Dutton Hits the Wall

(Calgary) Friday was a tough day on the job for William Dutton at the Calgary Oval during the Canadian single Distance Championships. He had the fastest times in 200, (16.42), and 600, 41.39 (24.97) but they call it the 1000 for a reason; that's where the finish line is located.

Dutton had a great start and looked like he would move into first place with only Morrison and Gregg left to skate. But Dutton's race ended at the 930 meter point as he lost an edge and went crashing into the mats.

"I had a little wobble and thought I had recovered" said Dutton. "I was giving everything I had to make the World Sprint team" he added. Everything was looking good until the fall one or perhaps two more crossover strides from the final straight and the finish. Phillipe Riopel won the race in a time of 1:08.51 and placed second to Denny Morrison's 1:08.29. Jamie Gregg was third.

On the final day of the trials Dutton finished sixth in the first 500 and ninth in the second for a combined seventh; not good enough to make the Winter World Cup team. "My knee was a little sore from the crash and I just wasn't able to get enough pressure on the ice in the corner so I tried to make it up in straight but it just didn't happen" said the Humboldt native.

"So it's back to the Canada Cup and North Americans. I'm off to Winnipeg, Milwaukee and then back to Calgary for Finale" said Dutton. "I also put my entry into the Red Bull Crashed Ice draw" he said. "I'm really hoping I can get into the big race in Quebec City. I think my hockey, short track and long track experience will make me a contender" Dutton added.

Dutton finished second in the 500 and fourth in the 1000 during the fall world cup trials. He is a member of the speed skate Canada Long Track Canadian Development team.

2010 Road to World Championship Starts in Humboldt

(Calgary) From Humboldt to Obihiro Japan, with stops in Calgary, Richmond, Quebec City, Salt Lake City, Holland, Germany and China; 2010 has seem a lot of ice pass under the blades for Humboldt Speed Skating Club's William Dutton. "When I was a kid I never really thought about World Cups or World Championships or flying around the world, I raced because it was fun" said Dutton.

Christmas last year was spent at the Calgary Oval as the Canadian Olympic speed skating trials started Boxing Day. Dutton hit the starting line against former World Sprint Champion Mike Ireland for the opening race. "This year I raced the two greatest sprinters Canada's ever had, Wotherspoon and Ireland," Dutton said with a grin.

The young sprinter missed the Olympic cut but caught a break when the Olympic team chose to skip the World Sprints and he was named as one of the alternates. Dutton described the experience as exciting "but I felt like I came in the back door". A disqualification in the 1000 at the races in Japan left him frustrated and disappointed in his final placing. "I promised myself I'd be back next year" Dutton said.

During the summer Dutton and his team mates spent many hours on road bikes in the Canadian Rockies. One trip resulted in a near tragedy when his team mate Matt MacLean of Winnipeg hit a mountain sheep while travelling at more than 80 km/h. Dutton, who was in the lead, dodged the animal when it ran out from behind a parked car in High Wood pass near Kananaskis. MacLean was not so lucky. Dutton stopped and turned to see his team mate down, his bike destroyed and the sheep struggling to escape. "I wondered if he was alive at first" Dutton said. Fortunately MacLean was bloody but not critical. Dutton called the coaches with his cell phone and MacLean was taken by ambulance to hospital. He suffered a broken clavicle, scapula and severe road rash but was able to start skating again in November.

The Speed Skating Canada final rankings for the previous season had Dutton fifth in the country in the 500. In August, he started the new racing season with some solid times. In the summer three of Canada's Vancouver Olympian's retired, Wotherspoon, Ireland and Parrot. Dutton found himself as the ranking number two sprinter in Canada. "It did not mean anything until I proved I earned it instead of getting there by other guys retiring" said Dutton. He stepped to the line at the Fall World Cup trials with something to prove to himself and when the clock stopped he stood second only to Olympian Jamie Gregg in the 500 and fourth in the 1000. Both were good enough to qualify him for the World Cup racing circuit in Europe and Asia.

The first races of the World Cup were in Holland the speed skating crazy capital of the world. Bands, fans, beer and live television greeted the skaters. "It was fun, speed skaters don't usually get much TV time at home unless it's the Olympics or a World Championship" said Dutton with a smile.

Dutton was scheduled to race the world's number one ranked male sprinter, Korean Lee Kyou-Hyuk, in the first 500 of the meet. "I was pumped to race the world number one and I warmed up hard" he said. Maybe a little too hard, as Dutton entered the corner during warm up he lost an edge and slammed into the wall. "I nearly took out the Japanese coach and I ripped my skin suit from ankle to knee so I had to borrow a team mates for the race" Dutton said. Another skater, Korean Moe Tae Bum the Vancouver games men's 500 Olympic Gold medalist also crashed into the wall. When the buzzer rang for the start of racing Tae Bum was scratched due to injury and Dutton was bandaged up enough to go to the line. But the race pairing were changed due to Tae Bum's injury.

Dutton skated another Korean, Moon Jun. In his first world cup race the young Canadian skated a respectable 35.75 good enough for 15th in the world that day. Later in the day, Dutton paired with a young Dutch skater Hein Otterspeer for the A Group 1000, "the roar as we went around the last turn was unbelievable" Dutton said. Otterspeer nipped him at the line and Dutton ended up 19th after race one. Not a bad first day for the rookie, two top twenty finishes.

