Stacey Michel breaks the 1

March 20 2008

Milwaukee, WI, was also the site of this year's North American Age Class Short Track Championships. David and Jan stayed in Milwaukee for the week while the rest of the skaters returned home. Jimmy Han joined the team on Thursday - just before the competition began.
Both Jimmy and David skated in the Midget Boys class. For North Americans, the age classes are different by a full year, so David was a second year Midget in this competition and looking forward to success. Unfortunately, he caught the flu on Thursday and was not at his best for the weekend.
As luck would have it, in the first event - the 666 m. - David and Jimmy ended up in the same semi-final. David finished first with a time of 01:07.736 with Jimmy close on his heels at 01:07.940. Both moved on to the final. In the final, David was impeded by another skater attempting a pass and went into the mats. Jimmy finished in 3rd place to claim the bronze medal with a time of 01:10.171. In the 500 m. race, again David and Jimmy were slotted into the same semi-final. David finished 1st in a time of 00:51.359 with Jimmy just 1/10th of a second behind (00:51.448). Both skaters moved on to the final in which Jimmy finished second (00:51.609) and David 3rd (00:52.370). For the 333 m distance, David and Jimmy were again competing for qualifying positions in the same semi-final. Jimmy won the semi-final (00:35.138) and David, who fell, was disqualified for impeding. In the final, Jimmy placed 5th with a time of 00:35.448. The final event of the competition was the 777 m. Both David and Jimmy skated in the A Final and both skated very well. Jimmy finished in 1st place with a time of 01:21.569 and again, David was disqualified on an impeding call. Based on total points for the 4 distances, Jimmy finished in 1st place and was declared the 2008 Midget Boys North American Champion. Well done, Jimmy. Even with the disqualifications, David still finished in 6th place overall in the Midget Boys class.
Jan also skated - but not in her class and not even in her gender. There were no other ladies registered for the competition and Jan was required to skate with the Master III (aged 50 - 59) men. Undaunted, she stood at the line dwarfed by her "competition". In the first event - the 777 m., Jan chased from behind for the first 4 laps but finally managed to pass and finished in 2nd place with a time of 01:34.724 - a time consistent with the previous week. The 1000 m. distance was next and, unfortunately, there was a miscommunication with the referee on a lapping call and the time ended up slower than what it might otherwise have been (02:05.393) but still good enough for a second place finish in the race. In the 500 m. race, Jan was out-powered off the start and ended up finishing in 3rd with a time of 01:00.768 - a disappointing result. Finally in the 1500 m. Jan skated to a 03:09.716 time to finish in 2nd place. Because she was really in the Masters III Ladies class, she was awarded with gold medals for each of her finishes and was declared the 2008 North American Master III Ladies Short Track Champion.
Thanks to Coach Lee for his dedication to the skaters and support of their efforts.

March 5, 2008

Milwaukee, WI, was the site of this year's National Age Class Short Track Championships. While not as many skaters attended Short Track Nationals as attended Long Track Nationals, our club was still well represented. Jessica Chong skated in the Pony Girls class; Julia Nam competed in the Midget Girls class; and, Jan in the Master III Ladies (50 - 59) class. On the boy's side, William Chong, Seoul Lee and Kevin Nam competed in the Pony class; David Lee and Hanul Lee competed in the Midget class. Cody Young, who skates with the Everett Club skated in the Intermediate Men Class.
The Masters skated their competition separate from the main event - with ice time on Friday and Saturday mornings from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. The first day saw competition in the 1000 metre distance and the 777 metre distance. In the 1000 metre race Jan and the leader got tangled up a bit with a couple of skaters being lapped, so the time was a very slow 2:05.081. The 777 was a much better event with Jan skated close to a personal best (finish time was 01:34.509). In each race, Jan finished in 2nd place behind Carole Moore, a great skater out of New York. On Saturday, the final two events were skated. In the 500 metre, Jan finished in a time just under 1:00 for the first time this season (00:59.862) and the 1500 metre distance saw her finish in a time of 3:08.820 very close to her personal best. In all of the distances, even though Jan finished the competition in 2nd place overall in her class, bringing home four silver medals, her times were faster than the next younger class - the Masters II Class.
The Pony Girls class was quite large with a total of 15 skaters. The first day of competition involved just the 333 m. distance - a very short distance. Jessica skated very well but her lack of competitive experience caused her to make a pass that resulted in her being disqualified. Very early, her first day of national competition was over. On Saturday, the skaters again skated only one distance - this time, the 500 m. Again, Jessica skated extremely well - her technique was excellent and she was well able to keep up with the competition. Unfortunately, she again attempted a pass that failed and was disqualified. In the shortest distance, the 222 m., Jessica finished in a qualifying position for the semi-fianl with a time of 26.273. In the semi-final, she skated the distance a split second faster and qualified for the final. In the final, she earned a bronze medal with a great skate and a personal best tme of 25.927. The final race of the competition for the Ponies was a 777 m. race. Jessica finished second in her semi-final with a time of 01:28.909 - her personal best for the distance. In the final, she finished in 4th place - to claim her second medal of the competition (an Iron medal). Despite her rocky start, Jessica finished in 6th place overall. (All photos courtesy of Jerry Search.)

Jessica Jessica

The Pony Boys class - skated by Kevin, William and Seoul - was one of the largest classes with 26 skaters, so there were several rounds of skating in each distance before the final winners were declared. When the points were all sorted out, Kevin finished in 2nd place overall and won 3 silver medals and William finished in 4th taking home two bronze medals. In the 333, Seoul skated very well finishing in a time of 00:39.591. Unfortunately, he did not finish in a qualifying position for the next round and his day was done. Kevin and William both moved on to the semi-finals. William finished 2nd in his semi-final to advance to the final but Kevin fell and did not qualify for the final. In the final, William was disqualified for impeding. Kevin's best time for the distance was 00:36.531 and William's was 00:37.651. On Saturday, the 500 m. distance was the challenge. Both Kevin and William advanced out of the quarter-finals. Seoul finished in 4th place in his heat after a fall that left him out of the running. Kevin and William both qualified for the final and challenged each for the first three laps but Kevin ended up winning the silver (00:54.493); William the bronze (00:55.802). Next was the very short 2 lap race. Seoul skated extremely well finishing 3rd in his heat with a time of 00:26.654, just 3/10th of a second out of a qualifying position. Kevin and William both moved on to the semi-finals. Willima finished in 3rd place in his semi-final, so did not qualify for the final. His fastest time for the distance was 00:25.806 (quarter-final round). Kevin posted his fastest time in the final with a 2nd place finish in a time of 00:25.437. Finally, on Sunday came the long distance - 7 laps. Seoul skated a very strong race and finished 2nd in his quarter-final to qualify for the semi-final. Kevin and William also made it through the first round. In the semi-fianl, Seoul placed 4th with a time of 01:34.574. Kevin won that semi-fianl and William placed 2nd in his semi-final round. Once again, Kevin and William were in a skate-off for the medals. In the end, Kevin finished in 2nd with a time of 01:28.892 with Willliam close behind with a time of 01:28.892.

Kevin Kevin William

William Seoul Seoul

Julia skated in the Midget Girls class along with 14 other skaters. Their competition started with the 777 m. distance. Julia easily won both her quarter-final and semi-final events. Unfortunately, in the final, she did not get a great start and ended up towards the back of the pack. In trying to pass, she was called for impeding and was disqualified from the event. On Saturday, the girls started the day with their 500 m distance. Again, she qualified easily through the preliminary rounds. In the final, she was up against some very strong competition including Sarah Chen out of Southern California. Julia finished in 3rd place with a time of 00:52.845 claiming her first medal of the competition - a bronze. Her fastest time in the distance came in the quarter-final - a 00:52.153. The next event for the girls was the 3 lap race. Again, Julia qualified easily through the preliminary rounds. In the final, she finished in 4th place with a time of 35.198 to earn an Iron medal. Her best time in the distance was in the semi-final - a fast 34.799. The final distance for the Midgets was the 1000 m. Julia won her semi-final with a time of 1:49.950. In the final, she and a number of other competitors fell - Julia was second across the line at the end and claimed the silver medal. Based on total points over the four distances, Julia was tied for 3rd place with Sarah Warren.

Julia Julia Julia

Julia

There were 24 Midget Boys competing for the National Championship titls. The event began with the 777 m. distance. Hanul finished 3rd in his quarter-final round with a time of 01:28.768 - not quite fast enough to move on to the semi-final. David finished first in his quarter-final (01:22.600) and qualified to skate the semi-final. In his semi-final, he finished 3rd with a tie of 01:20.590 - a personal best but not enough to take him to the final. In the 500 m. event, both David (00:52.487) and Hanul (00:55.301) placed well enough in their quarter-finals to move on to the semi-finals. David had an unfortunate semi-final which left him finishing in last place while Hanul finished 4th in the same event. Neither skater advanced to the final. In the 333 m. event, Hanul skated to a 4th place finish in the quarter-final (00:36.814) and did not advance. David finished in 2nd in his quarter-final round (00:35.324) in a close race. Although finishing the semi-final in a time of 00:35.113, it was not enough to move on to the final. The last event was the 1000 m. distance. David finished 2nd in his quarter-fianl with a time of 01:45.311. Hanul finished in 4th place in his quarter-fianl with a very impressive time of )1:49.116 - just 16/100ths of a second away from a qualifying position. In a strange race with multiple falls, David finished 3rd in this semi-final to move into the final. Finally, success. With a time of 01:44.458, David claimed an Iron medal. Based on total points, David finished 7th in the nation for boys aged 11 and 12 - not bad for a first year Midget.

David David David

David Hanul Hanul

Cody skated in what is called the "Intermediate" Class. Normally, this class is for young men aged 17 and 18. However, at Nationals, it has become a "catch all" class for the age class skaters and all skaters over the age of 16 up to age 30 who did not qualify for one of the top 16 spots to compete in the elite class. This meant that Cody was competing against skaters who were on the National Elite Senior team, former Olympic team members, members of the Junior National team and skaters much his senior in experience and age. In the 1500 m. quarter finals, Cody finished in 5th place with a great time of 02:36.939. In the 500 m. event, Cody had the misfortune to fall and finished last in his heat. In the 1000 m. race, again, Cody did not have a great race and finished last in his quarter-final with a time of 01:42.774. Because he did not accumulate any points, he was not able to participate in the 3000 m. superfinal, so his season was over with a bit of a disappointing finish.
Thanks to Coach Lee for all his hard work in preparing the skaters for the competition, in coaching at the competition and for his endless hours of sharpening skates between every race for 7 skaters. It was a never ending task.

February 22, 2008

While the other skaters were back at home reacquainting themselves with Short Track, Jan made one last sojourn for a long track competition - this time to Milwaukee for the Masters International Long Track Competition. The turnout in the ladies divisions was not as high as would be hoped, however, everyone had a great time. This competition is one of the most fun and challenging of the year. On the first day, within a 4 hour period, skaters skate at least 4 races - a metric 500 and a metric 1000 and then two pack style races - in this case, the 300 m. distance and the 3000 m. distance. If there are a lot of skaters in the class, for the pack style distances, the skaters also have to skate qualifying rounds.
In the metric 500 metre distance, Jan finished in 0:52.630 - a slow time on what seemed to be slow ice. The 1000 m. metric race timed out to 01:45.820. Both big disappointments - especially after Calgary. Jan felt better in the pack style races and finished the 300 m. distance in 0:31.520 - the second fastest time for all the ladies and only 6/10s of a second behind the leading time. In the 3000 m. distance, Jan and Suzy Osum had a good race going, well ahead of the pack, when, with 2.5 laps left to go, Jan tripped and fell on the back straight away. After sliding about 30 metres, she managed to get up and get restarted. She finished with the second fastest time of all the ladies (05:59.880) but it was still a disappointment after the great start. On Sunday, the skaters skated a total of 5 distances - 1000 m., 800 m., 500 m., 1500 m., and a "fun" (i.e., not for points) 5000 m. distance. Sunday was a better day for Jan - in the 1000 m., her time was about 01:40.30 (consistent with Calgary but on slower ice); in the 800 m. distance, her time was a respectable 01:23.590; the 500 m. was finished in 00:49.540 (again a good time for Milwaukee ice); and the 1500 m. was a comparatively slow 2:43.700. Overall, Jan finished in 2nd place for all of the ladies competing (from age 30+) and was first in her age class. This was a great way to finish off the long track season.

February 13, 2008

Right on the heels of the U.S. Nationals Championships, 5 of our midget skaters (Julia, Clare, David, Sangho and Thorsten) went to Milwaukee to participate in the newly reformatted North American Championships. All of our skaters skated in the Junior D Class (skaters aged 11 and 12). The North American Championships are now metric, single distance races (versus the former pack style) with awards for overall sprint champions (that is, the best total time for two 500 m. races and two 1000 m. races) in the Junior D Class.
Julia claimed the Midget Girls Championship medal placing 1st in both 500 m. races (with times of 46.31 and 45.55 respectively) and finishing with a 1st (01:32.70) and 2nd (01:35.57) in the 1000 m. distance. In the 1500 m. distance, Julia skated to the finish line in 02:27.75 to claim the silver medal. Her times compared very well with the next older age class in which she will skate next season and put her consistently in the top 6 to 8 U.S. Junior girls skaters (of all ages), so this bodes very well for next year.
Clare finished in 3rd place overall. Her 500 metre times were 47.94 (bronze medal) and 48.170 (bronze) for the first and second races respectively; and her 1000 metre times were 01:33.94 (just 1/100 of a second behind second place) and 01:36.48. She also won a gold medal in the 1500 m. race finishing in a time of 2:24.57. This is an amazing time for a skater who is still under 12 years of age; it was the 6th fastest time posted by any U.S. Junior girl (skaters aged 11 to 19) and all of her times were within the top 10 for U.S. Junior Girls (aged 11 to 19).
David, who turned twelve just prior to this competition and was one of the youngest competitors, finished in 2nd overall in the Midget Boys class. His times for the 500s were 46.170 (silver medal) and 46.120 (silver); for the 1000 m. distances, they were 01:33.15 (silver medal) and 01:33.50 (bronze medal). David skated a fast 02:24.15 in the longest distance - the 1500 m. - to claim another silver medal.
In the 1500 metre race, Thorsten took home the bronze medal with a time of 02:32.40. He finished in 5th place overall. His 500 m times were 48.450 (5th place behind Sangho) and 48.600 (4th place) and his 1000 m. times were 1:41.96 (5th place) and 01:46.56 (5th place) .
Sangho skated consistently and finished in 4th place overall. His times were 500 m (1) - 48.030 (4th place); 500 m (2) - 49.250 (5th place); 1000 m (1) - 01:40.40 (4th place); 1000 m (2) - 01:40.16 (4th place) ; and 1500 m - 02:35.39 (4th place). Well done every one.
While the younger skaters were in Milwaukee, Jan went to Calgary to participate in the 1st Canadian Open Masters Competition. She finished in 5th place amoungst all of the ladies skating and claimed the overall silver medal in her age class finishing second in her class in each distance. This was an "All Around" competition and her times for the 4 distances skated were: 500 m - 00:49.94; 1000 m. - 01:40.65; 1500 - 02:36.99; and, 3000 m. - 05:30.76. The winner of the class, Joanne Johnson, who skates out of Calgary, set a new Canadian record in each of the four distances.

February 3, 2008

Puget Sound skaters had a fun and successful time at the U.S. National Long Track Age Class Championships held in Lake Placid this past weekend. In all, 21 people (parents and skaters) made their way to the 1980 mecca of speedskating - home of the famous Eric Heiden. The skaters, many of whom had never seen a long track before, got an opportunity to practice on the large racing surface on Thursday and Friday where they were challenged by wind, cold and - on Friday, rain. Racing began on Saturday.

In the Pony boys class, we had 4 skaters who skated against 9 other 10 and unders from across the country. By the end of the competions, Puget Sound skaters had won the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places overall. Kevin Nam won each of the 5 distances for his age class and claimed the overall championship medal. He also got his name in the records book in the 400 metre distance. Daniel Assumpcao was 2nd overall, just edging out William Chong in points who finished 3rd overall. Daniel won silver medals in the 600 m., 400 m. 300 m. and 500 m. distances. A fall in the semi-finals prevented him from qualifying for the final in the 200 m. race. William clained a silver medal in the 200 m. race and bronze medals in the 400 m and 500 m distances. Seoul Lee, our smallest skater, won an iron medal (4th place) in the 200 m. race and finished in 7th place overall.
We had two skaters competing in the Pony Girls class. Jessica Chong finished in 2nd place overall in a group of 7 girls. She brought home a gold medal in the 300 m. distance; silver medals in the 600 and 400 m. races; and, a bronze medal in the 200 metre race. Saree Han wond a bronze medal in the 500 and claimed the iron medal in each of the other 4 distances to finish in 4th place overall.
In the Midget Boys class, we were again represented by 4 skaters. David Lee, a first year midget, was challenged by some much larger older boys but still managed to hold his own. He tied for 2nd in the 600 metre race; claimed bronze medals in the 800 m, 400 m. and 500 m. distances and placed 4th in the 300 m. race. Based on the consistency of these finishes, David claimed 2nd place overall. Also skating in the Midget class were Sangho Han, Hanul Lee and Thorsten Askervold. Sangho finished in 7th place overall making it to the finals in 4 of the 5 distances and Hanul in 9th (qualifying for the final in the tow longer distances - the 600 m. and the 800 m.). Thorsten had a rough competition with several falls and was unable to qualify for any finals.
Julia Nam and Clare Jeong competed in the Midget Girls class which saw a total of 9 girls challenging for the Championship. Julia skated very consistently and finished 2nd in each of the 5 distances skated. This gave her 2nd place overall in the class. In all cases, she was just a split second behind the leader (7/100s in the 600 m.; 4/10s in the 300 m. 5/100s in the 400 m; and, 5/100s in the 500 m.). Clare had very strong showings in her semi-finals but had a couple of unfortunate falls in the finals. Despite this, she won iron medals in the 600 m., 800 m. and the 400 m. distances. In the 600 m. race, although Clare placed 4th, she was only 2/10 of a second behind the 1st place finisher - it was a very close race. In the 800 m. distance, Clare skated the second fastest time of the competition in her semi-final race.
Rounding out our competitors were our two Masters skaters. Young Kim skated in the Masters II class. She claimed gold medals in the 1500 m., 500 m. and 3000 m. distances and silver medals in the 800 m. and 100 m. races. She also claimed a new record in the 500 m. race finishing in a time of 00:48.552 - a full 1.5 seconds faster than the old standard. Two other skaters also bested the old record. Jan skated in the Masters III class. On the first day, she did not skate smart pack style - leading the 1500 m. race for the 1st 3 and a half laps and then getting passed by two other skaters to finish in the bronze medal position. Undaunted, she led most of the 800 m. race - aiming for a record in the distance but again was passed just prior to the final turn to finish with another bronze. On Sunday, she decided to skate more with a pack-style mentality and did not lead in the 1000 m. Using this strategy, she finished in 2nd place. In the 500 m. race, Jan had a very fast start and claimed the silver medal in this distance as well. In the final and longest distance, Jan got caught flatfooted when the leader accelerated early in the race and could not catch the lead pack. Following in the second pack, she finished the race in 3rd to finish the competition in 3rd place overall.
All in all, the team did very well - nearly all skaters claimed one or more medals in individual races. Plus, we finished with two overall Champions (Kevin and Mrs. Kim); three 2nd places overall (Daniel, Jessica and David); two 3rd places overall (William and Jan); and, a 4th and 5th finish overall (Saree and Clare). Out of 14 skaters, many of whom have only been on long track skates for a month, we did very well.

January 25, 2008

Fourteen skaters - the biggest ever contingent of skaters from the Pacific Northwest - will travel to Lake Placid, NY, next Wednesday to participate in the U.S. National Age Class Long Track Championships. We have 4 midget boys - David Lee (Pony Champion last year), Thorsten Askervold, Jimmy Han, and Hanul Lee; 4 pony boys - Kevin Nam (a contender for the Pony Championship this year), William Chong (a skater with a strong start and good sprinting ability who will do well in the short distances), Daniel Assumpcao (competing in his first long track races) and Seoul Lee (our youngest boy attending the competition). On the girls side, in Midget class, we have Julie Nam (last year's Midget Champion) and Clare Jeong (one of our strongest long distance skaters); and, in the Pony class, we are represented by Jessica Chong and Saree Han (both in their first long track competition). To round out the team, Mrs. Lee will be competing in the Master II Class and Jan Zurcher will compete in the Master III Class. Our skaters have been working hard since moving to long track skates just after Christmas to get ready for this competition and we are looking forward to lots of personal bests, weather permitting. Thanks to Coach Lee for all his hard work and dedication to making all of the skaters the best that they can be.

January 10, 2008

Jan travelled to Milwaukee, WI, the weekend of January 5-6 to participate in the First Annual Masters International Sprint Speedskating Championship. About 45 masters skaters from across the U.S. and Canada participated in the event and a good time was had by all. The competition was a sprint format where the lowest total points over two 500 m. races and two 1000 m. races in each age class was declared the champion. On Saturday, Jan had the fastest openers in both the 500 m. and 1000 m. races for all ladies and finished with a personal best for skating on Milwaukee ice in the 500 m. distance with a time of 52.06 (a time slower than her outdoor time at -35 in Winnipeg at North Americans last year - 51:46) and 1:47.17 in the 1000 m. She was disappointed with the 1000 m. time but the ice seemed to be slow and most times were slower than what most skaters expected. On Sunday, Jan improved her time in both distances finishing with a time of 51.19 in the 500 m. and 1:46.26 in the 1000 m. Overall, Jan finished in 2nd place for all the lady competitors and was first in her age class.

