February 4th 2010- Tons Of Long Track Speed Skating News, Videos, Articles, & More

February 4, 2010

With the 2010 Winter Olympics fast-approaching, I’ll do my best to keep SSW updated with fresh speed skating news.

On that note, please understand that I’m balancing training and work with maintaining SSW.

If you need a short cut to the juice stuff, here are ‘Peter’s Picks’:

With that being said, let’s dive straight into all that is good and recent from the wide world of long track speed skating.

VIDEOS

BLOG ENTRIES

At the end of the farce, and after a five day delay, despite being at the top of three very short lists, none of the guys made the final cut. Devastating doesn’t even begin to describe it, especially for Josh, who was our highest-ranked skater in a world cup in ANY event, who had actually qualified, only to be bumped out by an out-of-form skater (who wouldn’t have even made the reserve list this year) on a strange technicality.

RESULTS & REPORTS

Outdoor ovals are a different story, especially those with natural ice. Hard natural ice exposes all technical flaws in a skater. Any inefficiencies are accentuated, especially when you get tired. It is a whole different ball game, because I not only need to focus on racing the race, but I also need to change my tactics. This could include getting lower going into the wind and sitting slightly higher with the wind. If its going to be windy, then I’ll use it to my advantage.

‘RZ on the slideboard, imitating what she sees her daddy doing. She is not facing the right direction, but she is smiling, and that is more important than technique for a little kid! (and for most adults too…)‘- photo from Andrew Love

Photo from Andrew Love

PICTURES

Photo from here

Photo from Tims ProSkateShots

Sjoerd wins- photo from Tims ProSkateShots

Sjoerd crashhhh!!- photo from Tims ProSkateShots

MISC/ STUFF I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT’S ABOUT, PROBABLY BECAUSE IT’S NOT IN ENGLISH

And while it’s expected this should be a great Games for Canada in the medal standings, the real rewards are likely to come in 2014 in Sochi and beyond – if we maintain a strong sports system.

I can only tell what went through my mind:

Hope I won’t have a false start,
Hope I wont’t fall during the start,
Hope my opening is decent enough for a fast endtime,
Hope I won’t have a messy crossing,
Hope he doesn’t cross over me at the first crossing in case I had a first
innerlane,
Hope I can make use of my opponent somewhere (drafting behind him during a
crossing),
Hope I have some over at the last straight.
Hope I have a new personal record, or at least a seson best.

OLYMPICS

Its important we remember what a great season these guys have had and are having. When you try to make an Olympic team after only one year in a sport it was never going to be easy. Even Olympic champion Derek Para did not pull that off in his first season. March 2009 we celebrated as these two boys and their team mate Sophie Muir broke into the times needed just to compete at a world cup. It went on from there with constant improvement and even with this non- selection the improvement is not stopping, as we speak the everyone is getting faster and faster.

Photo from Stuart Davis, Vancouver Sun files

By my count, the AP predicts 30 total medals for Canada and 27 each for the United States and Germany. A whopping 15 of Canada’s medals are expected to be gold, with nine going to the U.S. and eight going to Germany.

By SSW | Posted in A Bit Of Sunshine, Article, Blog, Championships, Facilities, Forum, Funny, Inspiration, Interesting, International, Interview, Junior, Long Track, Marathon, National Selection, Olympics, Photos, Race Series, Records, Reports, Results, Skaters, Sport Development, Training, Travel, Upcoming, Video, World Cup | Comments (0)

February 1st 2010- Long Track Speed Skating News

February 1, 2010

Ok, let’s start the weekend re-cap with long track speed skating news;

The family of nations is equally strange & wonderful during the Olympic games. You can feel intense national pride one moment, chant USA! USA! USA! at the top of your lungs, and the next find yourself granting deep respect and admiration for athletes from all over the world.

You find yourself celebrating with them, after a moment earlier, cheering against them.

Clara Hughes- photo from here

Speed Skating Canada (SSC) wishes to congratulate Clara Hughes (Glen Sutton, QC) on being named Canada’s flag bearer for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony. The announcement was made by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) moments ago in Richmond, BC, home of next month’s speed skating competitions.

Andrew Love & a masked friend- photo from Andrew Love

Italian team during World Junior Cup in Baselga di Pine- photo from Passion-For-Skating

By SSW | Posted in A Bit Of Sunshine, Blog, Championships, International, Junior, Long Track, Marathon, Olympics, Photos, Race Series, Results, Skaters, World Cup | Comments (0)

January 27th 2010- Long Track Speed Skating News

January 28, 2010

As the weekend inches closer and closer, I’d like to share lots of links to long track speed skating pictures, reports, results, and more.

