Songs to Skate to

In honour of the holiday season and the Halifax Emera Oval opening today Atlantic Long Track has some song suggestions to skate to and "skating" songs to add to a skating playlist.

Some of the suggestions, such as the first two, are classic skating songs, some I only heard for the first time while compiling this list, and some are not necessarily ice skating songs but are motivational none the less.  The styles of the songs range from symphonic to electronic, from solo to banjo, from punk to funk.  Hopefully you find a song to inspire you out on the ice somewhere this season.

Check out the songs by clicking on the song title for the iTunes link, or when available the YouTube video has been added.

Happy skating, happy listening, and happy holidays!

• Skating (A Charlie Brown Christmas) - Vince Guaraldi Trio

• The Skater's Waltz -  Émile Waldteufel

• Skating on a River - Lily Frost

 

•  I want to go Skating with Willie - Patti Page

• Skating Away (on the Thin Ice of a New Day) - Jethro Tull

 

• The Skater - Leahy 
• Skating on the Harbourfront - Chris Coole
• Speedskater - Daniel Backes & Peter Moslener
• Speedskater - Monotone DC
• Speed Skating - The Noun
• Speed Skating Summer - Mythos
• Skater - Paolo Driver

• Skate - Jason Kodie
• Skate - Dean Parrish
• Brand New Key - Melanie

• Skate - Monica

• Roller Skate Rag - Funny Girl (Soundtrack)

• Gliding - Ragtime (Soundtrack)

• Skate! - Unique Technique
• Skate - Sonic Allures
• Skate - Triga-Nom
• Skate - Triba Land
• Speed of Sound - Coldplay

• Speed - Atari Teenage Riot
• Speed River - The Tragically Hip

• Breakneck Speed - Tokyo Police Club

•  Speed King - Deep Purple

• Are you Ready to Move - P.W.M.

• Go - Moby

• Go! - Tones on Tails
• GO! - Santigold

Well this has been fun.  I could probably continue but I will end here.  Let us know your favourite skating song in the comments section below.

2013 Skate the Common Marathon Series

 2013 Skate the Common Marathon Series

Sunday January 6^th, Sunday January 27^th, & February 23^rd-24^th 2013.

Halifax Emera Oval, North Commons

Halifax  NS  CA

Speed Skate Nova Scotia, the Halifax Regional SpeedSkating Club, and the Atlantic Long Track Program are pleased to announce the return of the Skate the Common Marathon on February 23^rd-24^th, 2013 at the Halifax Emera Oval on the Halifax Common.  

More events are planned this season with Icebreaker events on January 6 and 27 in preparation for the big Finale event on February 23 - 24.  The Icebreaker events are timed 10 minute or 20 minute races counting the number of laps completed in the allotted time.  The Finale event include the a Big Ice 3km for youth ,  a Big Ice 3km for Sledge, a Big Ice 5km, a Big Ice 10km, and the Big Ice 25km.

The competition will be sanctioned by and Chip timing provided by Speed Skate Nova Scotia.

10-minute Icebreaker #1 – A new addition to the Skate the Common Marathon as preparation for the Big Ice 5km event.  A timed event open to skaters of all ages on any type of skate to see how many laps you can complete in the allotted time.  Registration is limited to 60 skaters.

20-minute Icebreaker #1 – A new addition to the Skate the Common Marathon as preparation for the Big Ice 10km event.  A timed event open to skaters of all ages on any type of skate to see how many laps you can complete in the allotted time.  Registration is limited to 60 skaters.

10-minute Icebreaker #2 – The second in the series of preparation events for the Skate the Common Marathon Big Ice 5km event.  Open to skaters of all ages on any type of skate.  Challenge yourself to skate more laps than in Icebreaker #1 or get a feel for how you will do in the Big Ice 5km.  Registration is limited to 60 skaters.

20-minute Icebreaker #2 – The second in the series of preparation events for the Skate the Common Marathon Big Ice 10km event.  Open to skaters off all ages on any type of skate.  Challenge yourself to skate more laps than in Icebreaker #1 or get a feel for how you will do in the Big Ice 10km.  Registration is limited to 60 skaters.

Big Ice Youth 3km – An introduction to racing on skates will appeal to young skaters 15 and under with any type of skate.  If you’ve been skating at the Oval’s public skates or at your local arena, you can do this distance – 8 laps of the oval.  Registration is limited to 60 skaters.

