60+ and Women 40+. The Canadian delegation consisted of 12 skaters, 3 women and 9 men. Every Canadian skater skated well and some even had PBs.
The two Gagné brothers, Pierre on the left with Maurice. Pierre Gagné had a good weekend, finishing second overall in the Men 75+. As years go by, and as I am slowly getting older myself, I am always glad to watch older skaters perform well, which reminds me that speed skating is a great sport for all ages. This year, the patriarch was Arne Svanberg from Norway, who skated all distances in the men 80+.

Besides the good and fast ice, the skaters also enjoyed the city, well preserved and renovated with its pedestrian zone and many old buildings. The city is lively and buzzing in the centre and has many restaurants for all taste. I walked by myself one day, getting lost in the many small streets and I found by chance the house of my ancestors on my mother’s side: the Johann Sebastian Bach.
Sunday evening with the banquet and victory ceremony arrived quite fast after 3 days of intense racing. The games were well organised and went smoothly. I would like to thank the organisers for doing such a good job with always a smile for me! I went back home with great memories of this event and the new friends I made who share a common passion for this sport.

17th MASTERS INTERNATIONAL SPEED SKATING GAMES

Paul Shoebridge, of Cambridge Ontario, was one of 12 Canadians who competed in this event during February 29 - March 2, 2008. Many thanks to Paul for the following report and photos -

World Master Long Track Champs – Erfurt 2008

I got dropped off at Toronto International to meet up with Kevin Frost from Ottawa. I had arranged to travel with Kevin as he couldn’t afford to pay for his usual travelling companion. For those of you that don’t know Kevin, he is legally “Deaf and Blind” and yes he was going to skate at the Masters World’s. This was going to be a learning curve for me as well. I met Kevin inside the airport as he had already flown down from Ottawa. We got settled on the plane and Nemo, his trusted Guide Dog, Eyes and Ears slept on the floor in front of us. Seven hours later we arrived in Frankfurt. We took the train to Erfurt, another 2 ½ hours and this was on the Inter City Express. Caught a Cab to the Hotel, if only we had known it was just around the corner. Checking in we bumped into most of the USA team and then we were off to the arena for an afternoon training session.Ice was good, legs were tired, what do you expect after travelling for a day. Nice thing about Nemo was that he never complained about anything, in fact neither did Kevin. We got some sight seeing in around the very picturesque city of Erfurt. Thursday saw us skate again in the afternoon and the draw took place in the City Hall.
Friday we had the 500m, skated like crap, just didn’t feel right and ended up with a 45.50, it was faster then Calgary but I thought I could go faster, next time. The fastest Canadian was Darren Lind in a time of 42.12. Kevin skated a 43.67 for second fastest, not bad considering. He certainly does open up many eyes, no pun intended.

Saturday we had the 1500m and 3000m. After 3 distances they add up the points and depending on how many skaters there are in the group this decides how many skaters get to skate the 5000m. I’m not sure how I got in because after the 3000m I was lying in 15th spot and the magic number was 14. I went to check the results board and much to my surprise my name was on the list. The 5000m on Sunday was to be my best result with a 10th place finish and a PB. I finished in 14th spot overall. Kevin missed out on the 5000m and he ended up 19th overall in the 45-50, oh and by the way, that’s 19th in the World of Masters where the Dutch and Norwegians rule the roost.

Sunday night we were off to the Banquet, they ran out of food and I think there were a few hungry athletes, on the other hand they didn’t run out of Beer. Beer was actually cheaper then water in the restaurants, no joke. Medal presentation went on forever but everybody went home with a participation medal, certificate signed by the great Gunda Niemann (former German Champion) and a bound Protocol.

Front row L-R: Kevin Frost (ON), Peter Blokker (BC), Anika Bedard (QC), Genevieve Provencher (QC), Pierre Gagne (QC), Maurice Gagne (QC), Lyse Fournier (QC), Real Rompre (QC)
2nd row L-R: Rejean Lavoie (AB), Brett Arnason (MB), Paul Shoebridge (ON)

Darren had to leave early due to travel arrangements so he’s missing from the pic.

We slept in Monday morning had breakfast then headed off for our journey home. Tram, Train, Plane and Car home from the Airport.

These were my second Masters Games and hopefully I will get to skate more. I have made new friends and seen another part of the World. What a great sport we have. Rumour has it that the Games are in Calgary again in 2011. 2009 they are in Norway and because of some disagreement the games in 2010 are either going to be in Berlin or Inzell – Germany. The games were supposed to have been in Russia.

