By Dave Brown, The Ottawa Citizen January 28, 2012

OTTAWA — Ah, the need for speed. If you’re a speedskater living around Ottawa, you know the rush of the sound of the ice as you plant one blade in front of the other and race around Brewer’s outdoor oval rink. For many, it’s truly addictive.

Once you’ve experienced the thrill of strapping on long, razor-sharp blades and flying around an oval track at speeds close to 30 kilometres an hour, the rush is too much to ignore.

And who doesn’t recall the excitement of watching short- and long-track races during past Olympics? And special kudos to Ottawa’s own Kristina Groves, who won four Olympic medals — three silver and a bronze — as well as 18 world championship medals.

The full text of the Ottawa Citizen article can be found here: