Etobicoke Speed Skating Club

No Skating Tonight - Thursday, Feb 2

2012-02-02T04:24:00.000-05:00

There is NO SKATING tonight - Thursday, Feb 2. Our permit was given to a large school group. I was assured that this will not happen again.

We will resume our usual Tuesday and Thursday schedule at Martingrove rink next week, assuming there aren’t any labour disruptions.

If you want to get some extra skating in, keep in mind that there is pleasure speed skating available on Sunday mornings and Monday evenings:

On Sunday from 9:30 am to 10:30 am, we can skate at the hockey pad at Giovanni Caboto. It's located at 1369 St Clair Avenue West near Lansdowne.

On Monday, speed skating is offered at the Prince of Wales rink from 8:30 pm to 10:00 pm. This rink is located at 1 Third Street between Islington and Royal York, south of Lakeshore Blvd. It offers a beautiful view of the downtown skyline. We even had fireworks this past Monday!

Jay

This week on the ice...

2012-01-29T15:29:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night, Monday Jan 30, a group of us are going to do the public “Long Blade Skating” at Prince of Wales rink. It’s located right by the Lake at 1 Third St M8V 2X5, so we’ll enjoy the great view of the downtown skyline while we skate. Speed skaters can use the ice from 8:30 to 10:00 pm.

Tuesday we skate at our usual time and place – 7:30 to 8:30 pm at Martingrove rink.

There will NO SKATING Thursday evening, Feb 2. Our permit for this Thursday Feb 2 was given to a large school group without anyone checking with me beforehand. I was assured that this will not happen again.

We will resume our usual Tuesday and Thursday at Martingrove rink in the week of Feb 6.

Good skating & hope to see you tomorrow and Tuesday,

Now that the holidays are behind us, come speed skate

2012-01-03T12:20:00.001-05:00

Haven’t Made it Out Yet? – It’s not too late! We continue to skate at West Deane / Martingrove Rink two nights per week. On Tuesday evenings the ice is ours from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on Thursday evenings from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

Skate off some of the holiday excess!

2011-12-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

Speed skating is on this Tuesday Dec 27 at the West Deane - Martingrove Rink from 7:30 to 8:30 and on Thursday Dec 29 from 7:15 to 8:15.

Come speed skating soon!

2011-12-16T16:36:00.000-05:00

Our season is already well underway. We had ten people skating last Tuesday when the weather felt more conducive for skating. Last night was rather warm so Dolly and I had the rink to ourselves. The ice was surprisingly firm despite the insanely warm weather earlier in the day.

Hope you're able to join us sometime soon. Best wishes for the holiday season,

Jay

Martingrove Rink is open

2011-12-03T13:35:00.003-05:00

Martingrove Rink is open, so we should be skating this Tuesday. I'm going to skate at Giovanni Cobato tomorrow morning. There's speed skating on the hockey pad between 9:30 and 10:30. Who's going to join me?

Public leisure speed skating

2011-11-29T14:30:00.004-05:00

Once again this year, the City is providing several leisure skating time slots for speed skaters.

On Sunday from 9:30 am to 10:30 am, we can skate at the hockey pad at Giovanni Caboto. It's located at 1369 St Clair Avenue West near Lansdowne.

On Monday, speed skating is offered at the Prince of Wales rink from 8:30 pm to 10:00 pm. This rink is located at 1 Third Street between Islington and Royal York, south of Lakeshore Blvd.

Update your calendar

2011-11-20T19:36:00.002-05:00

Here are some dates to put into your calendar:

Saturday December 3 @ 1030 – Registration / Try on club skates
Tuesday December 6 – First night of skating
Thursday February 2 – No skating this evening
Thursday February 23 – Last night of skating

End of Season Wrap-up

2011-02-26T12:54:00.003-05:00

This past Thursday night was the last night of the 2010-11 season, and what a season it was.

Almost every night someone came to try speed skating for the first time, and quite a few decided to join to skate regularly
The weather was outstanding almost every evening we skated
The City staff did a great job keeping the ice in pretty good condition

Dave posted the rest of his photos from our end of season pizza night here.

Dolly, Neil and Hannah went to check out the long track oval in Lakefield earlier today. I'm sure they had a great time and will tell us all about it when our next season starts in December.

