THE BEST YEAR EVER!! The results of the races in the 2006 - 2007 season were the best in the Club's history and reflect a growing base of competitive skaters. The two top highlights were: Cameron Mitchell, who became the first skater from the Club to earn a place on the Ontario short track team and to race in the Canadian Short Track Championships. He finished a very respectable sixth in the Midget Boys division. Jordan Belchos, who became the first member of the Club to be on a national team. Training full time on the long track Olympic Oval in Calgary, he went from finishing in the top four Junior Men at the Canadian Junior Championships (and breaking a Canadian Junior outdoor record along the way) to representing Canada at the World Junior Championships in Austria. As a result of his performance there, he was selected to join the Canadian development team. Our other Club member skating long track in Calgary also did very well. Andrew Godbout retained his qualification for the ‘Own The Podium 2010' program as a result of his Canada Cup performances, and hopes to make the national team as well in the coming season. Awards Back here in Ontario, all our short-track racers set personal best times in various distances, most more than once during the season. Here are some of the highlights and milestones. Sub-club inductees for 500 metres (short track): Sub 55 seconds: Cameron Mitchell (Midget), Chester Roxas (Juvenile) (both in the Sub-60 Club last year) Sub 60 seconds: Jocelyn Bérard (Masters2) & Gary Witney (Masters4) (both coaches). Most Improvement Awards: 222 m Neil Roxas 19.6% year-to-year (2nd. year in a row) h.m. Claire Desrosiers 11.5% Nov. to Jan. 333 m Neil Roxas 17.1% year-to-year h.m. Heidi Beck 10.7% year-to-year 500 m Neil Roxas 24.7% year-to-year h.m. Heidi Beck 14.9% year-to-year 666 m Neil Roxas 34.7% year-to-year h.m. Chester Roxas 10.7% year-to-year 777 m Chester Roxas 10.0% year-to-year (2nd. year in a row) h.m. Cameron Mitchell 7.7% year-to-year 1000 m Chester Roxas 7.6% year-to-year (h.m. = honorable mention) Personal Best times in all 4 distances in a race meet: Cameron Mitchell at Nationals (among others) Neil Roxas at Ontario Champships (among others) Claire Desrosiers at Brampton Ability meet. Overall Honourable Mention: Jessa Griffith 1st. year speed skater went to the Ontario Championships. DETAILED RACE MEET RESULTS (some, but not all) CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (Dieppe, New Brunswick March 29 - April 01 2007) ======================================================================== Cameron Mitchell journeyed to the National Age Class Short Track Speed Skating Championships hoping to place in the top ten. He returned from the three-day competition with a strong sixth place finish, which was especially pleasing since he was in his first year of the Midget Boys division. Participating at the national level for the first time, Mitchell, 11, faced skaters from across the country, including the three other boys who had qualified for the Ontario team at the Ontario Championships. The national competition turned into a mini provincial competition all over again, with the Ontario skaters finishing fifth, sixth, and seventh, but with clearly higher standards. However, Mitchell rose to the challenge of the occasion and once again set personal best times in all four distances, repeating that feat that he had accomplished at the provincials just three weeks earlier. "I peaked at the right time," he said after the event, "It felt good." REGIONAL ABILITY AND MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS (Kitchener March 31 - April 01 2007) =============================================================================== Seven skaters raced in the Ability and Masters season-finale event, and all performed very well. Philippe Croteau had the best results, winning six of seven races to earn the gold medal in the Mike division. Not only did he win, but he also set personal best times (PBs) not only in every distance but also in every race, so he truly had the best end of the season possible. Claire DesRosiers competed in the same division and placed 9th. with a strong showing, setting PBs in every distance too. Her place might have been higher, for she was disqualified in her last race for cross- tracking, but was philosophical with the decision and wiser for the experience. Sophie Croteau placed fourth in the Kilo division. This result does not do justice to her performance as she fell in two of the A finals which obviously pulled her position down. Otherwise, she skated very well and set PBs in two distances, and clearly demonstrated how much she has learned and achieved during her first year of speed skating. Heidi Beck, a veteran competitor, had a remarkably good weekend too, skating really well and setting PBs in six of seven races! This performance makes her eighth place in the Hotel division rather irrelevant. Andrew Hodgson entered his first race meet after only a few months on speed skates, and experienced both elation and disappointment during his very credible performance. He qualified