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Wednesday 4.30. Cloudy but no rain on the doppler so far.
See you at 6pm Cheers Alex
|
Practice Pic Wed June 10th 2009
| Meeting the Starzzzzzzz at
Gross Gerau |
| After a great 2 days of racing all the pressure was off the
skaters and it was time to get to know some of the best of the
best as Paisley had the opportunity to say hello to some of
the World Champions. In Pic #1 Cecilia Baena proves that size
don't matter as this tiny dynamo is probably the fastest gal
on the planet. In PIC#2 Team Cado Motus had shown all weekend
that they would be a major force to be reconned with as Maartan
Swings, Bart Swings and Ferre Spruyt consistantly where found
up front leading the pack.. Another great team just off the
track after the German Blade Challenge are Juan Nayib and Kiwi
Scott Arlidge from the Zepto team. Thanks guys for the great
pics and the memories |
| Close to 20 club members and their families took part in the
Victoria Day skate and BBQ today. Tons of skating, games and
lots of good munchies made for a great day. After a slow wet
start to the skating season the sun gods rewarded the kids with
the perfect day. None of these guys will have to be told to
go to bed tonight. Big thanks to all the parents for bringing
the salads and all the goodies as well as helping out. I think
I had more fun than the kids. Cheers Alex |
| Paisley moves up through the 60 skater pack |
| Inliners on Ice 2008-2009 |
| Paisley sets a new 333m Ontario
record March 29th |
|
Canadian Age Class
Short Track Championships
|
| In the previous post I had talked about the great job the
Regina people had done hosting the Long Track Nationals. Well
let me say the 200 volunteers from Cambridge went above and
beyond. It was an fantastic meet with tons of excitement thoughout
the entire weekend. Several of the inliner community were well
represented including Aaron Clark, Philippe Bergeron, Jesse
Pauley and Paisley Perrie. Clark, Pauley and Perrie all manage
trips to the podium. Aaron Clark took home a gold and a couple
of bronze. Pauley grabbed a couple of bronze while Paisley took
home two gold and a silver along with another record in the
333m. With the ice season now over I'm sure the wheels will
be getting a tune up. Paisley races in Germany at the Gross
Gerau Kriterium April 225-26th. |
|
Canadian Age Class
Long Track Championships
|
| I have been to competitions all over the world with inline
and ice speed skating. I must say the great people of Regina
had put together one of the best competitions I have attended.
These guys had all the "i"s dotted and the 'T's crossed.
Lots of hard work and great volunteers made for an amazing weekend
for all the skaters, coaches and parents. Al Workman headed
the fleet of shuttle vehicles that had been donated by a local
car dealer for the weekend making sure all the athletes got
around on time. Sask Energy was a major sponsor for the event.
I sure enjoyed heading into your huge warm tent for a hot lunch.
Global Television was on hand supplying the media coverage with
Traveloge advertising the event on their giant jumbotron screen
TV on top of the hotel. These where a few of the things that
impressed me almost as much as the friendly people of Regina.
I would head back to Regina in a heart beat for another event.
Oh and did I mention the racing was awsome with no wind and
great ice making for some exciting races. People of Regina give
youselves a big pat on the back. Thanks also to our great coaches
Kristi Copeland and Rick Lee for the many hours of working with
the Ontario skaters. |
 |
| On a local note Paisley successfully defended her midget title
by winning all her heats and finals. This gave her 4 golds and
the overall midget title. |
| 5 for 5 Long Track
Provincials |
Abnormally high winds made life a whole lot harder for the
skaters racing at this years Provincial Long Track Championships
in Sault Ste Marie. The Art Jennings Oval was the site where
many of the top long trackers competed for gold and a chance
to represent Ontario at the upcoming Canadian Championships
in Regina. This was a special week for local speedster Paisley
as it was in the Sault 5 years ago she skated her first long
track race as a Pee Wee. She has now rewritten the record book
along the way. This would be her 5th Provincial tiltle in a
row if she could grab the gold. Perrie also set a 600m Canadian
record in 2007 on this oval. Perrie was on fire nearly lapping
the field on the 330 meter oval on her way to a 5 peat performance.
With the excessive winds there was only 1 single record broken
throughout the entire weekend and it was Perrie shattering her
own 300m. This will qualify her for the #1 spot on the Midget
team for Regina. She will again be the youngest female team
member. She hopes to successfully defend her National title
she won last year in Quebec City. These races where all age
class events but there was also an Olympic style competition
for seniors and juniors. Perrie entered the junior event in
the under 18 division and would be racing some of Ontario's
developmental team.
Perrie is still far too young to be entered into the program.
After the first day Paisley was sitting in fourth spot with
a couple of good races. On Sunday the wind had picked up to
over 45km/hr and it seemed the smaller skaters where getting
blown around the track. On the last race of the day Perrie was
paired against the #1 skater of the weekend Gabrielle St Germain
from Ottawa. Perrie skated side by side with Germain for the
whole 1000m and crossed just behind her at the line. Her fast
time pulled her up in the standing to take the silver medal
in the under 18 sprint series. A big accomplishment for a little
girl. Perries next race will be in Regina February 14th and
15th
oval |
| Paisley's North Americans Update |
| Madison Wisconsin is playing host to many of the top young
short track skaters from both Canada and the United States.
On day 1 Paisley qualified
through to the 666m final by easily winning her heat. In the
final after a false start and an early fall the race was rerun.
