RACE RESULTS IN THE 2008-2009 SEASON
In chronological order.
1ST. WESTERN ONTARIO REGION ABILITY MEET: LONDON OCTOBER 18-19 2008
JONATHAN NISHIO WINS GOLD
Three of our experienced skaters competed in the first Western Region race meet of the season.
Jonathan Nishio, 12, raced in the Delta division and demonstrated considerable improvement
from the end of the last season. He won every race except for the 1000m final, in which he
placed second, and set personal best times, including breaking the 55s mark for 500m for the
first time. This was sufficient performance to capture the division's first place overall and win
the gold medal. Furthermore, he also jumped up enough places in the Juvenile age class
ranking to qualify him for the Ontario Cup series.
Cameron Mitchell, 12, raced in the Bravo division, the second fastest, and proved his mettle as well.
He placed in two A finals, in which he finished 3rd. and 4th., and two B finals, which he both won.
At the end, he placed sixth in the division.
Heidi Beck, 14, raced in the Charlie division, but didn't quite find her groove, so her times were off
her capability. She finished twelfth overall. However, her performance was good enough to qualify
her for the Ontario Cup series.
1st. ONTARIO CUP AGE CLASS RACE MEET CAMBRIDGE NOVEMBER 1-2 2008
Cameron Mitchell and Jonathan Nishio competed in the Juvenile Boys division,
and Heidi Beck in the Open B Female division.
Cameron Mitchell raced hard and well, taking off almost a whole second from his
500m time, but a groin muscle injury reappeared and he withdrew from the competition
before the last race to avoid aggravating it further. Even so, he finished ninth overall.
Jonathan Nishio also rose to the occasion and improved both his 500m and 1000m
times from the London meet two weeks earlier. All the same, the competition was
strong, so he finished eighteenth overall.
Heidi Beck was still not up to her potential form, though she did improve her 500m
time from the London meet. She finished fifteenth in her division.
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Cameron Mitchell (r) makes an inside pass.
Photo by A Shot On Site.
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1st. ISU WORLD CUP LONG TRACK MEET: BERLIN, GERMANY, NOVEMBER 7-9 2008
Jordan Belchos competed in his first ISU World Cup speed skating event as a member of the Canadian national team.
He raced in the B division of the 5000 metre distance, the longest distance of the competition, and was paired
against Pascal Briand of France. Briand led slightly from the start and held the lead for a couple of laps, but by
the 1400m mark, Belchos had pulled ahead, and he steadily opened the gap despite the fatigue of the long race,
and by the end finished a comfortable nine seconds in front in 6 min 44.68 s.
This time which would have placed him between veteran teammates Denny Morrrison and Justin Warsylewicz who
both raced in the A Division, and put him 11th., more than half way up his Division. This is a very credible result for
his first senior level competition, especially as he just turned nineteen this year and the long distances favour more
mature athletes.
2nd. ISU WORLD CUP LONG TRACK MEET: HEERENVEEN, THE NETHERLANDS, NOVEMBER 14-16 2008
Jordan Belchos competed in his second 5000 metre ISU World Cup speed skating race.
He repeated his performance from the weekend before and moved up two spots in the world ranking.
The member of the Canadian development team was paired against Norimasa Zaike of Japan
and led from the start. However, Zaike was never far behind, being around half a second back for
much of the race, and reduced Belchos's lead to 0.38 s by the 3000m mark. But by then, Zaike was
spent, and he dropped back while Belchos maintained his pace. Belchos crossed the finish line in
6 min 44.12 s, five seconds ahead of Zaike and half a second faster than a week earlier.
Belchos is now ranked 9th. in the world, and the second Canadian, in the B division in the 5000m distance.
2nd. WESTERN ONTARIO ABILITY MEET: TORONTO, NOVEMBER 15 2008
Hugo Li wins silver: bronzes for Nima Rahnema, Breanna Chapman, and Ron Wolfe.
Seven members of the Club competed in this event. For most of them, it was only their second race meet,
but more than half of them earned medals for their performance against a field of some 150 skaters.
Hugo Li, 8, competing in his first provincial level race meet, won the silver
medal in the Kilo division. He had the fastest time in the heats of the 500m distance,
and proceeded to improve it a little by winning the A final in a much tighter race.
He won his heat of the 333m distance in the second fastest time of all the
heats to move into the A final, and was about to win that race when he lost his
balance in the last turn and slid into the mats while the other skaters crossed
the finish line. That unfortunate mishap cost him the gold medal, but he took his
fate in stride, and nevertheless had a very good day.
Nima Rahnema, 10, won his 500m heat in the Juliet division, and then also won
the A final in a comparable time in a tight race. However, in his 333m heat, he was
edged out of first place which put him into the B final. He finished that race in
second place too, though in a faster time. This earned him enough points for the
bronze medal overall.
Breanna Chapman, 10, (L in photo) won her 500m heat in the Lima division,
and then placed second in the A final with a much faster time. Likewise, she
won her 333m heat, but couldn't quite repeat the speed in the A final and crossed
the finish line in third place. Both results gave her third place overall.
Ron Wolfe (R in photo) won the bronze medal in the Masters division.
Claire DesRosiers, 10, (L photo) finished just out of a medal in fourth spot just after Nima Rahnema in the Juliet division.
Rasa Rahnema, 8, (at L in C photo) finished sixth in the Kilo division.
Heidi Beck, 14, (R photo) finished eleventh in a strong field in the Bravo division.
Furthermore, most of the skaters achieved personal best times in at least one distance
to move them up in their Ontario age class rankings.
3rd. ISU WORLD CUP LONG TRACK MEET: MOSCOW, RUSSIA, NOVEMBER 22-23 2008
Andrew Godbout and Jordan Belchos competed in their first 10,000 metre World Cup speed
skating event. Both members of the Markham Speed Skating Club, part of the five-man Canadian
contingent, were seeded into the B division. This distance, the longest of all speed skating events, is
not one at which Canada has traditionally excelled, so all the five Canadian men were in the B division.
Godbout, racing in his first World Cup event, was paired with Aleksandr Rumyantsev of Russia.
Rumyantsev led marginally after the first lap, but Godbout then edged ahead and held a half-second
lead to the 4400m mark. But after that, Rumyantsev regained his initial lead and slowly increased it
to the end of the race. Godbout finished in 13 min 52.74 seconds, which placed him 18th. in the division
standings, and 43rd. in the world in the combined 5000m and 10000m Cup standings.
Belchos, the current Canadian Junior Men's record holder in the 10000m distance, was paired
with fellow Canadian Jay Morrison. Belchos led from the start and widened his lead steadily to
a commanding eight seconds. But at the two-thirds point in the race, disaster struck and he lost
an edge and fell. He got up and regained his speed, but the fall cost him twelve seconds, an
eternity in even long distance races, and he finished in 13:55.68, well back from Morrison.
Nevertheless, after three World Cup events in three successive weeks, he ranks 44th. in the world
in the combined 5000m and 10000m Cup standings.
3rd. WESTERN ONTARIO ABILITY MEET: CLARINGTON, NOVEMBER 29 2008
Six skaters, all with racing experience, competed in this event. Although none of them won a medal,
most put in good performances and set PBs.
Breanna Chapman (10: Midget) was leading in her 500m heat when she fell approaching a corner,
but got up quickly and finished 3rd. In her final, she finished 2nd. in 1:15.63. She won her 333m heat
with a PB time, and then finished 4th. in the A final in another PB time of 48.69s, almost two seconds
faster than at Toronto two weeks earlier. She finished 5th. overall in Mike division.
Hugo Li (8: Bantam) finished 4th. in his 500m heat with a PB time, and then proceded to set another PB
of 1:08.31 by finishing 3rd. in the B final. He placed 2nd. in his heat of the 333m with a PB time of 44.38s,
over two seconds faster than at Toronto two weeks earlier, and finished 2nd. in the B final. He finished
7th. overall in the Lima division.