You can see the full results here.

MANITOBA SHORT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

Many thanks to Mike McDonald for the following report -

The MB Short Track Championship was held on the weekend March 1 – March 2, 2008. The total number of Master skater’s was … four; Randy Plett, Stuart Parrott, Mike McDonald, and Dave Granger. All four put on a show and kept pace with the younger skaters, records were falling like leaves in September.

500m - Randy Plett (M2), New record – 0.50.49, Old record - 0.50.80

777m - Randy Plett (M2), New record – 1.18.20, Old record - 1.18.75

777m - Dave Granger (M3), New record – 1.31.46, Old record - 1.32.52

1500m - Randy Plett (M2), New record – 2.37.26, Old record - 2.37.36

Stuart and I may not have broken any records this weekend but we did lower our PB's. Overall the weekend was a great time and gets us all ready for one more race; the Manitoba Cup the last race of the year.

Overall standings came in as follows:

1 - Randy Plett (M2)
2 - Stuart Parrott (M2)
3 - Mike McDonald (M1)
4 - Dave Granger (M3)

Way to go guys!!

Complete results can be seen here.

BYTOWN MARATHONS

Anna Delaney, of the Kingston Striders Speed Skating Club, sent the following photos taken by a spectator and thanked event organizer Jake Maarse -

Hi Jake - these pics were taken by a spectator with my camera over the two days. Thank you so much for all your effort to make this an amazing weekend of skating with excellent ice to boot!..we are already looking forward to next year. cheers!Event results can be seen here. See also Alicia Weiss' excellent photos of the 5km, 10km and 1 hour races.

PS - There are also some great photos by Greg Christie here.

US NATIONAL MARATHONS

Many thanks to Ed Burns of Vestal NY for the following report with photos by Peggy Anderson and Dan Snipes -

On Wednesday, February 20 the recorded low temperature in Bemidji, Minnesota was a chilly minus 31, but for the 2008 National Marathon held the following Saturday and Sunday on Lake Bemidji the sky was sunny, the temperature above freezing (balmy by Bemidji standards), and the ice near perfect. On what many skaters considered the best lake ice ever used for a marathon, 36 skaters raced on the groomed and Zambonied 1,000 meter track with Danny Frederick of Wauwatosa, WI crossing the finish line first with a time of 44:06. He was closely followed by Mike Anderson of Minneapolis, MN with a time of 44:07, and Charlie Stangl of Andover, MN at 45:39. Hannah Curwin (age 16) completed the 25 laps with a fantastic time of 45:47, followed by Kathie Zapotocki of Zionsville, PA (no -31 in Zionsville, PA I bet) with a time of 48:00, and Susan Vehe of Roseville, MN third at 51:09. Kudos to Dan Snipes (formerly of Vermont) who spent many an hour getting from Den Haag, Netherlands (or “The Hague” for the non-Dutch among you) to Bemidji. Nonetheless, Dan managed to skate the 25km in a speedy 46:27. Gefeliciteerd! I think this means “Congratulations,” but if not I apologize to Dan and all Dutch speakers/skaters everywhere.
If anything, the ice and weather for the 50km on Sunday was even better than Saturday. With a report of a bald eagle soaring overhead, energetic fans (yes, we loved the cowbell…so good…so cyclocross), Mike Anderson topped the finish list with a time of 1:34:37, followed by Charlie Stangl at 1:37:02 and Andy Kostka of Maple Grove, MN at 1:37:16. Carla Langenthal was the first woman to complete the 50 lap race with a time of 1:39:16, followed by Kathie Zapotocki at 1:39:20, and Kristina VanWilgen-Hammitt of Bemidji at 2:01:35. For complete age group results and overall standings for the 25km and 50km races see Greater Minnesota Speedskating Association website.
In addition to the near perfect 1,000 meter track, the organization and support for this year’s National speedskating marathon was outstanding. The ambience at the track was great, the opening ceremonies excellent (Canadian, Dutch and USA National anthems no less), lap counters were available and ready, and there have been few races where so much encouragement was provided to all skaters. Ample parking next to the track, a port-a-john (so important when far from indoor plumbing), refreshments, hot chocolate and cider, a tent, flags and even a refreshment stand for spectators with BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs… And did I hear “My Mother was a referee” playing in the background before the start? I love it! With a beautiful sunny sky and temperature above freezing, the 1,000 meter track on Lake Bemidji was a fun place to be, and a fantastic place to skate. For a first National speedskating marathon Chantal Cermak and the Bemidji Speedskating Club (Pioneer Speedskating) are to be commended for providing an excellent track, a superbly organized event, and a warm and welcoming race for all skaters.

