1. Upcoming Coaches Seminar
Attention coaches! AASSA’s Coach and Skater Development Committee (CSDC) is proud to announce an upcoming coaching seminar instructed by Jack Walters. The seminar will be held on October 25-26’08 in Red Deer. The seminar is free for Alberta coaches.
Target coaches for this seminar are coaches working with Development Team skaters (8-15 year olds), or those coaches who have completed at least FUNdamentals or level 1 equivalent or have experience coaching at the club level for a number of years.
The seminar will be divided into parts; first will be general biomechanical principles, Long Track (LT) technique, and menu of training programs for summer and LT.
Topics
• General biomechanical principles and application to speed skating
• Systematic approach to analyzing tech – applies to LT and ST
• Specific analysis of LT technique
• Detecting – correcting errors in technique – some ST application
• Reviewing video of typical age class skaters
• Menu/progression of summer dry training programs for age class skaters
• Menu/progression of LT ice training programs for age class skaters – some ST application
Schedule
Saturday, October 25, 2008 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Kinex Arena
Sunday, October 26, 2008 9:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m. at Kinex Arena
• Coaches will need dry training clothes
• Accommodations will be announced later
Notes
Full attendance is mandatory. A proper seminar cannot be facilitated if participants are not committed to the weekend. AASSA’s CSDC is putting forth the financial and instructional commitment; therefore AASSA strongly encourages commitment from club coaches. A minimum of 8-10 participants need to be confirmed prior to October 20th in order for this seminar to go ahead. Please confirm your spot with Shawna Pearman, spearman@telusplanet.net
2. AASSA Silent Auction
The Alberta Development Speed Skating Team will be hosting a Silent Auction Fundraising Event on Saturday, November 8th starting at 10:00 a.m. and will continue until Sunday, November 9th at 12:00 p.m. at the Clareview Arena in Edmonton during the Edmonton Fall Classic. Bids will close at that time and items will be given out to the highest bidder. Money raised from this event will be used to cover coaching seminars, skating camps, team jackets and travel to the Canadian Age Class Championships.
The Alberta Development Speed Skating Team is comprised of over 40 up and coming speed skaters between the ages of 11-17 years. These young athletes come from all over the province and have been identified as having potential to represent Alberta at the National Championships in their age category. The objective of the team this year is to develop the technical, physical and mental skills required by the athletes in order that they are able to develop to their full potential. The development of club coaches across the province is also an important objective of the team, one that will ensure that the athletes are learning appropriate skills from qualified mentors.
In addition to the support and commitment of the Alberta Amateur Speed Skating Association, the team also requires the support of businesses in the communities in which these athletes are members of. We would greatly appreciate any items or gift certificates your company is able to donate for the auction. The funds raised will be used to help fund a portion of the cost associated with the various programs in place for the team. We are asking for any new donated items such as: gift certificates, tickets to events, gift baskets, electronics, household goods, speed skating equipment or clothing, sports items, etc, etc.
The Alberta Development Speed Skating Team thanks you for your consideration of a donation. Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to call one of the coordinators of this fundraising initiative:
Shawna Pearman: spearman@telusplanet.net # 403-783-4206 cell: 403-704-3314
Kathy Gregg: kgregg@shaw.ca # 780-455-4743 cell: 780-906-6434
5. National News
Montréal – In an announcement made in Montréal, Speed Skating Canada (SSC), the Fédération de patinage de vitesse du Québec (FPVQ), the Government of Québec and the City of Montreal were proud to announce that the Maurice-Richard Arena will be dedicated to short track speed skating in the lead up to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
The Maurice-Richard Arena has been home of the National Short Track Training Centre since the early 1990s, and the Canadian Short Track Team was sharing the facility with minor hockey and figure skating teams. With the collaboration of the Québec Government, the Québec Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sport, the City of Montréal, Hockey Québec and Hockey Montréal, plans have been made to rearrange the programming of hockey in near-by arenas in order to dedicate the Maurice-Richard facility to short track speed skating. Figure skaters will still be able to use the facility as they require a similar environment as short track speed skating does.
“The goal is to harmonize the arena with the facility that will be used in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games,” said Jean R. Dupré, Director General of Speed Skating Canada. “One of the main changes will be the installation of a self standing mat system, ensuring greater security of our athletes in training and competition.”
The ice will also be more specialized for short track speed skating. The objective is to replicate the same ice conditions as in Vancouver, in order to give more of a home ice advantage to the Canadian Team for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. This ensures the core of the Short Track Speed Skating National Team will be able to stay in Montreal while getting optimal preparation for the Games.
This project was drafted over two years ago now, and all parties involved invested a great deal of time and efforts in making this possible. The Maurice-Richard Arena is the only Olympic size ice surface in Montreal, and home of over 80% of Speed Skating Canada’s Short Track National and Development Team athletes.
The President of the FPVQ, Gilles Dufour, agrees with SSC : “We are extremely happy with this. Our federation works hard to continue its contribution to the strength of Canada on the international stage of short track speed skating. We are proud to know that our athletes will be able to keep preparing for the Olympic Games in the best possible conditions.”
Work will start as early as March 9th, 2009, and the project is expected to be finalized by June 2nd, 2009. This announcement is made as the last full pre-Olympic speed skating season starts. “With limited opportunities for our team to train and compete at the Olympic Venue in Vancouver, enabling them to skate on a similar ice is key in their preparation for the Games,” concluded Jean R. Dupré.