Heidi Beck (14: Junior) finished 5th. in her 777m heat and then 4th. in the C final in very similar times,
but a little slower than her PB set in mid-October. She placed 4th. in her 500m heat, and then 2nd. in
the D final in 58.50s, her second fastest for the season. She placed 14th. in the Echo division.
Jonathan Nishio (12: Juvenile) won his 777m heat in 1:27.18, and was leading in the A final when
another skater attempted to pass him on the inside at a corner apex and fell, taking both of them
into the mats. Nevertheless, he got up quickly and finished 3rd. He placed 2nd. in his 500m heat
in a PB time, and then proceded to improve it further to 52.50s by winning the B final. He finished
5th. overall in the Delta division.
Cameron Mitchell (13: Juvenile) placed 2nd. in his 777m heat in a PB time, and then proceded to
improve it to 1:22.27 by winning the B final. He set a PB of 50.22s by placing 2nd. in his 500m heat,
and then placed 2nd. in the B final. He might well have gone faster still, but he deliberately resisted
making maximum performance starts to avoid inflaming a recurring muscle injury. He finished 6th.
in the Bravo division.
Roger Buxton (Masters 4) was outclassed by considerably younger skaters, but had good races with
another skater in the B finals of the 777m and 500m distances. On both occasions, he had a better start,
and held off a determined attack to the finish to win both races. His times, however, were not his best.
He finished 5th. overall in the Charlie division.
2nd. ONTARIO CUP AGE CLASS RACE MEET: BELLEVILLE, DECEMBER 13-14 2008
Our three skaters from the 1st. OCup meet in November (Heidi Beck in the Open B Female division,
and Cameron Mitchell & Jonathan Nishio in the Juvenile Boys division) all qualified for the OCup#2
event, and they were joined by Hugo Li who was making his debut in the OCup series as a result of his
performance at Claringon.
All four skaters did very well by setting personal best times and moving up in the rankings.
Jonathan Nishio did particularly well, setting PBs in all distances and moving up several places
in the rankings. All four skaters are now unequivocally qualified for OCup#3.
MINI-MEET: MILTON, DECEMBER 13 2008
Alfredo Pardo competed in his first race meet. Despite a couple of falls,
he raced well and set impressive PBs as well as learned the ropes of a
competition. His 500m seed time was 77s, and he finished with 63.5s,
which was an admirable performance.
CANADIAN SINGLE DISTANCE LONG TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS: RICHMOND, BC, DECEMBER 27-28 2008
JORDAN BELCHOS #2 IN CANADA IN 10,000 METRES
Jordan Belchos and Andrew Godbout continue to shine in the long distance races.
Both competed in the Canadian Single Distance Championships held on the new indoor
400m oval in Richmond, BC, which will be the venue for the Olympic Games in just over a year.
Belchos's best performance was in the 10,000m race
in which he finished in second place in 14 min 03.23 s.
This was his first medal in national competition, and was a
remarkable achievement for a 19-year old person, as that
distance is normally the preserve of more mature skaters.
In the 5,000m race, he finished in seventh place in 6:49.34.
Photos by Mike Belchos
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Godbout also put in a fine performance in the 10,000m
distance, finishing in 7th. place in 14:15.63.
In the 5,000m race, he placed ninth in 6:52.91.
Both of these results are consistent with his recent performances.
He also raced in the 500m event, not his strongest distance,
finishing 31st. in 38.30s.
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ONTARIO CUP #3: WATERLOO, JANUARY 3-4 2009
Cameron Mitchell wins bronze medal
All four skaters from the Club who raced at OC2 in December raced again at OC3, just three
weeks later with little practice time due to the Christmas holidays. This time, Cameron Mitchell
took top honours by placing third overall in the Juvenile Boys division, which is always a hotly
contested division, while the others all performed well, even if without medals to prove it.
Mitchell was still mindful of his muscle injury, and always started cautiously to avoid
aggravating it, which often put him last entering the first corner, Consequently, he
had to fight his way to the front of the pack in each race, which he usually did with
great skill and determination.
He started off by winning his 777m semi-final, and then placed third in the A final
in 1:19.36, four seconds faster than his heat and good for a PB. He won his 500m
quarter-final in 51.27s, and likewise won his semi-final in a little faster time of 51.12s.
