Bill’s speed skaters but a blur
South Canterbury’s speed skaters will be looking to extend their near decade-long unbeaten run at the New Zealand Speed Skating Championships at Whanganui this week.
Coach Bill Begg said the championships begin on December 29-30 with road races on the tricky Kowhai Park 380-metre course, while the following three days will see competitors battle it out in the 100m indoor track championships at Jubilee Stadium.
The South Canterbury squad has won the Unity Shield, which is awarded for the best club, for nine straight years.
Begg said the club had managed to stay particularly active in the wake of Covid-19.
‘‘We didn’t need to seek out any extra funding, we just plugged on.
‘‘We kept in communication with all of our club members during lockdown, letting them know when and where they were allowed to skate, and making sure they were keeping well. It was all about keeping a positive attitude,’’ Begg said.
On January 3, the New Zealand Marathon 42km senior, and 21km Junior Half Marathon Speed Skating Championships will be held at the Manfeild car racing circuit near Palmerston North.
Begg said there were several skaters who were likely to succeed at the National Speed Skating Championships, including 16-year-old Charli Nevin, 11-year-old Kyla Beveridge, 11-year-old Callum Sandri and 16-year-old Kaylum McAuley.
McAuley won the prestigious open men’s 15,000m road elimination on the opening day of the New Zealand Speed Skating championships in Timaru last year.
‘‘For him to do so well at such a young age was just marvellous,’’ Begg said.
South Canterbury will have a 24-strong team of skaters competing at the championships this year.
‘‘We had 25 last year, and that was in Timaru, so Covid-19 hasn’t really affected us,’’ Begg said.
‘‘It’s going to be a tough competition, we’re reasonably confident we can take out the Unity
Shield, but Whanganui in particular will be difficult to overcome.’’
Begg said Whanganui was particularly strong in the Masters’ section, where they took out most of the points at the National Speed Skating Championships last year.
However, Begg said the secret to the South Canterbury club’s success was a strong and very technical training programme.
‘‘My wife Cheryl Begg has been running it for years, and she was a three-time world champion, so it’s like having young ones coached by Richie McCaw,’’ he said.
‘‘Speed skating is a very technical sport.’’