Paisley took an early lead but Jacquelin Chen from South California
made a beautiful outside pass to take the lead. Paisley narrowly
won the silver as she fell just before the finish line and slid
in for the second place finish just ahead of Cambridge skater
Taylor White. In the 333m it was again Paisley and Jacquelin
winning their respective heats to set up a rematch for tomorrows
first race in the 333m final. Day 2
With all the skaters now used to the
venue the second day of racing proved to be faster and more
competative racing than ever. The 333m final was fast and rough
with a very tight pack throughout the whole race. Paisley won
the start and would have to hold the position as Chen attacked
several times at every opporunity. Paisley fought through till
the line and her first gold medal. In the500m heat Jacquelin
and Paisley again won their heats and the final looked as though
it might be the rubber match between the 2 girls. Paisley was
very quick off the start and managed to escape the pack while
Jacquelin came out slow and would have to chase up. Taylor White
was disqualified for impeading. Paisley by this time was crossing
the line for her second gold medal performance of the day. Day
3 On the final day day there was only Super Finals
and relays to complete. Paisley tried numerous times in the
777m to pass Jacquelin but it wasn't going to happen. Rather
than try a risky pass and get disquallified she decided to sit
in for silver. This meant both girls had earned 2 gold and 2
silver medals and each would receive the overall title medallion.
Paisley's relay team won the 1500m but were disquallified for
impeading. It was a great week of racing and much thanks goes
to the KW Setoma's Speed Club for their coaching and support
as well as their financial assistance. |
| Again it was Jesse Pauley and Paisley earning spots on the
North American team. Jesse proved to be a tough competitor despite
the lack of ice experience. Pauley skated Open A devision against
many of the fastest skates in the province and constantly fought
to the front of the pack. Jesse qualified in the Senior mens
division for the OSSA team heading to NorAms early December.
Paisley finished the weekend with another 8 straight wins, bringing
her total to 22 and 0 for the season. Paisley will be representing
Ontario in the Midget ladies division at NorAms |
 |
| With less than a week after winning the overall RSO Points
Series Jesse Pauley and Paisley Perrie were off to the Western
Regional short track ice meet. Again both would take home gold
with Jesse just beating out younger brother Jade in a super
exciting photo finish 1500m finally. Jade took home the silver.
Paisley as in the Eastern Regional meet won all 7 races and
remains undefeated this season on ice. The 3 will be competing
November 1st in Cambridge in the first Ontario Cup. This meet
will quallify the Ontario team for the North American ST Championships
in early December in Madison WI. Good luck inliners |
| Some shots of practice and goofin around |
|
Sunday Aug 24th RSO Points
Series. Track is dry and racing starts at 9.45am. Hope to
see you all there. Cheers Alex
|
Many Canadians are disappointed, surprised and wondering about
the future of sports in our country. Our government is know
for its tight purse strings when it comes time to dishing out
funding to support our athletes. Well all is not lost and I
had the privileged of witnessing some of our 2010 athletes in
action over the past week. While in Montreal picking up my daughter
from a 2 week short track camp I ran into Steve Robillard at
the Maurice Richard Arena. He was there with most of the Canadian
short track team. Mens coach Derek Campbell and womens coach
Marc Gagne where hard at work with both squads. It was a treat
to see so many gifted athletes on the ice at the same time.
Olivier Jean looked stronger than ever after his injury last
year and appeared to be so focused on the practice. Kalyna Roberge
and Amanda Overland were working on outside passes. Their super
smooth and snap accelerations made me get goosebumps. This is
commitment from all the team and coaches and when I see the
lack of funding all I can say to the COC and the Canadian government
is shame on you !!!!!!
I was teasing the guys about coming with me to Gijon Spain in
2 weeks. Steve told me after the Olympics in 2010 that he and
Mathieu Giroux and Olivier will skate for Canada at the world
inline Championships. I don't know where that will be yet but
I'll get in line for a bus ticket to see that show. Cheers Alex |
 |

| Paisley passes up to front on day 10 of the camp |
| Team NRS will be loosing a demonstrator for most of August
as Paisley prepares for the upcoming ice season. Camps in Montreal
and Ottawa will keep her busy for the next 3 weeks. |
|
Presenting Canada's 2008 World Team. They will be heading
to Gijon Spain at the end of August to compete in this years
World Championships. Back left to right Alex Perrie Sr team
coach, Peter Doucet, Jade Pauley, Travis Shaw, Alex D'Mello,
Tyler Congdon Jr team coach, Brett Leavans, Front, left to
right team manager Wayne Burrett, Chelsea Parry, Morgane Echardour,
Sarah Hopkins, Leah Kaluta
Good Luck from all of the
kids at Team NRS
|
| SWEET
Our new training pad is finally ready |
| Check out the great vidio from Tejan on the 500's |
www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2aY5nMaYeU
| Trillium
Race May 11th Mount Forest |
| Congratulations on our skaters who participated in the 10km
Trillium race. |
| Paisley Perrie 3rd female overall |
26min 38 sec |
| Kristen Hoch 1st female under 12 |
33min 31 sec |
| Avery Reeves 2nd female under 12 |
33min 31 sec |
| Josh Scott 3rd boy under 12 |
35min 56 sec |
| Trevor "da goalie" Scott 6th boy under 12 |
47min 04 sec |
|

Tanks to our friend Peter from SSW for the great pic
|
|
Defi Pierre Gagne /
The Pierre Gagne
Challenge
|

|
Pierre Gagne and Paisley will put their love for the sport
of speed skating to good use April 12th 2008 when they skate
100km to raise money for the Sourdine Foundation for the Deaf.
It is a dream come true for Paisley to be part of the 12 person
team and being able to skate with her friend Pierre ( Canadian
Ice Hall of Fame), his son Martin Gagne ( womens national
team coach) as well as World Champions Kalyna Roberge, Justine
L'Heureax and Anne Maltais. MSI ( Marathon Skaters International)
skaters and friends Jim Cornell, Youri Juteau, Gaetan Rochette
and Suzanne Dionne will also be in the peliton. If you are
interested in sponsoring Paisley please drop us an e-mail
at speedcoach@highspeedfx.net.