Then, in the middle of a battle in the middle of the A final, he fell in a corner and hit
the mats awkwardly, hurting his foot. Luckily, he recovered by the second day but
was hampered by traffic in his 666m semi-final and crossed line in second place.
He then won the resulting B final 3.5s faster in 1:07.05 for another PB. In the A final
of the 1000m, he was in third place half way around the last corner, but got bumped
to the outside, causing him to finish in 4th. place, but his time of 1:45.17 was a PB
nonetheless. Despite the mishaps, the bronze medal was a good outcome to
some excellent racing, with PBs in three of the four distances.
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Cameron Mitchell (middle)
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Jonathan Nishio also raced in the Juvenile Boys division. He placed third in his
777m semi-final, and followed that by a 3rd. place finish in the B final in 1:20.32.
Unfortunately, due to a transcription error, the protocol shows that he finished
4th. in a slower time. He finished his 500m heat in 3rd. place in a PB time of 50.61s,
and then placed 2nd. in the C final, though in a slower time. In the 666m, he was
3rd. in his semi-final, and followed that with a 3rd. place finish in the B final in 1:07.32,
over 2s faster and a PB. Seeded into the B final of the 1000m, he finished in 5th.
place in 1:44, but was disqualified for impeding. His was such a fast race that even
the last place finisher was faster than the first place of the A final, a very unusual event.
He finished tied for 9th. overall, but clearly could have been higher.
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Jonathan Nishio (3rd. from L)
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Heidi Beck raced in the Women's Open B division and skated competently, but saved her best
for last. During her opening 1500m semi-final, she tangled with another skater and they both
ended up in the mats. She got up and resumed racing quickly enough to clinch 2nd. place.
Naturally, she was considerably faster in the A final which she finished in 6th. place in 3min 17.40s.
Her two 500m times were very close at around 58.5s, though somewhat slower than her best,
and she placed 3rd. in the C final. Her 1000m semi-final time of 1:58.36 was closer to her PB, and
she placed a good 2nd. in the B final even if with a slower time. Her last race was a 1500m again,
and she was seeded into the B final. She skated it much like the two earlier races, and was 5th. at
around the half-way mark. But then she suddenly found her inner self, sped up, and caught up to
the skaters in front of her, passing the second one in a sprint in the last lap, and finished in 2nd.
place in 3:06.39, a PB by 6s and 11s faster than the better of her earlier races. That put her in a
very good mood, as well as placing her 10th. overall.
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Heidi Beck
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Hugo Li raced in the Bantam Boys division and continued to perform well and gain experience.
He opened with a 500m semi-final which he finished in 5th. place in 1:06.83, near his PB.
He then placed 4th. in the C final with essentially the same time. In the 222m races, he placed
4th. in the semi-final, and then took off a whole second in the D final to finish 1st. in 29.99s, a PB.
He was doing well in his 333m semi-final, but slipped and fell in the final turn. He redeemed
himself in the C final by finishing 3rd. in 49.95s. Seeded into the C final of the 666m, he skated
well and finished in 2nd. place in 1:36.25, another PB. Overall, he placed 14th., but is clearly improving.
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Hugo Li (centre)
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4th. WESTERN ONTARIO ABILITY MEET: OAKVILLE, JANUARY 11 2009
Four skaters, all with racing experience, competed in this one day event.
Although none of them won a medal, all put in good performances and most set PBs.
Heidi Beck competed in the Delta division and built on her performance at the
OCup 3 meet on the previous weekend. She finished 2nd. in the 1000m B final
over one second faster than her heat in 1:58.80 but off her PB. She slipped to
the C final of the 500m but won it in 58.40, slightly faster than her heat though
also off her PB. She placed 10th. overall.
Hugo Li (at right in photo) raced in the Echo division, and despite being seeded
near the bottom of it, he continued his rapid rise in performance and experience.
His 666m heat and final times were essentially the same at 1:33, but these were
3s faster than just a week earlier at OCup 3! His raced hard in his 500m races
but didn't manage another PB, but earned his first disqualification for being off track!