December 16, 2007

A total of 34 skaters participated in the 2007 Puget Sound Speedskating Challenge Cup Competition. Skaters ranged in age from 8 to 55 and came from the Vancouvers to the north and south of us as well. The competition saw many skaters skate personal bests in as many as 4 distances. This year's cup winners were Sebastian Gagnon - Junior (POCO Club) in first; David Lee - Midget (Puget Sound) in second; and, Edwin Park - Juvenile (Puget Sound) in third for the boys. In the girls division, Julia Nam - Midget (Puget Sound) took first, Michelle Majeria - Junior (POCO) took second and Clare Jeong - Midget (Puget Sound) claimed the third place cup. Congratulations to all the skaters and many thanks to the parents and others who volunteered their time and brought all the food. We look forward to an even bigger and better event next year. Results are now posted. Photos will be posted on this web site iwhen available.

December 14, 2007

Thanks to a generous loan agreement with Managed Reliability LLC, Puget Sound Speedskating Club now has a complete set of mats. An additional 54 used mats were recently purchased from the DeMorra Speedskating Club and arrived today - just in time for the 2nd Annual Puget Sound Challenge Cup Competition.

December 5, 2007

Puget Sound is pleased to host its second Challenge Cup Competition. Skaters of all ages and abilities are welcome. The competition will take place on Sunday, December 16th with registration at 11:30 a.m., warm-ups and races to follow. The competition will be run in a modified ability meet format. All skaters will skate 3 distances and will be heated for each race based on ability. The top 8 male skaters and the top 8 female skaters (based on the 500 m and 777 m distances) will be eligible to skate for the Challenge Cup in the 1000 m distance. Medals will be awarded. Be sure to register now. To do so, e-mail Jan Zurcher at jan.zurcher@weyerhaeuser.com.

July, 2007

The Club said it's tearful goodbyes to one of our long standing members towards the end of the month. Stacey Michel has been admitted to the Long Track Skating program in Salt Lake, Utah, as well as her educational program of choice at the University of Utah. She will be moving to Utah at the end of the month to start her season's training at the great Utah Oval. We will all miss Stacey very much and wish her the best in her new life.

June, 2007

The Puget sound Speedskating Club wishes to thank Sprinker Arena for selling them a number of speedskating mats. Under an agreement worked out between Bob Celski and Sprinker, the Club has been renting the 11 mats for the past yer. When it came time to renew, the manager at Sprinker offered to sell the mats to the Club for the equivalent of one year's rent. This was a great opportunity for the Club.
J.R., after a year off skating, has again decided to pursue his Olympic dreams by training in California with Wilma Boomstra. He and his father will be moving to California at the end of the school term. We wish J.R. all the best.

February 26, 2007

While Jan was in Calgary skating on the fastest long track ice in the world, several skaters from the Puget Sound area travelled to Cleveland, Ohio, this past weekend to participate in the U.S. National Age Class Short Track Championships. In the Pony Boys division, we were represented by David Lee, Thorsten Askervold (Everett Club) and Daniel Assumpcao. Julia Nam participated in the Midget girls class. Cody Young (Everett Club), a Junior attending his 4th U.S. Nationals, rounded out the contingent from the Pacific North West.
There were 22 skaters in the Pony Boys division from around the country, so the boys had to skate each distance several times before making it to the finals.
- In the 333 metre event, both David and Thorsten qualified in the first position in their respective quarter finals. Daniel had a fall and finished out of the semi-finals with a time of 49.936. David and Thorsten ended up in the same semi-final and finished first and second. David ultimately won the final with a time of 35.815 and Thorsten finished a close third behind Jeremy Via with a time of 37.445.
- Next came the 500 metre event. David qualified in first place in both the quarter finals and the semi-finals. Thorsten was the second qualifier in each of his qualifying rounds. Daniel did not make the semi-finals but skated an amazing personal best of 58.477 to become a member of the "under a minute club". This turned out to be the 11th best time for the 21 skaters. Well done, Daniel! In the final, David finished in 1st place and set a new national record for his age group with a time of 51.586. Thorsten finished in a time of 55.306 to claim his second bronze medal of the competition.
- Next came the short, snapper race - 2 laps around the track as fast as you can go. Once again David and Thorsten made it easily through the opening rounds. Daniel placed 4th in his quarter final with a personal best time of 27.479. In the final, David finished in first place to claim a third gold medal with a time of 24.329. Thorsten finished in third place with a time of 26.106.
- Based on their results in the first three events, both David and Thorsten qualified for the superfinal - a 777 metre distance. David continued his domination of the class with a first place finish in a time of 1:25.600. Later on Sunday, David was awarded the class champion medallion for Pony Boys. Thorsten ended up in third once again with a time of 1:28.747 - just 4/1000 of a second behind second place finisher Evan Opeka. What a close finish!
Julia skated with a large (21 skaters) and competitive group of 11 and 12 year olds. Based on points, she finished in 2nd place overall.

The Midget girls started with the 777 metre distance. Julia qualified in first position in her quarter final with a time of 1:25.818 but was disqualified during the semi-final. The event was eventually won by Sarah Chen of Southern California with a time of 1:19.596. Her time in the quarter final was the 7th fastest skated by any of the competitors through the qualifying rounds and final.
The second distance was 500 metres. Julia qualified in first in her quarter final. In the semi-final, she was heated with Sarah Chen and finished in the second qualifying position. Out for a win, Julia skated hard during the final and came out victorious with a first place finish in a time of 51.240. Julia had a personal best and a gold medal, as well as those all important first place points for the distance.
The third distance for the Midget Girls was the 333 m. event - an all out 3 lap sprint. Julia again qualified for the final through the preliminary rounds. Unfortunately, she fell and finished in last place in the final with a time of 43.697 and with not much likelihood of claiming the overall championship. Her fastest time in the distance came in the semi-final with a time of 35.730 which was the 4th fastest time skated by any of the girls through all of the qualifying rounds and finals.
Based on the total points earned in the first three races, Julia was in the top 6 and qualified to skate the 1000 metre superfinal. She finished in 3rd place with a time of 1:49.433 - another personal best.

Cody Young was up against several strong competitors as many of the skaters who did not make the top 16 cut in the Senior Elite class moved back into the age class ranks.

The first event for the Juniors was the 1500 metres. Cody, skating in a very fast group, finished third in his quarter final heat with a time of 2:36.814 and qualified for the semi-finals. Unfortunately, in the semi-final, he finished in 6th with a time of 2:46.178 and did not move on to the final. However, in the time classification, Cody's tie in the quarter final was the 8th fastest time skated by a Junior male in this distance.
In the 500 metre distance, Cody again had a very fast heat and although he skated a time of 48.097, a personal best by more than a second, he did not qualify for the next round. The time was good enough to place him in 11th place in the time classifications.
Cody's final race was the 1000 metre distance. He finished fourth in his quarter final heat with a time of 1:42.351 - a time that placed him in 12th based on the time classifications.

February 26, 2007

Jan Zurcher decided to forego this year's National Short Track Championships to participate in the 15th World Masters Speedskating Competition. This event had 353 registered masters skaters from around the world. Jan's class - the 50 - 54 class - was the largest women's group with 14 skaters.
On Friday, the first event was the 500 metre sprint. This was the one distance that she thought she might have some possibility of getting close to the record and finishing in the top three. However, it was not to be. Jan finished in 5th place in the 500 metre event with a time of 49.22 - not the personal best that she was hoping for. The event was won by a skater from the Nederlands - Noor van der Ster - and all of the top 4 finishers finished in a time that was faster than the existing world record for the distance - 46.93.
In the 1500, Jan was fighting the ice all the way and ended up in 8th place overall with a time of 2:33.67 - again not a personal best. Again the event was won by the Dutch skater in another record shattering finish - about 7 seconds faster than the previous standard.
Saturday was a better day. Jan was paired with a skater from Italy who was about her speed and they carried each other to personal best times. Jan finished in 1:37.70 for a 6th place finish - less than 17/100 of a second behind. She was very pleased with this result and encouraged that she felt smooth and strong in the race. Again, the record was shattered by the winner of the event who finished a full 5 seconds faster than the previous mark.
Based on total points for the first 3 distances, Jan was in the top 8 skaters and qualified to skate the 3000 m. event. Jan has only skated a metric style 3000 m. race once before. Although she started out strong, she could not maintain the pace and ended up with a time of 5:22.58 - a personal best for skating without a pack. This was the 8th place finish in the event but Jan had enough points from the earlier events to finish in 7th place overall. Given that this was only the third time that she had skated on long track ice this season, Jan felt that she had a reasonably successful competition. Once again, the record for the event fell a long ways - 18 seconds - but this time the winner was a strong Russian skater, Galina Petrova.

February 16, 2007

Fifteen Puget Sound Club skaters participated in the interclub competition held in Everett this past weekend. Many set personal bests and a good time was had by all. Results will be posted when available.

February 8, 2007

Jan Zurcher was the only Puget Sound skater to participate in the North American Long Track Age Class Championships held this year in Winnipeg. Saturday morning greeted the skaters with a temperature of -37 degrees C. and a wind chill of -44. The race organizers decided that in light of the very cold temperatures, they would race the two shortest races on Saturday. Jan was the only entry in the Master III Ladies class, so was grouped with the Master III men for the competition. In the 500 metre distance, despite the ice being very slow, Jan placed 3rd in the race with a time of 51.460 - just 7/10ths of a second shy of the existing outdoor record. The 800 metre race was held in the afternoon. Although the temperature had risen to about -32, the ice was slow and so hard that there was barely any grip. Jan was third across the line with a time of 1:26.800.
Sunday, although sunny, greeted the skaters with a temperature of -39 degrees C. and a wind chill of -53. The start of the competition was delayed for over three hours and finally, shortly after 11:00 a.m., the Chief Referee announced that he had taken the decision that the weather was too cold to continue the competition. Since only two distances were skated, no champions will be named for 2007 - a key disappointment for the skaters. See results.

January 30, 2007

Puget Sound speedskaters performed extremely well overall at the National Long Track Championships this past weekend. In all, the skaters claimed 3 Age Class Championships (David, Julia and Isreal), two 2nd place overall titles (Stacey and Edwin), two 3rd place overall finishes (Kevin and Jan) and 1 fourth (Clare). We all want to thank Coach Lee for his on-going guidance and support. This would not have been possible without him. Below is a photo of the skaters, Coach Lee and the parents who came to cheer us all on. See results.