If you hung onto your club skates, please email or call me to arrange to drop them off at my house. Thanks, and we'll see you in December.

What a night!

2010-12-17T10:23:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful night to skate last night. Perfect temperature, no wind, it just doesn't get better.

Lots of opportunities to skate this week

2010-12-12T20:09:00.002-05:00

For those of you with your own skates, tomorrow night (Monday) promises to be a nice night to check out the ice at Prince of Wales rink. We'll be skating at Martin Grove at Tuesday and Thursday. Next Sunday take a trip to Sunnydale Acres rink.

Col Sam Smith skate trail open

2010-12-12T20:02:00.003-05:00

Guest contributor Jody L went to the opening of the Skate Trail. Here's her report

"It was quite nice. I do believe I was the only one there on long blades. You're right, it is too tight for a real workout. Still worth using on Sunday morning or something, I think."

Skating starts next Tuesday December 7th

2010-11-27T17:50:00.008-05:00

The Etobicoke Speed Skating Club will be back on the ice in a week’s time. Our season starts on Tuesday December 7^th, 2010 and finishes on Thursday February 24^th, 2011. We continue to skate at Martingrove Rink two nights per week. On Tuesday evenings the ice is ours from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on Thursday evenings from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

I will be at the rink Saturday December 4^th, 2010 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to receive memberships and to hand out rental skates. Those skaters who were fitted last year are advised to be there early, as we cannot guarantee to hold skates after the Club opens. If you are unable to register on December 4^th, please arrive at the rink by 7:00 p.m. on December 7^th, 2010 so that we can all get on the ice at 7:30 p.m.

Membership for the 2010 – 2011 season will be $125.00 for adults and $60.00 for children and youth under 18. Skate rental costs an additional $25.00 for the season.

This year we have secured additional ice time at Sunnydale Acres on Sunday from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. and at Prince of Wales on Monday from 8:45 to 10:00 p.m. – that gives you 4 1/4 hours of skating per week on a total of 48 days!

P.S. The Sunnydale Acres Rink is already open. Jim Charbonneau will be skating tomorrow between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. and would be happy to have others join him.

Important Dates for Your Calendar

2010-11-18T14:56:00.003-05:00

I will send out an email later in November after our planning meeting to all past members and to anyone else who has expressed an interest about the 2010-2011 season. In the meantime, here are some dates to put into your calendar:

Saturday December 4 1030 – Registration / Try on club skates
Tuesday December 7 – First night of skating
Thursday February 24 – Last night of skating

Planning for our 2010 - 2011 Season

2010-11-18T14:52:00.002-05:00

You wouldn’t know it by the weather but winter is on its way! That means it’s time to plan for Etobicoke speed skating for 2010 – 2011.

Let’s plan on meeting at the Lemongrass Restaurant next Wednesday November 24th at 7:30 p.m. It’s located in the Sun Life Centre at 3300 Bloor Street West, on the northeast corner of Bloor and Islington. There’s free parking in the underground lot which can be accessed from Aberfoyle Crescent.

Topics will include pricing (since our ice costs have been going up 10% for the past few years), renewing our skate fleet, growing our membership base, coaching, road trips to the Lakefield Oval and / or Portland Skate the Lake, etc. Also on the agenda: Should we lead discussions with the city about allowing skating on Grenadier Pond?

David, Jim and Michael have already said that they’ll be coming. Please let me know if you’ll be able to join us. It’s up to you whether you come for dinner, dessert or a drink – or a combination.

Jay

Fall 2010 Update

2010-09-07T11:56:00.005-04:00

The Etobicoke Speedskating Club is a recreation level club based at Martingrove Rink. This year we have secured additional ice time at Sunnydale Rink on Sunday mornings and at Prince of Wales on Monday nights - that 4 1/2 hours per week!

Skating will get started once the rinks are open in early December. Stay tuned for the exact dates for club sign-up and for skating to get underway.

Jim Charbonneau is organizing a Club Skate Purchase Program with VH. He skated on these at the Olympic Oval in Calgary - very comfortable and fast. Special club pricing if we get 5 or 10 people to purchase... email Jim - ocharby [at] rogers [dot] com

The last piece of news is that construction of the skate trail in Colonel Sam Smith Park is finished. Some of the corners look pretty tight, so it won't be the place to set any speed records!