If Chantal and friends have the race again in 2009, expect more entrants if not for the chance to compete in a National speedskating marathon, for the opportunity to skate on some of the best lake ice you will ever see or experience. Advice for next year? For Chantal and her excellent support group: none, well maybe chip timing. Keep doing what you did. Fantastic job! For skaters: stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites with a room overlooking Lake Bemidji at a reasonable rate with lots of cable channels, a mini-refrigerator and small microwave. The hotel has a very nice restaurant and a bar (if one does “bar” things come Sunday after the 50km). The hotel has an indoor pool, an elaborate kiddy pool section, and, most importantly, an indoor/outdoor whirlpool. You might skip the bar on Sunday, but give the whirlpool a shot!

OK, sightseeing in Bemidji. Well, we visited an ice shack although “shack” is somewhat of a misnomer in that the ice “residence” (the owner so kindly invited us inside) was more on the palatial side. TV, electronic fish-finding gear, beds, kitchen, bathroom, beds. They no how to ice fish in Bemidji! A visit to the Paul Bunyan statue (and his blue ox “Babe”) is a must, and check out the sky over Lake Bemidji for hungry bald eagles, also the woolen mill to purchase a wool blanket made in Bemidji for a reasonable price. Oh, don’t forget about purchasing some hand harvested wood parched lake wild rice processed by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

Lake Bemidji is part of the headwaters for the Mississippi which actually begins in Lake Itasca, passes through Lake Bemidji, and leaves the lake as an unassuming stream. What we did not do while in Bemidji was visit the curling rink (or “sheets”) which hosted the 2008 National Senior Curling championship the weekend of the National speedskating marathon. Did I mention that the 35th Annual Paul Bunyan Sled Dog Challenge was also held on the weekend of the National speedskating marathon? Bemidjians know how to do winter! I know speedskating is the focus but with 160 km of cross-country ski trails, Bemidji is hotbed of winter recreation (check it out).

Next year, if a marathon is held in Bemidji, I plan to get there a few days earlier than this year. I don’t know about the dog sled races, but there is something a little bit Zen about curling that I find appealing (Andrew Love we need your thoughts on this). In any case, I look forward to the best lake ice ever groomed for a race…and maybe best post-race whirlpool around. Final note: get a ticket more than two weeks in advance and check air prices periodically for the best rate. I paid about $400 round trip from Binghamton to Bemidji. Sure beats a 22 hour and 1,337 mile car ride!

DANCE ACROSS THE ICE BELLY OF THE WORLD

Ann and I were driving in the car a few weeks ago listening to CBC Radio 1, and heard a reading from a book that was a finalist in a contest called Canada Reads. The author described "power skating" like this -

"Here's what you do. You puff up your spirit till it won't fit in your body anymore. You get your feet to dance across the ice belly of the world. You get empty except for life and the winter wind.

Then, you're going like hell."

As speed skaters, these words connected with us immediately - so we scribbled down the author's name. Ann went out the next day and bought the book which is King Leary by Paul Quarrington.

Today, I heard it won the Canada Reads competition. For readers, skaters and hockey fans - this book is a definite must-read.

CHRONICLES OF THE TRAVELLING SKATES

Thank you to my friend, The Travelling Skates, for this latest edition -

Those who know me well also know that I quickly get itchy and can’t stay in one place very long. I just love to explore new countries and have new experiences. I am very lucky that life brings me opportunities to travel and I would like to share some of my recent skating experiences with you.

PART 1. SCHAATSEN IN GELEENMy home base for the year was not chosen by chance. When my husband asked me where I wanted to go for a sabbatical year, I saw the whole wide world in front of me. Where should we go? We had to find a place where the whole family would be happy. That means a nice working place for my husband, good schools for our boys, and for me… well, I did not have to think too much. I HAD to skate! So after many weeks of heated discussions we came up with a plan. We would stay in Liege, Belgium and, since it’s practically in Liege’s backyard, I could skate in the holy land of speed skating: The Netherlands. So, we packed our 11 suitcases, and of course my skates, and headed for Belgium.

