The Official Web Site of NWT Speed Skating
NWTASSA Board
Executive members for NWTASSA for the coming year were elected at the AGM on May 16. Executive members are as follows:
President: Pam Dunbar
Vice President: Stacey Christie
Treasurer: Arnold Enge
Secretary: Jacqueline Beland
Coaches and Officials Coordinator: Martin Rourke
NWTASSA AGM - May 16, 2013
NWTASSA AGM for 2013 will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 7:15PM at the Sport North Boardroom (3rd Floor Cooper Building, 4908 49 Street, Yellowknife) and by conference call. All members are invited to attend.
AGM Agenda Minutes 2012 AGM Financial Report
President's Report Fort Smith Report Inuvik Report
Fort Simpson Report Hay River Report Yellowknife Report
AWG 2016 Update:
See the recent article from the Northern Journal on our News page.
NWTASSA Summer Camp 2013 Info and Registration:
Camp Registration Form: Please print, complete and mail/deliver to camp registrar with your cheque.
2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games on TV
Watch the unforgettable stories of 102 athletes with an intellectual disability reach their full potential and share their spirit and joy of sport! This one-hour program shows highlights from the world games attended by Yellowknife Speed Skating Club skater, Cynthia Simmons, representing Canada.
On TSN: Saturday, May 4 12:30-1:30PM EST and Friday, May 10 1:00-2:00PM EST
On TSN2: Monday, May 6 10:30-11:30PM EST and Tuesday, May 7 4:00-5:00PM EST
(Check local local times for listing)
NWTASSA AGM - May 16, 2013
NWTASSA AGM for 2013 will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 7:15PM at the Sport North Boardroom (3rd Floor Cooper Building, 4908 49 Street, Yellowknife) and by conference call. By-laws, agenda and minutes from last year are below. Further documents will be posted in the coming weeks. All members are urged to attend.
All members are welcome to attend.
2013 AGM Agenda NWTASSA By-Laws
Speed Skating Canada Announces Regional Train to Train Summer Talent Camps.
Three regional talent camps will be held this summer in Montreal, Toronto and Richmond for upper level T2T skaters. These camps target those skaters who might aspire to attend a regional training centre in the future. Skaters will work with regional high performance coaches.
Talent camp information brochure
NWTASSA Summer Camp 2013
Our annual summer camp will be held August 21-25 in Yellowknife. Plans are underway for both the skater development camp and coach training opportunities. Our camp is open to skaters 9 years of age and older. Prospective Arctic Winter Games participants are especially encouraged to attend in order to be as well prepared as possible at the start of the speed skating season. More details and registration information will follow in the coming weeks.
Camp coordinators are needed for this fun event this year. If you are interested in assisting in the organization of our successful summer camp, please contact pdunbar.nt@gmail.com.
2013 NWT Championships Photos!
Plese visit: http://dhphotography.ca/2013sschamps/h58187a52#h58187a52
Anyone wishing to purchase photos should contact Darren Horn directly. Contact information is located at:
2013 NWT Championships Results
Results for the 2013 NWT Championships held March 9-10 in Yellowknife are posted under Competitions. Congratulations to all skaters and coaches for the preparations and training leading up to this meet.
Officials Clinic Update
Officials Clinic - Friday, March 8 - being held at Aurora College, Yellowknife Campus, 5004 54 Street, Room 127. Meet at main college entrance on 54 Street at 7pm.
Two Officiating Clinics at Upcoming NWT Championships
NWTASSA is offering two clinics, one for officials and one for starters in conjunction with the upcoming NWT Championships. The clinics will be led by Tom Lipsett, SSC Level 3 Starter from Edmonton, AB. For more information, please see the following:
Starters Clinic - March 7, 2013
Officials Clinic - March 8, 2013
Solid Final World Cup for Gilday
Michael Gilday completed the sixth and final World Cup of this season with a 4th and 6th place finish.
Cynthia Wins Big in Pyeong Chang
Cynthia Simmons has won two silver medals at the 2013 Special Olympic World Games.
Cynthia Simmons off to Special O World Games
Cynthia Simmons from the Yellowknife Speed Skating Club left today to compete in the Special Olympics World Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Cynthia is a member of Team Canada and will race in the short track competition. She won her spot on the Canadian team after competing in the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games last season. Her training for the games included a dryland regimen throughout the summer as well as her work with the Yk Club's competitive group, with whom she has skated for the past three seasons, and several cross training activities. Cynthia also attended several Special Olympics training sessions in southern Canada as part of her preparation for the World Games. NWTASSA wishes Cynthia the very best of luck at this prestigious international event. She has worked hard to achieve her place on the team and will be a fine representative for the NWT and Canada.