Last Week of Etobicoke Speed Skating season

2010-02-21T21:09:00.003-05:00

As early as it may seem, this is our last week of skating at the Etobicoke Speed Skating Club. We’ll be skating Tuesday and Thursday, and then that’s it until December 2010.

Our end of the season fete will be on Thursday night. After we come off the ice at 8:15 pm, Ken and Eva will be treating us to pizza. If you’re able to bring any goodies, I’m sure they’ll get eaten too!

Please remember to return your club skates to the skate locker on the last evening you skate.

In other news, this was the first weekend in over a month that the ice at Grenadier Pond hasn't been skate-worthy. The ice has been truly awesome. Thanks go to Neil, Jim, Dave and Dolly for their yeoman shovelling to maintain the oval that we've been enjoying.

it seems totally ridiculous that our City doesn't capitalize on the Pond as a tourist attraction during WinterCIty Festival! Instead they post "Ice Unsafe" signs and ask the police to waste their time kicking people off the Pond when there's a foot of solid clear ice.

Now that the Olympics are on, I've been getting a number of inquiries from people interested in speed skating. I expect there'll be several new faces this week, and quite a few new skaters joining us next season.

That's all for now, the third period of the Canada-USA hockey game is starting!

Skate at Grenadier Pond tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.

2010-01-09T14:51:00.002-05:00

David Ross checked out the ice at Grenadier Pond last night - he reports that it's quite good, a 8+ out of 10, under about 3 inches of light snow.

He's suggesting that whoever's interested meets at the south end of the Pond tomorrow - Sunday Jan 10 - at 2:00 p.m. with our shovels and skates.

New Year's Update

2009-12-30T21:42:00.002-05:00

Given that tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, we will be out celebrating the dawn of 2010. Skating will resume next Tuesday, January 5th.

Haven’t Made it Out Yet? – It’s not too late! We continue to skate at Martingrove Rink two nights per week. On Tuesday evenings the ice is ours from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on Thursday evenings from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

Planning 2009-2010 Season

2009-11-11T16:35:00.000-05:00

Six of us met at the Henry VIII Ale House on Thursday November 5th night to plan our 2009 – 2010 season.

We will continue to skate at the Martin Grove rink on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting Tuesday December 8th. The group decided to freeze the membership and skate rental fees at last season’s amounts.

Thank you to Jim who offered to help look after Tuesday nights. Jay is only skating Thursdays this season.

We spent some time talking about how to get the word out about our club. Mike agreed to set up a Facebook group while Jim is establishing a LinkedIn group. If you belong to these social networking sites, then join the Etobicoke Speed Skating groups.

Neil suggested we should organize one or more skating road trips this winter. Several of us are interested in a day trip to check out the Lakefield oval. Other possible destinations could include the Portland Marathon, the Bytown Ice Marathon at the Brewer Lake Oval in Ottawa, or going at a more relaxed pace on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. We will talk about these at the rink and let everyone know once a date and destination is locked in.

Planning 2009-2010 Season

2009-10-25T21:55:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago, I suggested we arrange a dinner where those who are interested can help plan the Etobicoke Speed Skating Club 2009 – 2010 season. However, I got busy, dropped the ball and didn’t book it.

I’m wondering if you might be available next week, either Wednesday Nov 4 or Thursday Nov 5. Please let me know if you’d be able to join us, and which night(s) you would prefer.

Jay

Open House: Colonel Sam Smith Skating Trail

2009-09-10T11:54:00.002-04:00

Hope you had a great summer.

There will be a Public Open House on Tuesday Sept 22nd for the proposed ice skating trail in Colonel Samuel Smith Park. I’m unable to attend, as it is my wife’s and my 25^th wedding anniversary. There’s a small but very vocal group that opposes this skating trail. I think it’s important some of us attend who could speak in support of the trail – it would be great for us speed skaters.

Please let me know if you would be able to attend,

Jay

jbrown0577 (ampersand) rogers (dot) com

Information from the Open House Flyer:

Councillor Mark Grimes and the City of Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation division is hosting a public open house. Everyone is welcome to attend. Drawings for the Colonel Samuel Smith Park

Artificial Ice Skating Trail will be on display.

