Kinsmen Speed Skating Club celebrates Fish Victory and prepares for upcoming meet
The Kinsmen Speed Skating Club began its latest season with news that Moose Jaw product Graeme Fish will be on the World Cup Circuit thanks to strong performances at the Canadian Single Distance long track championships at the Olympic Oval in Calgary.
Last weekend (October 19th-20) Fish, a Peacock graduate competed in the 5,000 m at the Canadian championship and clocked a winning time 6:18.60 ahead of Olympian Jordan Belchos and Olympic medalist Ted- Jan Bloemen. Fish followed up that performance with a second-place finish in the 10,000 m.
The stellar performance will give Fish a spot on all four upcoming world cups this fall.
Fish said ‘it was a really technically good race. I slowed down in the middle section, but I was able to bring it back and I’m really happy. Ted-Jan and Jordan are both really good skaters. I think it’s going to be really close between all three of us this season, but this is a good start’.
The Kinsmen speed skating club also has Marc André Doyon and Gabrielle Sanson training at the Olympic oval this year in hopes of following Fish to the senior national team.
On the local level, the speed skating club is preparing for its annual short track meet at the Barkman Arena in Caronport. The meet will run during the day time hours Saturday November 2nd and will feature very young skaters to masters in races based on ability, spectators are welcome. Coach John Morris said speed skating is a fun sport and great to watch with its athleticism, tactics and sportsmanship so come and watch. “It’s a sport that a good athlete, hockey player or figure skater can take up and be very successful at. We welcome people to come to a practice. We’ll get them some skates and they can try it. Who knows, some one right here could be the next Cindy Klassen who takes it up in their late teens and goes on to the national team.”
For more information visit the club’s new website at https://moosejawspeedskatingclub.wildapricot.org/ or email mjspeedskating@gmail.com.