He finished 14th. overall, but justly content.
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Claire DesRosiers (at right in photo) competed in the Lima division and finished
4th.overall. She opened with a PB of 1:08.14 in her 500m, over 2s faster than
her previous time, and was 3rd. in the A final in a time a smidgen slower.
Similarly, she set a PB of 44.96 in her 333m heat, over 1s faster than her
previous time, but fell in the A final which cost her the bronze medal.
Regardless, she had a good day.
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Breanna Chapman competed in the Mike division and finished 7th. overall.
She too opened with a PB in her 500m in 1:13.33, 1s faster than her previous time,
and then finished 5th. in the A final in a slower time. In her 333m races, she veered
too wide in the corners to set a PB, but she nevertheless finished 3rd. in the B final.
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5th. WESTERN ONTARIO ABILITY MEET: BRAMPTON, JANUARY 31 2009
KYLE GRAHAM WINS GOLD
Jonathan Nishio breaks 50s for 500m.
Alfredo Pardo breaks the 60s mark for 500m in just his second competition.
Jonathan Nishio, Claire DesRosiers, and Breanna Chapman set personal best times
in both their distances, and by significant margins.
Kyle Graham, skating in his first race meet after just a couple of months of speed skating, led from the
start in all his four races to win both distances convincingly to take the gold medal in the Mike division.
His 500m time was under 70s in both races, and his 333m time was under 45s, and he showed plenty
of potential to go lower. He is well aware that he will face stiffer competition in the future.
Breanna Chapman competed in the Lima division and finished 8th. overall. Her 500m heat time
was a blazing 4.5s faster than her PB set just three weeks earlier, coming in at 1:08.80s. Unfortunately, she
fell in the A final, preventing any further reduction that day. Undaunted, she reduced her 333m PB by nearly
2s, and then lopped another 1s off it in the final to bring it down to 45.72s. Clearly, she had a very good day.
Claire DesRosiers competed in the Kilo division and finished 10th. overall. She started out by taking 6s off
her 666m PB, that's a second a lap, in the heat, but had a muddled finish to the B final with an uncertain time.
She skated strongly in her 500m heat, knocking 3.5s off her PB set just three weeks earlier to bring it down
to 1:04.82, but couldn't improve it in the B final, her last race of the day. Nevertheless, she made big gains.
Alfredo Pardo competed in the Foxtrot division in his
first full sanctioned race meet and finished 6th. overall.
Despite having trouble staying on his feet in the corners,
he set respectable times in his two 777m races, but his
500m heat was his best performance which he won in
59.27s, under the 60s mark for the first time and much
faster than a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, he fell in
the A final, but it was a good day all the same.
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Photo by A Shot On Site.
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Heidi Beck competed in the Delta division and finished 14th. overall. She skated very consistently, with very
similar times in both the heat and final of both the 777m and 500m distances, but didn't manage any
breakthrough performances so she didn't score any PBs this day. She also raced a special 1000m
time trial for ranking purposes, but did not manage a PB.
Jonathan Nishio raced in the Alpha division for the first time, and finished 8th. overall. He opened with
a PB by half a second in his 1000m, and then proceeded to take another whole second off it in the B final
to reduce it to 1:47.93. He was similarly fast in the heat of his 500m which he completed in 49.87s, nearly
one second faster than his previous PB set four weeks earlier and his first occasion below 50s.
Tight traffic in the B final prevented him from repeating the feat. He also raced a special 777m time
trial for ranking purposes at the end of the day which he did in 1:20.33, which was officially a PB
though in reality very close to his actual OCup3 time due to timing errors at OC3.
Ron Wolfe and Roger Buxton both raced in the Charlie division of Masters: Wolfe finished 5th. overall
with Buxton behind in 6th. Neither achieved any PBs for their efforts.
CANADA CUP #2 LONG TRACK RACE MEET, RICHMOND, BC, JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 01 2009
BELCHOS AND GODBOUT #1 & #2
Skating on the new Richmond (Vancouver) oval, the site of next year's Olympic Winter Games,
Jordan Belchos won the 10,000m distance and Andrew Godbout was behind him in 2nd. place.
