Ottawa Pacers Book of Achievement
Lou Travis

Pacer Member

Category

Elected

Maritime Age Group Speed Skating Champion from 1948 to 1954.  Skated for Saint John Four Leaf Clover Speed Skating Club.  He and his brother Pat and sister Karen, also speed skaters, were sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion and were pictured on the cover of the Legionary Magazine in March 1952.

Lou joined the Ottawa Pacers Speed Skating Club in 1981 where he was Head Coach until 1990.  He served on the Pacers Board of Directors from 1984 to 1986 as Treasurer, and was editor and publisher of the Pacer's newsletter, On Thin Ice, from 1982 to 1987.  He served on Provincial and National Committees for three years.

Lou was an active Senior B Competitive skater winning a Bronze medal at the first Canadian Senior
Speed Skating Championships in Ottawa.

Lou coached Eric Dam, a Pacer long-distance skater, when he broke the 24 hour World Record endurance record (410 km set by Hans Homma from Holland in February 1984).  Eric skated 428.6 km in 24 hours on the Rideau Canal on February 13, 1986.  He also coached Phil Tahmindjis, an Australian skater, also an Ottawa Pacer, at the World Juniors in Quebec City in 1986, where he placed 12 of 24, best ever for an Australian skater and again at a World Cup Meet in Lake Placid.

In 1988 as part of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics Torch tour, Lou was chosen to receive as representative Male Coach for the Ottawa region.

Lou was the first Coach of Pacers Valerie Cavar, National Short Track speed skating Olympian and Kristina Groves, National Long Track, two-time Silver Olympic Medalist.