The addictive thrills and spills of speedskating THE LONG BLADES BECKON BY DAVE BROWN Ah, the need for speed. If you’re a speedskater living around Ottawa, you know the rush of the sound of the ice as you plant one blade in front of the other and race around Brewer’s outdoor oval rink. For many, it’s truly addictive. Once you’ve experienced the thrill of strapping on long, razorsharp blades and flying around an oval track at speeds close to 30 kilometres an hour, the rush is too much to ignore. And who doesn’t recall the excitement of watching shortand long-track races during past Olympics? And special kudos to Ottawa’s own Kristina Groves, who won four Olympic medals — three silver and a bronze — as well as 18
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world championship medals. But aside from Olympians, past and future, there are hundreds of children and adults learning to speedskate this winter – just for the fun of it. The outdoor Brewer Park Oval — a 400-metre Olympic-sized speedskating track across from Carleton University — beckons both children and adults. For a winter country, Canada has surprisingly few speedskating ovals, and the Brewer facility is one of only two in Ontario. Ottawa’s two speedskating clubs have long been involved in the building and maintenance of the oval and rinks. Volunteers from the Ottawa Pacers Speed Skating Club and the Gloucester Concordes Speed Skating Club spend many cold nights pouring water on the fields of Brewer Park. This year they anticipate more than 4,000 skaters. Accessible by car, bus or the O-train, visitors can skate on either the standard indoor or the outdoor oval skating rinks. When you speedskate you skate in a counter clockwise direction as fast as you can, trying not to lose control only to slide into the cushioned walls or snowbanks. Skaters practise to obtain a smooth transition from short steps at the start of the race to long, smooth and efficient strides to maximize their speed. The speed comes
from crouching low to reduce air resistance while, at the same time, allowing the leg to extend to the side during each push. Let’s take a closer look at the sport. RACE TYPES Whether you’re seven or 70, either type of speedskating mentioned here will develop your strength, agility and co-ordination. Short-track speedskating is racing on ice on an 111-metre track in an indoor arena. It is tactical and requires good technique, strength and endurance. Short track is packstyle racing among groups of four to six skaters. A standard meet will have four sets of races at different distances, which vary depending on the age of the skaters. Long-track speedskating is raced on a 400-metre track. It is tactical (dependant on the distance and pace) and also requires good technique, strength and endurance. Long track can be pack style (mass start with multiple skaters) or Olympic style (two skaters on the track). A standard meet will consist of sets of races at different distances. HISTORY The roots of speedskating date back over a millennium to Scandinavia, northern europe and www.ottawaoutdoors.ca