for two A finals and two B finals, and took 3 seconds off his 500m seed time, which was the high point, but fell during his 666m final, which was the low point. Despite having to leave early and miss his last race, he nevertheless finished sixth in the Golf group. Alexandra Ianculescu was the only female in the fastest division (Echo) and skated strongly to do well and finish ninth. She overcame the doldrums of pervious race meets and powered up to set PBs in three distances, which was a fine way to finish her season. Gary Witney was our only adult competitor, and the only entrant in the Master 4 male category. Unfortunately, he had caught a cold a week earlier, so wasn't on best form on the first day but nevertheless set credible times. However, his ailments got the better of him on Saturday evening, so he had to withdraw from the rest of the competition. All the same, he was still awarded the gold medal for the M4 male category! ONTARIO CHAMPIONSHIPS (Ottawa March 10 - 11 2007) ================================================== Four skaters went to the Ontario Short Track Speed Skating Age Class Championships, forming the largest-ever contingent from the Club at the provincials. Cameron Mitchell won a bronze medal, and, as a result, a place on the Ontario team which will compete at the North American Championships on March 16-17 and at the Canadian Championships on March 31-April 1 in Moncton, N.B. Competing for his second time in the provincials but in his first year in the Midget Boys division, Mitchell, 11, faced 32 skaters from other clubs in the province, but entered the championships ranked amongst the best five of them. They had raced against each other all season, including as recently as the previous weekend at the Ontario Cup #4 race meet, and all of them could have placed in the top three. Despite being friends off the ice, this group competed exceedingly hard on the ice, so the racing was exceptionally exciting and yielded more than its share of upsets during the weekend. Towards the end of his second race, which was the tightly fought primary final of the 666 metre distance, Mitchell tried to make an inside pass on a corner but was disqualified for impeding and was relegated to sixth place. However, he overcame his disappointment and skated hard and cleanly in the 500 m races, winning his quarter-final and semi-final races, and finished second in the primary final. Meanwhile, one of his competitors was disqualified in another semi-final and finished fifth in the distance, which kept the door to the podium open for Mitchell. The 333 m races provided more surprises. Mitchell again won his quarter and semi-finals, setting a personal best time in the process, and discovered that he faced only half of the top group in the primary final because the other two had slipped briefly in their semi-finals of this all-or-nothing three lap sprint and had failed to qualify, again keeping the door open. However, right after the start of the primary final, all four skaters collided in the first corner: one of them fell, and Mitchell tripped over him and also fell. To everyone's surprise, the starter did not halt the race and restart it, as is normally the case in such circumstances, so the race continued. Mitchell got up and finished third, but might have had a higher place without the incident. His last race was the final of the 777 m distance, which contained all the top five rivals. Despite being their longest distance, it was fought as if it was a short sprint, with everyone going all out the whole way. When they reached the finish line, Mitchell was in second place with a personal best time, just 0.08 seconds ahead of third place. When all the points were added up, Mitchell placed third to claim the bronze medal. He is the first member of the Markham Speed Skating Club to win a provincial short track podium place and the right to go to the Canadian Championships. This was also the second year that Chester Roxas, 12, competed in the Ontario Championships, though this was his first season in the Juvenile Boys division. He finished a respectable 15th. out of 26 while skating hard and with great determination, and achieved times right around his personal bests. He placed third in the tertiary final of the opening 777 m distance, and set a personal best time in his final of the 666 m distance. Both his two 500 m times were a fraction of a second off his personal best times set just a week earlier at the Ontario Cup #4 race meet, and his 1000 m time was also a fraction of a second off his personal best time. This performance puts him in good standing for his second season in the division starting next fall. Jessa Griffith, 11, competed in the Midget Girls division and finished 13th. out of 19. This was a significant accomplishment considering that this was her first year in speed skating and that she had only achieved the qualifying times at the Ontario Cup #4 races a week earlier. She skated her opening two 666 m races at her average pace to establish her confidence, and then set a personal best time in the 500 m distance. She fared below