The Niagara Speed Skating club

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MISSION STATEMENT

We believe the Niagara Speed Skating club will provide coaching and mentoring to all ages of speed skaters whether their focus is of a recreational or competitive nature. We believe the focus of all sports should include assisting the individual in goal achievement, healthier lifestyle behaviors and finally personal enjoyment.


About Niagara Speed Skating club:

The Niagara Speed Skating Club was established as a nonprofit volunteer organization devoted to the training and development of new, competitive and recreational short track speed skaters of all ages and abilities. We offer skilled instruction through our nationally certified coaching team in the recreational and competitive context. We do not just train elite level skaters, but welcome anyone who has a desire to lace on a pair of speed skates. Skaters of all ages or gender will find a place in the club.


ABOUT SPEED SKATING:

Who should speed skate?

The Hockey Player:

Short track speed skating offers hockey players additional ice time to enhance their overall endurance and power as well as speed. This allows them to stay in the game longer, skate harder and out-perform their opponents when it counts the most.

The Figure Skater:

Short track speed skating offers the figure skater similar benefits to that of the hockey player. Because of their fine edge control figure skaters often grow to be highly competitive speed skaters. The NSSC boasts some very competitive former figure skaters.

The Recreational and Beginner Skater:

Recreational skaters also receive instruction from OSSA (Ontario Speed Skating Association) coaches who first assist the skater in technique and eventually racing against other skaters or against their own personal bests. NB: Many of our competitive skaters started as recreational skaters.

What is Short Track?

Short track speed skating is an exciting and fast-paced, elimination sport that takes place on indoor rinks measuring 111.12 meters in length. Racers skate in form-fitting boots attached to ice blades measuring between 33 cm (13 in) and 46 cm (18 in) in length. Packs of 4 to 6 racers skate at tremendous speed in a counter-clockwise direction for a variety of distances ranging from 500 m to 1500 m. Sometimes skaters will even compete in teams for longer distance relays measuring either 3000 meters or 5000 meters.

After years of international competition, short-track speed skating was finally officially recognized as an Olympic sport at the XVI Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France in 1992.

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