Summer Skating at Wheels
There will be summer holiday skating for everyone every Wedneday until the end of August between 1 and 2-3pm. Bring your skates or borrow ours! Cost £3 per session inclusive of skates and/or safety gear.
Goodwood Roller Fun!
Inline skater, quad skater or longboarder? Fancy raising some money for charity on the historic and beautiful Goodwood Racing Circuit?
On the 10th of August Camberley Skaters will be hosting another fantastic day out with their annual charity roll with distances from 5km for beginners and kids through a full marathon distance,and this year for the first time will be running a gruelling 101km race for elite skaters. See the Goodwood Roller Marathon Website for more info
Next Race Meeting
The next domestic race meeting will be held here at Birmingham Wheels Park on the 3rd of August
Racing will start at 12 noon, with registration from 11-11.30am
The proposed races areas follows:-
CATEGORY 7 400m 500m 600m CATEGORY 6 400m 600m 1000m CATEGORY 5 600m 800m 1500m CATEGORY 4 600m 800m 1500m CATEGORY 3 600m 1000m 3000m CATEGORY 2 600m 1500m 5000m CATEGORY 1 600m 1500m 5000m Awards will be given to the overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in all categories. There will also be the legendary INTERCATEGORY KNOCKOUT with awards given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. RAT races will be run for non FISS registered skaters (registration and payment on the day). ENTRIES TO BE SENT TO THE FISS HEAD OFFICE OR VIA FISS WEBSITE. POSTAL ENTRIES TO ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 7 DAYS BEFORE THE EVENT. WEBSITE ENTRIES MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 48 HOURS BEFORE THE EVENT.
European Senior Championships 2008
The CEC European Senior Speed Skating Championships and the Masters Championship Marathon will take place in Gera, Germany from the 20-27th of July. Good luck to all the skaters skating for GB which will include Vincent Henry, Simon Davis, James Ashby, Matt Price, Gavin Pollock, Hans Brown, Tanya Gibson, Chris Ampadou, Dan Ibbotson, Pammi Murray-Hopkin and Derrick Ritchie.
Reports and results will be found here (English translation)
Pre - Teens Coaching
Everybody’s talking about Worlds, pro-teams and higher ranks competitions, but what about the single most important aspect of our sport, its younger BASE? A recent thread in Kathie Fry’s forum proved that there are still too many people with the wrong ideas regarding pre-teenager sport. See here for an article first published in Barry Publow's "Need for Speed" written by M.Breslin
Tatem Park gets a new coat of tarmac!
After a lot of hard work the Friends of Tatem Park have anounced this week that they have received confirmation from Enfied Council that the Tatem Park track will be resurfaced, with an advised starting date of the 28th July, with works completed hopefully by the 10th of August. Well done to everyone who has helped to make this happen !
Ashbourne SSC Race Meeting 13th July
At last , a glorious days skating without the need for a brolly! Ashbourne SSC hosted the outdoor race meeting held here at Birmingham Wheels Adventure Park on the 13th of July, with 2 category races for all registered skaters and a series of Age Group races at the end, with RAT races for non registered skaters. With good weather and fabulous flapjacks (as ever) from the Ashbourne Ladies it was all set for a great day. Danny Hogston in Cat 7 took a well deserved first win in Cat 7 as did Katie Fisher in Cat 6, narrowly beating Paige Aitken who is clearly returning to form. In Cat 5 Max Rothwell was streets ahead of the competition in both races but particularly the longer one and will deservedly head up to a higher category the next time he races. In Cat 4 Jeremy Francis, not skating long but showing great strength in his racing, took the first position, again with a gap between him and the following field. In Cat 3 Pammie Murray- Hopkin was the challenger to the double whammy of Chloe Astle and Lydia Bunn who looked strong and worked well together. Pammie fought to the line in the longer race and after a third in the shorter took home the silver medal. Cat 2 saw some good teamwork from the South Woodham boys,with Daniel Smith taking the day but with Robert Whiting and Harry Hoare in close contention. A big thank you to everyone from all the teams, who cheered on young Alex Bradley, only just 12 years old, in his first ever Cat 2 races. Cat 1 again saw some strong skating with a return to the track and a win for Chris Stafford, and Vincent Henry in second poised for the European Championships on the 20-26th of this month . In close contention for third was Stefano Mogno skating for LSST. After the Cat races the age group races ran pretty much true to the previous races' form. Finally a big thank you to Liz and Ben Gaskin and all the Ashbourne crew for a fantastic day, and well done to new announcer Bjorn Campbell Lyons for an excellent days commentary. | Results Overall Category Results Category 7 1st Danny Hogston 2nd Maya Bathgate 3rd George Cooper Category 6 1st Katie Fisher 2nd Paige Aitken 3rd Danielle Smith Category 5 1st Max Rothwell 2nd Loren Furber 3rd Adele Clements Category 4 1st Jeremy Francis 2nd Louise Sullivan 3rd Jared Williams Category 3 1st Chloe Astle 2nd Pammie Murray-Hopkin 3rd Lydia Bunn Category 2 1st Daniel Smith 2nd Robert Whiting 3rd Harry Hoare Category 1 1st Chris Stafford 2nd Vincent Henry 3rd Stefano Mogno Age Group Results 6-9 boys 1st Zachary Tong 2nd Taylor Scott 3rd Callum Furber 6-9 girls 1st Danielle Smith 2nd Maya Bathgate 10-12 boys 1st Jeremy Francis 2nd Alex Bradley 3rd Josh Robins 10-12 girls 1st Chloe Astle 2nd Lydia Bunn 3rd Louise Sullivan 13-15 boys 1st Robert Whiting 2nd Harry Hoare 3rd Daniel Smith 13-15 girls 1st Jessica Hoare 2nd Rachel Knight 16+ men 1st Vincent Henry 2nd Stefano Mogno 3rd James Ashby 16+ ladies 1st Pammie Murray-Hopkin 2nd Helen Bannister
More photos are available now in the Photo Gallery. For more discussion about the day see the LSST forum and the Bont forum |
2009 Mediterranean Games to Include Roller Speed Skating
It has been announced that Inline Speed Skating will be included for the first time ever in the 2009 Mediterranean Games in Pescara. For more details see here
Skate Tip
Urethane Conservation- How to extend the life of your wheels!