My temporary home oval in now in Geleen (http://www.laco.eu/) in the province of Limburg (southern province of the country), Netherlands. From Liege, it takes a good 45 minutes on the expressway to drive there, but hey, that is nothing for the love of the sport! This sport complex is called Glanerbrook and includes other facilities: pool, gyms, hockey ice and of course an oval. I was told that speed skating is surprisingly not as popular in the south of the the Netherlands as elsewhere, where it’s like a religion, so building the oval in this city was apparently controversial. The oval is an open-air one with high protective sides and very green grass in the center. My free time is mostly during the day and I decided to skate in the morning during the “recreational –public time”. During this time, speed skaters and the public share the ice. Since the weather is never cold, every one sits outside and puts their skates on there. Usually, there are a few packs of skaters on the ice, and their pace can be quite variable. Some skate just to keep in shape, some meet their friends there and talk while doing laps, while some train to do marathons. A group of masters skated the 200kmWeissensee marathon in Austria at the end of January. This event is the alternative for the Elfstedentocht (http://62.50.1.68/sitewide/english.asp), a race on canals in the Netherlands but now slowly “dying” because of climate warming. I was told that Weissensee becomes a dutch dorf (dutch village) for a week.

One day, I saw a skater leading a pack with a superb technique. I was told later that he was Wiel van Aken, a celebrity in town because he won many races and finished first in the masters category in the Weissensee marathon in 2000 and second in the 2003 (see pictures http://www.fotohdeboer.nl/displayimage-18463.html). I could not resist joining the pack and I skated right behind him, following each stride, imitating his weight transfer and waltz. Everything seems so easy behind him. I could do laps forever like this! I also had the chance to be once in a while coached by him and I am also grateful for his help on doing the rocker on my new Maple blades.

Wiel van Aken leading the pack

With time, I have gotten to know several skaters and now feel part of the gang – Leontien, Dave, Andre just to name a few. I will miss them when I return to Canada! During my breaks, I often noticed two ladies skating and chatting together. As they took their break one sunny day, they sat on a bench, took out a blanket to cover their legs and open a thermos of hot coffee. This is life! I love the skating here!

11th MASTERS INTERNATIONAL OPEN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Fifty-four competitors, including 6 women and 48 men laced up skates for this season's edition of the longest-running international competition for masters in North America. This year, the event included an open class as well as 5-year age groups for women and men.

The mixed racing format consisted of metric (olympic style) 500m and 1000m, plus pack-style (mass start) racing over 300m, 500m, 800m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m. The pack-style races included a heat and a final in 300m, 500m, 800m and 1000m for open class skaters and in the 300m for men 55+.

Although the oldest age class was men 75+, this group included the legendary 85+ Joe McDonald who skated the 500m metric in 1:10.1 and the 1000m metric in 2:28.22, not far off his IMSSC record times set in Calgary last year.

Canadian, Brett Arnason, won all races in the men 55+ group and was the only international skater in attendance.

Men 55+ Podium - Steve Miller (USA), Brett Arnason (CAN) and Ken Huss (USA)
photo by Bruce Connor

The open class was won by Bruce Connor (USA) who took three first-place finishes, 4 seconds and one fifth in 8 final races.

Complete results can be seen here. Overall point standings can be found here.

NORTH AMERICAN MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS

Many thanks to Willem Langenberg of Edmonton for the following report:

Marathon Skaters Beware – the Juniors are Coming

The North American Marathon Speed Skating Championships were held in Edmonton’s Hawrelak Park on February 16th and 17th, during the Silver Skate Festival. This was an opportunity for Edmontonians and visitors to the city to see some of the best North American marathon skaters in action around a 1-kilometer loop on the lake.

The North American Marathon Speed Skating Champions are determined by a skater’s total 25 and 50 K race times. These races are skated on two consecutive days. Top skaters require approximately 1650 kilocalories, the energy equivalent of 3 peanut butter and jam sandwiches, 3 glasses of juice and 3 bananas to skate 75 kilometers. These fuel efficient skaters get in the order of 1000 miles per gallon of gasoline as they travel down the ice at speeds ranging from 25 to 40 km/h.

Jackson Hill (a 17 year old speed skater from Sherwood Park and the youngest overall North American Marathon Speed Skating Champion in history) was the 2008 Male Champion. He completed the 25 K in 49 minutes, 7.1 seconds. Jackson’s father, Blaine was second and Aaron Clarke, an 18 year old Ontario skater who is a University of Calgary engineering student, was third.

