Ottawa Pacers
Masters Speed Skating
RACING
Masters at the
Races
Typically the masters, including beginners, race in ability meets; to skate the Ontario Cup series, you must meet the time standards and criteria set out by the Ontario Speed Skating Association. In general, there is one meet a month, from October through March, with the March meet being the provincial championship. Most meets are one day events, however some are two days.
Ability meets include skaters of all ages and all abilities. Participants race in groups with skaters of similar speeds and in similar age categories. You are placed in a group based on your 500m seed time; a few weeks prior to your first meet, let your coach know you are registered to race and they will arrange to time you on a 500m skate.
Registration for short track meets typically closes one to two weeks prior to the meet; club deadline reminders are emailed to all members. The race schedule is posted on the Ontario Speed Skating Association website.
Long Track
There are two long track meets in Ontario, one in Ottawa and the other in Sault Ste Marie. Both are on outdoor ovals. Typically one meet is in January and the other in February. Since 2008, the Lakefield Oval (near Peterborough) has also offered a masters-only long track meet.
Registration for long track meets closes one to two weeks prior to the meet; club deadline reminders are emailed to all members. The race schedule is posted on the Ontario Speed Skating Association website.
There are additional opportunities to skate in long track meets in Quebec City and Lake Placid (both outdoors) and on the indoor ovals in Milwaukee, Salt Lake City and Calgary.
In 2007, a group of Ottawa Pacers masters participated at the 16th Masters' International Speed Skating Games at the Calgary Oval. Information about these games can be found on the ISU's International Masters Speed Skating Committee website.
Marathon
There is a marathon race series for those interested in distances from 10km to 200km. Once again, Ottawa usually hosts one marathon weekend a year. Other marathons are hosted in places such as Quebec City, Lake Placid, Joliette (near Montreal), Portland (ON; on Big Rideau Lake), Edmonton (AB) and various locations in the United States. For more information about marathon skating, including the season schedule and past results, visit www.marathonskating.org.
Race
Schedule Links
- Ontario Speed Skating Association Calendar
- Marathon Skating International Calendar
- Speed Skating Canada National Calendar
- International
Calendar (International Masters Speed Skating Committee)
