Team Humboldt at Canadian Short Track Nationals Moncton 2007

William Dutton, Nathan Bernhard, Lloyd Bernhard, Ryn Bernhard, Craig Dutton

Eli-Anne Stoffle and the men's relay team

Canada Winter Games Speed Skating One Medal and lots of Memories

Team Humboldt at the 2007 Canada Winter Games

Day 9, Saturday, March 3, 2007

Humboldt speed skaters Addison Thiel and William Dutton arrived home in Humboldt from Whitehorse at 4:30 pm Saturday, March 3rd. The flight left Whitehorse two hours late at 1:00 am Saturday morning and arrived in Calgary at 4:30 am. The Saskatoon flight is delayed and finally departs at 2:30 Calgary time.

It is the end of a journey that began two years earlier when the Saskatchewan Speed Skating Association called for athletes to compete for a place on the Saskatchewan team for the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

Day 1 Friday, February 23

Up at 5:00 am and off to the airport. The flight leaves for Calgary-Edmonton-Whitehorse at 7:15 am. The skaters arrive in Whitehorse at 4:30 pm Saskatchewan time. They are greeted by a blast of Arctic cold. Temperatures of -34 mean frostbite and freezing is a very real threat to skaters wearing only lycra skin-suits designed to reduce aerodynamic drag, not to keep athletes warm.

The athletes refuse to let the temperature discourage them. An evening of opening ceremonies with their fellow athletes in a huge tent bursting with teenage enthusiasm and energy sets the stage for Saturday morning.

Team spirit is high and Addison Thiel and William Dutton of the Humboldt speed skating club are both considered potential medalists in the 100 and 500 meter sprints and the 3000 meter team pursuit.

Day 2, Saturday February 24

Long Track speed skating is an outdoor sport and in Saskatchewan that means thirty below. The extreme temperature sends the faint of heart home. Grueling distance races get rid of the rest of the pretenders in short order. The skaters that survive do well on the national and international race circuit where racing takes place indoors. Saskatchewan skaters regularly make the Canadian National team.

Saskatchewan’s Canada Winter Games Long Track team is expected to do well and bring home a fistful of medals. Thiel and Dutton are expected to contribute. Their experience with -30 will come into play in Whitehorse.

The temperature is -36 this morning. Officials decide to delay the racing. Athletes arrive for “warm-up” at 11:00 am instead of 9:00 am. At the CWG media center announcements keep rolling in telling reporters that other outdoor sports have cancelled the days activities.

At the Long Track oval officials decide that they will skate shorter distances earlier in the week than scheduled. They hope this will reduce athlete’s exposure to the bone chilling cold. At 12:00 the gun sounds and the first race of the day is off the temperature is still below 30.

The first distance is the 500 and Dutton and Thiel are both sprinters. Thiel skates first and turns in a solid race. Team coaches are happy with their own unofficial time for Thiel. Dutton skates with team mate Austin Hudey of Regina. They cross the line within a stride of each other in what looks like a solid race. The coaches are excited. It looks like three Saskatchewan skaters in the top four or five of the men’s 500 meters.

The official’s plan is to rest the skaters and skate the second 500 for medals later in the day. The day wears on and the women’s racing continues. It is apparent that the officials are having great difficulty with the electronic timing. Hours pass and still no times are released for the men’s 500. The skaters are told to get ready for the second race without knowing their times in the first race. Nothing is posted for the media or parents.

As the racing begins word leaks out that Thiel is paired in the second last pair his time in the first race 41.22. Coaches are shocked when Dutton is paired in four pairs earlier. Hudey is in the very last pairing and credited with a time of 41.01 while Dutton is given a time of 41.39. It seems unbelievable to the coaching staff. Dutton is now in 10th place with faint hope of medaling.

Desperately trying to make up time in his second 500 Dutton slips and skates a 10.32 in his second race. Team Humboldt’s hopes in the 500 now rest on the broad shoulders of veteran Addison Thiel. Thiel sets a blistering pace and coming around the last corner with 100 meters remaining is ahead of his opponent from Ontario and looking very good for a medal. On his last crosscuts he hits a rut. He goes down and hits the bank in a cloud of snow. He jumps up and finishes the race. The medal hopes in the 500 are over for Humboldt.

It takes the officials another two hours to determine the race winners. Times are still not posted for the media. Medals are handed out and them quickly taken back from the skaters. Confusion reigns. Rumours about the failures of the timing abound. Clearly there is a problem.