capability in both 333 m races, but overcame her disappointment and bounced back to set a personal best time in the 777 m to end on a high note. Neil Roxas, 10, competed in the Bantam Boys division and finished 10th. out of 25. Just as significant, he set impressive improvements in his personal best times in every distance, which is the dream outcome if one is not in contention for the medals. In the 500 m distance, he was almost 3 s faster than his personal best set a week earlier at the Ontario Cup #4 races, which is a remarkable change in such a short time. He fell in the semi-final of the 333 m, but avenged himself in the final by beating his personal best time, which again was set the previous week, by another 0.8 seconds. He tackled the 222 m distance with the same resolve, shaving off 0.7 s, and completed the sweep by knocking off 6 seconds from his personal best in the 666 m distance while making two great passes in the process. These times already make him close to qualifying for the Ontario Cup tier next season when he will move up to the Midget age class. 4th. WESTERN ABILITY COMPETITION (Brampton January 27 - 28 2007) ================================================================ Two members of the Club have new medals following this short track speed skating competition which attracted 235 skaters. Sophie Croteau, 13, won a bronze medal in the Juliet division. In her first year on speed skates, she displayed considerably better form than in previous competitions, and this was reflected in considerably better times as well as in better racing confidence. She won each of her heats to advance to the A finals in each of four distances, and battled it out with two other skaters to capture the third place overall. Claire DesRosiers, 9, also won a bronze medal for her performance in the Lima division. She too is in her first year on speed skates and her race times have improved quickly. She advanced from each of her heats to the A finals, and placed 2nd. in one distance and 3rd. in the other three to place third overall. The other six skaters from the Club likewise performed well, even if out of the medals, and set many personal best (PB) times. Neil Roxas, 10, competed in the Hotel division and finished a very respectful fourth overall. He skated well and consistently, and made great gains in his PBs, lopping off large margins in his 222 m, 333 m, and 500 m times. Chantal Singer, 11, competed in the India division. She started out well, setting a PB time in her 500 metre final race. In her 222 m heat, however, she attempted a daring pass but was unable to complete it successfully which earned her a disqualification and a place in the D final, which she subsequently won easily. In her 333 m final, she was injured in a fall and was unable to finish the race and withdrew from the competition. Fortunately, her injury was not serious. Heidi Beck, 12, and Jessa Griffith, 11, raced in the Foxtrot division, finishing tenth and seventh respectively. Nevertheless, both made considerable gains in times. Heidi, in particular, who started the season with a 500 m time of about 75 s, blazed around with great confidence to win her B final in 61.79 s, a remarkable improvement. Jessa, in her first year of speed skating, continued to make strides and improved her times in 333 m and 500 m distances. Chester Roxas, 12, raced in the Bravo division, the second fastest division, and finished fifth overall due mostly a fall in his 500 m heat which relegated him to the D final and therefore lower points. However, he avenged that situation by setting a PB time. He likewise set PBs in 666 m and 777 m distances for a pretty successful weekend. Gary Witney, 61, competed in the November division, the fastest of the adult divisions. Although understandably outclassed by skaters half his age, he achieved very respectable times. ONTARIO CUP #1 (November 4 - 5 2006) ==================================== Five Markham skaters competed in thIS race meet held in Cambridge. Top honours went to Alexandra Ianculescu, 15, who won the silver medal in the Junior Women division with second place finishes in the 1000 metre, 777 m, and the 1500 m distances, and a first place in the 500 m race. Chester Roxas,12, competed in the large division of Juvenile Boys requiring him to start in quarter finals. He finished 20th. overall, but nevertheless set personal best times in the 777 m, 666 m, and 1000 m distances, which was impressive as he had set those previous PBs just two weeks earlier in London. Likewise, Cameron Mitchell, 11, was faced with another large field in the Midget Boys division requiring him too to work his way up from quarter finals, and finished an impressive 5th. overall. He also set a multitude of PBs over those he too had set only two weeks earlier, knocking them off in all the 666 m, 500 m, 333 m, and 777 m distances. Aileen Song, 11, competed in the Midget Girls, and performed well to finish 12th. overall, including setting a PB in the 500 m distance. Neil Roxas, 9, squeaked under the qualifying times to compete in the Bantam Boys division and finished 12th. overall with PBs in both the 333 m and 666 m distances which will secure his qualification in the following Ontario Cup race meets. 