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Speedskaters test their skills at races
Fort Simpson athletes compete in Yellowknife
Roxanna Thompson Northern News Services Published Thursday, March 1, 2012
This was the largest group the club has sent to the event, said Val Gendron, the club's coach. The championships took place in Yellowknife from Feb. 17 to 19. The event started with a practice day to allow Fort Simpson speedskaters to skate on the larger Olympic-sized ice and prepare mentally for the races, said Gendron. The races began on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Each speedskater skated in four races and a relay with the distances varying depending on their age category. One of the club's largest representations was in the FUNdamentals division that covered six to eight-year-old girls and six to nine-year-old boys. Seven skaters from Fort Simpson raced 100, 200, 300 and 500-metre races in that division. The FUNdamentals skaters did great, said Gendron. For most of them it was their first meet and the championships was all about engaging in healthy competition and meeting new friends, she said. Gendron said all of the skaters met her goal of skating the whole track. "I'm proud they've done their best," she said. Ocean Stubbert, 10, was the club's only skater in the learn to train division. Stubbert raced 200, 300, 400 and 1,500-metre races. Stubbert, who just started speedskating this season, said the 200-metre race was her favourite because it only required two laps of the track – compared to the 1,500-metre race that took skaters 15 laps of the track to complete. "It was hard," she said. Stubbert said the championships was hard work but that she enjoyed it. The club was also well represented by seven skaters in the training to train division for 11 to 14 year-old girls and 12 to 15 year-old boys. Madison Pilling, who competed in that division, won all of her races and earned the title of overall territorial champion. Skaters in that division competed in the 200-metre pursuit, 400-metre, 1,500-metre and a 3,000-metre points race. For all of the skaters the championships was about skill building but for the older skaters it was less about technical skills and more about strategy, said Gendron. The 1,500-metre and 3,000-metre points race require a lot of strategy, said Gendron. In the points race, with 22 laps left, a bell is rung and the skaters sprint to the line. The first three skaters across win points. The bell is rung again at the 15th, eighth and final laps. In the final lap, skaters can earn double points. Any skater who is lapped during the race can no longer earn points. "It's a really technical race," Gendron said. At the championships, Lia Fabre-Dimsdale proved to be the club's most improved skater. "She's got great technique. She's got an excellent start," said Gendron. The next competition for the club is the Canadian Western Championships in Winnipeg from March 24 to 25. Madison Pilling and Kevin Anavilok-Roche will be representing the club at the event.
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