Good luck to all the skaters
|
| Inliners skate to gold at the first Ontario
Cup |
 |
| When our family first started ice speed skating it was very
rare to see anyone from our inline community. Over the past
4 years this has changed in a big way. Last weekend it was an
inline family reunion of talented inliners taking it to the
true blood ice folks. For all you coaches who beleive inline
ruins your technique go get a coffee and wake up. Aaron Clarke
who failed to quallify at last years Ontario Cup prooved he
could skate with Ontario's best in the open A division while
Brodie Sommerville entertained the fans and coaches with his
rendition of the double push in the 1500m open B division. I
found it funny watching the pack skating behind him trying to
match is stride. 2006 Jr world team member Jade Pauley despite
a couple of crashes picked up a silver medal in the Junior division.
Jade also picked up a gold medal in the Jr mens relay. Brother
Jesse did not skate the meet but has made huge improvements
on the ice and will undoubtably be a force in the very near
future. Phillipe Bergeron and David De Coninck also looked strong
in junior.Tejan Chinnakonda a 2nd year Midget looked far stronger
than last season after a very busy inline season skating the
Ontario and Quebec Cups. Despite a near crash and some physical
jostling in the first race 1st year Midget Paisley Perrie would
come back and lead the rest of the races from start to finish
for a solid gold performance and left many parents and coaches
commenting on the exceptional technique of the 10yr old |
| A little bit of rain early didn't hinder the second race of
the series. Local kids enjoyed another morning of inline racing
and another tasty BBQ courtesy of Lisa Veld and the Minto Optimists.
Big winners this week were Logan Wanless (boys under 7) Josh
Scott (boys 8&9) Avery Reeves (girls 8&9) Hanna Schmitting
(girls 10&11). The final race in the series goes next Saturday,
Sept 29th |
|

|
Another potential NRS super star Avery Reeves
|
|

| Logan is chased by new commer Jake Reeves, Trever Scott
and Nicky Aasman |
|

| Jordan and Nicky Aasman at the line |
|
|

| Ist year skater Hanna Schmitting catches on quick. |
|

| Logan is chased by the (T Man) |
|

|
| Not exactly Gross Gerau but it's a start. Great
job kids!! |
Avery and Taylor in the 8-9 girls race |
Brad & Sondra from the Minto Optimists cook
up a tasty lunch for the skaters |
| The Mount Forest Terry Fox
Run |
|
It was a brisk sunny morning for the start of this years
annual Terry Fox run. Several of our skaters participated
this year in a very worthy cause. Among them were Allison
Nolan and Paisley Perrie who decided to run the 10km. They
wanted to get an early start so they headed out at 9.00am.
It was a perfect day to raise some money and have a great
workout.
|
| Thanks from the PanAm Team |
| It was quite a surprise during the meet when Wayne Burrett
called over Sarah Hopkins for a special presentation. I knew
Sarah was on our PanAm team and I figured Wayne was presenting
her with something. It wasn't long before I realized thee presentation
was for me. The team had bought me a Rio 2007 PanAm cloth banner.
It had all of their names on it. It was nice to be remembered
and thanked for fund raaising and the use of the track. I will
find a special place in the training centre to display it. Thank
you all. Alex |
PanAm Games Rio Brazil
Peter,Martine, Sarah and Brian
Good luck to you all from all the kids of NRS
|
Canada Day Weekend
brings out the best in racing  The
sun gods were truly smiling over the weekend with 2 great
events running back to back. Our NRS racing team took part
in both the RSO points series and the Canada Day marathon.
Our youngest racer Trevor Scott dueled it out with TISC's
Hal Malcolm in the 7 and under division. Trevor won all 3
distances dispite some great skating from Hal. Josh Scott
and Derek Beyer raced in the 8-12 division with William Malcolm.
Derek got out front in all 3 races and never looked back.
Josh and William had met before at Provincials with Josh coming
out on top. It was Williams turn to shine as he took 2nd ahead
of Josh in all 3 races. These guys all looked great. Paisley
chose again not to race in the kids division and challenged
up to the Elite group where she would have to take her chances
with the adults. In her 1500m time trial she would just miss
the National record. This placed her in group 3 of 4 for the
500m with David De Coninck, Jackie Schu, Benji Wang and Tejan
Chinnakonda. Despite skating a second faster than the National
record Paisley would have to settle for second behind Ottawa's
David De Conink. In the 10km it was Kevin Kno who went first
on a flyer. Paisley was sitting in behind David and despite
a few attempts from the pack Kevin was still running about
70m ahead of the chase pack. At the half way point Paisley
took the lead in the chase pack and managed to pull hard to
catch Kevin. Shortly after Nick Zaccia and Jackie Shu fell
off the lead group. This left David, Kevin and Paisley all
skating hard to keep the chasers back. With 300m to go Paisley
went wide to pass David but failed to carry through for the
full distance. This would set up David for the win then Kevin
and Paisley. All finished within 1 second of each other. On
her first race for NRS Allison Nolan seemed very happy with
her performance. She skated above her potential and claimed
several PB's throughout the day especially in a great 500m
final.
|
500m final |
| With Little time to rest we where off to the Canada Day marathon
in Cambridge. Both Paisley and Liz would represent NRS along
with Allison Nolan. Liz and Allison would skate the 21k and
Pais the 42k. It was a picture perfect morning with the mercury
sitting at a cool 10 degrees. Skaters were up from the USA as
far away as Texas. Canadians had come from all over Ontario
as well as Quebec and Bonts own Conny Strubb fro BC. The 42
race began very fast. There were several packs forming within
a kilometer of the start. early in the first lap a serious crash
claimed several in the top group including US skater Erica O'Connor.
Peter and Jade also met up with a little Cambridge asphalt.