CANADIAN JUNIOR LONG TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS, RICHMOND, BC, JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 01 2009
Skating on the new Richmond oval, Alex Ianculescu missed her goal of being on the Canadian
women´s junior team, but raced well nonetheless. She was consistently in the top three Ontario skaters.
NORTH AMERICAN LONG TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS, CALGARY, AB, FEBRUARY 6 - 9 2009
GODBOUT #3 IN THE LONG DISTANCES
In the Senior Men's division, Andrew Godbout set personal best times
and placed 3rd. in both the 5000m and 10000m events.
In the Junior Women events, Alex Ianculescu set personal best times in all
four distances (500m, 1000m, 1500m, and 3000m) . Her highest placing was 9th.,
in her favourite distance, the 500m sprint: her current time is 4s faster than at the beginning of the season.
6th. WESTERN ONTARIO ABILITY MEET: BARRIE, FEBRUARY 21 2009
Heidi Beck wins bronze
Cameron Mitchell breaks 50s for 500m
Others set PBs
Heidi Beck won the bronze medal in the
Delta division, and had PBs in the 777m
and 666m distances. However, her best
race was her 500m heat in which she
made two bold passes to win the race.
She finished the 500m A final in 2nd. place.
Her 777m times were both about 4s faster
than in the previous month, and she placed
2nd. in the A final. Her 666m time was 2s
faster even though she finished behind
the others in the A final.
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Cameron Mitchell finished 4th. overall in the Alpha division.
He made very skillful passes in his 777m heat to work his way from the back to 3rd.
which put him in the A final with a PB nearly 1s faster than in the previous month.
He took advantage of other skaters' mistakes to win the A final with another PB
2s faster in 1:16.12. He was doing well in his 500m heat when he tangled with another
skater at the apex of a corner and crashed hard into the mats. Despite being severely
shaken up, he recovered enough to have a fast two-man D final race which he won
in 49.28s, his first PB in the distance for 15 months and his first time below 50s.
He finished the 1500m A final in 4th. place just half a second slower than the
previous week. Excellent skating and racing all in all.
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Alfredo Pardo finished 14th. overall in the Echo division.
This result was not a true reflection of his ability but due to his unfamiliarity with a different pair of blades.
He fell in both the heat and final of his 777m races, so he backed off in the 500m races. He was a little
unsteady at first, but finished the heat, and went faster in the final but quite a bit slower than his recent PB.
He declined to race the 666m, as these were not the right circumstances in which to compete.
Claire DesRosiers finished 4th. in the Juliette division.
Recovering from an illness, she nonetheless set some good times. She won her 333m heat
and set a PB by 1.3s from a month earlier, and then did even better in the A final, finishing 4th.
in 43.33s. She had no trouble winning her 222m heat in 29.47, 2s faster than a year earlier,
but was a little slower in the A final which she finished in 4th. place. The effects of her recent
sickness showed in the 500m A final when fatigue set in, causing her to finish 4th. without a PB.
Breanna Chapman also raced in the Juliette division and finished 10th.
She skated a comfortable 333m heat, finishing 4th. Despite hesitating in the first corner of
the B final due to the closeness of the other skaters, she finished 3rd. place in a faster time,
but just a quarter second off her PB. Skating the 222m for the first time in the season, she lopped
an enormous 6s off her previous time in her heat, and then improved it again in the C final which
she finished in 2nd. place in 31.62s. She was doing well in the B final of 500m when she lost her
balance and fell, and consequently crossed the finish line without another PB.
5th. EASTERN ONTARIO ABILITY MEET: PETERBOROUGH, FEBRUARY 21 2009
Kyle Graham was our lone competitor, and performed well in his second race meet,
finishing 8th. and setting PBs in two distances.
He finished his 500m heat in 3rd. place in a PB time of 65.21s, over 3.5s faster than just three weeks
earlier. He didn't have as much overall speed in the B final due to traffic, and placed 4th.. He finished
his 333m heat in 42.85s, another PB by nearly 2s, but was disqualified in the B final for being off track.
