By Scott Roblin

Blades of steel hit Family Leisure Centre ice over weekend

Oct 22, 2017 | 7:22 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Speed skaters from Alberta and Saskatchewan called Medicine Hat home over the last few days, as the annual Medicine Hat Speed Skating Meet was held at the Family Leisure Centre.

Around 70 skaters from a number of clubs including Calgary, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Banff, Canmore, Regina, and Saskatoon circled the track in a variety of short-distance and marathon events.

Medicine Hat Speed Skating Club president Dallas Duncan said their organization has received quite a bit of assistance from other clubs and parents over the two days of competition.

“They were a big help, Lethbridge parents stepped up and helped us out run the program [Saturday] and [Sunday],” said Duncan. “And, the Calgary parents were here helping out with that as well.”

For 11-year-old Alexandra Volstad, it was a challenging weekend with a number of events against competitors she’s met over five years of racing.

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The Calgarian ended up with the fastest time in one of the final races of the weekend, winning the gold medal in the 3,000 metre event.

“It was hard but I kept up with the guy in front,” said Volstad. “I passed with one and a half laps to go and finished it strong.”

Along with winning events and improving her skating ability, Volstad said a highlight of the weekend has been re-uniting with other skaters from Alberta and Saskatchewan.

“It’s really nice to see friends from other meets, socialize a lot, and get [personal bests].”

Skaters of all abilities were able to take part in the open event, ranging from beginners just learning the fundamentals of short-track and junior skaters looking to punch their tickets for the national team.

Duncan said it’s incredibly important to attract those junior skaters, not just for growing the event but for the benefit of Medicine Hat’s younger competitors as well.

“It’s not like any other sport where we’re separated at all,” he said. “These guys are right there on the bench, they’re in the dressing rooms with them, they’re getting advise from them. And, it’s good for them just to see what it’s like for kids to skate as fast as they do.”

According to Duncan, new this year to the Speed Skating Club is a free skate option, where kids six and older can try speed skating for free on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.