Stacey started the competition by skating in the Junior National Championships. She did not have the start that she was hoping for. In the very first race - the 500 metre sprint - she was disqualified before the race began as a result of two false starts. Truly a disappointment. However, she was allowed a reskate for the purposes of the Age Class Championships and qualification for Category 1 status. In the reskate, she skated a strong race finishing with a very respectable time of 00:46.65 (a personal best for a metric race outdoors). The second distance skated was the 1500 metres. This is a tough race and Stacey finished with a time of 02:30.690 - good enough for 5th place in the Junior B Class in the Junior Nationals. Day 2 was the 1000 metre distance which Stacey finished in a time of 01:40.790 (5th place) and the gruelling 3000 metre distance (made even more gruelling by the cold temperatures and high winds) for which her time was 05:42.640 (a 6th place finish).
Stacey also skated in the Age Class Competition which required her to skate two more distances on Sunday - the 500 m. and the 1500 m. Going into the competition, Stacey was in second place for Junior B Ladies based on points earned in the metric races. To claim the championship, she would have to claim first in both races. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Gun-shy after the two false starts on Friday, Stacey was last off the line in the 500 m. She was catching up on the straight away when about mid-way, her blade set poorly on the ice and she stumbled. She fought back valiantly but finished in 2nd with a time of 00:48.490 - just 1/10th of a second back of first. In the 1500, Stacey was out to show her stuff. She skated a very smart tactical race and finished first with a time of 02:43.330. Stacey took home a silver and gold medal for her efforts.
In the Pony Girls event, Clare got off to a bit of a rocky start as well... with a slip at the start of the first race (200 metres), she was behind the pack right from the beginning and did not finish in a qualifying position for the finals. In the second distance (300 metres), Clare fell early in the semi-final race and was well behind the pack when she got up and caught up to the rest of the group managing to finish in the third qualifying spot. In the finals in the 300 metre distance, she finished in 6th place. The longer distances are where she really shines. Clare tends to pick up speed over the course of the race, so the longer the distance, the faster she gets. In the 500 metre distance, she finished in 3rd place with a time of 00:55.630 - claiming a bronze medal; in the 600 metre race, she finished in second place with a time of 01:08.040. Overall, Clare finished tied for 4th place in the nation for girls aged 10 and younger! And, all of that after just 3 weeks on long track skates!
In the Pony Boys group, we were represented by two very strong skaters - David Lee and Kevin Nam. David was by far the fastest skater in his group and claimed first place in each of his 4 distances. On the first day of the competition, he finished the 200 metre race in 00:21.560 (over 2.5 seconds faster than the second place finisher) and the 300 metre race in 00:31.770 (4 seconds faster than the rest of the pack). He qualified for the final in a time of 30.960 which was a new record for the distance. On the second day, the Ponies skated the 500 metre distance and the 600 metre. David finished the 500 metre race in 00:50.680 - a full nine seconds faster than the pack; and, in the 600 metre race, he crossed the line in 01:03.020 - despite getting boxed in at the start and having to take the first turn on the outside of the pack. In each distance, David set a new National record. At the end of the competition, David was declared the Pony Boys Champion for 2007. Congratulations, David!
Kevin Nam, who is a year younger than David, also skated very well. He claimed the silver medal in the 200 metre race with a time of 00:24.200. In the 300 metre race, he finished the semi-final in 1st place but was disqualified for cross tracking at the start of the race. In the 500 metre distance, Kevin finished in 2nd place behind David with a time of 00:59.400 - crossing the line just half a second in front of A.J. Bruno. Fortunes were reversed in the 600 metre final as A.J. beat Kevin by just 3/100ths of a second and Kevin had to settle for bronze. Due to the disqualification, Kevin ended up in third place overall for the competition. But he has another year to skate in the Pony Boys class and we know that he will do even better next year.
Julia Nam skated in the Midget Girls class. She dominated the class finishing first in every distance, winning 4 gold medals and claiming the National Championship for Midget Girls. Dressed in a unique, slick red racing suit, Julia was a red streak as she crossed the finish line. In the 600 metre distance, she finished in 01:00.160 - nearly a second and a half ahead. In the 300 metre race, Julia crossed the line first in 00:30.610. In the 500 metre distance, several of the girls fell shortly after the start. Julia got off the start line first and was well ahead of the falling skaters and finished with a time of 00:50.350 - about 5 seconds ahead of the 2nd place finisher. In her final race - the 800 metre distance - Julia claimed first place with a time of 01:22.100 finishing about 2 seconds ahead of the 2nd place skater. These impressive results earned Julia a Class Champion medallion. Way to go, Julia!
We also had two skaters in the Midget Boys class - Isreal Kim and Edwin Park. This was the largest class with 17 competitors and the boys were kept busy skating quarter finals, semi-finals and finals in each distance. Isreal won each distance with Edwin close on his heels. In the 600 metre race, Isreal won with a time of 00:59.670. It looked as though Edwin claimed third place at the line but the finish judges saw it differently and gave him the 4th place time of 01:01.60. The next race was the 300 metre sprint. Isreal, with a blazing fast start, finished first in the final in 00:29.740. Edwin finished in 2nd place at 00:30.000. The 500 metre distance was next with Isreal finishing the final in a time of 00:47.370; Edwin claimed the silver with a time of 00:48.590. The final event was the 800 metre race. Isreal finished in 01:18.150; Edwin was in second place with a 01:18.680 clocking. Isreal was declared the 2007 Midget Boys Champion and Edwin finished in second place overall. Well done, boys!
Jan skated in the Masters II Ladies class. Since there were not any other skaters registered in her age class, she was moved into the Master II class which was dominated by several younger skaters - Suzy Osum, Cathy Carrabre (a former National team skater) and Kaari Cox. The Masters only got to skate one distance on Saturday - the 1500 metre distance. Jan finished in 4th place in the class but in doing so, beat the Masters III class record (which has stood since 1993) by over 3 seconds with a time of 02:40.410. Sunday started with the 1000 metre distance and while Jan finished in 3rd place, the time was not as fast as she would have liked - 01:46.340 (although it was less than 2 seconds behind the winner). The 500 metre was a bit of a disappointment. One of the skaters slipped going into the first corner and Jan was forced to slow down and never regained tempo. The time was still a respectable 00:51.840 - good enough for another bronze medal but not a personal best. In the 3000 metre distance, the third race of the day, Jan ran out of gas on the 5th lap and dropped behind the pack finishing in 4th place with a time of 05:46.240, well off her personal best of about 05:35. However, based on points, Jan finished in 3rd place overall!

January 24, 2007

After skating around in very small circles (for long track skates) for the past 4 weeks, nearly half of the club will head to Roseville, Minnesota, this week to skate in the 2007 U.S. National Long Track Age Class Championships. This is the largest contingent of skaters that we have had attend a competition in the past several years. David Lee and Kevin Nam will compete against seven other Pony Boys (aged 10 and under) from across the nation. Clare Jeong will compete in the Pony Girls division (the largest group in the competition). Julia Nam will compete in the Midget Girls class (skaters aged 11-12). Isreal Kim and Edwin Park will skate in the Midget Boys class. Stacey Michele is vying for a coveted Category I position in the Junior Nationals competition as well as the Age Class Championships in the Junior B class (15-16 year olds). And, last, but not least, Jan Zurcher is registered in the Masters 3 class.
Accompanying the group is Coach Lee who has worked very hard to get us ready for this competition. Thanks to Coach Lee for all his time and effort.

December 26, 2006

Puget Sound Speedskating Club wants to thank all of the skaters who came out to support their inaugeral effort at hosting a competition. In all, over 45 skaters participated in the event. Many thanks to all of the parents who provided supplies, donations for medals and trophies and people to work all the various jobs that need to be filled. Thanks to Coach Chang Ho Lee for doing much of the organization for the event and a special thanks to Silvana for putting together the heats and doing all the recording.
And, congratulations to the many skaters who participated. This was a first time competition for many of our club members and many set personal bests. Particular note to David Lee, a Pony skater, who skated a 51.75 second 500 m. race, finishing right on the heels of Cody Young. Also, congratulations to Clare Jeong who, in her first competition, managed to become a member of the "under a minute" club. The overall winners of the Open Class: For men, Cody Young; for women, Julian Nam. Results.

December 18, 2006

Cody Young, a member of the Cascade Club, who often skates with our club on Sundays made the trek to Wausau, Wisconsin, to participate in the U.S. Junior National Short Track competition. Cody's primary goal was to skate the 500 metre distance in under 50 seconds - a mark that has eluded him up to this point. In the 1000 metre time trial, Cody skated a very respectable 1:38.082, placing 24th out of a field 36 skaters. As a result of this placement, Cody skated the remainder of the competition in Group 2.
In the first event, the 1500 m., Cody skated a 2:43.85 in the semi-final and ended up finishing in 5th place in the B Final with a time of 2:36.93. Cody skated a 00:50.165 in the quarter finals of the 500 metre distance which relegated him to the D Final where he finished in a time of 00:49.800. He had skated a personal best and broke the "50 second barrier". Way to go Cody!
The next day, Cody skated in the 1000 metre semi-finals. A time of 1:43.712 sent him to the C Final where he finished in 4th place with a time of 1:45.943. Unfortunately, he had not accumulated enough points to skate in the 1500 metre super final but all in all, it was an excellent competition and Cody continues to learn and improve every time out.

December 4, 2006

Stacey finished in 2nd place overall at the American Cup Long Track competition held in Salt Lake City this past weekend. Battling with an injury to her thigh and blades that would not hold an edge, Stacey skated well. On Day 1, the competitors skated the 500 meter distance. Stacey finished in 5th place overall with a time of 45.65 and winning her pair by over a second. Next was the 1500 metre distance which Stacey finished in 2:23.04 finishing in 2nd place overall. Day 2 started with the 1000 metre race. Stacey was paired with the ultimate winner of the competition. She finished the race in 1:30.20 - good enough for 4th place overall. Last was the demanding 3000 metre distance. Stacey finished with a somewhat disappointing time of 5:02.20 but this did not prevent her from claiming a second place overall finish.

November 26, 2006

Puget Sound Speedskating Club is proud to announce that it will be hosting its first ever formal competition on December 23, 2006. This event is open to all skaters (speedskaters, figure skaters, hockey players and recreational skaters) of all abilities. There will be novice races for those who are new to skating as well as an Open Class where skaters meeting a time standard can challenge for the Puget Sound Challenge Cup. See the attached Information Sheet and Registration Form.

November 26, 2006

Stacey Michel skated in the Can-Am Long Track Cup event in Calgary this weekend. This first competition is a tune-up to the first American Cup event scheduled for Salt Lake City next weekend. Making the transition from practicing on a hockey rink to racing on a full sized oval is difficult. Stacey posted some respectable times in this first event of the year. In the 500 m. distance, Stacey skated in the 13th pair and finished with a time of 44.84 - good enough for 31st place overall and the 7th place American finish. In the 1500 m. event, she skated to a 2:15.45 time which left her place standings consistent with the 500 m. event. The following day was the 1000 m and 3000 m. events. Stacey finished in 24th place overall in the distance and was the 5th top American with a time of 1:28.06; and, ended up with a 34th place finish in the gruelling 3000 m distance (7th place American) with a time of 4:50.18. Although none of these times were personal bests, they were all very close. This bodes well for a successful season as training continues leading up to Junior Nationals in early February.

November 4, 2006

Kevin Nam attended his first competition in the Vancouver, B.C. area this weekend. He had excellent races and managed to skate his 500 m. distance below the 1 minute mark for the first time ever. Way to go, Kevin.

October 23, 2006

A number of Puget Sound skaters tested for their badges this month. Skaters who have already achieved a Level 10 include David, Julia and Isreal. Daniel, Kevin and Edwin achieved a Level 8 in this round of testing. Clare and Jimmy reached Level 4. Saree, Jamie Hanul, Seoul, William and Jessica all achieved a level 3. Congratulations to all skaters.

June 23, 2006

J.R. Celski, one of the best Junior skaters in the U.S., has returned to the Pacific Northwest to finish his last two years of high school amongst family and old friends after 2 years training with the Southern California team under the tutelage of Wilma Boomstra. We are very happy to see J.R. return to skating after several months of recuperating from a back injury suffered in a fall during the Junior World Short Track Championships held early in 2006. We welcome J.R. back and hope that we can offer him a challenging program that will continue to allow him to be competitive on the national and international scene.