Jade looked like a poster boy for Hamburger helper with Peter
dislocating his shoulder. At this point the pack were close
to 2 km away from Peter. He insisted on continuing and throughout
the next 25km would hunt the leaders down. In the final sprint
it was 3 IL Peleton skaters heading to the line and Peter moving
up on them fast. After the race JF Messier told me he had looked
back for a split second just as Peter passed him. Sergio Ameralla
had an amazing day finished first with Allain Lagacy posting
his most impressive 2nd and in third (with a dislocated shoulder)
Peter Doucet. Paisley had her own battle going on within a pack
of about 14 men. more than half way through the race when I
seen her she looked very fresh and obviously liked the pace
and the dynamics of the group. With 500m to go she would pull
out from the pack outsprinting them all to the line for yet
another National record and finishing 4th woman overall despite
the less than ideal terane. Meanwhile Liz seemed to be having
a great day in the 21k. She likes to race for fun and she was
definately having lots. She also had a great final sprint to
finish with her own PB. Allison just missd skating under an
hour for her first 21km. I know I was very proud of her and
I know she liked her time. Watch out for Allison as she seems
to get faster every week. Glad tomorrow is a holiday as I'm
sure many will be glad of the rest. |
| Eddy Comes to Ottawa June
23/24th |
|
What a great weekend as Mr Eddy (electrictity) "carved"
his way into the hearts of skaters attending the Skate Farm
Clinic in Ottawa last weekend. A big hats off to Steve MacDonald
and the many OUISC members for hosting such a terrific weekend.
Skaters were split into 4 groups with something happening
at all times for each of the groups. Everything ran on schedule
from first thing Saturday morning to closing Sunday afternoon.
Eddy Barry and Beth Mansfield capivated the interest of all
athletes, young and young at heart.through the weekend. I
have never met Beth but throw praises her way for a nutritious
and humerous guide to athletic performance. Beth spent an
extra moment to cover the needs of female athletes (big thanks)
Beth: you will kill people at Yuk Yuks. You are amazing 4thumbs
up.
Barry and Eddy ran the groups though a one in a life time
view of the double push. I think even Chad would of approved.
Does Paisley now have an efficient DP (No). Does she have
the fundementals, Yes (big time) Thanks Eddy ,Barry, Beth
and the OUISC. See you at Nationals PS do you see an Eddy
Camp at CITC 2008 ??
|
 |
| Eddy and Paisley ham it up during the dryland |
| Despite a little bit of first time jitters Quebec hosted its
first inline cup last weekend in Montreal. It was great to see
so many friends and see some great races. There were lots of
races for the rec skaters right up to the elite men with a tough
field of skaters from Ontario and Quebec. On our local not Paisley
skated in the under 18 elite division and finished 1st ahead
of the girls and the boys. Liz was 3rd in the girls division.
|
|
You might not know it but these guys are skating into
a 45km headwind
Photo from Peter
|
|
Ontario
Provincial Championships
May
19th -20th
|
|
Day 1) NRS skaters duked it out with the best of Ontario
skaters today. After only a couple of practices eight year
old Josh Scott is sitting in second spot in the Primary boys
division, Tomorrow Josh has a 1000m . Paisley Perrie has set
a new 300m Canadian record and won the 1500m. Liz Perrie is
curently sitting in 3rd spot with new club skater Kristen
Hoch holding her own in 4th
Day 2) It was cold enough for snow as our youngsters ventured
out on the track. In the 1000m Primary division Josh grabbed
2nd spot in one of the closest races of the morning. Paisley
had won all 4 distances last year and repeated her performance
again. Liz out pointed Bailin Xie to take 2nd in the distance
and 3rd in the sprint races. Our new team skater Kristen Hoch
showed her stuff and took 4th. Kristen comes from short track
ice and will fit well in the team and will no doubt be an
important part of NRS's relay teams at Nationals
|
| Josh Scott Primary Boys |
Kristen Hoch Juvenile Girls |
Paisley Perrie Juvenile Girls |

Pic courtesy of Eric Gee
| Trillium 10km Race Mount Forest
May 12th at 9.30am |
| Always a great time at the Trillium. Several Team NRS skaters
will wind their way through the streets of Mount Forest this
Saturday. Look forward to seeing everyone. The weather report
looks good. |
| A wonderful facility with a whole communality making sure
the Kriteriun would be the most attended racing event in all
of Europe. |
| Paisley (Luigino Racing) moves up through the pack in
the 2000m |
|
An Amazing 5 days at Gross Gerau. Great hospitality, great
friends and great racing. That about sums up our trip. This
was my third pilgrimage to the Kriterium and Paisley's second
year of racing. We arrived Thursday morning and were met by
our good friend Oliver Lohr. He told me Germany was having
a heat wave and to expect 30 degree weather and no rain. Frankfurt
was only a 20 min drive to Gross Gerau. When we got to Olivers
place it was time for a power nap and then off to explore
the sights. This year Regina ( Olivers wife) had the day off
and the 4 of us headed to Wiesbaden. This was a beautiful
city with many turn of the century homes. We stopped at a
sidewalk cafe for some ice cream. I think that Dairy Queen
ice cream in Canada was good but this stuff was so good it
should be declared illegal. It was a quiet night as there
would be lots of work next day at the track. Next morning
Oliver, his father in law Gerhardt and myself arrived at the
track at 7am. We met the guy who supplies the bleachers and
media stage. I don't mind helping with the work. Everyone
at the track volunteers and I feel like part of that family.
After the bleachers it was tents and then the lighting bridge
and photo finish equipment. There was also time in between
for a couple of tasty German beers. Friday night is always
my favorite time as all the judges arrive from around Europe.
They are also bunking in with Oliver and Regina. This year
I was trusted with BBQing the steaks and sausages. John Davis
and Karen from Holland, Kim Hartz from Denmark, Sabine and
Sabrina from Bavaria had all arrived so it was time to party.
Next morning we were off to the track early. The sprint cup
was ran first and this year I didn't have to work it. I had
time to enjoy the time trials and watch great skaters like
Matthias Schwierz, Thomas Boucher and Jana Gegner fly around
the 200m track. I must say I was very disappointed in the
3 Canadian seniors who had registered for the event and didn't
come to the line when the judges called their names. Much
work goes into scheduling these events. If you are not going
to skate don't waste their time by registering. The opening
ceremonies were as usual spectacular as 850 athletes came
around the track with their flag and country banner. This
year Paisley led out the Canadians carrying the Canada Banner
with Aaron Arndt carrying the maple leaf. By now the sun was
at it's peak and temperatures started to soar. First up was
the heats for the 500m. There were more crashes on day 1 than
I have ever seen before. I was standing just before the second
corner as Karlo Timmerman ( one of my favorite skaters to
watch) went airborne. He flew through the air for about 10m
and came down with a terrible dull thud. That was the stage
set for the rest of the day. One crash after another. I talked
to several other coaches about the reason for the crashes.