NWT Speed Skating Championships - March 9-10, 2013.
The annual NWT Speed Skating Championships will be held in Yellowknife on March 9-10. Races of varying lengths will be held for all skaters 6 years and up. A silent auction, hosted by the Yellowknife Speed Skating Club will be held at the arena during the championships. More information on the meet and registration forms can be found below:
NWT Championships Announcement and Registration Form.
Big Weekend for Michael Gilday - New Canadian Champion!
Michael Gilday (Yellowknife Speed Skating Club) achieved his first title of Canadian Champion this past weekend in Montreal. Gilday won the three day Canadian Championships event by placing first in the 1500m and fourth in the 500m, 1000m and 3000m events. He was very happy with the consistency of his performance. The Canadian Championships also served as the team selection event for the final two World Cup events of the season plus the World Championships counting as 80% of the qualifier with the remaining 20% coming from placings at the fall team trials at which Gilday placed third. Speed Skating Canada will announce the team roster for this season's remaining international events on Wedneday, January 23.
Christmas Camp
The Yellowknife Speed Skating Club held their annual Christmas break speed skating camp from December 27-29 for skaters aged 12 and up. Attendance was high with 20 club skaters and five alumni skaters taking to the ice. With two hour ice sessions each day skaters were given daily time trials plus challenging skating each day working on technique and keeping fit over the holiday season. Four on-ice coaches and a dozen or so off-ice parent volunteers helped keep the camp energized and fun. All skaters are looking forward to the second half of the season in the new year.
Yellowknife Ability Meet
The Ed Jeske Arena was buzzing on Saturday, December 1 with 70 skaters from 4 NWT clubs. Races were held in three categories: Ability, Can West and Juniors. Those in the Can West category (Train to Train age) were seeking to meet qualifying times for the upcoming Canada West Short Track Championships in late March. Junior skaters were hoping to better their personal best times and possibly qualify for the Canadian Age Class Championhsips. Ability racers showed off new skills in cornering, starts and cross overs and raced 200, 300, 400 and 1000 metre distances. Full Ability Meet results are available below:
Tribute to Mark Collier
It is with profound sadness that NWTASSA received the news of the death of Mark Collier on Tuesday, October 30 in Norman Wells. Mark has been a tireless volunteer for speed skating in Norman Wells acting as coach and chief organizer of club activities for the past 6-7 years. Mark also served as a board member on NWTASSA since 2008. During his tenure as coach of the Norman Wells Speed Skating Club, Mark ran weekly practices, oversaw the purchase and maintenance of equipment, arranged travel to NWT Championships and summer camps, organized local skater development clinics and ran endless creative fundraisers to help offset costs for skaters and their families. This was all in addition to administrative tasks and developing his own coaching credentials.
Mark gave tirelessly of himself so that kids could participate and have fun in his programs. His enthusiasm, energy and caring nature will be missed at both the local and territorial level.
Olympian Denise Ramsden Visits Yellowknife Club.
Denise Ramsden, Canadian Olympic team member for cycling at the London 2012 games will be in Yellowknife November 1-4. Denise is a former resident of Yellowknife who now studies at University of British Columbia. She was born in Hay River, NT and spent her early years in Yellowknife. Denise was a member of the Yellowknife Speed Skating Club for several years and it was there that she had her start in speed skating. When she and her family moved to Ontario, Denise's speed skating career advanced to the provincial and national level before she branched off to successive sports such as triathlon and ultimately road cycling.
On Thursday, November 1, Denise will be on the ice at the Yellowknife Multiplex where she will skate with two groups of Yellowknife Speed Skating Club members. She will also attend several other community events. Welcome home Denise!
Gilday's Successful Season Continues.
At the second World Cup of the season, held in Montreal October 26-28, Michael Gilday continued to place well in his events. After successfully making his way through preliminaries and heats on Friday, Gilday advanced through the quarter and semi-finals to the A Final in the 1500 metre event on Saturday. In a field of seven top notch international skaters, he finished in 5th place. He was happy with this result given the strength and experience of his competitors. On Sunday, Gilday continued through the quarter and semi-final rounds of the 500m event winning his heats in both rounds to again advance to the A Final. He and fellow Team Canada members Guillaume Bastille and Liam Mcfarlane swept the podium spots with Gilday capturing the silver medal. Gilday and his team members continue their training until they depart for the 3rd and 4th World Cup competitions to be held in Nagoya, Japan (November 30-December 2, 2012) and Shanghai, China December 7-9, 2012).