He raced the 666m for the first time in the B final, but unfortunately fell.
ONTARIO SHORT TRACK AGE CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS: WATERLOO, MARCH 14-15 2009
CAMERON MITCHELL WINS GOLD IN RELAY
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Heidi Beck and Cameron Mitchell earned one
gold medal and multiple personal best times.
It was a fine way for them to end their season.
They carried the Club's banner onto the
ice during the opening ceremonies.
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Mitchell won the gold medal in the Junior male 1500 metre relay event which his team
completed in all its usual difficulty and excitement without a hitch.
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In his individual events in the Juvenile Boys division, he finished seventh overall.
He started out by skating two solid races in the 777m distance to finish 2nd. in the
B final. Even though his times were off his recent best, they were still one second
a lap faster than at the beginning of the season, which is a considerable improvement.
In the 500m, he won his qualifying heat with a personal best time, beating the one he
had set just three weeks earlier. During the semi-final race, he used his power out of
the corners to make a couple of good passes, but left the next attempted pass too late and as a result impeded another skater at the apex of a corner which earned him a disqualification. However, he made good in the B final by finishing in 2nd. place in a personal best time again, now down to 48.81s which is nearly 3s faster than at the outset of the season.
He again raced well in the 666m semi-final, setting a personal best time in that distance too. However, he tangled with a skater again in the final to earn another disqualification.
In his last race, the 1000m B final, he deliberately started out at the back of the pack and then proceeded to pick off his competitors one by one in strategic and skillful passes so that he finished first after the final pass in the last couple of strides to the line. A great end to a great last race of a great season.
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Beck competed in the Junior Women's division and put in a strong performance,
finishing twelfth overall. She skated her opening 1000m races solidly, with a fair
time in the semi-final, and then more than two seconds faster in the final for her
second best time of the season.
She skated her 500m heat and final strongly in almost the same time to post her
second and third best times of the season and within half a second of her best time.
The overnight rest did her good, for she set all personal best times on the second day.
First, she set a best time in the 777m semi-final, and then reduced it again in the final.
In her last race, the 1500m, she skated the first half comfortably near the back of the
pack, and then made her move in the second half of the race, passing two skaters
one after the other and almost caught a third by the finish. That effort lopped over
9 seconds off her previous time, bringing it well below 3 minutes. That too was a
great end to a great last race of a great season.
ONTARIO REGIONAL ABILITY AND MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS: NEWMARKET, MARCH 21-22 2009
Jonathan Nishio and Nima Rahnema win silver; Breanna Chapman wins bronze; relay team wins bronze.
Six youths and two masters skaters participated in this season finale race meet in Ontario.
Of them, half of the youths won medals and all of them set one or more PBs for a very successful
end to the racing season for every individual and the team.
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Jonathan Nishio competed in the fastest group, the Alpha division, and put in some fine
racing to clinch 2nd. place overall. His 1000m heat time qualified him for the A final, which
he finished in 4th. place in a time just off his PB. He then won his 500m heat, and then also
won the A final after the leading skater crashed. On the second day, he opened with a PB
in his 777m heat (which he won), and then proceeded to improve on the time by a whole
second to finish 2nd. As a result, he reduced his time by nearly 14 seconds, or 2 s per lap,
from a year previously. He followed that achivement by finishing 3rd. in the 1500m A final
with another PB which was over 1.5 s faster per lap than at the beginning of the season.
The silver medal and two PBs were fitting tributes to an excellent season and for
having been just excluded from the Ontario Championships on the previous weekend.
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Alfredo Pardo Gallego raced in the Foxtrot division and performed very well,
finishing 5th. overall despite just having returned from an overseas trip.
He won his first ever 777m heat, and then finished 2nd. in the A final a whole
second faster. He was leading his 333m heat comfortably, but lost his balance
and fell just before the finish, which put him in 4th. place. He had no trouble
winning the C final with a PB, but the loss of points partially cost him a medal.
