Gift Ideas for Skaters

December 2, 2013

The Speed Skate Cellar has great gift ideas for the skaters in your life!  Call 403-220-7911.

  • Skate pendant with chain (sterling silver) $45
  • Skater pendant with chain (sterling silver) $50
  • AASSA Buffs $30
  • AASSA Toques by Swift $30
  • Pennington Blackhawk Jig $240
  • Viking Sharpening Stone $50
  • Viking Burr Stone $8

For more ideas check out; http://atlanticlongtrack.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/gift-ideas/

Alberta Members Honored

October 21, 2013

In June 2013, Speed Skating Canada awarded the following to these Alberta speed skaters and supporters;

•  Female Coach of the Year: Shawna Pearman
• Officials of Excellence Award: Rod Fisher
• Jean R. Dupre Administrator of the Year Award: Alice Humeny
• Jeremy Wotherspoon Award (male long track skater of the year): Jamie Gregg
• Rising Star for Long Track: Kate Hanly
• Gagne Family Award: The Greggs: Kathy, Randy, Jamie, Jessica, Sarah and Ryan

AASSA acknowledges the contribution of all athletes, coaches, officials and other volunteers who make speed skating better for Albertans. You are a great source of inspiration for all of us – congratulations! 

Alberta Sport Plan

October 11, 2011 - Deadline has been extended to Midnight Monday, October 14th

The Alberta Government would like to know your priorities for amateur sport in the province! Your responses to the survey will contribute to the renewal of the Alberta Sport Plan which will provide direction for provincial government support to amateur sport for the next 10 years. http://albertasportplan.budgetsimulator.com/     

New Oval Ice Policy

September 13, 2013

A message from the Olympic Oval - The long track NTC ice time will now be open to any Canadian speed skaters who meet the “A Group” ice time standards. These standards can be found here http://schedules.oval.ucalgary.ca/PublicHPLT.aspx; only one time standard must be met. This new policy is subject to change at any time.

  

Speed Skating Canada 126th AGM

OTTAWA – Speed Skating Canada (SSC) held its 126th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ottawa this past weekend uniting membership from across the country. The AGM included a combination of formal association business, elections, educational information and discussion sessions as well as the President’s Welcome and Recognition reception, which is Speed Skating Canada’s opportunity acknowledge and recognize the dedicated volunteers who contribute to making the sport of speed skating so successful.

Board members elected to the SSC Board of Directors include Tony Main, Treasurer (Vancouver); Jim Elliott, Director (Ottawa); David Gilday, Director (Yellowknife); Jean R. Dupré, Director (Montreal). They will join Marie-Claire Rouleau, President (Montreal); J.F. Monette, Athlete director (Montreal); Susan Auch, Director (Winnipeg); Jim Allison, Director (Abbotsford). SSC wishes to thank Michelle Casoni, who stepped down as Director, for her work.

SSC also elected members to the High Performance Long Track Committee, including Derek Auch (Calgary); Annie Perrault (Montreal).  Gaétan Boucher (Rosemère) was elected to the High Performance Short Track Committee to replace outgoing member Tom Overend.

Every year, at SSC's Annual General Meeting, awards are presented to deserving individuals in a number of categories, in recognition for their achievements during the season or lifetime involvement. The following Alberta members were honoured:

  • Kate Hanly (Calgary), Long Track Rising Star Award;
  • Jamie Gregg (Edmonton), Jeremy Wotherspoon Award - Male Long Track Skater of the Year;
  • Alice Humeny (Calgary), Jean R. Dupré Award - Administrator of the Year;
  • Rod Fisher (Calgary), Officials of Excellence Award;
  • Shawna Pearman (Red Deer), Coach of the Year – female;  
  • Gregg Family: Randy, Kathy, Jamie, Jessica, Sarah and Ryan (Edmonton); Gagne Family Award (Family that has made an outstanding contribution to the development of the sport of Speed Skating in Canada):  
  • Gabrielle Waddell (short track), Peter Williamson Memorial Trust Fund Bursaries

The 2014 SSC AGM has been scheduled for June 27-29th in Ottawa.

Congratulations Richard Starke!

Dr. Richard Starke, former coach with the Lloydminster Border Blades, has been named the new Minister of Tourism in Premier Redford’s cabinet;
http://alberta.ca/NewsFrame.cfm?ReleaseID=/acn/201302/33622A65E314C-A68F-3A4F-62E7408F09A097D9.html
 

Alberta Ranking Lists

December 03, 2013

The latest short track ranking list is included here for all Junior and T2T skaters. L2T and down skaters are not ranked provincially however all times are tracked and personal best times for every club skater will be provided to each individual club.

Skate to Sochi

November 15, 2013

Are you ready to get your speed on? Can your club Skate to Sochi?  Join the journey and celebrate our Olympic athletes as they make their way to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. 