Further information on the above competitions can be found at the following sites:
Gilday and Team Canada set world record in relay.
At the first world cup of the season, Canada's relay team clinched a spot in history by setting a new world record. The team, comprised of Michael Gilday (Yellowknife Speed Skating Club), Charles Hamelin, Olivier Jean and Francois Hamelin skated the men's 5000m relay event in a time of 6:30.958. The previous world record, set in Korea in 2011, was 6:35.884. The world cup is being held at the Calgary Olympic Oval October 19-21. Two other world records also fell in the first day of racing, both to Canadians. Valerie Maltais set a record in the 1500m event, and Vladimir Grigorev of Russia lowered the 500m record to a blistering 40.344.
Gilday and the other Canadians continue their competition tomorrow and Sunday, moving into the quarter, semis and finals in all distances. In the photo below, Tara Stockton from the Yellowknife Speed Skating Club, is pictured with the record setting men's relay team.
AWG 2016 (Greenland)
NWTASSA is very concerned with the decision of the Arctic Winter Games International Committee to cut six sports, including speed skating, from the games to be held in Greenland in 2016. NWTASSA recognizes that this will be a lost opportunity for many speed skaters who have set their sights on the AWG team that season, and may well affect overall club registration and participation numbers across our territory. We are hopeful that talks among governments of an alternate event may come to fruition. We will be working hard with all levels of government and sport organizations to this end. As well, all affected speed skating associations across the Arctic are working together to explore other possibilities of an international competition. In the meantime, our skaters and coaches are focused on their goals for this season and for AWG 2014 in Alaska.
NWT Speed Skaters Score Multiple PB's at Calgary's Oktoberfest
Over the past weekend, 6 NWT skaters attended the annual Oktoberfest competition at the Calgary Olympic Oval. All achieved personal best times. Read more:
NWTASSA Proud of 2 New Oval Skaters
Both Simon Austin and Hannah Clark of Yellowknife have achieved their qualifying times and have been accepted into the National Training Centre program at the Calgary Olympic Oval. For the full story, click on this link: NWTASSA Oval Skaters
Michael Gilday makes 2012-13 Fall World Cup Team
Following the first national team trials of the 2012-13 season in Calgary September 14-16, Speed Skating Canada has announced the men's and women's team for the four world cups. Michael Gilday of Yellowknife placed fourth overall at the trials and therefore gained a spot on the team to attend all four world cups this fall. The first world cup will be held in Calgary, Alberta October 19-21. Gilday is pleased to have made the world cup team once again, especially after suffering a broken shoulder in late January. More information and full results on the team trials can be found at: www.speedskating.ca/home
Michael Gilday's blog can be found at: www.mgilday.wordpress.com
Hay River Annual Fall Speed Skating Camp - October 13-14, 2012.
Please see the poster for this fun event. The camp will be led by David Gilday and local coaches from the Hay River Club. All are welcome to attend. Participants are encouraged to take this opportunity to try out speed skating.
NWT Speed Skating Takes Four Awards at Sport North Awards Banquet!
NWTASSA proudly announces four recipients of Sport North awards this year. The Sport North awards banquet was held on Saturday evening, May 26. 2012 at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife. Greatly deserving award winners were:
- Madison Pilling (Fort Simpson) Youth Female Athlete of the Year
- Isaac Wideman (Yellowknife) Youth Male Athlete of the Year
- Valerie Gendron (Fort Simpson) Delma Kisoun Memorial Community Contributor
- Shane Clark (Yellowknife) Coach of the Year
Award Nominees included:
- Hannah Clark (Yellowknife) - Junior Female Athlete of the Year
- Simon Austin (Yellowknife) - Junior Male Athlete of the Year
- AWG Speed Skating Team - Team of the Year
For full bios on the winners please visit: http://www.sportnorth.com/Content/Home.asp
Videos of the awards are located here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SportNorthFederation?feature=watch
NWTASSA Summer Camp Information and Registration:
The annual NWTASSA Summer Speed Skating Camp will be held August 22-26, 2012 in Yellowknife. Please see information below for details on our camp and the registration form. Camp is open to any skater 9 years old and up as of September 30, 2012.