Jackson didn’t show any signs of weariness on the second day of racing. He met the challenge of skating against Steven Elm, 2006 Olympic Silver Medal winner. It took Steven only 1 hour, 33 minutes to skate 50 K. Jackson wasn’t far behind him, crossing the finish line 4 minutes later. Aaron Clarke was third while Blaine was fourth.

Edmonton skater Susan Cameron, a Master skater (over 40) who only started speed skating three years ago, was the 2008 Female Champion. Her deliberate determination and steady pace enabled her to finish the 25 K race in 57 minutes 9.3 seconds. Tobey Berriault from Edmonton (training in Calgary) came in second followed by Emily, Jackson’s sister. Eleven year old Ontario skater Paisley Perry surprised everyone by winning the Women’s 50 K race. Her fastest lap speed was 31 km/h! Susan placed second and Mia Atienza from Edmonton placed third.

The strong showing of junior skaters (under the age of 18 as of July 31, 2007) was a highlight of this championship and bodes well for the future of marathon speed skating in Canada. Jackson Hill was first in Junior Men, Aaron Clarke second, and 13 year old Ronald Angenent was a strong third. Paisley was the first in Junior Women.

Complete results can be seen here.

1st MASTERS INTERNATIONAL CANADIAN OPEN

Eleven women and forty-four men competed in the first-ever edition of this international meet in Calgary's Olympic Oval during February 9-10, 2008. The olympic-style racing included 500m and 1500m on Saturday and 1000m and 3000m on Sunday for both women and men. International competitors came from Norway (2), Romania (1), Russia (1) and USA (7) with Canadians travelling from British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

Although ice conditions were a little slower than expected due to unusually cold outdoor weather, several skaters may have managed to set some new record times (subject to official verification) -

Canadian Masters Women 3
Jo-Ann Johnson - 500m (46.89), 1000m (1:32.77), 1500m (2:24.59), 3000m (5:06.90)

IMSSC Men 45
Patrick Kelly (CAN) - 1000m (1:17.51)

IMSSC Men 55
Brynjulf Makestad (NOR) - 1000m (1:23.07)

IMSSC Men 65
Knut Nesse (NOR) - 1000m (1:29.52), 1500m (2:13.98), Small Allround Samalog Points (182.228)

With many of the elite and younger skaters away racing or preparing to race in Quebec City, Milwaukee, Berlin and Inzell; masters were given plenty of additional ice time for both pre-race and post-race training. Some of this extra ice time was put to good use in a mass start 25 lap race on Sunday afternoon after official events had been completed.

Unofficial events also featured an open house pot-luck dinner on Saturday evening for all competitors, family and friends at the home of Calgary master skater, Brian Sulzer.

Some complete results can be seen here.

LAKEFIELD MASTERS CHALLENGE

Last week's warm weather and major snow storm in southern Ontario created challenges for the hard-working volunteers trying to prepare a natural ice track on the site of the future Ontario Oval in Lakefield. Once the heavy wet snow from last Friday's blizzard was removed, the track was found to not be skate-able for the approximately 25 masters who turned out from Ottawa, Kingston, Belleville, Peterborough, Hamilton and Kitchener for the Saturday afternoon events. Participants were, however, treated to dinner and socializing that evening at the nearby Lakefield Marshland Centre.

Repairs and additional flooding were carried out late Saturday and, with colder temperatures overnight, skaters were able to do the first laps on this long-awaited track on Sunday morning. Alicia Weiss reported -

We got on the ice today! Half was decent; half was very mushy and tough to glide - if you had speed, you were better off ... we skated an elimination race - 5k with a pace bunny (OSSA's Director of Sport Development, Todd Landon) then 15 laps (there were 15 skaters) then each lap, the last person across the line was eliminated; we could only pass on half the track (not on the mushy side).

See Alicia's photos and additional commentary.

BYTOWN MARATHONS RE-SCHEDULED

Event coordinator and competitor, Jake Maarse, has advised the competition, previously cancelled due to the early January thaw, is now re-scheduled for March 1 to 2 on Ottawa's Brewer Park Oval. All other information is the same.

