Dutton Makes Canadian World Cup Team

(Calgary) Humboldt speed skater William Dutton qualified for the International Speed Skating Union World Cup with a fourth place finish at Canadian World Cup trials in Calgary Thursday. Dutton 20, is a member of the Humboldt Speed Skating club, a small town club that is known as the "per capita speed skating capital of Canada".
Dutton, a National Development team member, nearly fell in the first few strides of the race. Fortunately he was saved by a false start by his team mate and opponent in the heat, Canadian Olympian Jamie Gregg of Calgary.
In the restart Dutton quickly closed on Gregg. Dutton took the lead late in the race but Gregg caught and passed him in the final corner. Despite nearly falling at the finish line Dutton managed a fourth place finish good enough to qualify for the International Skating Union World Cup fall races.
Dutton, Gregg, Denny Morrison, Phillipe Riopel and Richard MacLennan will form the Canadian 1000 meter team at the 2010 World Cup fall series in Holland, Germany, China and Japan.

The Next Ones - 2014 Olympics

(Calgary) In 2010 Canadian men's speed skating sprint coach Sprint Mike Crow was working with two World Sprint Champions, legends in the speed skating world. Crowe's focus was on getting speed skating icon Jeremy Wotherspoon and sidekick Mike Ireland back to their world beating best for the home town Olympics. It did not happen.

This season Crowe's sprint team is mostly raw and unproven. Five male sprinters skated for the Canadian Olympic team in Vancouver. Only one of them is still wearing the maple leaf, Jamie Gregg. The others have all retired or at very least taken the year off. Jeremy Wotherspoon is shadowing Crowe at the Oval in Calgary working with the young Canadian team and getting ready to coach in Europe. Mike Ireland is attending classes at the U of C. Kyle Parrott is working on his engineering not his skating. Francoise Roberge just announced his retirement. That leaves relative newcomer Jamie Gregg as the only Olympic veteran on the Canadian sprint team.

It seems strange that no one has made note of this changing of the guard but then it is an off year; that is the next Olympics are four years off. Who's left besides Gregg? Veterans who have not been able to get past the old guard and rookies who were too young to get it done.

The five fastest 500 skaters, as the team closes in on the World Cup trials are; Jamie Gregg (1985), William Dutton (1989), Vincent LaBrie (1982), Richard MacLennan (1991), and Muncef Ouardi (1986). The Olympics are four years away and the battle to represent Canada in 2014 in Sochi Russia starts October 21st in Calgary. The youngsters and not so young have their shot.

They have some very very big shoes to fill. Good luck gentlemen, may the fastest men win.

Sean Ireland Named Long Track Program Director

Calgary - Speed Skate Canada today announced to it's National and Development Team members that Sean Ireland would be the Long Track Program Director for the 2010 season. Skaters training in Calgary have been doing so without knowing who was going to coach them for the upcoming season. Some Oval program coaches have as many as 40 skaters ranging from first year Oval skaters to National team skaters under their tutelage.

Ireland may be stepping into the breach and his decision is one welcomed by the skaters. His experience and advocacy for the athletes should make him a popular choice at the Oval. Speed Skate Canada seems to be undergoing a mass exodus at the management level and uncertainty appears to the order of the day in Calgary. The skaters will almost certainly welcome his direction as the next generation of Canadian long trackers prepare to face the world on the long road to Sochi in 20104.

Ireland has been heavily involved with speed skating at the highest levels as an athlete and as a coach. He has experience on the world stage as an Olympian, at the World Championships, and on the World Cup circuit. Ireland should be a skaters director. That could be the first step on the way to the podium in 2014. Go Ireland Go!