4. Officials Jackets
Following the SSC Officials Symposium, the SSC Officials Development Committee (ODC) arranged for recognition jackets to be made available to all SSC Level III and higher certified officials. The total cost of the jacket is $83.62. The ODC will subsidize the jacket purchase by 25%, which means that individuals will pay $62.71 per jacket. Jackets will take approximately 4-6 weeks for delivery. Contact the AASSA office by Thursday, July 10th to order yours!
5. SSC News
Sherbrooke – At a press conference held today in his hometown, Sherbrooke, Mathieu Turcotte officially announced that he was putting an end to his speed skating career.
“After a putting a lot of thought into it, I decided to stop skating,” explained the ten-year member of Canada’s National short track speed skating team. “I had a wonderful career, but it is time to move on. I now wish to focus on my speed skating boot company, which allows me to stay involved in this sport I am so passionate about.”
Highlights of Turcotte’s career are his three Olympic Games, where he won a total of three medals – bronze in the 1000m and gold the in relay in Salt Lake City, and silver in the relay in Turin. Turcotte was also 500m World Cup Champion in 2004-05. He still holds the World Record in the relay with his teammates François-Louis Tremblay, Steve Robillard and Charles Hamelin, and was World Team Champion no less than five times.
“It is with great sadness that we heard of Mathieu’s decision,” announced Jean R. Dupré, Director General, Speed Skating Canada. “Mathieu is one of those skaters who really helped put short track speed skating on the map in Canada. Along with his teammates, he captivated the crowds and helped Canada gain a reputation of excellence all over the world. It is a big loss for our team, but at the same time, athletes such as Mathieu inspired so many young skaters that there is a lot of depth in Canada for short track speed skating.”
Mathieu Turcotte now wants to focus on the APEX racing skates company that he co-founded many years ago. Speed Skating Canada and the Fédération de patinage de vitesse du Québec wish him luck and happiness in the years to come, and wish to thank him for all he did to contribute to the development of short track speed skating in Québec and all over Canada.