The purpose of this meeting is to present the revised layout for the skating trail project.

Date: September 22, 2009

Time: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Location: Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School

28 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive, in Foyer

(South of Lake Shore Boulevard on Kipling alignment)

For further information, please contact Councillor Mark Grimes' office at 416-397-9273 or email: councillor_grimes@toronto.ca

Another great season is winding up

2009-02-24T12:05:00.002-05:00

Our last night of skating is this Thursday, February 26th. We are having our end of season soiree tonight after we get off the ice. Once again, Ken and Eva have kindly offered to provide pizza. Someone else is bringing the cider. If you can bring some treats, that would be great.

If you have club skates, please return them tonight or on Thursday.

Jay

Skating tonight - Feb 10 - is cancelled

2009-02-10T16:07:00.000-05:00

Skating tonight is cancelled. The City cancelled our permit, because the warm weather has messed up the ice.

We’ll have to wait and see about Thursday, because the forecast is for continued warm weather for the rest of the week.

Join us for dinner after skating on Feb 17

2009-02-10T16:04:00.002-05:00

We’re planning an après after next Tuesday’s skate, February 17, 2009. The plan is to go to Calli Café, which is a semi-upscale Mexican restaurant, located at 4906 Dundas St W in the Islington village. Those who want to eat can have dinner or a snack, and they have a bar menu as well. My wife and I have gone a number of times and enjoy it a great deal.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T10:44:00.005-05:00

Now that the winter holidays are over, it's time to skate off the indulgences we all gave in to.

The Etobicoke Speed Skating Club's regular schedule of Tuesday and Thursday nights resumes this week. On Tuesdays our ice time is from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on Thursdays it starts 15 minutes earlier, and runs from 7:15 pm. to 8:15 p.m.

If you haven't already registered, please bring along the necessary cash or your cheque book.

See you at Martin Grove rink,

Jay

Skate the 2008-09 season

2008-11-29T14:31:00.005-05:00

Our season will start on Tuesday December 9th, 2008 and finish on Thursday February 26th, 2009. We continue to skate at Martingrove Rink on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and on Thursday evenings from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

I will be at the rink Saturday December 6th, 2008 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to receive memberships and to hand out rental skates. Those skaters who were fitted last year are advised to be there early, as we cannot guarantee to hold skates after the Club opens.

If you are unable to register on December 6th, I will be at the rink at 6:45 p.m. on December 9th, 2008. Please be prompt so that we can all get on the ice at 7:30 p.m. As an added incentive for you to skate on the 9th, Ken Caven will be sharpening skates.

Looking forward to seeing you on the ice,

Jay

Support Etobicoke's "long track" outdoor ice path

2008-06-11T14:32:00.003-04:00

Jody L and I attended the open house on the development of a family outdoor ice skating trail at Samuel Smith Park last Thursday. The trail will be located beside the Power House building on the Humber College Lakeshore Campus. Unfortunately I can't upload the conceptual drawing of the trail map, but you can find it here on the Citizens Concerned About the Future of the Etobicoke Waterfront website. This is one of the groups opposed to the trail, by the way, so if you read their web page, you'll hear their point of view.

There were many vocal opponents at the open house, with only a few parents and one speed skater (yours truly) speaking out in favour. If you would like to make your voice heard, additional comments will be included in the summary report by Lura Consulting if they are received by tomorrow - June 12th. The comment forms can be found on the Citizens Concerned About the Future of the Etobicoke Waterfront website, or if you send me an email.

The CCFEW argument that there's already lots of skating opportunities in the area misses the point; this will be a 250 metre trail rather than a hockey rink. It would provide a place for families to skate during the day and evening without having to go around in circles, and it'd be a great venue for speed skaters during off-peak hours just like how Brampton speed skaters use Gage Park to practice long track. And like Gage Park, it will draw people from all over the GTA.

Etobicoke "long track" outdoor ice!

2008-06-05T08:53:00.000-04:00

This is short notice but spread it around!

This afternoon there is an open house on the development of a family outdoor ice skating trail development at Samuel Smith Park.