Day two did not go quite as well, and when the weekend was over Dutton stood 18th in the 500 and 22nd in the 1000. The results put him into Group B for the next world cup stop. The next week the Canadian team raced in Germany, where Dutton had his first podium finish in Group B with a third. "They did not give out a medal for Group B in Berlin but the gummy bears were delicious and I move back to Group A" Dutton grinned. The podium finish moved him back into Group A for the 500 in China and gave him 19 more points in the World Cup standings. Dutton's results in China were good enough to keep him in the top group in the 500 but he dropped down to group B in the 1000.

The team finished the season in Obihiro Japan the site of Dutton's first International Championship as a senior, the 2010 World Sprints. This trip to Obihiro there was no disqualification. The highlight of this trip was an abscessed tooth. Dutton finished 18th in both 500s and scratched from the 1000. As he boarded the flight home he discovered he had left his iPhone at the Hotel. "Obihiro memories may need an upgrade" Dutton commented.

This Christmas for the first time in many years Canada's speed skaters were able to go home for holiday. For the last decade speed Skating Canada has chosen to hold the Canadian Single Distance Championships between Christmas and New Years. This year the Championships start January 6. "Mykola Makowsky (Regina born National Development Team skater) asked if we could have Christmas at home this year. We all owe him a turkey dinner" Dutton commented. It meant the skaters get a few days with friends and family and a chance to reflect on the year, the races, and the future. Racing starts at the Oval January 6th.

"The World Championships are in Holland this year and the road to Heerenveen oval passes through Calgary but it started in Humboldt" said Dutton, "Discovery Ford licensed a van right off their lot so we could drive to Minneapolis, the Humboldt Journal gave us great coverage, the town of Humboldt supported the club and staff at the Elgar Peterson Arena gave us a hand painting the ice. Racing Addison Thiel and Nathan Bernhard gave me someone to chase. Happy New Year Humboldt!"

Dutton Skates First World Cup Race in Holland

(Heerenveeen) William Dutton skated for his country Friday Nov. 12 in the World Cup of Speed Skating at the Thialf in Heerenveen Holland. He skated to a 15th place tie and lost a tiebreak by 3/1000ths of a second moving him to 16th.
In his World Cup debut Dutton raced Korean Olympic and World Cup veteran Joon Mun. Mun beat Dutton at the line.
"I thought I had him coming out of the final corner but he closed the gap and shot the line" said Humboldt Saskatchewan's Dutton. "I was excited and nervous but good nervous not scared nervous" he added.
Dutton 20 is one of the Canadian men's new generation of skaters who grew up watching the great Jeremy Wotherspoon blister the opposition along with his sidekick Mike Ireland. Now the youngsters are joining some of the less known veterans of the Canadian team and hoping to work their way onto the podium. The young Canadians are skating international competitors who saw mostly the back of Wotherspoon and Ireland for more than a decade. The international men are taking some pleasure beating the young Canadians.
All of this is taking place in the high temple of speed skating in Holland; the Thialf, the first closed speed skating oval in the world. The Thialf is to Holland what the the old Maple Leaf Gardens or the Montreal Forum were to Canadians; the revered home of a sport near to the heart. It can be more than a little intimidating but the Canadian team is not backing down.
Dutton skates Mun in the second 500 as well. This time Dutton falls of the pace but still betters his first time by two hundreths. Team mates and fellow youngsters MacLennan and Junio race in the B group. Junio has a good first race but also falls of the pace in his second start. MacLennan skates a fairly well in the first race then nearly falls in the second losing all momentum.
The kids have mixed feelings about their first time in the temple. Mostly they are turning their minds to the next series in Berlin next weekend."We'll be better in Berlin" said MacLennan as Junio nodded. They will be and the crowd that gathered around asking for autographs seems to agree.

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.

Dutton sets Track Record at Gaetan Boucher Oval in Quebec

(Ste Foy) After a tough start including a toe-in, a 360, a fall and a rolling restart in the 1000 to a 10th place finish William Dutton ripped off a good one in the 500 Saturday in Ste Foy Quebec. Dutton set a new track record on the fast and sometimes melting ice of the outdoor Quebec oval during the Canada Cup 3 meet. "I didn't skate to well on Friday but I entertained the fans. Today I hammered it." Dutton laughed.

Dutton's 500 time of 36.79 was the fastest in the track's history and good enough to move him from 6th on day one to a Silver medal finish in the combined 500. Dutton also earned 100 points in the Canadian speed skating high performance rankings. "It's the first time I've had a track record and I picked up $200 cash for the effort" he added. Dutton was not alone in picking up beer money as the men tore up the track setting records in the 1000 - Phillipe Riopel, the 1500 - Jeff Kitura, and the 5000 - Jordan Belchos.

The Canadian ranking circuit wound to a close with rankings tight in the men's 500. Dutton presently sits in first place with Canadian Olympic team members likely to close on him when they skate next week in World Cup races in Heerenveen Netherlands.

The seasons closes in Calgary March 17 - 20 at the Intact Finale meet at the Calgary Oval. The open meet attracts the top skaters from around the world including Olympians and World Cup members.

The meet is open to the public. Intact offers cash prizes for records skated during the meet.