NWTASSA AGM - Thursday, May 17.
When: 7:15PM
Where: Sport North Boardroom - 3rd Floor Cooper Building (4908 49 Street, Yellowknife) and by conference call (number on agenda).
Who: All clubs, members and interested public.
AGM materials:
NWTASSA Bylaws President's Report
2011-12 Balance Sheet 2011-12 Expenses Sheet
2011-12 Revenue Sheet Fort Smith Club Report
2015 Canada Winter Games - Prince George, BC
Coach and manager applications can be found under Competitions/CWG/2015. Please note application deadline is June 1, 2015.
2012 NWTASSA AGM is May 17, 2012.
Our 2012 AGM will be held on May 17, 2012 at 7:15PM at the Sport North Boardroom (3rd floor Cooper Building, 4908 49th Street, Yellowknife and by conference call. All members are welcome to attend.
Multiple Medals at Special Olympics Canada Winter Games!
Final 2 Competitions of the season this weekend:
Skaters departing in the next couple of days for the final 2 short track competitions of the season include:
Canadian Short Track Championships (Richmond, BC March 23-25):
Hannah Clark, Simon Austin, Coach David Gilday.
Results: http://www.speed-skating.bc.ca
Canada West Short Track Championships (Winnipeg, MB March 24-25):
Inuvik: Darcie Setzer, Nina Verbonac, River Ross, Alex Robertson
Hay River: Kaed Blake
Fort Simpson: Madison Pilling, Kevin Anavilok-Roche
Yellowknife: James Thomas, Isaac Wideman, Cullen McLeod, Dominique Bennett.
Coach: Shane Clark; Chaperones: Sharon Irwin & Doug Robertson
Results: Will post link when available.
Sport North's Rising Star Program
Please see the application form below for information on Sport North's Rising Star program. This program is targeted toward athletes 14 years of age and under with high performance potential. The funds can be used to offset costs to attend training camps etc.
Sport North Rising Star Application
Fabulous AWG results from Whitehorse!
Congratulations to the skaters and coaches of our illustrious AWG team that has just returned from Whitehorse! You have all done a great job representing NWTASSA, your home club and your territory. I am particularly proud of the depth of this year's team represented by five of our six speed skating clubs.
Special recognition goes to those who won individual medals: Hannah, Madison, Simon, Cullen, Eric, Rachel, Lauren, Kirianne, Kristin, Isaac, James and Kaed. Gold medal sweeps by Simon and Isaac were awesome as were the AWG records broken by Hannah and Isaac!
Big congratulations to all skaters for their performance in the very exciting team relays. A gold medal sweep of this entire event is truly an accomplishment and speaks to the ultimate teamwork, communication and effort of each team and the coaches, both in the 'game plan' before the race and in the lap by lap focus and decisions throughout the race.
A huge congratulations must go to our excellent coaching team and mission staff who made sure that everyone was organized, well prepared and in top shape for every round of competition. Your extra hours and late nights are truly appreciated by team members, parents and NWTASSA.
And finally, a top medal haul of 37 ulus which represented just under one third won by the whole of Team NWT. This is a fantastic result and represents a very strong showing for the entire speed skating team.
For those skaters who are preparing for Canada West and Canadian Short Track Championships, we look forward to a continuation of your dedication to training and to your goals of personal excellence.
Great job one and all!
Full results can be viewed here: AWG 2012 Protocol
NWT Speed Skating Championships - February 18-19, 2012.
For all results, see Competitions/NWT Champs.
2012 AWG Speed Skating Team
A very exciting AWG Territorial Trials ended on Saturday, January 28. All skaters showed exceptional drive, sportsmanship and determination. The final team selection below will join coaches Sharon Irwin from Fort Smith and Shane Clark from Yellowknife.
| Junior Female | Junior Male | Juvenile Female | Juvenile Male |
| Hannah Clark Yk | Simon Austin Yk | Lauren Eggenberger Yk | Isaac Wideman Yk |
| Madison Pilling Fort Simpson | Dominique Bennett Yk | Rachel Latour Yk | James Thomas Yk |
| Tara Stockton Yk | Eric Chalker Yk | Kirianne Ashley Yk | Kaed Blake Hay River |
| Ali Fleming Yk | Cullen McLeod Yk | Kristin Chapman Yk | Kevin Anavilok Roche Fort Simpson |
| Alt: Monique Chapman Yk | Alt: Aurora Vassal Fort Smith | Alt: Jackson Christie Inuvik |
Full Results of AWG Territorial Trials:
Results 2012 AWG Territorial Trials Juvenile Division
Results 2012 AWG Territorial Trials Junior Division
Arctic Winter Games Territorial Trials start Friday, January 27, 2012.