Officials report to coaches that the times are being ‘reviewed”. Saskatchewan coaches call for a review of Dutton’s time in the fourth race. The coaches review videotape of the race that show Dutton crossing the line in 41.12. This would have him in third after the first distance and paired with teammate Thiel.

Official refuse to review the tape. They later announce that they were correct in the first medal awards and give the medals back to the skaters.

Disappointed, Dutton and Thiel have to regroup for the 100 meters time trials. Skaters can’t win a medal the first time they skate the 100 but they can lose it. Only the top nine will proceed to the A semi-final and only those nine skaters will have a shot at the A final. It is pretty simple be in the top nine the first time you skate the 100 or forget about a medal.

The skaters are seeded by their previous 100 times. The fastest times skate last. Thiel is the first Humboldt skater first. He has two small slips on the incredibly hard ice. The extreme cold means that blades bounce sometimes bounce off the ice without biting. This can cause a missed stride. In the 100 one missed stride can be disaster. Thiel misses one stride. It costs him a shot at the medals. He places 11th.

Dutton goes to the line knowing this is his last real chance to get a shot at an individual medal. He wins his pairing with a time of 10.43. It is the fastest time of the day. He’s in the semi-final and still alive with a shot at a medal in the 100. Day 1 is over for the Humboldt skaters.

Team Saskatchewan picks up the provinces first medals of the games. Austin Hudey wins Silver in the men’s 500 and his sister Marsha the Gold in the women’s 500. It has been a good day for team Saskatchewan but a tough day for the Humboldt skaters.

Day 3 Sunday February 25, 2007

The cold does not let up. The media advisory this morning announces the delay of skating until 12:00 noon. Biathlons are cancelled for the day. Skiing events schedules are in turmoil because of frostbite danger to athletes.

Speed skating starts at noon. The temperature is -30 and lower when windchill is factored in. The women skate the 1500 meter. Saskatchewan’s Kali Christ is a surprise Silver medalist coming from the 9th seed to win Saskatchewan’s third medal of the games.

Several of the women collapse after skating. An ambulance is called to transport Saskatchewan skater Jacoba fast who is suffering from hypothermia. In the end she is revived after and hour in the ambulance.

The ambulance spooks everyone. Male skaters, especially sprinters who have no real chance of winning are starting to tell coaches they will not skate. The only ones who don’t seem to understand are the race officials. Finally, after what seems like hours of waiting, officials cancel the men’s 3000 for the day. It is “too cold and too dangerous” they say.

Team Saskatchewan officially appeals Dutton’s time in the 500. They ask that he be moved from seventh to fourth based on the evidence in the videotape. Officials refuse to review the tape.

Day 4 Monday February 26, 2007

It is warmer today but not warm enough to start at the scheduled hour of 10:00 am. Skaters arrive at 11:00 and racing begins at 1:00 pm with the men’s 1500 meters. Thiel is a long shot medal possibility. He skates a solid race and ends up 12th. Dutton struggles and finishes with his worst placing of the games at 21st.

The women skate the 1000 and the men are back for the 3000. Three kilometers in minus 30 with a wind chill at times pushing minus forty. Dutton improves to 15th position and Thiel is 16th. Day 4 is over with team Saskatchewan shut out of the medals for the first time.

Day 5 Tuesday February 27, 2007

No break from the weather so the start is late again. Today is the real test of endurance for all the skaters as both men and women skate their longest distance of the meet. For men it is five kilometers, for women 3 kilometers.

Dutton and Thiel are never really a threat in the 5000. Theil skates a solid race and ends up 11th. Dutton skates well for him places 16th. No Saskatchewan male skater is a medal threat.

The women narrowly miss a medal when Kylie Morin places fourth. Saskatchewan is skunked for the second day running. The team is still upbeat. The 100 meters races are tomorrow and Saskatchewan should medal.

Day 6 Wednesday February 28, 2007

Unbelievably, it is actually getting colder. The temperature is minus 36 at 8 am. Racing is again scheduled for 1:00 pm. The temperature is -28 at race time.

Dutton has a chance at the medals. He has to win his first race of the day and he will be guaranteed a medal.

Dutton, Ontario's McLellan and Regina's Austin Hudey all tied for the fastest time the first day each skating the 100 in 10.43 seconds. Today they skate against the rest of the top nine in heats of three. The three winners of these semi-final heats are guaranteed a spot in the final and a medal.

Dutton was the only one of the first day's fastest to survive, winning his heat. The officials credit him with a time of 10.32. He is joined in the medal final by Bergeron, who skated a blistering 10.16 to defeat McLellan and Alberta's Lucas Duffield who eliminated Hudey with an impressive 10.18. The medal final featured three of the pre-games favourites on the line.