Big Ice 5km – An introductory event for skaters of any age using any type of skate.  If you’ve been skating at the Oval’s public skates or at your local arena, you can do this distance – 13 laps of the oval.  Registration is limited to 60 skaters.

Big Ice 10km – Are you known for your skating skills?  Do you think you can go the distance?  If so, take on this event and its 26 laps of the Oval.  Registration is limited to 60 skaters.

Big Ice 25km – For the really serious skater, this one has 64½ laps of the oval, and is a good test of your endurance and skating skills.  Registration is limited to 60 skaters.

Big Ice 3K Sledge Race – Returning for the second year!  For the sledge hockey players out there, come and show your speed and endurance on the Big Ice.  Registration is limited to 60 skaters.

Pick one event to participate in, or participate in the whole series of events.  Check the series registration options below.

Registration

Icebreaker #1       http://www.atlanticchip.ca/events/details.php?show=1110

Icebreaker #2       http://www.atlanticchip.ca/events/details.php?show=1111

Marathon Finale  http://www.atlanticchip.ca/events/details.php?show=1112

Schedule

Icebreaker #1

• Sunday January 6th 
• 10:30am – 11:15am
• Check-in and assignment of timing chips for the 10 & 20 min Icebreaker #1 events.
• 10:55am – 11:15am
• Warm up time on the Oval
• 11:45am – 11:55am
• 10 minute Icebreaker #1
• 12:05pm – 12:25pm
• 20 minute Icebreaker #1

Icebreaker #2

• Sunday January 27th
• 12:00pm – 12:40pm
• Check-in and assignment of timing chips for the 10 & 20 min Icebreaker #2 events.
• 12:20pm – 12:40pm
• Warm up time on the Oval.
• 12:50pm – 1:00pm
• 10 minute Icebreaker #2
• 1:10pm – 1:30pm
• 20 minute Icebreaker #2

Marathon Finale

• Friday February 22nd
• 4:00pm – 6:00pm
• Practice time on the Oval.
• Saturday February 23rd
• 7:00am – 7:50am
• Check-in and assignment of timing chips for the Big Ice 10km and Big Ice 5km events.
• 7:30am – 7:50am
• Warm up time on the Oval.
• 8:00am – 8:45am
• Big Ice 10km (This race has a 45 minute cut-off to complete)
• 8:45am – 9:15am
• Check-in and assignment of timing chips for the Big Ice Youth 3km event.
• 8:55am – 9:20am
• Big Ice 5km (This race has a 25 minute cut-off to complete)
• 9:20am – 9:50am
• Check-in and assignment of timing chips for the Big Ice Sledge 3km event.
• 9:30am – 9:55am
• Big Ice Youth 3km (This race has a 25 minute cut-off to complete)
• 10:05am – 10:30am
• Big Ice Sledge 3km (This race has a 25 minute cut-off to complete)
• Sunday February 24th
• 9:00am – 9:30am
• Check-in and assignment of timing chips for the Big Ice 25km event.
• 9:15am – 9:30am
• Warm up time on the Oval.
• 9:50am – 11:30am
• Big Ice 25km (This race has a 1 hour 40 minute cut-off to complete)

 Fees*

Single Events

• 10 Minute Icebreaker #1 - $15.00
• 20 Minute Icebreaker #1 - $20.00
• 10 Minute Icebreaker #2 - $15.00
• 20 Minute Icebreaker #2 - $20.00
• Big Ice Youth 3km - $10.00
• Big Ice Sledge 3km - $10.00
• Big Ice 5km - $20.00
• Big Ice 10km - $25.00
• Big Ice 25km - $40.00

Full Series discount packages:

• 5km Package #1 - $40.00 (includes 10min Icebreaker #1, 10min Icebreaker #2, Big Ice 5km)                          
• 10km Package#1 -  $50.00 (includes 20min Icebreaker #1, 20min Icebreaker #2, Big Ice 10km)            
• 25km Package #1 - $60.00 (includes 20min Icebreaker #1, 20min Icebreaker #2, Big Ice 25km)                         
• 25km+ Package #1 - $75.00 (includes 20min Icebreaker #1, 20min Icebreaker #2, Big Ice 10km & 25km)          

Part Series discount packages:

• 5km Package #2 - $30.00 (includes 10min Icebreaker #2, Big Ice 5km)                                                                   
• 10km Package#2 - $40.00 (includes 20min Icebreaker #2, Big Ice 10km)                                                                 
• 25km Package #2 - $50.00 (includes 20min Icebreaker #2, Big Ice 25km)                                                                 
• 25km+ Package#2 - $70.00 (includes 20min Icebreaker #2, Big Ice 10km & 25km)                                                 

*Note: there will be no refunds for cancellations due to weather.