Here is my opinion. I think there were several contributing
factors coming into play. First the heat from the track and
the hot wheels. The wheels seemed to tear away from the track.
Another factor was the sheer numbers in some of the races.
Put 70 aggressive guys on the line, make the race an elimination
add some heat and in a word that spells disaster. Finally
I think equipment technology has "in some cases"
surpassed the athletes ability to use it. Guys like Diego
Rosero seemed to master the equipment and the track but in
a tight pack it only took 1 skater to take a corner a little
too fast for his ability and bang 10-20 skaters crashing everywhere.
Paisley only had the 2000m on Saturday. There were 55 skaters
in the Schuler "A" division. I am always nervous
at the start of these mass start races and this 2km was no
exception. After only a step or 2 I seen her stumble and almost
fall. Once the group split up and made an opening Paisley
moved up throughout the whole race and finished 8th. This
was 7 positions better than last year so she was very happy
with her performance. Last year when the judges were all sitting
around at Olivers a brainstorming session developed. One of
my suggestions was to bring in some tennis umpires chairs.
This was met favorably and now I had a chance to try out the
chair. It seemed to work well as judges can now see deeper
into the field of skaters and see any infractions. After the
races we all headed back for another great supper. The heat
and the jet lag had finally caught up to me. I headed to bed
before 10pm. Next morning the weather was a little more forgiving
with a few clouds blocking the sun off and on throughout the
day. A breeze was also welcome by all. The senior mens 10,000m
points race was amazing as Scott Arlidge came up front at
the mid-point of the race and would score several points as
he traded the lead in a breakaway with Nicolas Iten. When
the pack eventually reeled them in both Scott and Nicolas
where tied for the lead in points. In a gutsy move Scott surged
again to the front for just 1 more point which would of clinched
the race for him. Nicolas Pelloquin from France would steal
that last point away from Arlidge. Scott was spent and could
only watch Iten fly past him at the finish line. They were
both tied but Iten finished ahead of Arlidge giving him the
win in an amazing race. Paisley had 1 of the first races of
the day. It was a 1500m. Again with a poor start it was catch-up
time. In the 3rd lap the pack line formed with close to 20
skaters. This left the outside open. Paisley would slingshot
out of the corner and pass up to the front in 1 straight-away.
After leading for 2 laps the move to the front started to
take its toll and young Dominique Lommers jumped out front
for a the win. Paisley would have to settle for 7th in what
I would say was her best international race. After the race
she made her way through the skaters to find Dominique. She
congratulated and told her what a great race she had. This
made me as proud as when I watched her jump to the lead. Throughout
the rest of the day the 2 became good friends. This was what
is all about. In the 1000m yet again another shakey start
Paisley would settle for 9th spot which would give her an
8th spot overall.
Now my favorite part of the day. Everyone thought the last
race of the day was the incredible senior mens relay (France
was amazing). Everyone was wrong because the last race was
after the races the judges had a race to the beer tent to
have a cold 1 (or 2) and enjoy each others company. Later
the guys selling the beer brought over about 60 different
type sausages and then uttered every Canadians favorite words
(FREE BEER). Needless to say we had one heck of a night. I
was invited to referee the Czechoslovakian Nationals at the
end of June. I would love to go but our Canadian Nationals
are too close. By the time we got home it was very late. Oliver
and Regina who seem to have endless energy were totally exhausted.
Next morning Oliver and I headed to the track to return the
lighting equipment to the rental company. Oliver was heading
to Frankfurt for a meeting. He was heading the inline marathon
committee for the May 1st race through the street of Frankfurt.
I have been to Frankfurt several times before so he dropped
Paisley and me off in town. We headed to the old section of
the city for some souvenirs and some gifts. We took a cruise
on the river Main for an hour while we waited for Oliver.
Later we all headed to Olivers grandmother house to wish her
a happy birthday. She told us at 10am next day she would go
outside into the garden and wave good-bye to the plane carrying
us home to Canada. Gerhardt wanted to take us to a brewhuise
(more beer). It was located on a quiet street and if you didn't
know it was there you would easily miss it. I am stuck for
words when I try to describe just how GOOD the food was. I
had a traditional Bavarian meal of Schnitzel and saurkraut.
They also made their own beer so we tried several of their
different kinds including a 16.5% tasty beer. Olivers father
Rolph joined us for dinner and had again this year made a
video of Paisley's race. After the race he let Paisley check
out his BMW motorbike. When we got home we sat up for a while
and chatted. I was already starting to feel sad as I knew
when I woke up next morning it would be time to head home
to Canada. Oliver had to head to Frankfurt for the marathon
so Regina and her mom Birgit ( Paisley's best pal) dropped
us off at the airport. The plane took off at 10am and both
Paisley and I waved out the window to Olivers grandmother
as we flew home. Next year it will be the 30th anniversary
in Gross Gerau. The first year they had 29 skaters next year
they should have a thousand. It is an experience of a life
time so get your entry form in early.
|
|
The Marathon Skaters International has just posted its final
results for the 2006-2007 season. This year there where 270
skaters taking part in the ice marathon races ranging in distance
from 25km to the 100km ultra marathon. Paisley was the 18
and under Champion for the second year in a row and again
finished 3rd overall in the ladies division. You can check
out all the results on the MSI website at
www.marathonskaters.org/rst/points2007/xls
|
|
It might be the end of a great ice season but it is not the
end of winter in Harriston. Pam found out just how much winter
is still left when she skidded across the highway and flew
off the road. The weather report says warm rainy weather for
most of the rest of this week. This should help get rid of
the snow from the track. CITC anticipates a very busy seson
this year with the skating club and the Ice to Inline Clinics
throughout the summer.