The NWT's best speed skaters will be gathering this weekend at the Yellowknife Multiplex (Jeske Arena) for the final trials to decide who will represent Team NWT at the AWG in Whitehorse. Skaters from all six of NWTASSA's clubs will be competing in four age categories: Junior Female, Junior Male, Juvenile Female and Juvenile Male. The final team will consist of four skaters in each age category. The team will be headed by coaches Sharon Irwin of Fort Smith and Shane Clark of Yellowknife.
The speed skating competition gets underway on Friday evening.
Schedule:
Friday, January 27: Set-up starts at 5:30PM. Competition will end at 9:00PM
Saturday, January 28: Set-up starts at 9:00AM. Competition will end at 2:30PM
More information can be found under Competitions/AWG.
Gilday Chosen to skate individual distances at 2012 World Championships
Michael Gilday places 3rd at Canadian Open Short Track Championships
AWG Territorial Trials to be held in Yellowknife January 26-28, 2012.
Thirty four skaters and nine coaches and chaperones from 6 speed skating clubs across the NWT will make their way to the Arctic Winter Games Territorial Trials in late January. Competition will be held to determine the top four skaters in each of the following categories: Juvenile Male and Female; Junior Male and Female. The final team of 16 skaters will join AWG coaches Shane Clark (Yellowknife) and Sharon Irwin (Fort Smith) and the rest of Team NWT at the games in Whitehorse March 3-10, 2012.
For more information on the AWG Territorial Trials for speed skating, click Competitions and AWG above. Further information on the games can also be found at:
Second World Cup Medal of the Season for Gilday - December 5, 2012
Michael Gilday, member of the Yellowknife Speed Skating Club, stepped onto the world cup podium again this past weekend taking the bronze medal in the men's 1000 metre event in Nagoya, Japan. Teammate Charles Hamelin captured the gold followed by Kwak Yoon-Gy of Korea. Gilday was pleased with his result which marked his second world cup medal of the season and the seventh of this career. In the 1500 metre event he finished 2nd in the B Final for an eighth place overall in this distance.
The men's relay team had some misfortune in the semi-final round when Hamelin took a fall in the last half lap causing a penalty to the team and elimination from the final.
Gilday and the team travel next to Shanghai, China for the fourth stop on the world cup circuit. Racing continues December 9-11, 2012.
Full results can be viewed at: www.sportresult.com/federations/ISU/ShortTrack/
AWG Regional Trials in Yellowknife - Results:
Arctic Winter Games regional trials were completed for the Yellowknife Speed Skating Club on Sunday, November 13. The three divisions requiring a competition were very close and featured many great races. Congratulations to all skaters and their coaches on their efforts to train and prepare for this important competition. After all four distances were complete, the successful skaters who will move on to the AWG Territorial Trials in January are:
Junior Girls: Hannah Clark, Monique Chapman, Hannah Latour, Tara Stockton.
Junior Boys: Simon Austin, Dominique Bennett, Eric Chalker, Cullen McLeod.
Juvenile Girls: Kirianne Ashley, Kristin Chapman, Lauren Eggenberger and Rachel Latour.
Juvenile Boys: Daniel Enge, James Thomas, Isaac Wideman.
Full results can be viewed here:
AWG Yellowknife Regional Trials 2011 - Juniors
AWG Yellowknife Regional Trials 2011 - Juveniles
World Cup Silver for Michael Gilday
First medal of the season for Gilday at Intact Insurance World Cup 2 in Saguenay, Quebec.
News Release - Silver Medal for Gilday at World Cup 2
Big Successes and Personal Bests at 2011 Edmonton Fall Classic!
Read the news release here for an exciting recap of events at last week's Edmonton Fall Classic which was attended by 22 skaters from NWT.
News Release - EFC October 2011
Calgary Oktoberfest nets personal bests for Yellowknife Skaters!
News Release - Oktoberfest October 10, 2011
2010-11Season End Results
Canada West Short Track Championships Results:
CWST 3000m Points Race Results
Please see Competitions page for final results of NWT Championships.
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