I wish I could have updated SSW during the weekend.
I was at a short track speed skating competition in Milton all day on Saturday. Then on Saturday evening, I ate some bad barley and became quite ill. I spent most of Sunday in bed with a garbage pail by my side.
I’m still quite sick right now, but I’m well enough to update SSW with the most recent short track speed skating news that I could find;
RICHMOND, B.C. – Canada’s short-track speedskating team might be favoured to claim a handful of medals at the Vancouver Olympics but it’s leaving nothing to chance.
On Sunday, members of the squad, including medal favourites Charles Hamelin and Kalyna Roberge, marched outside the Speed Skating Canada House in Richmond, B.C., and entrusted their Olympic dreams to a towering Inukshuk planted nearby.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Here are pictures from Toronto’s short track speed skating meet. The Toronto Speed Skating Club hosted the meet at the Master Card Center in Toronto.
Over 200 short track speed skaters from across Ontario took part in today’s competition. Among the clubs was a group of skaters from Thunder Bay led by Hal Lightwood.
I volunteered at the meet as a track steward. It was a busy & fun job
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
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.
As the middle of the work-week approaches, it’s time for me to share some links to what’s going on in the roller speed skating world. And so, as it goes on, some news is sad, some is good;
Sorry to be the bearer of horribly bad news. Mary Scott King of Huntington Beach, CA was killed in a tragic snowboarding accident on Saturday the 16th in Telluride, Colorado, while heli-boarding with her boyfriend, Carlo Nafarrette. She skated for me at Team Paradise in the early 90’s, competing both indoors and outdoors. While she hadn’t gotten new skates in years (she was still on her 5 x 84’s), she still skated every now and then. One thing about Mary Scott, she was always better than what she gave herself credit for, both in skating and snowboarding.
I remember watching the first one in November on live feed and thinking a LOT of the same thoughts that are being posted on here about this event. Everyone that was actually at the Initiation kept telling me what a success it was and how many people showed up to watch. I found that VERY hard to believe.. until I attended this event (tribulation 1) they had this weekend. I promise you- people came in BUNCHESSS to watch this event. The rink was absolutely packed with non-skaters and there was a lot of energy in there. Obviously, that energy is not making its way entirely across the internet and onto your computers. Joey and Miguel are their own biggest critics and are completely aware of that. One big reason that the live feed hasn’t been that fulfilling is because the audio being fed to the online viewers is coming exclusively from the emcee’s mic. It doesn’t sound natural.
Make sure you consult SSW’s events calendar for upcoming events. Please let me know if there are events that need to be added to the calendar.
Planet Adventure now offers Inline Speed Skating events in Indianapolis. With the help of experienced area speed skaters (Indy Speed, Asphalt Beach and Global Inline) and the National Roller Cup (NROC), Planet Adventure will host five events in 2010.
I am please to announce that Marathon Roller of Montreal 2010 will be back this year. Same great fun, same great venue. Confirmed date is for May 9th. More details to come soon.
Donations are vital to SpeedSkateWorld.com's continuing operations. Every single one makes a difference in helping to dedicate numerous ongoing hours needed to maintain & operate the website. Here is what you can do:
Small weekly or monthly donations
Larger yearly donations
Urge all skaters, your family, friends, & co-workers to pitch in
Recent Comments