Speed Skating Canada – Fort St. John, August 22, 2018 – Four-time long track speed skating Olympic medalist Denny Morrison will introduce 20 of his teammates to his hometown of Fort St. John, B.C., during a two-week training camp to be held there August 26 to September 10.

Among the national team athletes who will travel to Fort St. John are 2018 10,000m Olympic champion and silver medalist in the 5,000m Ted-Jan Bloemen. With Morrison, he will lead the group which will also include other 2018 Olympians such as Ivanie Blondin, Kali Christ, Ben Donnelly, Jordan Belchos, Olivier Jean, Valérie Maltais, Keri Morrison and Isabelle Weidemann.

Olympic coaches Bart Schouten, Remmelt Eldering and Todd McClements will accompany the group of athletes as the men’s team will arrive August 26 and the women’s squad, August 30. Both groups will remain there until September 10.

Aside from the more than 40 hours of training on and off the ice and on the bike, national team skaters will also take the opportunity to fully engage with the local community during different events, including:

Thursday, August 30

Official Welcome Meet and Greet from Mayor and Try Speed Skating with the National Team

6pm-8pm

The community of Fort St. John is invited to come, meet and skate with the Olympians and national team athletes during a public skating session. The public can bring their own skates or try some speed skates from the Fort St. John Club (helmets and gloves are required). Skate aids or strollers will not be available or allowed on the ice. The National Team members will be on the ice and available for autographs.

Thursday, September 6

Fort St. John and Dawson Creek Clubs skate with the National Team

6pm-7:30pm

Pomeroy Sports Centre

Skaters from the Fort St. John and Dawson Creek clubs will have the opportunity to come and skate with national team athletes and to take part in a meet and greet with them after. Also, during the two-week camp, the older skaters (ages 14-17) will be participating in dryland training sessions with the team.

BC Long Track Academy

September 7-9

National team athletes and coaches will also take part in the British Columbia Long Track Academy from September 7 to 9 at the Pomeroy Sports Centre. Skaters aged 12-17 from throughout BC and northwest Alberta (Vancouver, Kamloops, Prince George, Vanderhoof, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Grande Prairie) will take part in these events interacting with national team athletes on and off the ice. Coaches throughout BC will engage with Olympic coach Bart Schouten during a BC Academy coaching session.

“I’m really excited to come back home and be part of this great opportunity for our city and young skaters to discover the sport of speed skating through the eyes of our national team,” said Denny Morrison, who is in Fort St. John this week to coach and share speed skating insights with youth athletes from clubs all over Western Canada, a week prior to being joined by other national team athletes. “As I’m resuming training following a mid-July knee surgery, I’ll make sure to interact as much as possible with my fellow citizens while I’m sure all my teammates, including those at the 2018 Olympic Games, will also happily share their passion for the sport.”

“The Fort St. John Elks Speed Skating Club is excited to welcome the national long track speed skating team to train in Fort St. John,” added the President of the Fort St. John Recreational and Speed Skating Club, Dan Bastiaansen. “Our club recognizes how lucky we are to have a facility like the Pomeroy Sports Centre to train in, and to have the support and backing of our community.   We look forward to sharing the facility with athletes who are training to represent our country at the highest levels of our sport and who will act as ambassadors for our community.  We hope that others in the community will take the opportunity to get to know these athletes and our sport a bit better through activities planned during their visit.”

“We are excited that the Canadian national long track speed skating team chose to train at the Pomeroy Sport Centre, further solidifying the City of Fort St. John as an able host to many provincial, national and international events”, said Lori Ackerman, Mayor of Fort St. John. “With the upcoming 2020 BC Winter Games, there is no better time to welcome previous and future Olympians, and provide the public with an opportunity to meet and interact with them.”

More details are available at Speed Skating Canada’s web site at www.speedskating.ca.

About Speed Skating Canada

Speed Skating Canada (SSC) is the governing body for long track and short track speed skating in Canada. Founded in 1887, SSC is comprised of 13 provincial and territorial associations. Speed Skating Canada is committed to Challenge and Inspire Canada to Thrive through the power of Speed Skating. SSC recognizes and values its outstanding volunteers who give freely of their time and expertise. It also celebrates the 63 Olympic medals won by Canadian athletes since 1932, as well as the coaches, officials and other dedicated individuals who helped them on their journey.www.speedskating.ca

Speed Skating Canada would like to thank its sponsors: 

Premium partner: Intact Insurance

Funding partners: Government of Canada (Sport Canada), Own The Podium, Canadian Olympic Committee

Official On-Ice High Performance Apparel: Li-Ning

Official Suppliers: Auclair, USANA

Official Technical Equipment Supplier: Nagano Skate

Sport Development Partners: Winsport Canada, Calgary’s Olympic Oval, University of Calgary, Institut national du sport du Québec, Government of Quebec, Canadian Sport Institute-Calgary, City of Montreal, Quebec City, Excellence sportive Québec-Lévis

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For information:
Patrick Godbout
Lead, Communications & Media Relations
Speed Skating Canada
Email: pgodbout@speedskating.ca
Phone: 514 213-9897
Website: www.speedskating.ca 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SSC.PVC
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SSC_PVC