|
| Monday morning !!! Pam's starting the week off with a bang
*&%^%^ |
| Tuesday March 20th. Canada's only 200m bank cross country
ski track hehe with warm weather and some heavy rain I am hoping
to get skaters on the track by the end of the week??????????? |
| KW Sertoma Speed Club / Junior Skater of
the Year |
| KW Director Doug Flynn presents Paisley with the Clubs
2007 Junior Skater of the Year award |
| Ontario
Short Track Championships |
| 2007 Bantam Girls Short Track Champs. Taylor White, Paisley
Perrie and Page Beynon |
|
With the ice season winding down and the long track and marathon
skating just a great memory Ontario's best young short track
skaters would compete against each other one last time. The
Bell Sensplex in Ottawa would play host to the 2007 Ontario
Short Track Championships. It was a great facility with lots
of great racing. I could go on and on about the races but
there were a few skaters I think need mentioning. In the senior
mens division Matt Morrison skated a fantastic weekend against
a tough group of guys from Gloucester, led by Braden Elliott
and Brian Pye. In the ladies division Keri Morrison Taylor
Schmidt and Kristy Shoebridge traded leads in each race showing
Cambridge had a firm grasp on this division. Jacob Wright
of Cambridge also proved too powerful to catch in the Juvenile
mens division. In the Midget division two of my favourite
skates Cameron Mitchell and Maxum Kuntz earned a trip to the
podium. Emily Rendel Watson took top hounors in the midget
girls with Sarah Shires grabbing a solid 3rd spot. There was
only 3 Provincial records set this weekend throughout the
300 or so races. They all came from within the Bantam girls
division. Paisley would set the 500m and the 333m and Taylor
White would finish day 2 with a 666m record. It was great
to see Page Beynon up on the podium and watch out next year
for her younger sister maggi. Hugh Xie led the way in the
Pee Wee boys division ( what do you expect he's an inliner)
LOL. Provincials also was the qualifier for Canadians and
North Americans. Paisley will be the youngest member at North
Americans in Midland next week. Hopefully by then the snow
will be gone and it will be time to bring out the inlines.
The cycle starts again yeha
|
 |
| 2007 Team Ontario skaters heading to North Americans March
17th in Midland Michigan |
| A Visit to the Town Council |
| In a community rich in Hockey history it was great to see
our Mayor and Town Council acknowledge a youngster for her accomplishments
as a speed skater. Mayor David Anderson awarded Paisley with
a certificate of acheivement for her gold medal performance
at the North American Long Track Championships. |
Alberta Weekend
| As the MSI race series comes to an end there was only one
last marathon on the schedule. The Dutch community from Sylvan
Lake had worked for two weeks making sure the 100km race would
be held on great ice, but that's later in the story. There was
a weather watch in place for Thursday with freezing rain heading
our way. Paisley and I headed out at 5:00am to the airport.
The weather front didn't hit until late afternoon so our flight
to Calgary went off with no problems. Our first stop in Calgary
was to head to the Olympic Oval to pick up a couple of tickets
for the Long Track World Cup. We would only be able to attend
on Friday as the 100km race would be Saturday morning. Earlier
this week Paisley had placed in her schools public speaking
competition with a speech on Catriona Lemay Doan. In a twist
of fate after picking up our tickets we headed into the Oval
to watch the athletes warming up for the next days World Cup.
As we turned the stairwell Paisleys eyes started to bulge because
here was Catriona right beside her. Paisley introduced herself
and asked if it would be OK for a picture or 2. I was happy
to snap off a few pics of Paisley, Catriona and her young daughter.
I was very impressed at the warmth and friendlyness "the
Cat" had shown my daughter. |
|

| "The Cat and the Kitten" at the Olympic
Oval |
| Long time friends Amanda and Marianne Dyck were working
at the Oval with Kyle Winter (Mariannes favourite man).
It was great to see them again and get caught up. After
the Oval a quick stop at Peters Drive Through, the best
burger joint in Calgary and then off to Sylvan Lake to
check out the ice. When we arrived there was lots of activity.
The locals were all hard at work preparing the 5km loop
for Saturdays Festival. There was a sculptor working away
at a huge snow monument of several speed skaters. Paisley
went out and did 10km to check out the track and get used
to her clap skates after skating short track for a month.
We were both dead tired so it was order in pizza and lights
out at 8:00pm. Tomorrow was a trip back to Calgary and
check out the World Cup. |
| One of my all time favourite inliners Jessica Smith
(left) paired with Chris Witty in the 500m. Great to see
Jess doing so well. |
| We arrived early at the Oval expecting a line up for
the first come first served seats. It was an hour and
a half before the doors were scheduled to open. Nobody
was around so Paisley and I headed on in to watch warmups.
The first person we seen was the greatest inliner alive.