'Bergeron blew off the line, he had a great start and we could not catch him' Dutton said after the race. Bergeron set a record with a 10.03. Lucas Duffield of Alberta edged Dutton out of the Silver by five one hundredths of a second with a time of 10.25. Dutton finished third with a 10.30.

Canada Winter Games Coach Sandra Nase said 'Willie has been talking about the 100 since they announced the new distance two years ago. Now he has his medal and we can't get the grin off his face.'

Saskatchewan teammate Marsh Hudey blew the competition away in the women’s 100 and took the Gold. So far it is shaping up as a pretty good day for team Saskatchewan.

Thiel and Dutton still have one more shot at a medal in the team pursuit. Skaters skate as a team of four. The time clock stops when the third skater from each team crosses the finish line. They can switch off the lead and push, pull, or drag their teammates across the line. Saskatchewan was listed as a pre-games favourite so the boys are expecting to do well.

It does not go well. The skaters appear to be out of synch and in the third of 7.5 laps team mate Orin Conly falls. Left with only three skaters they are handicapped. His fall leaves them one less man to do the tough job of leading and breaking the wind. It does not look promising as they head into the final laps trailing Manitoba who started on the other side of the track at the same time as Saskatchewan.

On the sixth lap Austin Hudey slips and almost falls. Dutton and Thiel press on. Thiel takes the lead for a full lap trying to get the team back in front of Manitoba. It is a valiant effort but they can’t quite make it. They finish 5 seconds behind Manitoba and 10 seconds out of the medals.

The games are over for the Humboldt Speed Skating club.

Day 7 Thursday March 1, 2007

It does not really matter what the temperature is today…it is a tourist day for shopping visiting and relaxing. This is the athlete’s day. The games have put on a dance to celebrate the official end of the first half of the 2007 Canada Winter Games.
The last of the parents leave today.

Day 8 Friday March 2, 2007

Time to go home. The skaters start for the airport. They all board a bus. The bus sits at the residence for an hour. The bus arrives at the airport. The skaters are not allowed off the bus for an hour. The line up to check their luggage is two hours long.
Depart for home at 11:00 pm … no wait the plane is delayed.





Day 9 Saturday March 3, 2007

Arrive in Calgary at 4:30 am. Arrive in Humboldt at 4:30 pm. Good to be home.

The final summary

Final score for Saskatchewan Speed Skating and the Humboldt score.


Saskatchewan team (Long Track team) (Humboldt team )
Gold 7 3 0
Silver 7 2 0
Bronze 1 1 1

Dutton one Bronze.
Humboldt honourable mentions:
Addison Thiel is fourth after the first 500 meter race and leading his second race for a medal when he fell in the last 100 meters.
William Dutton - appeal of timing error in first 500 denied. Error moves him to tenth after the first race. He improves to seventh in combined time for two races.

Dutton Takes Bronze at Canada Winter Games 100 meter

(Whitehorse) The finals of the 100 meters brought them all out even in the -35 and the wind on Wednesday at the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse. Humboldt's William Dutton won his first two races to make it to the medal final in the men's 100.

Dutton, Ontario's McLellan and Regina's Austin Hudey all tied for the fastest time the first day each skating the 100 in 10.43 seconds. The second day they skated against the rest of the top nine in heats of three. The winner of these semi-final heats were be gauranteed a spot in the final and a medal.

Dutton was the only one of the first day's fastest to survive, winning his heat with a time of 10.32. He was joined by Bergeron who skated a blistering 10.16 to defeat McLellan and Alberta's Lucas Duffield who eliminated Hudey with any impressive 10.18. The medal final featured three of the pre-games favourites on the line.

'Bergeron blew off the line he had a great start and we could not catch him' Dutton said after the race. Canada Winter Games Coach Sandra Nase said 'Willie has been talking about the 100 since they announced the new distance two years ago. Now he has his medal and we can't get the grin off his face.'

Dutton was joined on the medal podium Wednesday by Saskatchewan team member Marsha Hudey. Hudey capped an impressive week by running her her total medal count up to three gold with victories in the Womens 100 and the team pursuit. Hudey was joined by teammates Kali Christ, Kylie Morin and Jacoba Fast in the gold medal pursuit victory.