May 15 , 2006

The Pacific Northwest clubs were happy to learn that short track skating star Erin Porter has moved to this area. As a Junior skater, Erin finished 2nd overall at the World Junior Championships in 1996 with two bronze medals. The following year, she won several gold medals on the World Cup circuit. She went on to participate on two U.S. Olympic teams (1998 and 2002). Erin, now 27, graduated from Empire State College in 2003 and has now settled in the Pacific Northwest. She will be assisting with coaching duties at the Cascade Speedskating Club located in Everett. She will be coaching a clinic in Everett August 11 through 13, 2006.

April 3 , 2006

Several Puget Sound Skaters travelled up the I-5 corridor on Saturday afternoon to skate in the second annual Interclub competition hosted by the Cascade Club. Although there were only a total of about 30 participants, the skaters had a lot of fun - especially in the relays and the "miss and out" events. The ice was in great shape and most of our skaters set one or more personal bests during the event.
Julia Nam, Kevin Nam and David Lee skated in the Midget and down division. In the 333 metre event, Julia came in first with a time of 36.44; David was a close second in 36.94. Kevin, skating in a different heat, finished 1st with a time of 41.46. This was a personal best for all 3 skaters. Grace Kim, David Lee (2) and William Lee, skating in their first short track competition, all skated in the final heat of the midget group. Each skater skated personal bests in the 333. In the 500 metre distance, Julia finished first in 54.87 with David just a skate width behind at 54.97 (a personal best). Kevin finished first in his heat in 1:04.71. Grace, David (2) and William skated against each other in the 500 metre race. Grace crossed the line first in a time of 1:24.78. In the final distance, the 666, Julia again crossed the line first with a time of 1:15.88. David finished in 1:17.03 (a personal best). Kevin finished first in his heat of the 666 m. with a time of 1:28.50 (a personal best). William finished 1st in the final distance, as Grace, who skated the distance in 1:54.40 was disqualified for stepping inside the track.
Edwin Park, Isreal Kim and Brandon Hall all skated in the Juvenile and up group. Edwin redeemed himself from the previous weekend in Kamloops. He finished first in each of his races with great times: 54.84 in the 500 metre distance (a personal best); 1:27.18 in the 777 m. (another personal best); and, 1:53.85 in the 1000 m. race (also a personal best). Brandon, an in-line racer who has been on ice skates for only about 4 weeks, placed 2nd in each distance, finishing close behind Edwin: 55.16 in the 500; 1:28.47 in the 777 metre race; and, 1:54.13 in the 1000 m. As this is the first time he has ever raced short track, these were all personal best finishes. Isreal had a bit of bad luck with a fall in the first and third races. However, he finished the 777 with a time of 1:29.25 (a personal best by about 5 seconds).
Jan, a last minute entry, skated in an all Masters group. In the first race she was on track for a good time in the 500 metre distance when she fell on the last corner coming into the finish line. In the 777, she skated a 1:32.97 which is consistent with the personal best she set at North Americans. The 1000 metre race was also a good time for her - 2:01.47 - the fastest time she has skated this distance all season.
All-in-all, it was a fun, informal competition and the kids all had a great time and were happy to be awarded ribbons for their efforts. Thanks to the Cascade Club and all its volunteers for hosting this event.

March 28, 2006

Pacific Northwest skaters had their ups and downs at the North American Age Class Short Track Championships. Three skaters from the Puget Sound Club - Julia Nam, Edwin Park and Jan Zurcher - and three skaters from the Cascade Club based in Everett, WA - Cody Young, Ben Kosten and Mike Kosten - competed.
Julia skated against 16 other Midget girls and finished 8th overall. Julia set a personal best in the 666 with a time of 1:12.28 which earned her a trip to the semi-finals and subsequently the B Final for the distance. In the 333, she qualified for the A final setting a personal best of 37.08. Unfortunately, she fell in the final and finished in 5th place - out of the medals. She hoped to redeem herself in the 500 and set a good pace in the quarter finals with a time of 54.55 (a personal best). In the semi-final, she fell just before the end of the race and slammed hard into the mats injuring her knee. Her competition was over for the weekend. To add insult to injury, she was disqualified in the race for a bad pass that resulted in an impeding call against her.

Edwin also had his ups and downs with falls in 4 of his 7 races. He still managed to skate several personal bests - 1:16.60 in the 666 m.; 38.11 in the 333 m.; and, 55.15 in the 500 m. As Edwin put it, this was his first and last competition and, despite the falls, he had a good time. This summer, he will be returning to Korea with his family.

Cody, too, had a few falls. It appears that he was racing faster and leaning more than he had ever done in the past and this was causing him to "boot out" on his right skate on the corners. Adjustments to the blade settings on Saturday night seem to have fixed the problem. On the first day, he fell in both of his 1000 m. races, so no PBs. On Saturday, he finished the 500 m. in 51.65 - a time consistent with his results in Madison last week. He finished the 777 m. in 1:18.98 and the 1500 in 2:43.03.
Ben also skated consistent with his finishes at Nationals last week: 1:49.11 in the 1000 m.; 53.76 in the 500 m.; 1:24.23 in the 777 m.; and 2:49.74 in the 1000 m.
Jan and Mike competed in the Masters class. Mike competed in the Master II class. He had personal bests in each distance: 2:05.52 in the 1000 m. race; 57.91 in the 500 m. distance; 1:34.59 in the 777 m.; and, 3:13.61 in the 1500. Jan competed in the Master III class. Unfortunately, at the last minute, one of the competitors withdrew from the competition and there were an insufficient number of skaters to comprise a class. Jan finished first in each of her races with times of 2:02.02 in the 1000 m.; 59.90 in the 500 m.; 1:32.78 in the 777 m. (a personal best) and 3:07.73 in the 1500 m. distance.

March 20, 2006

Pacific Northwest skaters performed very well at the U.S. National Age Class Short Track Championships. Three skaters from the Puget Sound Club - David Lee, Isreal Kim and Jan Zurcher - and three skaters from the Cascade Club based in Everett, WA - Cody Young, Ben Kosten and Thorsten Askervold - competed.
David and Thorsten skated in the Ponies (skaters aged 10 and under) group. David finished in 2nd place overall and Thorsten finished 5th. After a rocky start in the first distance - the 500 metre final in which he fell, David claimed a silver medal in the 333 metre race finishing in a time of 37.750 - just a skate length behind the first place finisher - Jeremy Via. The following day, David was out to show his metal. He skated strongly through the beginning rounds and claimed the gold medal in the 222 metre race with a time of 25.763. It was down to the final race - a 777 metre super final... In the 4th lap, he and another skater clashed skates in the corner and both went sliding into the sidewalls. David finished in 7th place in the distance. Thorsten also had his ups and downs. He fell in the quarter final of the 333 metre distance but still qualified to move on. In the semi-final, he finished out of the qualifiers but had a respectable time of 41.885. In the 500 metre distance, Thorsten qualified for the final and finished in 4th place to claim an Iron medal with a time of 00:59.458. He also qualified for the semi-final in the 222 but finished in 5th and did not move on to the final. His finish in the 500 metre race gave him enough points to skate in the 777 m. Super final. Thorsten finished in 3rd with a time of 1:32.674.
Isreal skated in the Midget class in his very first competition. The first event was the 777 m. distance. Isreal got off to a blazing start but was unable to hold the tempo for the entire distance and finished last in his heat with a time of around 1:34. Unfortunately, he was disqualified in the event. The next race was the 500. Isreal skated a personal best of 00:56.248 and qualified for the semi-final in the distance. His best event was the 333. Isreal has a phenomenal start and left all the other skaters in the dust at the start line. His time of 26.839 (also a personal best) allowed him to move to the semis.
Cody and Ben both skated in the Junior Mens class. Cody's goal for the competition was to make it to at least one semi-final. He did this easily. Because there were only 12 Juniors registered for the competition, the opening rounds were semi-finals. Cody set personal bests in all three distances that he skated - 51.005 in the 500 m. race; 1:43.826 in the 1000 m. distance and 2:36.976 in the 1500. Ben also skated personal bests in each of his races: 53.816 in the 500; 1:48.310 in the 1000 m. and 2:52.629 in the 1500 metre. Both boys skated extremely well in this competition.
Jan skated in the Master III Class where she finished first in each of the 4 events to claim the overall championship. Her only personal best came in the last event of the competition - the 1500 which she finished in 3:05.257. Although the competition in the Master III class was not as strong as she would have liked, she gains some satisfaction from the fact that her times were the second fastest amongst all of the master ladies skaters (aged 30 and up) for all of the distances.

March 11, 2006

A small contingent of skaters from the Northwest will be travelling to Madison, WI, later this week to participate in the U.S. National Age Class Short Track Championships. Three skaters from the Puget Sound Club - David Lee, Isreal Kim and Jan Zurcher - and three skaters from the Cascade Club based in Everett, WA - Cody Young, Ben Kosten and Thorsten Askervold - will compete. David and Thorsten will skate in a competitive group made up of 16 Ponies (skaters aged 10 and under). Isreal skates in the Midget class (skaters aged 11 and 12). He will be competing against 21 other boys his age from across the country. Ben and Cody both skate in the Junior class. Currently, there are 15 Juniors registered in the competition but this number will increase as any Juniors attempting to qualify for the Senior elite class who do not qualify in the top 16 in that group will come back into their own age group to compete in the rest of the competition. Jan skates in the Master III class. We are all looking forward to a fun and competitive event. Good luck to all the skaters representing Washington!

February 28, 2006

Jan made the trek to Milwaukee this past weekend for the Master's International Competition. This was the most successful Master's event ever with over 70 skaters between the ages of 30 and 79, 10 skaters from north of the border. The even was comprised of a metric style 500 metre distance on Saturday, along with heats and finals in the 1000 metre distance and the 800 metre distance all skated pack style. As time ran out, the 3000 metre race scheduled for Saturday was deferred to Sunday. On Sunday, the skaters skated a 1000 metre race metric style followed by pack style heats and finals in the 500, superfinals in the 1500 metre and 3000 metre distances and a 5000 metre "fun" race. Jan won each distance - both heats and finals - in her age class although her times were much slower than personal bests for each distance and off each record by a couple of seconds on each distance... something to shoot for next year. Of the 17 ladies in the competition between the ages of 30 and 54, Jan finished in the top 4 to 7 overall on each of most of the distances and is especially pleased with the 4th place time overall (based on time, since the event was skated in multiple groups) in the 3000 metre distance. For anyone who has never attended, the Master's International is a great, fun event with lots of racing - 11 races over the course of two mornings - and great comraderie. To see a picture of the skaters who attended this year, go to www.andrewlove.org/blog .

