What Is Speed Skating

Speed skating is a great sport with many options to choose from, including short track, long track, pack, time trials, marathon, sprints, indoor, outdoor, intense, and recreational. Most of all, speed skating is an individual sport that lets you choose the options and levels you want to pursue.

Who Speed Skates

Speed skaters range from ages 3 to 70. Some start by joining learn-to-skate programs and get hooked on skating fast without worrying about pads, playing time, a puck, or fancy spins. Others tag along with friends or family members, or decide they want to follow a goal like competing in the Olympics. Hockey players come after games or practice because they want to improve their speed and power, or just for the thrill of skating fast. For figure skaters it is an unchoreographed change of pace. Speed skating will help you to improve your over all skating technique. By learning how to use the whole length of the blade, you will achieve better, stronger and faster speed.

History of Speed Skating

The roots of ice skating date back over 1,000 years to the frozen canals and waterways of Scandinavia and the Netherlands when men laced animal bones to their footwear and glided across frozen lakes and rivers. By the 19th century, the sport had attracted a mass following in many parts of the world.
Canada’s first recorded ice skating race took place on the St.Lawrence River in 1854 when three British army officers raced from Montreal to Quebec City. Speed skating races became a regular feature of winter life; and by 1887 the Amateur Skating Association of Canada, the young country’s first sport association, was formed. In 1887, the first official championship was staged by the Amateur Skating Association of Canada; and in 1894 became the first non-European body to join the ISU. The name was changed to the Canadian Amateur Speed Skating Association in 1960, then to Speed Skating Canada in 2000.
Currently Speed Skating Canada consists of over 8000 members from Coast to Coast to Coast. With 150 clubs in our Country it is one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

Age Categories

Cradle                    5    and under on June 30
PeeWee                 6- 7 years old on June 30
Bantam                  8- 9 years old on June 30
Midget                   10-11 years old on June 30
Juvenile                  12-13 years old on June 30  
Junior                     14-15 years old on June 30
Intermediate            16-17 years old on June 30
Senior                    18-29 years old on June 30  
Masters 1               30-39 years old on June 30  
Masters 2               40-49 years old on June 30  
Masters 3               50-59 years old on June 30  
Masters 4               60-69 years old on June 30  
Masters 5               70 +  years old on June 30