Racing Rules

Marathon races:  Slowest skaters will skate on the inside track of the oval, with all passing done on the outside.  Helmets are required for skaters 12 and under, and are recommended for all skaters.

Electronic Chips

Please return your chip immediately after your event. You are fully responsible for the electronic chip return. You are also responsible to wear it in the race so that your time can be recorded and included in the results.

6210 Quinpool Road  Halifax

Skater Number 

Skaters place your number on the right thigh so it can be seen by the timers.  Sledge racers place your number on your back.

Contact

Todd Landon                       902-210-1600                          tlandon@speedskating.ca  

Special Thanks

The Trail Shop for your skating needs.

Speed Skating Officials Clinics in the Atlantic

Hi, everyone.  

Speed Skate Nova Scotia is hosting two officials clinics in conjunction with the Long Track Camp to be held on the Emera Oval January 4-6.  The classroom instruction will be done on Saturday afternoon at the Atlantica Hotel, with an opportunity for practical experience on Sunday morning during the racing that will take place after the camp.  There would be additional opportunities to gain experience later in the season at the oval, or at the Canada East Short Track Championships which will be hosted by the Halifax Regional Speed Skating Club in March.

 

Details:

 

Level One Officials Clinic

 

January 5^th 1-5 PM classroom, January 6^th  7:30 – 11:00 AM at the Oval

 

Age 16 or over

 

The Level One Officials Clinic provides an introduction to speed skating competition, the rules and regulations that govern speed skating, the different racing formats and tracks, and the skater age categories; and an overview of all of the different officials positions, the officials certification program, and the duties and responsibilities of all of the positions.  After completing this clinic, participants would be certified at Level One by position once they have experience in working in that position under the supervision of a senior official.

 

This clinic will be presented by Roger Cole from Speed Skate New Brunswick.

 

Level Two Starters Clinic

 

January 5^th 1-5 PM classroom, January 6^th  7:30 – 11:00 AM at the oval.

 

Age 16 or over

 

This clinic will include condensed coverage of short track, but will focus primarily on long track Olympic style starting, and will include class work as well as video analysis, followed by practical experience at the oval.

 

Targeted participants include level one officials, level two starters looking for experience in long track, and officials with experience as starters in other sports.  Completion of the Level One Clinic is recommended, but not mandatory. 

 

Materials to bring: Whistle (recommended pea-less Fox 40 Classic with rubber covered finger strap, on a lanyard) and stop watch.  Some extras will be available if participants don’t have their own.

 

This clinic will be presented by Bruce Gray from Speed Skate New Brunswick. 

 

To register for this clinic please contact David MacDonald at fourmacds@ns.sympatico.ca or (902) 477-9234.

Gift Ideas for the Speed Skater in Your Life

One more month of shopping until Christmas.  Have you decided what to get for the speed skater in your life?

Aside from the obvious articles of equipment such as new helmets, gloves, skates, etc I've come up with a list of gift ideas to assist a skater's development away from the ice.  By no means is the list exhaustive.  Skaters and coaches share your own wish list in the comments section below.

$0 - $25

• Spiral Note Book - Sounds simple but is maybe one of the most effective tools an athlete can have when used as a training log.  Use the log to journal goals and objectives and track progress during practices and competitions through the season.
• Hot Hands - To help extend those training sessions on those cold days out on the Oval. 
• In Pursuit of Excellence - By renowned Canadian Sport Psychologist Terry Orlick, In Pursuit of Excellence is a must have for an aspiring athlete.
• Hacky Sack - Yep, the good old foot bag.  Using a foot bag makes for a fun warm-up that develops agility and coordination and is a great tool to meet and engage friends at competitions.
• Skipping Rope - There are several benefits to using this old playground staple for warm-up or training.    There are several ropes on the market that advertise as competition or professional ropes but the best ropes that I have had have just been a length of climbing rope.  I find about 2m of 8mm or 11mm climbing rope from MEC or another outdoors store works great.
• Cables - This is not something that you will be able to pick up at sports store but rather will be something homemade.  About 4m of either seat-belt or nylon strapping, camp webbing, or climbing rope can be sewn or tied into a loop to form the cable.  The cable can then used to perform several technical drills.
• iTunes Gift Card - Us the card to build a motivational soundtrack for training or competition, or use the card to purchase some of the great sport apps available.
• Coach's Eye - Instant video analysis and slow-motion review on your mobile device.
• Ubersense - A personal coach in the palm of your hand.
• Coach my Video - Anytime, Anywhere Video Analysis & Frame-Capture: it's never been so easy​.