Join Councillor Mark Grimes and members of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation to review and discuss the preliminary plans for development of the family outdoor ice skating trail

June 5:
3:30-5:30 youth after school drop in
6:00-7:00 view design
7:00-9:00 community and family presentation and discussion group

Ken Cox community centre (located in Father John Redmond Catholic High School, which is just south of Lakeshore and Kipling Av)
28 Col. Sam Smith Park Dr

.

End of a great season

2008-02-29T08:17:00.002-05:00

Last night was our final night of speed skating for this season. It seems quite silly to finish skating on the coldest night we've had this year, but that's just the way it is. I called the City several weeks ago to ask if they could extend it, to no avail.

MasterCard donated the money to allow the City to open the rinks in December. Since Mayor Miller says he slayed the budget problems at City Hall, I think we should lobby MasterCard to support keeping the outdoor rinks open through the kid's March school break in 2009!

At any rate, the ice was hard and fast last night. Ken gave us an inspiring lesson on how to get more speed while sprinting - get low, so we're below the boards. We'll have to get Ken to demonstrate this again for us at the beginning of next season!

After we came off the ice, the hot cider and treats helped everyone to warm up. Eva and Neil took a few photos of the group, which I will post. A few of us went out for an apres of spicy Korean food at Cho Dang Soon Tofu, which was perfect on such a cold night.

See you in December!

End of season soirée

2008-02-26T13:28:00.000-05:00

The last night of skating is this Thursday, February 28th. After we come off the ice, we are going to celebrate another great season. Ken and Eva have graciously offered to provide pizza. Others are bringing treats and cider.

All are welcome to join us on the ice and afterwards - including our Tuesday-only members. For the Tuesday folks, we get on the ice at 7:15 on Thursday, fifteen minutes earlier than you’re used to.

If you have club rental skates at home, please return them either tonight or on Thursday. Thanks!

Jay and Taisa

Lakefield Long Track Oval is Open!

2008-02-26T13:19:00.003-05:00

Neil told me that the long track oval is now open in Lakefield. Is anyone interested in a road trip this weekend to check it out?

Let me know, and I'll put you in touch with him.

Grenadier Pond update

2008-02-26T13:10:00.002-05:00

David Ross skated Grenadier Pond last Thursday. Here's his report:

"I was out last night - the north end was very good, not quite perfect, the south end not so good. I put my skates on where we were last time and went north - a great skate. I took our dog, and he chased a fox across the ice at the end of our skate!"

Neil Connelly joined David on Saturday morning. Here's how Neil described it:

"David and I were there (Grenadier Pond) today, and it was a beautiful morning. The ice was not quite as good as last time, but worth skating. I saw two foxes enjoying the sunny weather."

Speed Skating Finishes Feb 28th

2008-02-21T11:35:00.000-05:00

Many of you have been asking me how long our speed skating season will last. The last night of skating will be next Thursday, February 28th.

If you have club rental skates at home, please return them by next Thursday. Thanks!

Children's Fitness Tax Credit

2008-02-21T11:32:00.002-05:00

Please see the link below for information on this Tax Credit.
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/fitness/

If you have children who qualify (born in 1992 or more recently) & wish to make a claim please let me know.

Maximum claim is $500 per child under 16 per year. The membership fees will qualify for the tax credit. CCRA has advised me that the equipment rental fee does not qualify for the credit, since it is a separate cost item.

Grenadier Pond Photos

2008-02-05T21:05:00.000-05:00

Neil has passed along the photos he took on Jan 26th at Grenadier Pond. Here's a couple:

Neil, Taisa and David

Jay and David chasing Jody around the west corner of our oval

Want to see all of the photos? Click here.

Skating tonight

2008-01-31T14:38:00.000-05:00

It's a shame only six people skated on Tuesday night, since it turned out to be a good evening. The drizzle stopped before we got on the ice, and the rink was in good shape.

Ken and Eva stopped by on Tuesday. Ken very kindly sharpened skates for Taisa, Sean and me. Eva found photos of some of our long-time members that she passed along.

Tonight should be a good night for skating, hope to see you there!

Skating on Grenadier Pond

2008-01-28T12:23:00.001-05:00

A group of our members and friends skated Sunday afternoon at Grenadier Pond. It was a gorgeous afternoon to be out!