He knocked almost 3 s off his 500m time to bring it down to 56.41 s, which was
a very impressive 10 s reduction in just three months. He was leading the A final
of his 1000m race when he was knocked down by another skater in the last lap
which also cost him a chance at a medal. Nevertheless, a very strong performance
in all ways.
Claire DesRosiers raced in the Juliet division and finished 10th. overall.
She started strongly, setting a PB by 1s with a 2nd. place finish in her 500m heat,
but wasn't able to better it the A final, which she finished 4th. She did not fare as
well in the 222m heat, as she finished 3rd.: her C final time was almost the same,
but it put her in 4th. place. She was adversely affected by a lengthy delay prior
to her 333m heat as she slipped on the start, and fell later in the race. She picked
up in the C final, coming in 3rd. about half a second off her PB. She put in a similar
performance in the 666m B final, finishing 3rd., just half a second off her PB.
Hugo Li also raced in the Juliet division and finished 14th. overall. His 500m results
were not as strong as previously, with his 3rd. place finish in the C final being 2s
off his PB. He was in better form for his 222m races, with a 4th. place in the B final
and a time within 0.2s of his PB. He did better still in the 333m races, finishing 2nd. in
the C final with a PB. He was clearly in best form by the last race, as he took 6s off
his PB by winning the C final of the 666m. This was a good end to his first year of racing.
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Nima Rahnema (far left in photo) raced in the Kilo division and finished second overall.
Furthermore, he set PBs in all four distances, and won medals in both his competitions of
the season. He won his 500m heat in a tight race, and followed that by winning the A final
with a PB. He repeated this success in the 222m races. He was leading his 333m heat,
but unfortunately fell, finishing last as a result. He finished first in the C final with a PB.
He began well in the 666m, but tired and dropped back to a 2nd. place finish, though with a PB.
Breanna Chapman (far right in photo) also raced in the Kilo division and finished third overall.
She, too, set PBs for all her (three) previous distances. She began with a PB in the 500m heat
and then finished 5th. in the A final. Likewise, she set a PB in her 222m heat, and followed that
with a 4th. place finish in the A final. She repeated the pattern with a PB in her 333m heat, and
a 2nd. place finish in the A final. She finished 3rd. in her first 666m race, close behind Rahnema.
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The Club fielded two relay teams, each of which was required to have a coach
as a member, but the senior team was withdrawn when coach Ron Wolfe was
unable to participate due to an injury. Unfortunately, the junior team, consisting
of Claire DesRosiers, Hugo Li, Brenna Chapman, and Roger Buxton as coach,
was included in the senior event, which posed a disadvantage. Nevertheless,
the team skated perfectly with excellent exchanges and no mixups, and crossed
the finish line in 4th. place. However, as one of the other clubs' team was disqualified,
our team rose to 3rd. place in the final standings.
Ron Wolfe competed in the Charlie division of Masters. Unfortunately, he fell in his third race,
the 500m heat, and injured his head and consequently withdrew from the rest of the competition.
Prior to that fall, he had set a PB in his 1000m heat.
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Roger Buxton competed in the Delta division of Masters. As the oldest skater
in the competition, a medal was unlikely, but he did finish from first to third
in the B finals. He set season best times in all four distances, which were
acceptably close to previous personal best times given his muscle ailments
of the past two seasons. As a result of the recent redefinition of age class
categories (to conform with ISU categories) and the fact that he was the
only competitor in his (new) age class, all his times will become Ontario
records in the new age classes. He also competed in the men's 3000m
mass start race, but had to withdraw before the end due to the lapped-twice
elimination rule. He was hardly alone in this regard, as only four skaters
out of the starting field of 18 remained to finish the entire distance.
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Two other skaters had registered for the competition but unfortunately were
unable to participate due to recent injuries (not caused by skating!).
This ends the 2008-2009 racing season.
All photographs above copyright Roger Buxton 2008-2009 except where specified otherwise.
RACE RESULTS FROM EARLIER SEASONS:
2007-2008
2006-2007
2005-2006
2004-2005
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MARKHAM SPEED SKATING CLUB