Jake is also inviting others to join him for a 150 km skate tour on Ottawa's Rideau Canal during February 15 which is also the National Capital's 150th birthday celebration. Although not a formal organized event, Jake's plan is to raise some funds for the Ottawa Rotary Home.

Go Jake go!

For more information, contact Jake at jakemaarse@rogers.com.

CALGARY OLYMPIC OVAL SUMMER CAMP

Registration is now open for this summer's edition of the masters long track camp during July 21 to 26. Additional information and application form is available here.

2007 Olympic Oval Campers - Photo by Arno Hoogveld

MANITOBA MASS START LONG TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP

Thank you to Mike McDonald for the following report -

Here are some results from the Manitoba Mass Provincial Long Track Championships. This competition ran on January 12-13. There were two provincial records broken in total - one by Randy Plett and the other by Mike McDonald. Randy (M2) set a new mark for the 1000m of 1:25.89 and, in the same race, second year skater Mike McDonald broke Randy's old mark in the 1000m for Master 1 with a new record of 1:38:06. Also, Randy tied a Canadian Record in the 500 m for M2 with time of 42:90.

The weekend was great and total Master participation was a total on 10.

This weekend is the Olympic Style Championships.

Complete results can be seen here.

BIG RIDEAU LAKE MARATHONS

Masters competitors dominated the podium in last Saturday's running of the 5th Big Rideau Lake Marathons in Portland Ontario.

Event organizer and competitor, Marco Smits, tells the story in his report.

Photographer/competitor, Alicia Weiss, has provided some excellent photographs of the 50 km race.

Complete results can be seen here.

BROCKVILLE EASTERN REGION ABILITY MEET

Meet coordinator and President of the St. Lawrence Rapids Speed Skating Club, John Sommerville, highlighted that masters competitors are very welcome at this upcoming short track meet in Brockville Ontario on February 16, 2008. Additional information and an entry form are available here.

ONTARIO PROVINCIAL LONG TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

Masters skaters were present in force last weekend at Ottawa's Brewer Park Oval for the Ontario Provincial Long Track Championships.

Graham Lodge (Kingston) leading Elio Cozzarini (Peterborough)

Photo by Alicia Weiss

Larry Magloire (Brampton) pursuing Kevin Frost (Gloucester)
Photo by Alicia Weiss

Ariane Clouthier (Gloucester) and Lisa Meyer (Gloucester)
Photo by Alicia Weiss

Observer/photographer, Alicia Weiss, sent a link to all her excellent photos and competitor/coach, Larry Magloire, described the scene -

Ottawa was super! It was cold. 20 degrees below with a wind chill that felt like –30. Ice was hard and as flat as I have ever seen it. They ran pursuits at sundown. Keven Wetzel, Ian Miller from Toronto with me teamed up against Graham Lodge and two other Juniors for 8 laps. Some Masters had to leave early. There were several scratches due to fatigue or having to get on the road.

Mass start results can be seen here, and partial olympic style results here.

MICKEY KUPCHYK NOMINATED FOR SASKATCHEWAN MASTER ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to Mickey Kupchyk, of Regina, who is one of three candidates being considered for the 2007 Saskatchewan Master Athlete of the Year. Nominated by the Saskatchewan Amateur Speed Skating Association, the award will be announced at the province's Sport Awards Dinner at Regina's Conexus Arts Centre on March 19.

Further details can be seen here.

Mickey following Brett Arnason in the 2007 North American Championships

ALBERTA INDOOR LONG TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP

Masters competitors figured prominently in this event held January 19 to 20, 2008 at Calgary's Olympic Oval.

Connie Pope, of Edmonton, established a new 3000m Canadian record of 5:01.54 for Masters 2 Women.

Jo-Ann Johnson, from the Calgary Speed Skating Association (CSSA), broke all the Canadian records for Master 3 Women as follows -

500m - 47.14
1000m - 1:34.37
1500m - 2:26.65
3000m - 5:03.08

Randy Plett, of the Red River Speed Skating Club, set a new 1500m Canadian record for Masters 2 Men with a time of 2:05.08.

Bob Irvine, also from CSSA, re-wrote the entire Canadian record book for Masters 3 Men with these results -

500m - 40.96
1000m - 1:23.12
1500m - 2:08.38
3000m - 4:28.40

Here are the complete results and a photo of the Masters 3 Men's podium.