February 20, 2006

Stacey attended the Junior Sprint Long Track Championships held in Milwaukee on the February 18-19 weekend. A field of 14 of the top Junior skaters in the country participated in the event. In a sprint competition, each skater skates two 500 metre races and two 1000 metre races over the two days. Points are based on the times posted for each distance. Stacey finished 9th overall with a total of 179.670 points. In her age group (Junior B), she finished 4th overall - just 2 skaters back of two members of the Junior National Team for 2006. Although she did not skate any personal bests at this competition, she finished with respectable times for the somewhat slower Milwaukee ice: 44.53 and 45.17 in the 500 metre distances; 1:30.10 and 1:30.02 in the 1000 metre distances. Quite a finish to a very successful season and one that she hopes will get her Category 1 recognition with US Speedskating.

February 7, 2006

All of the skaters who attended the North American and National Age Class Championships want to pass along a big thank you to Coach Chang Ho Lee for his coaching over the past 2 months to get us ready for the main long track events of the season. He did an incredible job finding ways for us to skate on our long track skates within the confines of a hockey arena. Without his dedication and hard work, we would not have been as successful as we were - taking home a total of 23 individual distance medals, 8 ribbons, 5 official records, 4 additional unofficial records, two championship medallions and 9 overall top 3 finishes for from these two competitions. Three cheers for Coach Lee!!!

February 6 , 2006

This past weekend was a very successful one for the 5 skaters from the Puget Sound Club who participated in the U.S. Junior National/National Age Class Long Track Championships hosted in Roseville, Minnesota. We were represented by Kevin and David in the Pony Boys class; Julia in the Midget Girls class; Stacey in the Junior Girls class; and, Jan in the Master III Ladies class.
Stacey started off a successful weekend in the Junior B Class of the Junior National Championships. In the first event, the 500 metre distance, Stacey skated to a 4th place finish with a time of 47.190 (a very respectable time given the very windy conditions at the Roseville outdoor oval). The 1500 metre distance was next. Stacey skated a strong race finishing with a time of 2:45.515 to claim 5th place overall in her group. Her strongest race was the 1000 metre distance skated on Saturday morning. She finished with a time of 1:33.610 to claim a bronze medal in the distance. Her very first appearance on the medal podium. Way to go Stacey. The final distance was the 3000 metre race. Stacey finished in 8th place overall in this distance with a time of 5:25.210.
Stacey also participated in the pack style races for Junior B Ladies. This comprised two distances - the 500 metre and the 1500 metre. Staey surprised the field when she skated to a first place finish with a time of 46.120 - defeating a skater who had just qualified to participate on the Junior World Team later this month. A gold medal was hers! But the pressure was on. Stacey was now 2nd in points for the division. If she won the 1500 metre race, she would be National Champion in the Junior B Ladies Class. Unfortunately, it was not to be. In a surprise move, the pack took off quickly at the start and Stacey was caught off guard. She caught the pack but ended up skating on the outside for much of the race and finished in 5th place. However, her time was 2:24.740 which was 1.5 seconds faster than the existing record for the age class. Stacey finished 3rd overall - missing 2nd place by just 1 point. Congratulations to Stacey on an amazing competition.
The Masters skated their first race on Friday afternoon - the 1500 metre distance. Since Jan was the only skater registered in the 50-59 class, she was required to compete in the 40-49 age class. In the first race, she claimed the silver medal with a time of 2:48.810 (well behind the winner Kaari Cox who just moved into the 40-49 age class this year). On Saturday, the 1000 metre distance was the event of the day for the Masters. Jan finished in the bronze medal position with a time of 1:42.030 - a time that was faster than the existing Master 40-49 class record. On Sunday, battling a cold and a very painful left foot, Jan skated in both the 500 metre and the 3000 metre races. In the 500 metre distance, Jan again claimed a silver medal with a time of 51.940. The winner of the distance, Cindy Darrow set a new record for the 40-49 class. The 3000 metre race was a challenge with the race officials combining skaters from the Intermediate, Senior, 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 classes. Jan finished 4th overall (2nd in the 40-49 class) to claim her third silver medal of the weekend and an overall finish of 2nd in the 40-49 age class.
David and Kevin competed in a field of 4 pony boys. Once again, David held a commanding lead in each distance. In the 200 metre race, he finished with a time of 22.270 - just missing the existing record by 12/100th of a second. Kevin finished in 3rd place with a time of 25.260. In the 500 metre race, David skated to a first place finish with a time of 53.800. Kevin claimed 3rd place with a 1:07.380. In the 300 metre distance, David finally claimed his first record with a finish in 31.240. Kevin earned another bronze finishing in 38.910 in a very close finish with the second place skater. In the final distance, the 600 metre race, David earned a 4th gold medal and a second record with a time of 1:04.090. Kevin raced to the silver medal finishing in a time of 1:15.280 in another close finish between 2nd and 3rd. An interesting side note is that for the distances that were the same, David's times were all faster than the final time for the winner in the next oldest age group - the Midgets - the class that David will not compete in until next year. Congratulations to both skaters for their efforts. All the hard work and training certainly paid off. We were all very proud to see David be awarded his Class Championship Medallion at the end of the competition.
Julia was again in with a strong group of competitors and a lot of them, so she had to skate semi-finals to qualify for the medal round in each distance. The 600 metre distance came first. Julia finished in 3rd place with a time of 1:00.220. The first place finisher just missed setting a new record by 3/100ths of a second. Next was the 300 metre race. Julia claimed the silver medal in a time of 31.060 - about 0.1 second behind the winner. In the 500 metre final, Julia finished in 5th place with a time of 53.340. The longest distance was the 800 metre race. Julia finished in 3rd with a time of 1:26.380. On overall points, Julia finished in 3rd place. Well done!

January 30 , 2006

The largest contingent ever from the Puget Sound Club attended the North American Age Class Long Track Championships held in Salt Lake City during the final weekend in January. We were represented by Kevin and David in the Pony Boys class; Julia in the Midget Girls class; Stacey in the Junior Girls class; and, Jan in the Master III Ladies class.
Unfortunately, Kevin and David were the only skaters in the Pony Boys group, so they were combined with the two Pony Girls for each of their races. However, that did not deter them from skating very well. David skated all 4 of his distances in times faster than the current U.S. records for Pony Boys finishing the 400 in 40.410; the 200 in 22.04; the 300 in 31.450 and the 600 in 1:00.770 (an amazing 4 seconds faster than the current national record for Pony Boys skating on a covered oval). Kevin skated very hard in each of their races. One of the girls was a very strong skater and challenged Kevin to be at his best. Both boys took home ribbons and David was awarded a medal as the overall champion.
Julia was in a very competitive group of Midget girls (ages 10 and 11). She placed 6th in the 600 metre distance with a time of 56:650; third in the 500 and 300 metre races with times of 46.950 and 29.460 respectively; and, 5th in the 800 metre distance in a time of 1:13.830. Overall, she finished tied for third in the division which was won by Lillian Iwaniazyn, a skater from Alberta, Canada. Julia was the top finishing U.S. skater in the class and left the competition sporting 2 bronze medals.
Stacey skated in the Junior girls division which had a total of 12 skaters from Canada and the U.S. Stacey finished 7th in the 1500 metre race with a time of 2:33.160. She was 7th in the 1000 metre distance as well posting a personal best time of 1:25.760. She finished 8th in the 500 race with a time of 43.950 (also a personal best). Her strongest finish was in the 3000 metre race in which she finished 6th in a time of 4:56.950. Overall, she finished 8th in the field which consisted of a very strong contingent of Canadian skaters, most of whom have been skating long track for at least 6 years compared to this being Stacey's first season of long track.
Jan was disappointed to find that there were only two skaters in her class (Master III Ladies). However, she set the goal to skate her best and to try to better the North American records in each distance. She did better the records for the 1000 (1:42.190 - not a personal best but good enough for the new age class she moved into this year), the 500 (48.900) and the 800 metre (1:19.590) distances. However, she was unable to match the 1500 metre record time finishing in 2:40.08.

January 8 , 2006

Stacey Michel competed in her second metric style long track competition this past weekend at the Canada Cup event held in Calgary on January 7-8. Stacey completed all of her races in times closely matching her first time in a long track event. In the 500 metre distance, she skated a 44:25; in the 1000 metre distance, her time was 1:26.65 (a personal best). She finished the 1500 metre race in 2:15.16 and in the gruelling 3000 metre race, she took over 9 seconds off her previous best in the distance. Well done!

January 7 , 2006

Former Puget Sound Speedskating Club member, JR Celski skated to a bronze medal finish in the 500 metre distance at the World Junior Championships held in Romania this past weekend. This was after a disappointing fall in the semi-final of the 1500 metre race (one of JR's strongest distances). JR ended the competition as the top ranked U.S. skater finishing in a 3 way tie for 7th place.

November 28 , 2005

Stacey Michel competed in her first ever metric style long track competition this past weekend at the Can-Am event held in Calgary on November 23-27, 2005. The first two days of the competition was the sprint event. After two races each in the 500 metre and 1000 metre events, Stacey set personal bests of 44.56 and 1:27.23 in each distance respectively. The 500 metre result was just 0.75 seconds shy of the qualifying time for the Olympic trials to be held in early 2006 and the 1000 metre result was just 0.23 seconds above the qualifying time. In the overall results, Stacey finished in 9th and was the 4th placing skater from the U.S. This was an exceptional result for someone who has only skated on long track blades for about 4 months and only has a short track venue to practice on.
On Saturday and Sunday, Stacey participated in her first all-around competition. In this form of event, each skater skates 4 different distances once. In the 500 metre event on Saturday, Stacey posted a personal best of 44.28. In the 1000 metres, she was consistent with her times in the sprint competition (1:27.83). In her first 1500 metre event, she skated to a time of 2:15.21 (just 3 seconds over the qualifying time for the Olympic trials) and, in the very demanding 3000 metre distance, she finished with a time of 4:57.42 (just 5.42 seconds over the qualifying time for the Olympic trials). In the all around event, there were a total of 89 skaters. Stacey finished in 27th overall. It was a very strong showing against much more experienced skaters. The future looks bright for Stacey Michel.
Jan also skated in the competition but did not have a stellar showing. On Saturday, she skated a very slow 51.15 in the 500 metre event and finished 8 seconds slower than her personal best in the 1500 m. race. Sunday was a bit better with a time of 1:42.24 in the 1000 m. and, after a fall right in the starting corner on the 3000 m. race, finished with a time of 5:53.61. Jan finished in 52nd place overall. It's clear that she has her work cut out for her if she wants to do well at this year's Nationals and North Americans.

November 7 , 2005

Stacey Michel continues to work on her long track skating technique as she prepares to compete in her first ever metric style long track competition at the Can-Am event to be held in Calgary on November 23-27, 2005.

November 06, 2005

Former Puget Sound Club member J.R. Celski continues to establish skating history. J.R. finished 2nd at the U.S. Junior National Championships held this past weekend in Bay City, MI. As a result of this place, J.R. will travel to Europe in January to compete at the World Junior Championships. Congratulations, J.R.

October 15, 2005

The Puget Sound Club members continue to improve with 4 skaters breaking the 1:00 mark for the 500 metre distance at local time trials.

August 8, 2005

The Puget Sound Club will be hosting a Level 1 Coaches Clinic starting August 19 through August 21. If you are interested, please contact U.S. Speedskating for registration information.