I arrived after the oval had already been cleared. I was doing the Dad's taxi thing; Taisa works as a rink attendant on Sunday afternoons at Martingrove Rink. Thank you to those who did the shoveling.

Annemieke said that she and her husband Gary have tomorrow off work and may slip out to skate. If you're interested in joining her, let me know and I can put you in touch to find out what time they're planning to go.

I won't be able to make it to Grenadier for the next few days, so I'll see you at Martingrove Tuesday night.

Another chance to speed skate on Grenadier Pond

2008-01-26T11:01:00.000-05:00

Six of us – David, Dolly, Jody, Neil, Taisa and I – skated Grenadier Pond this morning. It took 30 minutes to shovel a 350 metre oval. The ice was fine, so we were able to fly! Neil will be sending me some photos to post here.

We enjoyed it so much that we want to do it again. The plan is to meet up tomorrow afternoon (Sunday Jan 27) at 2:00 p.m. at the southwest corner of the Pond. Bring a shovel, in case we need clear away the bit of snow that the weatherman has forecasted.

Street parking is available on Ellis Gardens, one block north of The Queensway running west off Ellis Avenue. Take the Lakeshore eastbound, turn left at Ellis Avenue. Ellis Gardens is the first street left after you go through the light at The Queensway.

Join us on Grenadier Pond this Saturday

2008-01-25T09:02:00.000-05:00

A group of us are going skating on Grenadier Pond on Saturday morning. David Ross checked out the Pond yesterday, and reports that the ice is very good under about 5 cm. of light snow.

We're meeting at 8:00 at the southwest corner of the Pond. Bring a shovel, it shouldn't take us long to clear an oval given that the snow is light.

Street parking is available on Ellis Gardens, one block north of The Queensway running west off Ellis Avenue. Take the Lakeshore eastbound, turn left at Ellis Avenue. Ellis Gardens is the first street left after you go through the light at The Queensway.

This and that

2008-01-24T07:49:00.000-05:00

The ice was great on Tuesday night. Everyone was saying it was a wonderful night to skate; it was a pleasure to be outside after the deep freeze on Sunday!

It should be a good night again tonight, as long as everyone dresses for the -11 temperature.

Speaking of dressing warmly, the fifth anniversary of the International Big Rideau Lake Speed Skating Marathon will be held this Saturday in Portland, Ontario.

Back on the ice last night

2008-01-11T12:16:00.001-05:00

Twelve of us skated last night. It was mostly a free skate, with one round of asteroids at the end. Taisa spent some time coaching some of our new members, who are all showing lots of improvement.

Several people asked me how we're doing this season on our membership. So far this season, 25 people have joined the Club, of whom 15 are skating one night and 10 are skating both nights. We need a few more members to break-even, but I think we should build up our reserves so that we can continue to accommodate our growing membership (i.e., buy skates if we have to).

Eva has very kindly agreed to call a few people who skated with us last year who haven't come out yet. I hope they're able to join us again this year.

Speed skating cancelled today - Thursday should be fine

2008-01-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

With today's weather forecast, tonight's skating is cancelled, Tuesday Jan 8th. It wouldn’t be much fun in the rain or with that much water on the ice. (Sorry Christine, I know you’d skate in spite of these conditions!)

If any of you who are Tuesday only members would like to skate this Thursday, Jan 10th instead, please join us then. Let's hope our rink attendants can restore the ice by then! Our permit is from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. so plan on showing up a few minutes early so we can skate the full hour.

Last Thursday, we had a special guest at our practice. Adam started short track last year with Brampton Speed Skating. He chose to attend University of Calgary so that he could skate on the long track at the Olympic Oval. He showed us his brand spanking new Viking clap skates, and took a few laps on them. He was pretty fast in spite of the short track at Martingrove.

Incidentially, I enjoyed reading about Andrew Love's tour of the Viking factory, where Adam's skates were made. Check it out!

Come Skate on Dec 27th

2007-12-26T20:37:00.001-05:00

Time to work off some of that Christmas overindulgence. We're skating Thursday December 27th from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

While checking out one of my favourite web sites, I saw a great picture. Now that's low!

'I do want to call attention to one moment of perfection in this race, just as Apollo passes J.P., check out this extension & incredible compression'- caption and photo from Zen And The Art Of Speed Skating

We're Back on the Ice

2007-12-13T08:26:00.001-05:00

The season has officially started. Ten of us skated on Tuesday night, including three trying out the long blades for the first time.