Before you set off your journey into the links below, have a look at this great video; Open NK Weissensee (kort).

France’s Pascal Briand recently found out he’ll be able to skate at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver;

and yesterday i finally learn i will be in vancoucer…it is such a great news for me , i m so thankfull to everybody that helped me so far…i will make message for all soon but now i m still under the CHOCK news…i enjoy it full…i enjoy every second of my training full…

5 years i m training for this…going is a dream and a step…now all my focus will go on doing my best there…that is why now i m training so hard on inline and short track…using the training tools that make me as strong as possible


Photo from Chad Hedrick


Photo from Masters Speed Skating News


Photo from Tims ProSkateShots

Canada’s newest indoor long track speed skating oval, located in Fort St. John BC, home to National Team members Denny and Jay Morrison, will begin the new year by hosting its first ever BC Speed Skating Association (BCSSA) sanctioned event.


Photo from Passion-For-Skating.com

By SSW | Posted in Blog, Championships, Facilities, International, Junior, Long Track, Marathon, Masters, National Selection, News, Olympics, Photos, Reports, Skaters, Television, Video, World Cup | Comments (0)

2010-01-24 Long Track Speed Skating News & Links

January 24, 2010

As the weekend draws to a close, here are some links to catch you up on what’s been going on in the long track speed skating world.


Photo by Kirsti Biseth


Photo by Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

The Olympic suits were also introduced a week early. The whole team got onto the ice and skated around, greeting the crowd and shaking hands with the crowd. At one point the crowd started chanting “Go Canada”. It was truly an amazing day. And to see how many kids were not at school that day- wow!

By SSW | Posted in Blog, International, Interview, Junior, Links, Long Track, Marathon, Masters, National Selection, Olympics, Photos, Race Series, Reports, Results, Skaters, Team, Video, World Cup | Comments (0)

January 20th 2010- Roller Speed Skating News

January 20, 2010

Here are a few roller speed skating related links- enjoy.

I suggest you kick off your speed skating surfing with this video: 2009 Engadin World Inline Cup.


Photo from here

I am a big outdoor fan and I would love to skate this meet but in January it just doesn’t make that much since for me to go to Florida to race a lot of people that are not in outdoor shape which from watching.. a lot of people are not in outdoor shape. In January I just don’t believe that there is anything to gain from that meet. If you do good then you get a false since of security considering you weren’t racing many people that were in shape, and if you do bad you shrug it off and say you haven’t been skating outdoor much.

Club de patins à roues alignées, TAZ Vitesse from 24hroller on Vimeo.

By SSW | Posted in Blog, Championships, Equipment, Events, Indoor, International, Marathon, Masters, Photos, Reports, Results, Roller, Skaters, Track, Training, Upcoming, Video, Volunteer, World Cup, Youth | Comments (0)

January 17th 2010- Roller Speed Skating News

January 17, 2010

Here are some of the more recent roller speed skating links from the last few days;


Photo from Training & News

The Tour de France Roller leaves for a new adventure of 1300 km in 16 days throughout France, from Paris to the Pyrenees, with a grand final in the Alps. The concept remains the same: either a full 16 day sporting event or the opportunity to ride only 8 days or even daily stages.


Photo from Pattinaggio Bellusco

Nr. DATES HOST CITY / COUNTRY EVENT / LEVEL
1. April 01-04 1 Cartagena, Colombia WIC Top Class
2. April 10-11 Rennes, France WIC C1
3. April 17-18 Geisingen, Germany WIC C1
4. May 01 Ferrara, Italy 3 WIC C1
5. May 23 Incheon, Korea WIC Top Class
6. May 30 Ostrava, Czech Republic WIC C1
7. June 5-6 Pamplona, Spain WIC C1
8. June 13 Dijon, France WIC C1
9. June 20 Biel/Bienne, Switzerland WIC Top Class 2
10. June 26 Engadin, Switzerland WIC Top Class 2
11. August 7-8 Bern, Switzerland WIC Top Class 2
12. August 14-15 Zug, Switzerland WIC Top Class 2
13. August 28 Gdansk, Poland WIC C1
14. September 5 Chuncheon, Korea WIC Top Class
15. September 12 Eindhoven, Netherlands WIC Top Class
16. September 17-19 Buenos Aires, Argentina WIC Top Class
17. September 25 Berlin, Germany 3 WIC Top Class
18. October 17 Margarita, Venezuela WIC Top Class
By SSW | Posted in Advice, Blog, Championships, Events, Forum, International, Marathon, Photos, Race Series, Records, Roller, Senior, Skaters, Technique, Track, Training, Travel, Ultra Distance, Upcoming, Video, World Cup | Comments (0)

January 13th 2010- Lots Of Roller Speed Skating News

January 13, 2010

Below are a bunch of links to news & more from the wide world of roller speed skating;

I’m sick of our sport being in decline, so here is a plan…at least from an American perspective because that’s where I live.