Cliff Morrison (Edmonton), Bob Irvine (Calgary), Brett Arnason (Winnipeg)
Photo by Stephen Maunder

LAKEFIELD MASTERS CHALLENGE - UPDATE

The racing format and schedule have been revised, as well as accommodation information provided, in the attached updated event information and entry form.

Competitors have also been given the option of entering one day only. Registration deadline is January 30, 2008.

LAKEFIELD MASTERS SPEED SKATING CHALLENGE

The Ontario Speed Skating Association has just published entry form and event information for this first-ever competition scheduled for February 2-3, 2008 on natural ice at the site of the future Ontario Speed Skating Oval in Lakefield Ontario.

The olympic style format includes both sprint and short all-round racing. Registration is due January 30, 2008.

5th INTERNATIONAL BIG RIDEAU LAKE MARATHON

In a recent e-mail to the Todd Landon of the Ontario Speed Skating Association - event founder and organizer, Marco Smits, provided the following update -

Hello Todd,

Would you mind letting the skating community know how excited we are for the International Big Rideau Lake Speed Skating Marathon, now one week away! The layout of the oval is better than ever, we had our Olympia Ice re-surfacer out on the lake all day yesterday and there are parts where the ice is so slippery you could hardly walk on it. (and of course we have some of our famous pressure cracks, but hey...).

The date is Saturday, January 26. The schedule is here. We would really appreciate it if skaters sign up on-line (and it is cheaper).

As in other years, we have a beautiful free give-away for the 50K skaters (besides the many other prizes) but we can't say what it is, you got to be here to see it.

Anyway, we hope to see everybody here in Portland next weekend, joining us in the fifth anniversary of Skate the Lake.

Happy skating,

Marco Smits
President Portland Outdoors

Here's Peter Doucet's video of last years event, courtesy of Speed Skate World.

OTTAWA LONG TRACK NEWS

Alicia Weiss sent the following report and photos on recent events and ice conditions at Ottawa's Brewer Park Oval:

Jan 5-6, 2008: Long Track Camp hosted by the Ottawa Pacers at Brewer Park.

We were all thrilled that camp could happen this year, made easier by the early start to winter. Day 1 we had a stellar practice. Mike Rivet coached the Masters group, with almost 30 of the 101 camp participants. While most Masters were from the Ottawa Pacers and Gloucester Concordes, we welcomed a few from the Kingston area and one from Peterborough.

It was a perfect day to be on the ice and there were many skills acquired and improvements made.

On Sunday the temperature warmed even more (with the day starting above 0) and brought us a heavy fog and melting ice. We managed to fit in a 2 hour practice before the oval was closed and camp cut short because of melting ice and soft spots. Because we’d fit in some excellent practice time, we were still very content with the weekend.

It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to show off our newly acquired skills today (Jan 12) at the Bytown Masters Long Track Meet, but with the weather warming further throughout the week, and with the addition of intense rain, the Oval just couldn’t outlive the elements.

So on Dec 12, instead of racing, many of us were at Brewer to assess the damage and start the rebuild. We had hoped that our solid snow base and 6 inches of ice would hold, and in some sections it isn’t bad, but in some sections the ice is all but gone. There are three sets of footprints where people have crossed the melting ice. Why would you do that? I sure hope they got a good soaker!

So today we began with patching the bare spots (and footprints), but again had to stop as the temperature warmed too much. With a temperature drop expected tonight, we should be able to start flooding again, and we hope to be able to rebuild within a couple of days, to be on the ice soon and be holding the Ontario provincials next weekend.

Many thanks to Alicia for this report and to all those hard-working determined folks in Ottawa for building and re-building the Brewer Park Oval. For current ice conditions, see the Ottawa Pacers website.

11th MASTERS INTERNATIONAL OPEN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

This action-packed event is probably the most racing you can get for your entry fee in masters speed skating. Scheduled for February 16 - 17, 2008 in Milwaukee's Pettit National Ice Centre, the competition format includes both metric (olympic-style) 500m and 1000m and pack-style (mass start) 300m, 500m, 800m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m. If that isn't enough, skaters can also join in a fun 5000m super final.

With heats and finals in the pack-style races, each skater could potentially do 11 races in the 2 half-days of the competition. There's no need to take off your skates between races with this back-to-back format.

This meet is the 3rd and final event of 3 major masters international speed skating competitions in North America during the 2007-08 season.

Sign-up by February 9 for only $60 USD. Additional meet information and entry form is available here.