Ryan Bernhard 2 Silver @ Canadian Championships

(Winnipeg) Humboldt's Ryan Bernhard won two Silver medals at the Canadian mass Start Long Track Championships in Winnipeg February 10 and 11. Bernhard narrowly missed gold in the 300 and edged out several Quebec skaters to take Silver in the 500.

Bernhard, who last week won the North American Championship, found the going tougher as he faced as many as four Quebec skaters in each medal final. Burner, as he is known, was a clear second overall until disaster struck in the last race of the day. Bernhard, skating second, was overtaken by the pack with one lap left. In a very tight finish he missed a medal by the smallest of margins and ended up in sixth by a hair.

As a result he finished fourth overall in the juvenile age class.

Burner 2 Wins North American Championship

(Winnipeg) Saturday in Winnipeg Humboldt's Ryan Bernhard blew away the competition taking gold in both his races and winning his family's second North American Championship. Bernhard was named all round champion when the Sunday races were cancelled because of the extreme cold.

"The only thing that could have stopped Ryan from winning the races Sunday was the weather" said Provincial coach Tyler Johnson. Bernhard is expected to be a strong medal contender at the Canadian Championships next weekend in Winnipeg. He will face stiff competition from the Quebec team who were not in attendance at the North American races.
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For further information call
Saskatchewan Provincial Coach
Tyler Johnson @ 306-681-7499

Burner 2 Gold at North American Championships

(Winnipeg) The North American mass start Championships are getting used to the name Bernhard and the Humboldt Speed Skating Club. Saturday in Winnipeg, Humboldt's Ryan Bernhard blew away the competiton taking gold in both his races.

Bernhard is the younger brother of last years Intermediate North American champion Nathan. "Ryan is the best skater here" said Provincial coach Tyler Johnson. Ryan's gold medals came in the 300 and 500 meter distances. "Barring a complete collapse or equipment failure Ryan will be crowned North American Juvenile mass start champion" predicted Johnson.

Bernhard is expected to be a strong medal contender at the Canadian Championships next weekend also in Winnipeg.

Coach says Speed Skating Team will medal at Canada Winter Games

Speed Skating Saskatchewan’s Olympic Medal Sport

Saskatchewan Amateur Speed Skating Association



January 23, 2007
News Release for Immediate Release


(Humboldt) Saskatchewan Speed Skating announced the official Canada Winter Games long track team today and holds out high hopes for medals for the men’s team. “The men’s team is a medal favourite in the 3000 meter team pursuit” said Provincial coach Tyler Johnson.

Johnson, a Saskatchewan native who trained at the Calgary Olympic oval, was recently named Provincial coach. He says he is very excited to work with Canada Winter Games coach Sandra Nase and the athletes. “We have a relatively young team but they have tons of racing experience, we should win medals” he said.

The men’s long track team also has a shot at some individual medals according to Johnson. “Three of the four men have won medals at National competitions” Johnson added. The coach named Willie Dutton of Humboldt and Austin Hudey of Regina as medal contenders in the 500. Addison Thiel of Humboldt is a contender in the 100 and 1500 according to Johnson. Orin Conly of Saskatoon is the youngest team member at 16.

“The women’s long track team should be competitive and has a shot at medals too” Johnson said. “Marsha Hudey of Regina is a contender in the 500 and Kylie Morin has strong 1500 times” said Johnson. Jacoba Fast of Saskatoon and Kali Christ of Regina round out the team. “They should have a shot at the pursuit medals” said Johnson. The women have skaters with National experience and one, Morin of Saskatoon, was also a member of the Canada Summer Games cycling team.

“We will bring home some Long Track medals” says Johnson who will attend the games as the long track team manager.

Bernhard Provincial Champ Cougar Krueger Narrowly misses Bronze

Sunday, January 14, 2007

News Release for Immediate Release
(Moose Jaw) Humboldt speed skater Ryan “Burner” Bernhard racked up yet another Provincial Championship at the Saskatchewan Speed Skating Provincial Championship in Moose Jaw this weekend. Ryan won all four of the medal finals in the Juvenile division. Ryan is a repeat Provincial Champion and a former Canadian Champion.

Bernhard is a favourite to add to his already impressive medal collection at the Canadian Mass Start Championship and the North American Championships in Winnipeg this February. "Ryan is ready to pick up another championship" said coach Craig Dutton.

Younger Bernhard brother Terran finished sixth in the same division. Terran has one additional year as a Juvenile. Hi will be a medal threat in 2008.