One reason for the demise of the sport in my opinion is that most USA racing is done INSIDE away from the public eye.
That’s a fact that is probably not going to change, but here is a way to get it in everyones face and on TV and get some momentum going.
Joey is just the guy to do it.

Follow me here.

Joey is Mates with Apollo Anton-Ono, I believe they train (Gym work) together sometimes at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Joey is Mates with Chad Hedrick…former USA team mates in fact.
Joey is Mates with DD (Derek Parra)

That is 3 OLYMPIC Champions with a huge Media Draw who used to roller and inline skate!
I can’t be certain about Chad and Apollo, but my guess is that this Feb could be their last Olympics and DD has already dropped out of competition.

These 3 Athletes OWE Inline Skating in part for their success and I think it is time for a bit of payback after the Olympic competition.
It would help tremendously if somewhere we had an “Angel” investor who could motivate theses 3 with a Big $$$$ amount, but if not, they should just go back to their roots and help us wheelies out a little.


Photo from ASTA


Photo shared by Powerslide

By SSW | Posted in A Bit Of Sunshine, Advice, Championships, Companies, Equipment, Events, Falls, Forum, History, Indoor, International, Long Track, Marathon, Photos, Race Series, Reports, Roller, Skaters, Sport Development, Technique, Track, Training, Upcoming, Vendor, World Cup, Youth | Comments (0)

Andrew Love- Salt Lake City Long Track Speed Skating World Cup- Day 3

December 23, 2009

Andrew Love’s most recent little treasure that he shared with us is SLC world cup day 3;

Jeremy Wotherspoorn, ripping a 1000m. He has skated some of the most brilliant races I have ever seen in person… Jer, many of us in the Speedskating world are cheering for you. I have chatted with him a few times, this is such a nice guy…

Contrasting styles of the uber-smooth “catman” 1998 world sprint champ Jan Bos, and the fighting style of Chad Hedrick… Jan is flowing in his skating, and Chad just fights like crazy. But I have always pointed out that when you slo-mo these top athletes, or just see static images, you can see that their essentials, like push direction, are always perfect. Push direction is what counts.


Photo from Andrew Love

By SSW | Posted in A Bit Of Sunshine, Blog, International, Long Track, Photos, Race Series, Reports, Skaters, World Cup | Tagged | Comments (0)

Shani Davis: World Cup By The Numbers

December 22, 2009

With the pre-Olympic World Cup season over, American skater Shani Davis heads to Vancouver as the overwhelming favorite in two events: the 1000m and the 1500m. Davis, the defending Olympic champion in the 1000m, continually asserted his dominance in those races at the five World Cup stops. Though he has had consistent success since 2006, Davis’ results this season are his best yet. Here is a look at the numbers from 2009:

Read the numbers here; Shani Davis: World Cup by the numbers.

By SSW | Posted in International, Long Track, Race Series, Skaters, World Cup | Tagged | Comments (0)

Shane Dobbin- 4 Pictures, 2 Reports, 1 Chance At An Olympic Medal

December 19, 2009

Here are a few entries from/ concerning New Zealand’s Shane Dobbin and his incredible quest towards success in long track speed skating;

Also for the Kiwi’s Shane Dobbin from Palmerston North who has qualified for the 5,000 for Winter Olympics, often had to be in the shadow of his more outgoing brother Kalon, over many years Shane has been a quiet achiever, specially in WIC events.

“Talented athlete. Transferred across from inline skating to ice and within 18 months of international competition he is ranked 13th in the world. That says volumes about him as an athlete. It is an incredibly tough sport.”

Heard of Dobbin? Not many have. He is, as the boss of the Winter Olympics team explained, a former inline world champion skater from Palmerston North.

In late 2007 he pulled on a pair of ice skates for the first time, and he’s now an outside chance for a medal in the long track 5km event in Vancouver.


Photo shared by Andrew Love, by Kim Kraan

By SSW | Posted in Article, Blog, International, Long Track, Olympics, Race Series, Reports, Skaters, Upcoming, World Cup | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)