$25 - $50

• Foam Roller - Think an over-sized pool noodle that assists with recovery after a workout.  I am not sure why the roller exercises work, I just know they work.  I am sore the next day if I have not rolled after a workout, but I am fine the next day if I have.
• Massage Stick - Another great tool for recovery after a workout.  Again I am not an expert to know how or why the exercises work but it is a staple piece of equipment for many athletes.

$50 - $100

• Sport Watch - A sport watch can come with several bells and whistles but it should really do one thing: tell you how long your workout was from start to finish.  My first sport watch was a Timex Triathlon, which had a stopwatch, and an interval timer.  The stopwatch was great for timing runs, bikes, or swims.  The interval timer was great to setup for sprint or skipping programs because it would beep at the beginning and end of each interval.
• Bike Shoes and Clipless Pedals - Andrew Feenstra, a Cycling coach and proprietor of Cyclesmith in Halifax, advises that "shoes and pedals are important no matter what bike you have".  The advantages of cycling shoes is that there is no flex so that all of the pressure in the forefoot transfers to the pedal.
• Cycling Computer - A must have for training on a bike.  The computer should tell you three things: how far, how long, and how fast the ride is/was.  Valuable information to be tracked in a journal.

$100 - $500

• Heart Rate Monitor - At a certain level of athletic development tracking heart rate will be a valuable measure when training.  Monitoring heart rate is a very useful indicator of the intensity of the training.  Many Heart Rate monitors come as a feature of a sports watch, or vice versa.

$500+

• Road Bike - Biking in the off-season is a great cross-training tool and becomes bigger part of training as a skater's development progresses.  Thanks to Andrew Feenstra at Cyclesmith in Halifax here are some things you should consider when looking for and purchasing a bike; as previously tweeted at Atlantic_LT.
• Girls' bikes are no longer just boys bikes painted pink. Bikes for women are made with shorter top tube, narrower handlebars, & wider seats.
• A bike is an investment. First find one that fits you properly & then keep up with its maintenance so that it will last many years.
• The size, in cm, of the bike is measured from the center of the crank to the top of the seat tube.
• Fit? With seat at proper height & pedal down there should be some knee bend. Too much seat post = too small, Too little post = too big.
• Fit? Comfortable reach from seat to handle bars. The handle bar width should match the shoulders.
• Pedals & Shoes? Important no matter what bike you get. Stiff bike shoes allow all of the pressure in the forefoot to transfer to the pedal.
• Store vs Online purchase? A store can swap parts to fit you properly. Online may require additional expenses to repair & fit for riding.
• Maintenance? Just like a car a bike should recieve a regular tune-up. Eg. the chain will stretch needing replacing after about 3000km.
• Bike Shop vs Department Store purchase? Bike Shop prices begin at $900 which reflects quality of the components & thus long-term enjoyment.
• Components? Brakes, shifters, derailers, etc. Shimano's line of compenents range from low to high = 2300, Sora, Tiagra, Ultegra.

Just to finish off this a personal anecdote of receiving a new pair of Viking Long Track skates for Christmas during my fourth season of speed skating.  My parents purchased a pair of Viking 1 Long Track skates, which were to be my first ever brand new pair of skates, to present to me on Christmas.  That November an opportunity arose for me to train on the Quebec City Oval while other club mates participated in a Short Track event nearby.  My parents gave me the skates explaining that they were an early Christmas gift so that I could use in Quebec.  Then on Christmas Eve they snuck into my room, removed the skates, rewrapped them, and placed them under the tree.  I was certainly surprised to find them under the tree the next morning.  A very happy memory if only the story ended there.  Our family cat made the story a bit more interesting by using my gift wrapped box of skates as his litter box for the night.  Never in the cat's 16 years with us had ever he done anything like that before or after except for that Christmas.  So a happy memory became a very memorable one thanks to Mom, Dad, and Smokey.

Happy shopping!