2nd. WESTERN ABILITY COMPETITION (Brampton November 10 2006) ============================================================= A record contingent of sixteen Markham skaters submitted entries to this competition which attracted such an overwhelming number skaters from other clubs too that the organizers had to cull the numbers to reduce them to a manageable value and eliminate one distance in all divisions. As a result, eleven skaters from Markham competed, including six first-timers, of whom two won medals. Jessa Griffith, 11, took top place by winning the silver medal in the India division. She overcame first-time jitters and raced well, capturing first place in three of her four races. She also discovered the fine line between triumph and heartache when she fell in the primary final of her 500 m distance, which dropped her down to fourth place at the finish line, but she took it in good stride and was justifiably proud of her accomplishment at the end of the day. Scott Taylor, 10 and also a first-time racer, did almost as well by finishing third overall in the Juliet division. Having earned a spot in the primary final of the 333 m distance, he too had to cope with a setback when he was unable to compete in the race. However, he bounced back from the disappointment and went on to place 2nd. in the primary final of the 222 m distance, and with it the bronze medal. Sophie Croteau, 13 and another first-timer, tackled her races in the Kilo division with determination, but a couple of falls prevented her from achieving good finishes, so she had to settle for 13th. place overall. Chantal Singer, 11, was in the same division, but personal circumstances curtailed her opportunity to compete until only the last race, which she won handily but she was, of course, out of contention for medals. Heidi Beck, 12, competed in the Golf division, and made significant improvements in her times over last season with PBs in all distances. She placed 1st. in the secondary final of the 333 m distance, and 4th. in the primary final of the 500 m distance to earn a well-deserved 5th. place overall. Claire DesRosiers, 8, also made her racing debut in the November division and made it into the primary final of the 222 m distance and won the secondary final of the 111 m distance, and so placed a very credible 6th. overall. Callista Bennett, 16, was the Club's most senior racer and competed in the top division (Alpha). She skated strongly, but was a little off her best mark and had to settle for an average performance. Four Markham adult skaters also competed, two for the first time. Gary Witney, a veteran Masters 4, raced in the Echo division, the faster of the two adult divisions, and was a little outpowered by skaters a third his age, but he nonetheless achieved a personal goal of breaking through the 60 second mark for 500 m again. The other three all raced in the Foxtrot division: first-timers Ron Wolfe, Masters 2, and Jo DeMarco, Masters 3, finished 5th. and 6th. overall with typically determined performances, while Roger Buxton, Masters 4, completed the trio in 9th. place. 1st. WESTERN ABILITY COMPETITION (London October 14 2006) ========================================================= Cameron Mitchell, 11, finished first overall in the Echo division despite being pitted against several competitors considerably older and taller than him. He used his considerable racing savvy, skill, and determination to manoever his way to first place in all his races in all three distances to claim the gold medal convincingly. In the process, he set personal best times in every race by significant margins. Last year at this time, he also won a gold medal and set PBs. Aileen Song, 11, competed in the Foxtrot division. She raced intelligently and with distinction, setting personal best times in every distance too to finish fifth overall. Gary Witney, 61, competed in the top masters division in London and placed ninth overall. Roger Buxton, also 61, competed in the second masters division in the same meet and placed fourth. 1st. EASTERN ABILITY COMPETITION (Ottawa October 14 - 15 2006) ============================================================== Chester Roxas, 12, won his first individual medal of the season, and the colour was silver. He was second overall in the Hotel division after seven races. He also set personal best times in each heat and final in three distances by significant margins, including breaking the 55 second milestone for 500 metres to finish in 54.38 s. He raced the 1000 m for the first time and broke the 2 minute mark to finish in 1:56.34. Last year at this time, he won a gold medal and also set PBs. Not to be outdone by his older brother, Neil Roxas, 9, competed well in the Charlie division and also set personal best times in every race by considerable margins, including bringing his 500 m time down by a whopping 10 seconds. He placed fifth in his division at the end of the meet. RACE RESULTS FROM EARLIER SEASONS: 2005-2006 2004-2005