| A transplant to the Seattle
area from Northern Canada, Jan skated long track for two years as a Midget
and Juvenile skater in Winnipeg, Manitoba. While other
interests drew her attention, she never lost her love for skating.
She moved to Grande Prairie, Alberta, in 1978, and within a couple of
years was involved with coaching speed skaters for the bi-annual Alberta
Winter Games. She was instrumental in forming the Grande Prairie
Speedskating Club in 1982 and coaching several skaters at Alberta Winter
Games and the Arctic Winter Games from 1982 through to 1996. She was
the Director of Speedskating for the Canada Winter Games which Grande
Prairie hosted in 1995.
After the Canada Winter Games and in order to
improve her understanding of short track speedskating to provide better
coaching to the skaters, Jan decided to go back to competitive
skating. Her first event was an ability meet in Edmonton, Alberta,
early in the 1995-96 season at which she was easily out-skated by the 10
year olds. Undaunted, she continued and entered her first National
class competition - the North American Short Track Championships held in
Red Deer in 1996 where she finished 5th. Bitten by the competitive
bug, she continued to enter competitions throughout Alberta.
In August, 1998, she injured her knee at a Short
Track Training Summer Camp and later that year moved to Auburn, WA.
As a result of these two events, she was unable to get back on skates
until well into the 1998-99 competition season. After a year of
getting back to speed on skates, she began competing in ability meets in
the lower mainland of British Columbia throughout the 1999-2000
competition year and then began venturing into other competitions.
Since then, she has been involved with the Puget
Sound Speedskating Club (formerly the Tacoma Speedskating Club), first as
a skater, then when Pete Perron left to pursue other sports, as a
coach. For a period of time she shared coaching honours with Chang-Ho Lee but in the past year, has turned the coaching reins over to Coach Lee and is now participating as a skater.
Skating Accomplishments:
- 2008 Masters International Long Track Sprint Champion - Master Ladies 50-54 Class
- 2nd overall at 2007 U.S. National Long Track Championships - Master II Class (set record - Master III 1500 m. distance)
- 1st Master III Ladies - North American Championships
- 7th overall in World Masters Long Track Championships (5th in 500; 6th in 1000) - 50-54 Class
- 2006 U.S. National Short Track Champion - Master Ladies III Class
- 1st Master III Ladies North American Championships
- 1st Master III Ladies North American Championships (set four new NA records)
- 2nd overall at 2006 U.S. National Long Track Championships - Master II Class
- 2006 Masters INternational Long Track Champion - 50-54 Class
- 4th overall at 2005 U.S. National Short Track
Championships - Master 2 Class (finished 3rd in 3000 m. after leading
first 20 of 27 laps)
- 2nd overall at 2005 North American Short Track Championships
- 2005 U.S. National Long Track Champion - Master 2
Class (set four new National records)
- 2005 North American Long Track - First in all 4 distances - Master 2
Class
- 2005 Masters International Long Track Champion - 45-49 Class
- 7th overall at 2004 U.S. National Short Track Championships - Master 2
Class
- 2004 Masters International Long Track Champion - 45-49 Class
- 2004 North American Long Track Champion - Master 2 Class (set new N.A.
record in 1000 m. distance)
- 2004 U.S. National Long Track Champion - Master 2 Class
- 2003 North American Short Track Champion - Master 2 Class
- 3rd at 2003 U.S. National Short Track Championships - Master 2 Class
- 2003 Masters International Long Track Champion - 45-49 Class
- 2003 North American Long Track Champion - Master 2 Class (set 3 new N.A.
records)
- 2nd at 2003 U.S. National Long Track Championships - Master 2 Class
- 2002 North American Short Track Champion - Master
2 Class
- 3rd at 2002 U.S. National Short Track Championships - Master 2 Class
- 2002 Masters International Long Track Champion - 45-49 Class
- 2nd at 2002 North American Long Track Championships - Master 2 Class
- 2002 U.S. National Long Track Champion - Master 2 Class
- 2001 North American Short Track Champion - Master
2 Class
- 2001 U.S. National Short Track Champion - Master 2 Class
- 2nd at 2001 Masters International Long Track Championships - 45-49 Class
- 1st at 2001 North American Long Track Championships - Master 2 Class
- 2000 North American Short Track Champion - Master
2 Class
- 2000 Western Regional Short Track Champion - Master 2 Class
- 3rd at 2000 Masters International Long Track Championships - 40-45 Class
- 1997 Canadian Long Track Champion - Master 2 Class
Personal Best Times:
| |
Long Track (In) |
Long Track (Out) |
|
Short Track |
|
| 500 m |
0:48.81* |
00:51.24 |
|
500 m |
0:58.79 |
| 800 m |
01:19.590* |
01:26.80: |
|
666 m |
1:21.10 |
| 1000 m |
1:37.71 |
01:40.03 |
|
777 m |
1:32.78 |
| 1500 m |
2:32.38* |
02:40.41 |
|
1000 m |
1:58.62 |
| 3000 m |
5:15.89 |
05:35.00. |
|
1500 m |
3:05.57 |
| 5000 m |
9:17.24 |
|
|
3000 m |
6:19.28 |
*National or North American Record
Other Interests:
When not skating or working, Jan enjoys playing
musical instruments, composing music, writing songs and singing as well as
reading and working with her husband on their model railroad. |