Canadian Game Changers - London 2012

The theme of the 2012 Sport Leadership Conference this past weekend in Montreal was "Game Changers".  There were three streams, Coaching, Leadership Development, or Education & Research, of workshops and presentations where presenters used the theme as the basis for their topics.  I mostly participated in the Coaching stream of presentations where the workshops and presentations focused on topics such as coaching effectiveness, developing talent, and team management.  I will include a summary of some of those sessions in later posts.  

For now I wanted to highlight the topic of Saturday's keynote "12 Game Changers from 2012".  Canada's Chef de Mission at the 2012 London Olympics, Mark Tewksbury, summarized his experience at the Games by presenting what he saw as the 12 Game Changers for the Canadian Team.

#12

Office of Chef de Mission - Canada is only 1 of 3 countries at the Olympics to use a former athlete as their Chef de Mission rather than a bureaucrat.  Using a a former athlete in the position gives the athletes a sense of comfort knowing their leader has been in the same situation of undergoing what they are now experiencing.

#11

Team behind the team - While the Chef de Mission may not have all of the necessary abilities to fulfill all of the duties there are plenty of support people to support them supporting the team. There are many great people that take care of the behind the scenes issues and duties so that there are no distractions for the athletes or coaches so that they are able to perform their best.

#10

5 words - "World class, Proud, Fierce, Relentless, Unbreakable".  Canadian athletes ranked top 5 in the world were invited to a meeting prior to the Games where they were asked "When the world sees the Canadian Team what is it that they want them to think.  The 5 words chosen were a shift from from the tone of the words used at previous Games.  Over the course of the 2012 Games Mark saw specific instances where the Team exemplified the meaning of the words.

#9

A unified Canadian team - The athletes felt that they were part of the greater team Canada. 62% of the team were first time Olympians.  So marching out for the opening ceremonies Mark formed the veterans of the team into an honour guard to lead the team into the stadium.

#8

Beaver cheer - A team cheer that Mark had created for his university swim team, adapted for his Canadian Swim teams, and reintroduced to the 2012 Canadian Team.  "I'm a beaver your a beaver and when we get together we do the beaver cheer".  When Mark saw team members perform or mimic the actions to the cheer or asked him to do the cheer he knew spirits were up and things were OK.

#7

Focus of attention - The Chef de Mission plays 4 roles: leader, ambassador, mentor, and cheerleader.  Being all 4 but knowing when to be each is important to the position.  After missing the women's Gymnastics team's historic 5th place finish for a press conference Mark made the decision to do no more conferences.  He made the decision to be there for the team and ignore other distractions.  He felt this was a good decision because he was consistent.  Even though he said "no" to interview requests he knew he was visible at the events doing what he was supposed to be doing.  In the end there were no hard feelings from the press because of it.

#6

Twitter - Initially resistant to Twitter Mark caved in because "these were going to be the Twitter Games."  He found it to be an effective tool as Chef de Mission because it allowed him to follow the athletes, know the athletes, communicate with the athletes, and promote the athletes.  There were some lessons learned on the proper use of Twitter.  One of his first Tweets while visiting Halifax in the spring was a comment on his distaste of the McLobster Sandwich.  He was gently reminded that McDonald's is an Olympic sponsor and so he quickly removed the Tweet.

#5

The dark horses - When dealing with the press they always wanted to know who the winners were going to be.  Mark avoided the question by expressing hopes for the breakthrough athletes. He was overjoyed when the first dark horse, Antoine Valois-Fortier and then later Derek Drouin, mounted the podium for Canada.  The dark horses electrify the team because they are unexpected and show the team that anything is possible.

#4

Canadian meeting places - The Moose statue inside the village and Canada Olympic House outside the village provided a place for Canadian team members to congregate prior to exploring the city and other venues and events.

#3

CTV coverage - Any sport could be seen on any CTV channel at any time.  The Canadian public was able to experience the highs and lows along with the team.

#2

Team sports - Teams bring an energy en mass to the larger team as a whole.  A majority of the athletes participate in individual sports and so have not developed a sense of team spirit.  The team sports have that team spirit an inject it into the great group.  For this reason Mark hoped that the way that team sports are funded would be reconsidered.  (ed. My own experience at Canada Games is that the teams are the catalyst of spirit and enthusiasm that spreads amongst the greater team.)

#1

Mark Lowry - Former COC Director of Sport changed the focus of how we fund sport in Canada with OTP.  Though the team fell short of its goal in 2012 it was not because of lack of resources.  There sometimes were outside factors (Women's Soccer) and simple human error (Men's 4 x 100m Relay) that are inevitable.  However, without the resources Canadians may not have achieved what they did.