9th Masters International Open American Championships

Photo courtesy of Zen and the Art of Speed Skating

ONTARIO LONG TRACK RAINED OUT

Recent warm weather and rain has taken its toll on natural ice ovals in Ottawa and Sault Ste Marie resulting in the cancellation of 3 long track events scheduled for this weekend of January 12 - 13, 2008.
Regarding the Bytown Masters Meet in Ottawa, meet organizer Alicia Weiss wrote:

I doubt this comes as a surprise to any of you, but once again, the weather has gotten the better of the Brewer Park ice. The warm temperature and excessive rain have melted away a significant portion of our competition-ready surface, to the point that we now have grass above the surface in some sections. It will take some much colder days and time to rebuild.

On this note, the Jan 12 Masters Long Track Meet is officially cancelled.

Thank you all for signing up - it was looking like a very fun event, and an excellent time for the masters to get together.

Next on the schedule are provincials in Ottawa (masters are eligible to skate the mass start events) and the Lakefield Masters Challenge on Feb 2. Let's hope that meet is a go and we can all get together then.

Regarding the MSI series Bytown Marathons, also in Ottawa, meet organizer Jake Maarse wrote:

No event this weekend Ross unless you can find a nice lake to skate on for pleasure! The grass is showing up through the ice, the track needs to be rebuilt. The weather and nature are incredibly fascinating to watch. (a little inconvenient for us this time).

Regarding the Lock City Open Mass Start and Olympic Style Meet in Sault Ste Marie, OSSA's Sport Director Todd Landon wrote:

Unfortunately the meet is Sault Ste Marie has been cancelled due to weather. After careful evaluation and input, the Sault Ste Marie Speed Skating Club has decided to cancel its meet due to warm weather resulting in poor ice conditions. The Club will be notifying all registrants directly about the cancellation. The Club wishes to attempt to reschedule the meet and will work with OSSA to schedule an appropriate date. Contingencies pertaining to Canadian Long Track Championship qualification, due to the Sault Ste Marie Long Track Meet cancellation, will be clarified by the Technical Committee in the coming days.

Many thanks and condolences to meet organizers and volunteers who made incredible efforts to build and maintain these natural ice ovals, only to be frustrated by the effects of global warming. Their dedication is greatly appreciated by long track enthusiasts everywhere.

1st MASTERS INTERNATIONAL OPEN AMERICAN SPRINT

It was no exaggeration when meet organizer Andrew Love predicted the 1st Masters International Open American Sprint would be a complete blast.

Meet organizer, Andrew Love, welcomes competitor, Mark Nolan.

Thirty-one competitors from Seattle to Maryland and including four Canadians plus Romanian ex-patriate, Tavi Moga, sprinted their hearts out in Milwaukee's Pettit National Ice Centre (PNIC) on January 5 to 6, 2008. While no IMSSC records appeared to fall, the meet announcer was repeatedly heard to announce another "PNIC Personal Best" as skater after skater crossed the finish line while improving their own performance.

This theme carried through to the final awards where the 4 skaters with the largest personal improvements got to duel one last time in a contest of "pick a number between 1 and 4" with the lucky winner treated to a 90-day pass to a local fitness centre. Top competitors in all 5-year age classes were awarded beautiful PNIC sweatshirts and T-shirts and all skaters received a certificate featuring actual event photos and recording their individual race times and samalog points.

The event included a Saturday evening party at the home of meet registrar and competitior Olusegun Sijuwade (known to all as Olu) where copious food and drink was consumed while socializing and watching speed skating videos. The visual presentation included actual video of Saturday's races played backwards, forwards, in slow-motion and fast-forward with fun impromptu commentary contributed by all.

The meet was extremely well-organized and smoothly run due in large part to the dedicated team of PNIC volunteers who give up their weekend mornings throughout the skating season for open time trials. Only some of the crew are pictured here with numerous others including timers, starters, recorders, clerks and announcer helping this event to be a great experience for all skaters.

Many thanks to the meet organizers including Andrew, Olu, Carla Langenthal and others who also competed as well as contributed to the success of this first-ever international sprint meet in North America. See Results.

left-right: Olu (USA), Julie Houle (CAN), Andrew (USA) and Brett Arnason (CAN)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

To all our skating friends across Canada and around the world, we wish you the very best for a happy and healthy 2008. May the ice be smooth and the wind be always at your back.

Ross & Ann in Baselga de Piné - 2005

Photo by Bob Laurence