AASSA is Recruiting VP Marketing

September 13, 2013

Alberta Amateur Speed Skating Association (AASSA) is recruiting a volunteer prepared to serve on its Executive as Vice President Marketing.

A Vice President Marketing will lead AASSA’s fundraising efforts by pursuing corporate and government sponsorships, donations and grants. These endeavours will play a key role in allowing AASSA to grow and deliver more and better programs for its skaters, through better training for coaches and officials, better competitions, and appropriate financial support directly to athletes, either as individuals or as groups, for training and competitions.

Successful fundraising is a long-term project, and the individual should foresee serving 2-3 years in that role, to take an active role in developing and leading, with AASSA staff and other volunteers, a sustainable fundraising plan by building relationships and cementing the organization’s reputation with sponsors and donors, and granting agencies. This individual will also serve as a resource to and, as necessary, a coordinator of Alberta clubs in their fundraising efforts. The Vice President Marketing also works with the Vice President Finance of AASSA on the Association’s Speed Skate Cellar business, making available skating equipment for sale to members and families.
As a full member of AASSA’s Executive, this volunteer will also join with other Executive members in the governance and oversight of the provincial organization.

Interested individuals are encouraged to contact Wendy Walker (Program Coordinator) at the AASSA office (aassa@ucalgary.ca) or Blair Carbert (President) at carbert@scwlawyers.com. Further information can also be obtained from AASSA’s 4-Year Plan and the specific Action Plans concerning marketing.

Alberta Speed Skating thanks Gayle Fathoullin of the Calgary Speed Skating Association, who served as VP Fundraising for about 18 months, until her recent withdrawal due to the demands of her family business. Gayle, you left big shoes and big ambitions for the next volunteer to fill. We know your passion for the sport and are confident that you will be there to help Alberta Speed Skating and its Clubs, as your time permits.
 

Intact Insurance Short Track Team Selections

August 6, 2013

Montreal – The selection process for members of the Canadian short track speed skating team who will participate in the Sochi Olympic Winter Games will start on Wednesday, August 7th at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, and continue until Sunday, August 18th. At the end of these events, the cumulative results* will determine the athletes who will represent the Olympic team for this discipline. For the occasion, athletes will participate in three distance events.

For the competition schedule:
http://www.speedskating.ca/sites/default/files/st_trials__schedule.pdf

For the list of athletes participating in the events:
http://www.speedskating.ca/olympic-selections

For the selection process steps:
http://www.speedskating.ca/sites/default/files/fact_sheet._en.pdf

Watch the webcast:
http://sports.tvgo.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1935

_content&view=article&id=1935 _content&view=article&id=1935* In this respect, note that various criteria are taken into consideration in this process. For this reason, we recommend to check with Speed Skating Canada before announcing the names of the athletes.

For more information:

Marie-Annick L'Allier (who will be on site for the duration of the competitions)
ma@malallier.com  | 514-983-8236
Twitter: @SSC_PVC (#SelectionsIntactAssurance)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSC.PVC

Helmets Mandatory at Olympic Oval

Helmets Rule! Approved helmets are now mandatory during Public Skating sessions at the Olympic Oval. This policy is implemented as a proactive safety measure to help protect skaters and to ensure all users of the Olympic Oval enjoy their time skating. Skaters who do not have their own helmet can borrow one from the Olympic Oval Skate Shop at no charge on a first come first served basis. Protect your brain, skate smart! Helmets must meet safety standards of specific helmet style. 

Wotherspoon in the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

Red Deer's Jeremy Wotherspoon, possibly the greatest long track speed skating sprinter in history, was honoured by the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame this past Friday, May 24, 2013 in Red Deer at the Sheraton Hotel. Wotherspoon was one of 11 individuals to be inducted into the Sport Hall of Fame this year.

Wotherspoon has had 67 career victories and 13 World Cup titles and is Canada’s most decorated male speed skater of all-time.  He also set or reset 10 world records, skated the four fastest laps in history (the fastest 24.32 seconds) and currently holds the 500-metre mark of 34.03 seconds, set November 8, 2007 in Salt Lake City.

The four-time Olympian won silver in the 500m in the 1998 Games. He also won four world sprint championships and was Canada’s speed skating male athlete of the year from 1998-2005 and in 2008. The award was changed to the Jeremy Wotherspoon Award. Jeremy was also inducted in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. 

2013 Annual General Meeting

Thanks to everyone who attended the 2013 AASSA Annual General Meeting which was held in Leduc, May 4-5, 2013.  Two new members were elected to the AASSA Executive Committee;  Elizabeth Offin as Secretary/Treasurer and John MacLennan as VP Skater Development.  A huge thank you to the out-going volunteers Shawna Pearman and Garret Pariseau for all their time and commitment to the sport!  The next AGM will be held again in Leduc the first weekend in May 2014.