July 29, 2005

Several members of the Puget Sound and Cascade (Everett) Speedskating Clubs followed the I-5 to Portland on Saturday, July 29, to spend some time watching the National Short Track team train in preparation for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. A highlight for the skaters was an opportunity to spend an hour on the ice with members of the team receiving one-to-one coaching. Thorsten was particularly happy as he was partnered with the very talented Apolo Anton Ohno. The skaters all came back with new "tricks" to show.
Also skating with the team was former Puget Sound Club member J.R. Celski. This article is an interview done with Apolo and J.R. during their stay in the Portland area.

July 8, 2005

The Mountain View Speedskating Club is excited to announce that the U.S. National Short Track Speedskating team will be spending a few days training in Oregon this month, and skating at the Mountain View Ice Arena in Vancouver. Since 2006 is an Olympic year, we know they are training hard to be at their best in February. The Mountain View Club would like to give you an opportunity to come and see them practice, and then join the club members for dinner afterwards (location to be determined). Please pass this along to anyone in the club who might be interested!
You're invited to the club at the Mountain View Ice Arena in Vancouver, Washington, on Saturday, July 30. The National Team has the ice from 4:15pm-6:15pm. We don't know yet whether we will be allowed to skate with them, but will fill you in on those details as soon as we know. Let Linda Jellison know if you have any questions, or need directions to the rink. The address is 14313 S.E. Mill Plain Boulevard, Vancouver, WA 98684. Phone 360-896-8700.

July 6, 2005

The new skin suits have arrived. If you have ordered one, be sure to pick it up from Coach Lee as soon as possible. They look great... a charcoal grey with red "fire" patterns and a firebird on the back. Skaters are faster just from putting them on!

May 9, 2005

The Puget Sound Club is pleased to announce that it has been approved as the host of a Level 1 Coaching Clinic this summer. The clinic will be instructed by Marion Wolhreb, a former long track skater and regional coach with U.S. Speedskating. It is scheduled to take place the weekend of August 19. All parents of skaters wanting to learn more about the sport are welcome to attend. More information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

May 5, 2005

The Club members were sorry to hear that Daniel Nam has suffered a severe injury playing soccer and will be off the ice for the next 6 to 8 weeks while his broken leg heals. We all wish Daniel a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the ice to continue his amazing progress as a speedskater.

April 10, 2005

Six members of the Puget Sound Speed Skating Club attended the April interclub meet sponsored by the Cascade Speedskating Club in Everett on Saturday, April 9. This was a small, fun, informal meet designed to give newer skaters a taste of racing.
Racing for the first time were Julia Nam, Kevin Nam, Daniel Nam and David Lee. Also accompanying the group was coach Chang-Ho Lee. This was the first opportunity to see some of the fruits of his effort with his group of young skaters. Although somewhat nervous, all skated very well. Jan and Stacey also attended although Jan played the dual role of on-ice Referee and skater.
In the Division 1 group (comprised of Adrienne, Lexius, Stacey, Cody, Daniel and Julia), the competition was fast and intense with Adrienne from the Mountain View Club in Vancouver, WA, claiming top honours amongst the guys on total points for the three distances. Stacey had some ups and downs with a fall in the 1000 metre race, but a decent showing in the 500 metre distance. Julia finished the 1000 m. in a time of 2:01.78 - a very respectable time for a young, novice short track skater.
See results

March 30, 2005

J.R. Celski finished off the American Cup series for 2004-05 in fine style. Based on points, J.R. finished in second place overall solidifying his position as a Category 1 Junior skater and entitling him to a cash award and on-going financial support for the coming season.
Our congratulations go out to J.R.

March 18, 2005

Jan Zurcher was the only skater from Washington State to attend the North American Short Track Championships held in Milwaukee, WI, on March 18-20, 2005. The overall turnout for the competition was quite low with the largest contingent from Ontario (26 skaters). There were only a few Masters skaters in attendance.
Jan skated to a 2nd place finish in each of the 4 distances. It looked like she was going to win the 1500 metre race when she "booted out" on the corner with just 6 laps to go and went down to the mats. Unfortunately, no personal bests were set.

March 2, 2005

Two Puget Sound skaters - Stacey Michel and Jan Zurcher - attended the U.S. National Short Track Age Class Championships in Milwaukee held February 24-27, 2005.
Stacey skated in the Senior (Elite) time trials but did not make the top 16 cut after the 1000 m. time trial. In the time trial event, she finished 27th overall out of 33 competitors. Since she did not make the cut for the Senior competition, she skated the rest of her competition as a first year Junior.
The competition began with the 1500 m. event. Stacey was skating a very strong race when she was impeded by a skater making a bad pass. The actions of the other skater forced Stacey to go wide and three of the skaters in the pack passed her on the inside. Despite a valiant effort, Stacey was unable to make up the full distance and finished in 3rd with a time of 2:45.218. This was the 10th fastest time for the distance (out of 17 skaters). The 500 m. race was next. Stacey did not get a good start and finished in 3rd place in her heat with a time that left her 15th out of 18 skaters. In the 1000 m. distance, Stacey attempted the strategy of going to the front and trying to lead a good pace. She did an excellent job of this and although she finished in 4th place in her heat, a disqualification resulted in Stacey being advanced to the semi-final. She tried a different strategy in the semi-final but finished in 5th place and did not make the cut into the final. However, her time was the 9th fastest time for her age category.
Jan skated in the Masters II age class. This competition began on Thursday, which meant only 3 rest days between the conclusion of the Masters Long Track event and this Short Track event. Jan was fourth in the 1500 m. and quite disappointed in the 1000 m. results - she still came fourth out of the 6 skaters in the final but was slower than her personal best by nearly 7 seconds. Friday was a better day with a good showing in the 500 m. (she qualified 2nd in the semi-final and finished 4th in the final). In the 3000 m. event, knowing that Elise Brinich was a much faster skater than she, Jan went into the race with the strategy to lead as much of the race as possible. After leading 20 of the 27 lap race, two skaters went by and Jan ended up with a third place finish. Overall, she finished in 4th place - just 10 points behind the 3rd place overall finisher.

Also competing in the event was former Puget Sound skater, J.R. Celski. J.R. should have been skating in the Juvenile age class (ages 12-13). However, he also elected to skate the Senior (Elite) Division. J.R. had an amazing competition - he finished 12th overall in the 1000 m. time trial and followed this with a 14th place finish in the 4 lap time trial. Having made the top 16, he was now going to be competing against the best skaters in the country - Apolo Ohno, Rusty Smith, J.P Kepka and Shani Davis - just to name a few. J.R. was the smallest skater in the competition but held his own. He finished 5th in the 1500 m. final, thereby earning important points that qualified him to skate in the 3000 m super final in which he finished 5th as well. Overall, in the competition, J.R. finished 8th overall - the youngest skater ever to finish with a top 10 finish in the Senior Elite class. He finished off the competition winning a gold medal as part of the winning 5000 m. relay team. Congratulations to J.R. on this amazing accomplishment.

February 18, 2005

Jan attended her final long track competition of the season this past weekend - the Masters International - at the Pettit Ice Center in Milwaukee. After the ice conditions in Sault Ste. Marie, to say that it was a pleasure to skate on the indoor oval at the Pettit Center is an understatement. The Masters had a slightly different format this year. The first day of the competition was run as an "olympic" style (or metric) competition. Jan had never skated this type of competition before and had a hard time judging pace, so, although she won each of the distances (500 m., 1000 m. and 1500 m.) for her age class, she did not set any personal bests.
Sunday was run using the standard pack style format but it was a tough competition. In a three and 1/2 hour period, the skaters skated 6 distances - 300 m., 500 m., 800 m., 1000 m., 1500 m., 3000 m. and 5000 m. Jan won each of these distances for her age class (45-49) and was declared the overall champion.

February 8, 2005

After a successful weekend in Salt Lake City, Jan made the trip to Sault Ste. Marie the following weekend for the North American Long Track Age Class Championship. Unfortunately, the weather in Sault Ste. Marie was not cooperating. The temperature had been above freezing for most of the week prior to the competition and by Friday, the outdoor natural ice surface was pretty soft. The referees decided on an early morning start for Saturday, so at 1:30 a.m. West Coast time, Jan found herself getting up to wait for a shuttle from the hotel to the rink.
On top of the very soft ice conditions, we were skating on a 333 metre oval with corners that were misshapen due to theneed to move the corner markers 10 feet out from the normal position to avoid melting conditions and there was a 25-35 km/hr wind. The ice surface did not accommodate setting personal bests but Jan won each distance in her age class. Since there were not many masters ladies in the event overall, the Master 30-39 and 40-49 ladies were combined. Jan was pleased to win the first race - 1500 metre distance - over all skaters. The rest of the distances were close with Patti Tank (a Master I skater) edging out the win in each of the distances.

January 28, 2005

Jan Zurcher made the trek to the U.S. mecca of long track speedskating - the new high altitude indoor oval located in Kearns, Utah, for the 2005 U.S. National Long Track Age Class Championships. Skating in the Master II class, Jan finished first in 4 of the five distances - setting records in the four events that she won. Most significant was the 1500 metre distance in which she beat the former record by over 7 seconds. She finished 3rd in the 3000 metre event. This enabled her to claim the long track championship for the second consecutive year.

January 23, 2005

J.R. Celski returned to the eastern United States once again this weekend to compete in the second American Cup of the Short Track season. The American Cup pits the best skaters in the country against one another. At the competition, J.R. was 12th based on points. On the time classifications, he had the 14th fastest time in the 1500 m distance; the 11th fastest time in the 500 metre distance setting a personal best of 0:44.419; 12th in the 1000 metre distance; and, true to form (he prefers the longer distances), he finished with the 6th fastest time overall in the 3000 metre distance - ahead of two members of the U.S. Senior National Team (Rusty Smith and Alex Izykowski). Once again, our congratulations to J.R. It is an extremely unusual event for a skater who is still in the Juvenile class to finish in the top 16 amongst ALL skaters in the country.

January 10, 2005

Sixteen speedskaters from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia converged on the Everett Event Centre to attend a two day Ellis Edge speedskating camp sponsored by the Cascade Speedskating Club. Stacey attended as a participant and Jan participated as an assistant coach.

If you ever have an opportunity to attend a camp coached by Sue Ellis and her business partner, Paul Widdershoven, skate as fast as you can to the nearest registration desk! Sue's camps are truly time well spent. As one skater said just a few hours into the camp... "This camp is SOOOO good....". What is really amazing is that almost all of the 18 hours of the camp is spent on the technical aspects of skating - doing movements slowly and precisely - feeling what generates the power under your skates. What Sue and Paul bring to the camp is an exceptional understanding of the biomechanics of speedskating and an ability to explain these biomechanics to skaters of all ages from 8 to 80. Each skater gets one-on-one attention from the coaches and leaves the camp with an increased awareness of how to analyze their own skating technical performance. For more information about Ellis Edge and Ellis Edge Camps, see the Ellis Edge web site.