It appears that the club is going to continue the growth we experienced last year. A record nine people registered and got fitted for skates last Saturday. Four people has been the most that have ever pre-registered in the previous years!

Hope to be skating with you soon!

Learn to Skate + +

2007-11-20T11:18:00.000-05:00

Once the Toronto Parks and Rec Learn to Skate programs fill up, many parents call to ask if we teach children to skate. We don't - we teach children as young as eight how to speed skate once they know how to skate, provided a parent skates with the child.

This morning I saw a pamphlet on the Natrel Rink at Harbourfront. They offer learn to skate programs for kids and adults.

A couple of years ago, Mike L told me that it's possible to skate on speed skates early in the morning at the Harbourfront rink before it gets busy. I skated a few times in the 2005-06 season, and agree with him that it's a wonderful rink! It's already open, so maybe I should head down sometime soon!

By the way, Coach Eric G went on a road trip to the Milwaukee Long Track speed skating oval. I enjoyed reading his report on his blog.

Our 40th Season!

2007-11-16T15:01:00.000-05:00

This morning I had to scrape my car windshield. Now it's starting to seem more like skating season! It was hard to get in the mood last month, it was one of the warmest Octobers in Toronto's history.

Our season will start on Tuesday December 11th, 2007 and finish on Thursday February 28th, 2007. We continue to skate at Martingrove Rink on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. We have also booked Thursday evenings from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. This gives us ten Tuesday nights (the rink is not available on Christmas or New Year’s Day) and twelve Thursday nights.

I will be at the rink Saturday December 8th, 2007 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m (note change in time) to receive memberships and to hand out rental skates. Those skaters who were fitted last year are advised to be there early, as we cannot guarantee to hold skates after the Club opens. If you are unable to register on December 8th, I will be at the rink at 6:45 p.m. on December 11th, 2007. Please be prompt so that we can all get on the ice at 7:30 p.m.

Looking forward to renewing our speed skating friendships,

Taisa and Jay

Speed Skating Starts December 11th

2007-10-12T16:44:00.000-04:00

MasterCard has offered to donate the money to allow the City to open its outdoor artificial ice rinks in December. The donation is $160,000... but the pleasure it will give is priceless!

I'll update the membership fees once I find out what the City will be charging for our ice time.

The start of next season delayed to January 2008

2007-08-14T12:11:00.001-04:00

Last week the City announced a wide range of service cuts. The outdoor artificial ice rinks are not opening until January. I read in the papers about how kids are spending too much time in front of computers, XBoxes and TV, and yet the City delays opening the rinks until after Christmas holidays.

I think the cuts were chosen to annoy the citizens so that we'd complain to the people running for provincial legislature this fall. I'll get off my soap box now.

I'll update the membership fees once I find out what the City will be charging for our (reduced amount of) ice time.

I hope you're all having a good summer. It seems strange to be updating a speed skating blog at this time of year!

See you next season!

2007-03-05T17:40:00.000-05:00

Well, that's it for another season of speed skating. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves, and look forward to seeing you all in December.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that last Tuesday night, we gave Eric a card to express our gratitude for his patient and fun coaching all season. Thanks Eric, we hope you can join us again next season!

Jay

P.S. If you'd like to skate faster, further and better than you ever thought you could, check out the Toronto Inline Skating Club. It's where I'll be spending several nights a week, once the weather warms up.

Last skate of the season tonight

2007-03-01T16:46:00.000-05:00

The weather may make a challenge for you to join me, but I hope to see you out tonight for our last skate of the season.

We had more cooperative weather on Tuesday, with great ice (thanks Vince!). Eric had us do a few drills, then we did several games - train races and asteroids.

Jay

The Ice at Grenadier Pond

2007-02-11T08:47:00.000-05:00

I skated twice at Grenadier Pond yesterday, because it is so good! Well, to be honest, I returned in the afternoon because I spent most of my time shovelling in the morning, and wanted to enjoy the fruits of my labour.

I cleared an oval that's probably about 150 or 175 meters. The corners are not as well laid out as at Martin Grove, but it's skateable at a reasonable speed. The only challenge is when you get many other skaters, because it's narrow for passing.

