King Speed Skating Club expands programs

April 22, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Jeff Doner
With resounding support and interest, the King Speed Skating Club has announced that it will be expanding into some spring and summer sessions for the first time in their three year existence.
“People have responded, so it’s wonderful,” said club president Rose Kimber. “We have had a real surge in trial skaters in the past two weeks, so every week we’ve got between three to eight new skaters on the ice.
“People are contacting us and saying, ‘can we come out and skate?’ Our season ends at the end of March, so we started looking for an alternative where they can get introduced to the sport, see if they like it and become potential members for next season.”
The spring session will run every Wednesday throughout June from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Trisan Centre in Schomberg.
The summer session will be every Wednesday in August at same time and place.
Participants can sign up for one or both sessions, but must commit to all classes as new skills are taught each week and are essential for moving on.
For new skaters, all necessary equipment is provided, making it easy for people trying for the first time.
“We’re excited about our spring-summer program,” Kimber said. “It’s the first time that we’ve run them in our area and it’s definitely a step forward. We’re filling a need in our area.”
Currently with 50 members, Kimber said the growth is most welcome and sees the new sessions as a positive step forward for the club.
“I think our membership from last year has actually nearly doubled at this point,” she said. “Not all of it is annual skaters, but we’ve had a lot of interest in our four-week programs, so for people who just want to come out for a month or two months and skate.”

Personal Bests at Competition

Aside from getting out some new skaters, the club’s existing members have been climbing up the rankings in competitions this season.
The club had four skaters participate in the Provincial C Short Track age class Championships in Milton for boys and girls aged six to 10.
All four came back with personal bests and Yilin Liao won gold in the girls aged six category. She also broke three provincial speed records in the 200m, 400m and 500m. She is now ranked first place overall in the province for six-year-old girls.
Kiyomi McCausland finished fifth overall in the girls aged eight category and also logged personal bests.
Andria Scarpelli won gold in the girls aged nine category and broke two provincial records at the event last year. She is now ranked first overall in the province for nine-year-old girls.
Isabella Miskowiec also had a successful weekend of racing with lots of personal bests in the girls aged 10 category. Her last race was the best of the day. She was ranked 19th in the province going into the competition and will be moving up after her performance last weekend.
Kimberly Burjan (ranked third) and Victoria Scarpelli (ranked fifth) also qualified and will be participating in the Ontario Winter Games in Huntsville on March 27.
Earlier this winter, eight skaters participated at the Toronto Speed Skating Meet and came home with great results.
Yilin Liao came home with silver, Kiyomi McCausland scored a bronze and Isabella Miskowiec finished fifth.
Also competing at the meet were Eva Forrest, Aurora Kimber, Hayden McMahon, Andria Scarpelli and Victoria Scarpelli.
The club was also well represented at the Special Olympics regional qualifier in Belleville by Arik Kimber who finished first or second in all four of his races.
He is now eligible to compete on the provincial team and could potentially qualify to go to provincials in North Bay in 2015.
Five skaters headed to Clarington for the Provincial C Short Track Age Class Championships for boys and girls ages 11 and up.
Eva Forrest, Hayden McMahon, Aurora Kimber, Kimberly Burjan and Victoria Scarpelli skated.
“Our club has gotten much stronger,” Kimber said. “I think our sport has something for everyone. You can be recreational, you can be competitive, you can skate as a family. It really has something for everyone. You can show up on the ice and take it to wherever you want.”
For more information on the King Speed Skating Club, visit www.kingspeedskating.com or call 905- 859-0056 extension 5232.