It had been 2 years since I had seen Chad Hedrick but
he noticed us coming in and waved. He looked very smooth
and very powerful. It would be a disappointment that he
was not scheduled to race on day one so we didn't get
to see him in action. Another all time inline favourite
was jogging on the running track. Jessica Smith took time
to come over for chat. She was brand new to the World
cup and seemed a little nervous. I assured her we would
be cheering for her and that I had a LOUD voice so she
would hear me. She skated a very strong 500m and yes she
did her us cheering. Afterwwards she was cooling down
on the inner track and looked over at us and smiled I
gave her the 2 thumbs up. Our Canadian skaters looked
very strong and then again so did the Dutch. We were sitting
next to the Dutch spectators. For anyone who knows long
track speed skating they also will know the Dutch have
the best fans. They are very loud and love to cheer when
they see great skating. The Calgary school board countered
the Dutch fans when they brough in 500 public school children
and gave them all noise makers. As it urned out we were
right in between the 2 groups so it would not be a quiet
afternoon. |
 |
| Paisley and the other 500 public school kids sure
let the Canadian athletes know they had lots of support. |
| It was a great afternoon watching our Canadian skaters
in action. I see so much potential and depth in Canada's
Long Track program. A special moment was when Denny Morrison
from just down the road in the Mount Forest area earned
a gold medal and set a new Canadian record. Just perhaps
those 500 fans cheering might of helped a wee bit. I know
I had goose bumps watching him fly and listening to the
kids going into a frenzy. |
| Denny Morrison paired with Japan's Tadashi Obara
in the 1000m. Denny set a new Canadian record and took
the Gold medal. |
|
It had been a perfect day at the oval but we now had
to head back to Sylvan Lake (about 180km). The highway
was snow covered with black ice everywhere. There were
many accidents including a large boat that had flown
off a trailer crossed the median and hit a mini van
head on. (wow sorry no pic) try explaining that to your
insurance company. Next morning there was a fleet of
vehicles heading out to the race site. The weather was
perfect for a race and the ice track looked like a silver
ribbon as it twisted across the lake. Paisley had lots
of marathons under her belt but this would be double
her longest race. We had talked about finding a pack
skating around 12-13 minute laps. This would get her
finished between 4-5 hours. I was being optomistic.
We met up with our friends from Rochester. Tim Docherty
and Jim Cornell. They had been at the Silver Lake race
2 weeks ago and at the Masters Races in Calgary last
week. These two guys are great competitors and love
this sport. Paisley and Tim have skated together in
several marathons. I think they make a great team (
Tim is a good listener and she is a good talker). This
year there would be 70 men and 17 women come to the
line. Ther was no age divisions just men and women.
The race started very fast with an 8 man lead pack breaking
away early. Jim Cornell was in the lead group. These
guys were running high 8s low 9 minute laps. I was impressed.
The chase pack had the 6 top ladies (including Paisley).
My concern was had she gone out too fast. This group
was hitting 10 minute laps. This was around 2 minutes
faster than I had told her to skate. She looked very
comfortable and was up in the lead for a time but never
less than a few feet off the lead women. Ten laps into
the race at the the 50km mark she crossed the line in
1 hr 43min. I din't know at the time but earlier in
that lap a skater had fallen and taken Paisley down.
She had chased and caught the group but at a cost. In
the 11th lap there was another crash and again she went
down. This time she was off the back of the pack with
45 km left. She would chase this group for the balance
of the race and maintain 6th place with a time of 3
hrs and 47 minutes. The sea of dutch spectators along
the finish straight away provided great motivation.
 |
| Paisley skates under the replica of the famous
Bartleheim bridge after her 100km race |
Top 10 Spitz Sylvan Lake Ice Marathon 100 km
Men
Rank # Skater Class laps Time avg.speed fast.lap
fast.speed in lap
1 35 Cor Van Blaaderen 100M 20 2:58:43 33.572 08:21.1
35.92 2
2 33 Merein Van Benthem 100M 20 2:58:53 33.541 08:21.5
35.89 2
3 23 Trevor Nelson 100M 20 3:00:05 33.318 08:21.2
35.91 2
4 34 Egbert Van Blaaderen 100M 20 3:08:58 31.751
08:21.1 35.92 2
5 32 Rolf Van Bentham 100M 20 3:09:42 31.63 08:20.6
35.96 2
6 1 Scott Anderson 100M 20 3:09:55 31.593 08:21.1
35.92 2
7 44 Jim Cornell 100M 20 3:13:41 30.979 08:21.1
35.92 2
8 10 Rick Dykstra 100M 20 3:15:55 30.624 08:46.2
34.21 1
9 9 Lyle Dickieson 100M 20 3:16:07 30.595 08:21.2
35.91 2
10 36 Freddy Van der Linde 100M 20 3:20:44 29.89
08:47.9 34.09 1 |
Top 10 Spitz Sylvan Lake Ice Marathon 100 km
Ladies
Rank # Skater Class laps Time avg.speed fast.lap
fast.speed in lap
PIC No. Name Class Laps Total Tm Avg. Speed Best
Tm Best Spd In Lap
1 102 Susan Cameron 100F 20 3:30:44 28.472 09:43.2
30.87 5
2 105 Annie Muilwijk 100F 20 3:31:23 28.384 09:43.5
30.85 5
3 112 Hillie Van't Klooster-Schurer 100F 20 3:31:23
28.384 09:43.4 30.85 5
4 114 Liesbeth Lok 100F 20 3:31:24 28.383 09:43.5
30.85 5
5 108 Ymke Segaar 100F 20 3:31:34 28.361 09:45.2
30.76 5
6 106 Paisley Perrie 100F 20 3:47:25 26.382 09:45.0
30.77 5
7 101 Lori Brohman 100F 20 4:12:08 23.796 11:35.6
25.88 20
8 115 Judy Van Hyfte 100F 20 4:19:12 23.148 10:16.1
29.22 1
9 113 Agnes Heida 100F 20 5:00:14 19.984 12:29.8
24.01 4
10 104 Willeke Kraay 100F 20 5:04:12 19.724 13:39.4
21.97 2 |
|
|
|
North American Age Class
Speed Skating Championships
Winterpeg Feb 03/04 2007
|
| No that's not a typo above. I mean Winterpeg. The temperatures
actually had the locals complaining. Skaters from across Canada
and the USA had come to the Cindy Klassen Rec Centre for the
NA Long Track Championships. On day one it was minus 30 degrees
plus the wind chill. The ice was cracking under the skaters
feet from the intense cold. I though it was cold last weekend
in the Soo but was way beyond bloody cold. Upon entering Ontario's
dressing room we met team coaches Joanne Mitchell and Tony Bean.
Joanne handed Paisley an Ontario Skinsuit and told her to dress
warm ( lots of layers). Because of the cold the officials decided
to run the 2 short distances on day 1. This meant a 300m and
a 200m for Paisley. After a false start in her first race she
settled down and took care of business. Winning the 300 by close
to 70m there was a finish line crash between USA and Manitoba.