I parked off Ellis Avenue just north of the Queensway. There's a place where you can walk onto the Pond near that corner. The oval I cleared is about half-way up the pond. I walked up and put my skates on a friendly couple's dock near a big hockey rink that they cleared. The hockey rink is just north of the oval. If you don't want to walk that far, there's a smaller "oval" right at the south end of the pond by Ellis, that goes around a smaller shinny rink. Only problem with that one is a really tight corner at one end.

Bring along a snow shovel and check the Pond out. The ice is great!

See you Tuesday,

Jay

Grenadier Pond

2007-02-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

It's been sooo cold lately, that I was wondering if Grenadier Pond would be open.

Well, I'm a little behind the times... Last week, there was an article in the National Post about skating on the Pond. In it, David Michael Lamb of CBC Radio is quoted as saying:

"I'm an avid speed skater and I love long track speed skating on big open tracts of ice," he says.

"Normally you'd have to go to Ottawa or Lake Placid or Calgary or Quebec City. When Grenadier Pond freezes and the conditions are perfect, then we come out here and skate. The ice is flat and thick and fast."

See you at Martin Grove Rink tonight, and out on the Pond this weekend!

Jay

What a week!

2007-02-03T13:21:00.000-05:00

Winter has caught up with us here in Toronto; I'm glad we're not skating tonight. It would be as cold as it was a week ago Thursday, when only Annemieke, Tineke and I braved the elements. Both evenings this week were much more comfortable to be out on our skates.

Tuesday, Eric ran a brisk practice that allowed us to stay warm and work on our technical skills. On Thursday, we had a free skate which gave us a chance to chat and to practice the drills we did on Tuesday.

And our numbers continue to grow, we're at 29 members! Dennis and Andy joined us this week. I know that you'll make them and our other new members feel a welcome part of our club.

See you on the ice next week,

Jay

Report on last night's skate

2007-01-24T20:24:00.000-05:00

We had our biggest group yet on the ice last night. The weather was the best it's been all season, not as cold as last week, but more winter-like than it was in December.

Eric split us into two groups. The groups took turns on the track and on a small circle he set up in the middle of the ice. On the track, we practiced one-legged glides and doing push and glides on the corners. We worked on the push and glides on the circle. He challenged us by having us do each of the activities going the opposite direction. I'm glad he did; it gave my left leg a rest!

Tomorrow night is our first Thursday evening skating. We have the ice from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., so please show up by 7:00 p.m. so that we can all get out on the ice for the full hour.

See you there!

Jay

Thursday skating starts on January 25th

2007-01-19T07:35:00.001-05:00

Well, it's official. I've booked the Martingrove rink for Thursdays from 7:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., starting on January 25th. Please show up by 7:00 p.m. so that we can all get out on the ice for the full hour.

Eric isn't available to coach on Thursdays, so it will be primarily free skating. This will give us a chance to practice the skills that we're learning on Tuesdays.

This will give those of us who'd like to skate twice a week an extra six times on the ice. For those members who want to skate on Thursdays, there will be a one-time cost of $20.

Winter has finally arrived!

2007-01-17T18:12:00.000-05:00

Quite a group of hearty skaters came out last night, in spite of the cold weather. Eric quickly gave us some drills to skate, so that we didn't have to stand around in the cold. These drills kept us warm and having fun.

Our membership continues to grow; I'm delighted to report that the Club has 26 members. Ken and Eva, do you remember the last time we had this many members? My records go back 6 years, and this is the highest it's been in that time.

This increased membership will allow us to add an extra hour of skating per week, on Thursday nights. More about that in my next posting.

Jay

Do you want to skate Thursday nights too?

2007-01-16T16:47:00.000-05:00

I have some exciting news. Martingrove rink has an available timeslot on Thursdays from 7:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., starting on January 25th.

This would give those of us who'd like to skate twice a week an extra six times on the ice. For those who want to come out on Thursdays, there will be a one-time cost of $20.

Please let me know tonight if you'd be interested in skating on a second evening for the balance of the season. Oh, and winter has finally arrived - make sure to wear some extra layers!

Jay

Some photos from 2006

2007-01-14T15:18:00.000-05:00