In the Humboldt speed skating clubs other brother act, Nigel the “Cougar” Krueger finished fourth in the Pee Wee division narrowly missing the Bronze medal. Youngest club skater, four year old Jake the “Snake” Krueger finished third in the Cradle division 100 meters after losing two positions when he slowed to wave at several girls in the crowd. Jake is well known to the older club members girlfriends as a first class ladie's man.

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For further information call

Humboldt Speed Skating Club

231-9906

Two Speed Skaters Make Canada Winter Games Team

(Moose Jaw) The second round of the Canada Winter Games trials ended with triumph and heartbreak for the Humboldt Speed Skating club when two of three skaters made the team. Addison Thiel and William Dutton finished second and third respectively. The club's most decorated medalist, Nathan Bernhard, fell victim to an equipment problem that cost him his chance to skate at the Canada games.

"We should be celebrating but we are all feeling Nathan's pain." said Humboldt co-coach Craig Dutton. "He has been training for this meet for more than a year." he added

Conditions in Moose Jaw were difficult for all skaters. A windstorm last week had covered the ice with sand and debris. Subsequent ice floods had covered most, but not all of the debris, and a stripped skate edge was a threat in every race. Losing an edge could mean disaster for a skater and their chances.

Saturday's competition opened with the 500 meters a sprint that is always a strong race for all three Humboldt Skaters. Dutton had a blistering 41.79 and Thiel a solid 42.03 but Bernhard stripped an edge on his skate. Going into the first turn Bernhard hit a piece of debris and almost went down. Regaining his balance Bernhard found he had stripped the inner edge of his skate. He struggled in with a time of 44.00 placing him 5th in the 500. " As coaches we should have asked for a reskate before he left the ice but we did not want to risk him going down again and not even finishing the race. It would have been all over right then." said Humboldt co-coach Craig Dutton.

The second race of the day was the 3000 meters or three kilometers. When the race was over Thiel was second, Dutton third and Bernhard was one point out of the fourth and final team spot.

Bernhard opened the day Sunday with a solid 1500 regaining fourth position by 4 seconds heading into the grueling 5 kilometer final in the afternoon. Bernhard drew a tough pairing that saw him skate before the skaters ahead of him and the one skater behind him with a chance to catch the Humboldt veteran.

Skating in the first pairing Bernhard turned in a gutsy race in the minus 25-degree weather. "Nathan did everything his coaches asked of him...he left every last bit of his heart on the ice. In the end it was out of his hands" said Dutton.

Six skaters followed Bernhard. Three were ahead in the qualifying standings and one, Orin Conly of Saskatoon, was 1.5 points seconds behind. If Conly bettered Bernhard's time by 5 seconds the dream of having three Humboldt skaters at the Canada Winter Games was over. "Conly skated the race of his life" said Dutton. Conly finished fourth bumping Bernhard by less than one point out of a total more than 300.

"Nathan deserved better...but that's life. We are all very disappointed but Nathan was an absolute gentleman and a first class representative of Humboldt even though his heart was broken." Dutton said. Bernhard congratulated Conly and the others on their efforts. "We are very, very, proud of Nathan." Dutton added.

Thiel and Dutton will compete as members of Team Saskatchewan at the 2007 games in Whitehorse from February 24 through March 3.

Humboldt Skaters Lead CWG Trials

Speed Skating Saskatchewan’s Olympic Sport

Humboldt Speed Skating Club



Tuesday, January 09, 2007
News Release for Immediate Release


Humboldt Speed Skaters Lead Winter Games Trials

(Calgary) Three Humboldt Speed Skaters are in the drivers seat after the Canada Winter Games trials at the Calgary Olympic Oval this weekend. The Humboldt team controls three out of a possible four men’s Canada Winter Games Long Track spots.

Nathan Bernhard, William Dutton and returning veteran Addison Thiel all skated personal best times in the Canada Cup 1 Canadian Junior Trials this weekend. Thiel sits second overall and has virtually sealed a spot by qualifying as the best long distance skater.

Bernhard sits third and Dutton fourth. Both have a solid lead over the fifth place competitor. Humboldt club co-coach Craig Dutton said “It is very, very uncommon for a club this small to win one spot let alone three. It won’t happen again for many years, maybe never.”

The Saskatchewan team is a medal favourite in the Team pursuit relay and the Humboldt skaters are solid medal contenders at several distances. Dutton turned in a blistering 38.31 500 meters at the Olympic Oval while Thiel and Bernhard were both under two minutes in the 1500 meters.

Round two of the trials goes Saturday in Moose Jaw. The top four men will form the Saskatchewan Canada Winter Games team.

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For further information call
Humboldt Speed Skating Club
231-9906