USA had took second and Manitoba third. In the 200m it again
was Paisley collecting the gold with Manitoba silver and USA
bronze. On Day 2 the temperature was down
to a wopping minus 53 degrees. The physician on site decided
it would be dangerous to allow the racing to continue. It was
a quick end to a frosty weekend. |
 |
|
Inliners in the News
Way to go Minto
|
Good Stuff Avery and Troy
| First Gold on Ice for LiZ |
| Elizabeth Perrie earned her first career gold medal this weekend
at the 4th Western Regional ability meet in Brampton last weekend.
The 2nd year Midget also picked up her time requirements to
participate in this years Ontario Cups. |
|
Ontario Long Track Championships
|
|
What a great bunch of hardy people these guys up in the Soo
turned out to be. Paisley and I arrived in Sault Ste Marie
last Thursday afternoon to be greeted by Club president Bill
Ansley and several of the club members. Paisley was invited
to train with them from 4-6pm. It was frosssssty but Paisley
welcomed the invitation to get used to the 333 track and different
apex. We again took advantage of their great hospitality on
Friday and had already started to feel like family.
| Kieran Desjardins 7yrs old was the youngest skater
at the meet and was in the Pee Wee division. She was truly
a poster girl for the Soo. She just loves winter |
It didn't matter how cold and windy it was the club just
took it in stride, especially the little skaters who seemed
to thrive on it. It was a bit warmer Saturday morning for
the races. The snow was coming down pretty hard and I had
heard Nick Serrer explain "tough ice" to Leo Landry.
Tough ice is where you have little or no glide and have to
push hard for every inch of track you cover. This was indeed
the case for both days. Close to 80 skaters took part this
year. Team member Aaron Clark had his first taste of Olympic
style racing and handled it great placing 5th in the Junior
mens sprint division. Aaron also took third in the Intermediate
Mass start races behind Leo and Nick.
| SSM President Bill Ansley awards the medals to Nick,
Leo and Aaron |
| On her way to a new Ontario and Canadian record in
the 600meter |
I forgot to mention the tough ice story to Paisley as I
new she had come to the Soo for only 2 reasons, record hunting
and qualify for the North American Championships in Winnipeg
next week. When the snow and wind had cleared only 6 new records
had been broken over the weekend. Paisley's friend Emily Rendell-Watson
from Ottawa had 1 in the Midget girls division and Paisley
had completly re-written the Ontario Bantam record book with
Ontario records in the 200, 300,400 and 600m. She also set
a new Canadian record in the 600m.
|
| Long Track age Class races Jan 13th 2007 |
|
With no ice in Ontario the die hard long trackers headed
for Ste Foy and the refrigerated oval. The folks at La Federation
de patinage de vitesse du Quebec organized a great meet. The
weather also helped make a great day with sunny skies and
moderate temperatures. The youngest member of the Ontario
skaters was Paisley Perrie who was hoping for the extra ice
time to quallify for the North American Championships in early
February at the Susan Auch Oval in Winnipeg. Most of the other
skaters were from the Glouchester club. It was great to see
some familiar faces. Inline and ice sprinter Brian Joubert
was also racing and skated to a gold medal performance. Paisley's
competition had been training for most of the season at the
oval so it was already obvious the racing would be tough.
This level made the local skater rise to the occasion by having
to smash Quebec, Ontario and even National records to grab
the gold. Qubecs top skater Marrianne Aubichon finished only
inches away to pick up the silver in all 6 races.
|

| Always great to see Brian (yellow and blue) and watch the
sprint power |
| Inliners: in the News
Josh Scott and Cole Cherry will be heading
to the Silver Stick Competition in Michiagan later this month.
Good Luck to the Minto Team
|
| Photo Courtesy of Zen and the art of Speed
Skating |
|
The young and the young
at heart:
In Ste Foy the organizers had the youngest and the oldest
skaters do a lead out start for the 40km marathon.
Pictures above in 10yr old Paisley and her good friend 73yr
old speed skating hall of famer Pierre Gagne
|
| Marathon International Race
Series Opens on a Golden Note |
Ste Foy Quebec was the first stop for the MSI race series.
The Gaetan Boucher Oval is a 400m outdoor refrigerated oval
commemorating his gold medal performance in the 1984 Olympics.
The weather was picture perfect with mild temperatures and no
wind. This would make for great racing and very fast times.
This would also be the first long track race series for 10yr
old Paisley Perrie. Again this year she was the youngest skater
to come to the line. It would be a long weekend with a 25 kilometer
race Saturday night under the lights and a 40 kilometer marathon
early Sunday morning. After winning the series last season in
the under 19 division Paisley was now considered a veteran in
the marathon circuit. The 25km race started very fast and the
pace seemed to pick up every lap. Last year the little skater
finished in 1 hour 6 min. This year she was 14 minutes quicker
turning in a 52 min gold medal performance.
Sunday morning was again the perfect morning for racing. The
race would start from a moving pace. The organizers had the
oldest skater and the youngest skater lead the pack around for
the opening pace lap. This was a 40km marathon and the pace
started slow for the first 20 laps of the 100 lap race. Finishing
in 1 hour 30min was again a huge improvement in last years times
and had earned another gold medal for the under 19 division
and a 4th place overall in the female division. The next marathon
will be in Ottawa in early January but for now it is time to
again focus on short track. |
 |
|
I have added this story because I wanted to share this with
all my friends who read this web site.
I am sure you know just how much time I spend training my
kids and driving, flying them around the world to skate. I
figured I was a pretty good dad. Well this dad was brought
to tears this morning by a vidio of another dad and what he
had done for his son. This was truly the most insperational
clip I have ever seen.
Please take a couple of moments and watch it. Let me know
how you felt afterwards. Cheers Alex
http://cjcphoto.com/can/
|
| AJ Perrie, Jade Pauley, Alex "crash" D'Mello,
Sigrid Zigler, Jesse Pauley, Peter Doucett, Andrew Hegarty |
|