The Pacific Blades Speed Skating Club launched their second season on the Coast with a two-day mini camp last weekend.
Local skaters and club members Nicole and Ondra Maseja and Max Forrester were joined by skaters from Vancouver, Maple Ridge, Burnaby, Port Coquitlam and Matsqui.
"We have 15 students. It's a small camp, but that's alright because it allows for more personalized coaching," said George Donatelli from the Langley Club.
"Most of the high performance skaters are in Calgary this weekend for a training camp. This camp was a chance to help out the local club and bring some excitement about the sport to the Coast. I think you have the makings of a great club up here. Diaya has worked very hard. All you need now are some more members and I think you'll be all set.
Other coaches on hand for the weekend included Adriana Vanderstarre and Yari Sokkanen from Burnaby Speed Skating Club.
"The whole weekend is about technical skills and proper technique," Donatelli said. "It doesn't matter how big or how strong you are, if you don't have the technique or the skills, it gets you nowhere. I think the kids here are having a great time and learning a lot."
Pacific Blades club president Diaya Maseja said she was happy with the camp, although she admitted she would have liked to see some more local skaters.
"In order for us to grow as a club we need more involvement locally. There are still people who don't know we exist," Maseja said. "It's great to have so many people here from off-Coast, but to be sustainable, we need more local skaters. I know we have speed skaters on the Coast. We would welcome them to come out and train with our club."
Maseja hopes the mini-camp is just the start of a successful speed skating season.
"We'll be really pushing registration this month," she said. "We have five skaters coming back from last year. Last year we concentrated on technique, but this year, thanks to a grant from Speed Skate Canada, we were able to purchase safety mats. We also want to buy some new skates too. Now we can combine both technique and speed into the training. It's going to make it much better for the skaters and they can learn a lot more about the sport."
The Pacific Blades train twice a week at the Sunshine Coast Arena from 6:15 to 7:15 a.m. Tuesdays and 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Thursdays.
For more information about the club or to register for the new season, check out www.pacificblades.com, email [email protected] or call Maseja at 604-885-9077.
