Pages

Monday, November 30, 2009

Caring for your blades

Here are a few tips from coach Mark Pederson for caring for your blades:
After every skating session:
  • Dry blades 
  • Put on cloth covers
When you get home take the skates out of the bag until next session, preferably in the house, but not close to a heat source. The plastic guards should only be placed back on the blade when the guards are completely dry. Most skaters do not put the plastic guards back on until they are back at the arena.

Rust can easily be avoided, but if you happen to have some on your blades it can be rubbed off with light oil, WD - 40, or other rust removal products. Sometimes you may need to use a very fine steel wool pad, or a Scotch Brite brand pad.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

2009 Kelowna Invitational & BCWG Trials


Date:  December 5th, 2009
Location:  Capital News Centre Sports Complex, 4105 Gordon Drive at Lequime St. (Mission Area).
Sanction: BCSSA sanction
Meet Entries: List of registrants must be submitted by 8:00pm, Friday, November 27th, 2009. (River City Racers -- submit registration to Conny)

Entry Fee: $25.00 per skater
Seed Time: Pewee & Bantam: 333m, Midget & Juvenile: 500m,  Junior & Up: 1000m. BCWG eligible skaters may skate in their own division.

Tentative Schedule
8:45 Registration
9:00 Coaches Meeting
9:00-9:15 Mats up
9:15 Officials Meeting
9:15-9:25 Flood
9:25-9:35 Juvenile & up Warm-up
9:35-9:45 Midget & Younger Warm-up
9:45-10:00 Flood
10:00 – 12:30 Racing
12:30 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 - 4:00 Racing
4:00 BCWG Relay practice
4:45 Finish

Junior World Cup Regional Championships

Sisters Tori and Josie Spence, both local members of the River City Racers Speed Skating Club, competed at their first Junior World Cup Regional Championships over the weekend in Calgary. The top 5 National skaters from Canada, United States, Romania and Poland took part. Tori finished third in the 3k event. Josie was enroute to an excellent time in this same event but was disqualified for hitting a corner pin with her skate. Tori also qualified to skate in the Junior World Cup in the 1500m event and placed 8th with a new personal best time and a new provincial record. Those skaters not qualifying for the World Cup event joined junior and senior aged skaters in the CanAm portion of the competition. Josie skated to personal bests in the 500m and 1000m events in the CanAm portion of the competition.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Bring a Friend Nite

Bring a Friend Nite! Bring your family too...
* Come join us for a fun skate, exercise and games
* Bring your favourite munchies to share
* Beverages will be provided

Tuesday November 24th 4:30 – 5:15pm
Ice Box Skating Arena

You'll need skates, helmet, gloves, long-sleeves and pants. A neck guard and shin pads are strongly recommended. Get in touch with RCR member if you'd like to be fitted for speed skates.

Skating skills and games will be organized for this evening. There is no cost.

Photo by Elizabeth Ann Colette

Friday, November 13, 2009

Festivals On Ice


As part of the celebrations leading up to the 2010 winter olympic games, Speed Skating Canada launched a program to assist clubs and communities in celebrating their love of winter sport and skating through a program called Festivals On Ice. The concept is to encourage speed skating clubs and community groups across the country to host local celebrations that encourage the general public to join them for a day of skating regardless of whether people use hockey skates, figure skates or speed skates. Kamloops River City Racers was one of five clubs/communities across Canada to receive a grant!

Our club’s event will be held on January 9th and 10th at Owen’s Oval in Logan Lake.

January 9th will be an interclub long track speed skating competition. Owen’s Oval is an outdoor 333m long track speed skating track on a lake surface.

January 10th we will host the Polarthon, a winter triathlon comprised of skating, running, and cross country skiing. This event is open to everyone and participants may enter as a team or individually. The intent is to provide an opportunity for people of all ages to come together in a fun, safe and welcoming environment and experience activity in the great outdoors. Categories include youth, male, female, mixed, couple, family and corporate and participants are encouraged to dress up for the event. A prize is awarded for the best costume and medals are awarded to top finishers.

Following the triathlon there will be an RCMP officer on hand to clock your speed on the ice with a radar gun. Our club will also be doing a Skate-a-Thon this day and have speed skates on hand for your friends and family to try. 

Please tell your friends and family and other sports teams about the Polarthon. This event is open to all and can be done as a team or individually. Participants are encouraged to dress up for the event as there is a prize for the best costume. Categories include youth, male, female, family, couple, mixed ..and new this year…corporate.

Mark your calendars for January 9th and 10th! Registration details will be posted soon! For more information call Cathy at 250 374 5430.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

November Chill Results


What a superb performance by the River City Racers at the November Chill Short Track interclub competition November 7th! Congratulations to all who participated and helped out at this event. There were many personal best times and first place finishes. Coaches from other clubs commented on how impressed they were with the spirit and eagerness with which our skaters raced.

Thirteen members took place in this event at McArthur Arena.

Division 1 Reed McIIwain skated to two firsts and four personal best times; Matej Pederson three personal best times; Evan Wynne two firsts and two personal best times.

Division 2: Gillian Michell raced to three first place finishes and four personal best times; Alex Forbes had one first and two personal best times; Calvin Forbes had one first and two personal bests.

Division 3: Tori Spence had three firsts; Josie Spence had one first; Sara Spence had two firsts; Anneke Pederson had four personal best times.

Division 4
: Eric Spence had one first and two personal bests. Division 6 Alexander Willis was racing for the first time and established times in the distances he skated.

RCR welcomes new president Diana Coder


Kamloops River City Racers now has a new president! Diana Coder has been involved in the sport of speed skating for many years. She has been a competitive speed skater, a coach, a mother of two competitive and accomplished speed skaters, a club founder, a club president, and served on various speed skating committees at the provincial speed skating level.

She's a little camera shy so this is the best we could do! :-)

Friday, November 6, 2009

Preparing for competitions

Is everybody ready for the November Chill Interclub Competition at McArthur Arena November 7th?  Here are some tips from the coaches on how to prepare for a competition:
  • Make sure your skates are sharp
  • Get a good sleep the night before
  • Drink plenty of water the day before the event
  • Eat a good breakfast the morning of the event
  • Pack some healthy snacks
  • Plan on a light lunch
  • Arrive 40 minutes before your ice warm up time
  • Do a dry land warm up (light jog, jumping exercises, dynamic stretching)ake 
  • Take sips of water throughout the day

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Happy Halloween from RCR!

Coaches (from left to right) Stacey Coder, Tori Spence, and Josie Spence at the October 29th mini meet.

Posted by Picasa