The other tool that skaters take from the camp is how to improve the technical focus of their dryland training using TechniCords (c) a training aid developed by Ellis Edge. With these "ropey, bungie, thing-a-ma-bobs" (as one young skater described them), a skater is able to isolate each movement of the skating stroke, to feel where their centre of gravity is and to feel the weight transfer from their heel to the ball of their foot. In addition, the TechniCords (c) allow skaters to simulate the skating stroke dynamically for straight aways, corners, starts and even pivots. This training tool is a great one for any speedskater who wants to improve his or her technical skating skills. For more information about TechniCords, see the TechniCord web site.

December 20, 2004

Stacey and J.R. both had excellent results at the U.S. Junior Championships held in Bay City, MI, this past weekend.
On points, Stacey finished in 27th place of the 37 young ladies competing in the championships. In the 1000 metre time trial, Stacey finished in 19th spot. Her time of 1:46.810, a personal best by 2 seconds, left her just a fraction of a second out of qualifying for the top 16 skating group. In the first 1500 metre distance, she was disqualified for impeding while attempting a pass going into a corner but her time would have had her finishing in the top 20 - consistent with the time trial. The 500 metre heats were a bit of a disappointment. A clash of skates with another skater off the start left Stacey a few steps behind the pack from which she never recovered. Her times in the two 1000 metre events were consistent with her personal bests. Although she finished 3rd in the C final, her time was the 22nd fastest of all of the competitors. Stacey saved the best for last - the 1500 metre superfinal. In this event, Stacey finished in 3rd place with a time of 2:42.632 (a 6 second personal best). This time was the 3rd fastest time recorded for the superfinal for all 37 skaters and was just 4 seconds slower than the National record for Junior girls set by Jade Wheeler in 2000. Congratulations to Stacey on her excellent results and continued improvement (photos by Jerry Search).

This weekend's competition was one of both elation and disappointment for J.R. His goal going into the meet was to finish in the top 3. He met this goal and surprised a lot of the older, more experienced skaters with his 2nd place overall finish. J.R. started the meet with a 5th place finish in the 1000 metre time trial with a time of 1:32.510 (a personal best). Then he surprised the entire field with a 1st place finish in the A final in the 1500 metre event. J.R. completed the distance in 2:20.540 (another personal best). This is an amazing result given that J.R. is only a second year Juvenile skater (aged 13 for skating purposes). This time is 4 seconds faster than the Junior Men's (ages 15-16) record set by Rusty Smith in 1996. The 500 metre race was next. J.R. finished 1st in the B Final but en route to that, he skated the distance in 00:45.065 (a third personal best) which is faster that the current 500 metre record for Juvenile Boys set at last year's Age Class Nationals by Austin Yun.

J.R. capped the competition off with a 3rd place finish in the 1000 metre A Final and another 1st place finish in the 1500 metre A Super final with another time faster than Rusty's currently standing Junior Men National Age Class record. On points, J.R. finished in 2nd place with 2512 points, just 110 points away from the leader Ryan Bedford. That was the elation.

The disappointment was that although the top three skaters qualified for the U.S. Junior World Team, ISU rules require that you be 14 years of age by July 1 prior to the skating season in order to skate in international competitions. J.R. misses the age limit by 3 weeks. So, while J.R. won a spot on the team, he will not be able to attend the Junior Worlds to be held in Serbia in early January. All of us here are extremely happy for J.R. for his accomplishments.

December 17, 2004

Stacey and J.R. are off to eastern U.S. this weekend to test their training and to vie for a place on the Junior Category 1 team. This competition will see the best young U.S. skaters between the ages of 12 and 19 challenge for the Junior National title. This will be the first time for both skaters to compete in this annual event. Good luck to both skaters.

December 11, 2004

Stacey took a quick trip to Southern California this weekend to participate in the Santa Claus Classic competition. With less than ideal ice conditions and some equipment issues, she did not feel that she skated her best but still managed a respectable finish as the fourth fastest Junior girl at the competition.

November 15, 2004

Congratulations to Stacey on her fine performance at the first American Cup. Stacey Michel finished in the top 30 of all of the best skaters in the country accumulating a total of 38 points. She set personal bests in both the 1000 metre and 1500 metre distances shaving off a total of 3 seconds on the 1000 and nearly 16 seconds off her last official time in the 1500 metre event. Well done!
In terms of time classification, Stacey was tied for 20th out of 40 skaters in the 1500 m. distance and 32nd in the 1000 m. This bodes well for the U.S. Junior National Championships to be held in mid-December. What is really amazing is that she did this well despite having been involved in a skating accident at a practice on the Thursday just prior to the competition that left her with a 4" cut from her lip to under her chin.
Unfortunately, J.R. had more disappointing results. He did not get to skate in the heats of the 1500 metre event due to being charged with 2 false starts and so was placed in the last final. While the points there were low, he finished in a time of 2:26.402 - 10 seconds faster than his best time last season and a time faster than Rusty Smith posted in the A Final for the event. The heat of the 500 metre event was heartbreaker with a fall. J.R. was in a heat with Rusty Smith, had a great start and was in second place going into the second turn when his feet went from under him and he was sliding towards the boards. Again, placed in one of the last finals, J.R. skated a strong race with a 47.458 finish. The 1000 metre heats were another disappointment. J.R. skated to a second place finish clocking in with a time around 1:34.5 but was disqualified for impeding. Certainly not the outcome he was hoping for but this talented skater will be a force to contend with at U.S. Juniors in December. In terms of time classification, J.R. finished 6th out of 56 skaters in the 1500 m. distance, 35th in the 500; and, with a time in the 1000 that would have put him in the top 10.

NOTE: Pictures from Jerry Search's collection, Southern California

November 13, 2004

Two Puget Sound skaters and several skaters from Everett made the trek south to attend the first annual Mountain View Speedskating Club competition. The competition was also attended by several skaters from the Northern California Speedskating Association (including Masters Champions John Diemont and Kimon) as well as former Olympian Dan Holloway. In all, there were about 35 skaters competing. Everyone had a great time - even though we skated 3 distances in the space of about 90 minutes. Congratulations to Mountain View Club on a successful event.
Mikaela did not skate any personal bests but held her own in the 1500 metre event - leading the pack for much of the race and keeping faster skaters from taking the inside pass by a third cross-over coming out of the corner that closed down the inside lane. Great job Mikaela.
Jan did not have a particularly good event, skating much slower times than at the most recent competition in Vancouver, B.C., but attributes this to concern over the fact she had discovered that the back 4" of the left blade had come loose from the tube.

November 11, 2004

Stacey had a close call today at a practice in N.Y. just two days prior to the start of the American Cup competition. A skater in front of Stacey fell and her skate kicked up and caught Stacey on the chin leaving a cut that required several stitches. Fortunately, the incident was not more serious and Stacey will still be able to compete in the event.

November 10, 2004

Stacey Michel is off to join J.R. and about 100 other skaters at the first American Cup of the season. This American Cup is being held in Saratoga Springs, NY. Good luck to both skaters.

October 31, 2004

Welcome to Daniel who joined us for his first speedskating session today. Daniel is a very competitive figure skater competing at the senior level but has decided to also give speedskating a try. Daniel will be heading to California for the month of November for a month of training and competition but we look forward to seeing him return in December.
Just a reminder that the club in Vancouver, WA, will be hosting its very first competition (and the first for the state of Washington) on November 13. If you have never competed in a meet before, this may be a good one to try as the competition will be relatively low key and the major focus on fun and sharing a sport we enjoy with others who have the same interest.

October 25, 2004

Registrations for the next competition - the Matsqui Blades Interclub meet - are due by no later than October 30. Registration is limited to 200 for the whole competition, so get your registrations in early.

October 18, 2004

Sprinker Arena is offering a public speedskating session. Beginning the first or second Saturday in November, Sprinker Arena will be hosting a public speedskating session on Saturday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This will be an opportunity for the rink to showcase speedskating. They have a set of mats that they will be setting up each week to make the session safer for those who want to go fast. The cost is $10/skater payable to the rink.

October 16, 2004

The first competition of the season was held in Langley this past weekend. Stacey, Mikaela and Jan from Puget Sound participated along with a large contingent from the Cascade Club (Ben, John, Cody, Thorston and Amee). The older skaters skated in the morning. The ice was good and the races went quickly with each skater skating 4 distances. None of the Puget Sound skaters had personal bests but it is early in the season and technique and confidence improved with each race culminating in an impromptu 333 distance for Stacey and John. See Results.
Stacey was hoping for better results but had a very respectable competition. After a somewhat disappointing result in the first 500 metre distance, she pulled it together and finished the 1000 metre race less than a second from her personal best. The second 500 metre race was much improved. The 1500 metre was an interesting event. The skaters were into the 3rd last lap when 3 skaters went down. One skater did not get up quickly and with 2 laps to go, the referee called the race. It looked as though they were going to have the skaters immediately reskate the entire distance but then they called them to the opposite side of the rink and held up a three lap card. It was going to be a short race. Stacey got off to her best start ever - completing the first lap in under 13.5 seconds and skating a couple of 12 second laps. Way to go Stacey! Stacey finished the competition as the 4th fastest Junior woman out of 20 skating at the meet.
Mikaela skated technically very well - staying low, keeping her weight back and skating through the corners. She led her group in the 1000 metre race for all but the first 2 laps, showing some good passing ability and determination. Because of a fall, she finished low in the standings but based on times, was about the 10th fastest Junior female skater.
Tim Dimerjan returned to the ice for the first competition since severely injuring his ankle in late February. He finished with very respectable times and was the second fastest Master 1 male skater in the event. Welcome back, Tim!
Jan skated technically fairly well and came close to a personal best in the second 500 metre event. She finished as the 2nd fastest Master 2 female skater but well behind first place Master 2 skater, Diane Silzer.
Cody set personal bests in both his 500 distance and his 1000 metre race. In the latter distance, he took nearly 6 seconds off his time from how fast he skated at U.S. Nationals late last February. John Simon also set a couple of personal bests in both the 500 m. and 1000 m. distances. Again, the latter distance was about 7 seconds faster than his finish in the distance at Nationals last winter.

October 11, 2004

Stacey and Peggy made a quick trip to Southern California this past weekend to participate in their "Qualifier Competition". Each skater only got to skate two races and Stacey was disappointed that she did not get a chance to skate the 1000 metre distance as she was looking for a seed time to submit for the American Cup event. These races were quite early in the season and Stacey was somewhat disappointed with her results but a look at the times for other skaters showed that they were also off of their personal bests set at the end of last season by several seconds on most distances. It was an opportunity to assess current level and to determine focus for the next couple of months in preparation for the American Cup and Junior Nationals.
On the plus side, Stacey got to spend some time with our "roving" club member - J.R. J.R. is enjoying the opportunity to skate with a larger group of fast skaters. He likes his new school and living with his brother has been going well. J.R. is skating well and finished both of his races at the Qualifier just a few seconds slower than his times at the end of last season. He is well positioned for improved times this season.

October 5, 2004

The first competition of the season will be the Langley Interclub Competition held October 16. Registration is $16.00 CDN and due to Peggy Michel by October 7, 2004.

October 3, 2004

Ice time changes for this week only:
- Tuesday: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Wednesday: 2:50 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
- Friday: Cancelled
- Saturday - Beginners: 11:50 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.
- Sunday: Early session cancelled. Beginners: 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

September 6, 2004

Ice time changes for thi