Inline Planet article by Peter Doucet
Cliff Stafford 1922 - 2008
Cliff Stafford was born on 26th January 1922. By the time he had reached his 17th
birthday he had become a member of the National Skating Association of Great
Britain. His interest and dedication to the sport of roller speed skating would last
another 70 years.
It is fair to say that his competitive skating career was not considered "illustrious",
although he was part of the Leicester Roller Speed Club that won the 1939 Inter-Club
Relay Championship. In fact, it was his younger brother, Dennis, who shone in the
early days when the Stafford’s took to the rink and he was duly rewarded with an
international call-up in 1958. However, it was Cliff who always seized opportunities
and made the most of his organisational skills to make his mark on the skating world.
In 1948 his attentions were turned towards ice and subsequently he founded the
Nottingham Ice Speed Club as a result. The club has continued to flourish and in fact
this year celebrates it’s 60th birthday! A fitting tribute to Cliff and an achievement of which I am sure he would be proud. Despite his involvement with ice speed, Cliff continued to support roller speed, and in fact was named captain for the Birmingham Roller Speed Club in the mid-1950’s. By 1959 and at the age of 37, Cliff was looking to wind down his competitive career and maybe take a well earned rest from the tenures of the speed skating world. But the arrival of two New Zealand skaters to these shores put any thoughts of a break firmly on hold. Mervyn Wybrott and Ian Hughes travelled half way around the world to meet and train with the Birmingham Roller Speed Club, of which Cliff was still captain. Being a relatively new nation to the international roller speed skating scene, Cliff took these guys firmly under his wing. Over the next 3 years Cliff would officially become recognised as the New Zealand national Team Manager. His greatest accolade came when Wybrott won the gold medal for New Zealand in the 1960 World Championships in the 20,000 metres on the road in Wetteren, Belgium. In doing so, Wybrott had become the first New Zealander to win a World Championship gold. When Wybrott and Hughes returned home Cliff found himself at a crossroads in his skating career. He was still involved with the club but his involvement was becoming less and less. Also, the travelling to training from his Leicester home was beginning to become more than a little tiresome. By the early 1970’s Cliff’s interest had all but vanished. Then, in 1975, a new club was born! Mercia Roller Speed Club. Out of the ashes of what was once the Midland Olympic Roller Speed Club, which had it’s base firmly planted in the centre of Birmingham, came Mercia. The idea was to create a club that had more of a "regional" feel rather than a local one. The idea took off immediately and with Leicester skaters such as Len Law, Geoff Mattock and even Cliff’s brother Dennis donning a Mercia jersey, it wasn’t long before Cliff, too, found himself unable to resist the lure of competition once again. With regular training sessions also taking place in Leicester’s Granby Halls this suited Cliff down to the ground. Cliff had also been good friends with the landlords of nearby Mallory Park motor racing circuit and sure enough he did some of his persuasive negotiating and that, too, became an ideal regular venue for club training. On 9th February 1975, aged 53, Cliff did his first race for the Mercia Roller Speed Club. Over the next 7 years, Cliff continued to enter events for Mercia – his last for the club being in the Northern & Midland Counties in 1982. In those 7 years Mercia had firmly established itself as the most successful club in the country. With international stars such as John E.Fry, John Mullane and Patrick Feetham to name but a few, Mercia was the envy of the skating world – and at the helm as Club Chairman and President, was none other than Cliff Stafford himself. By the mid 1980’s Mercia had given way to a new club, Birmingham Wheels RSC. Effectively, the members were still the same, but the club had changed names to coincide with a new project being opened in the centre of Birmingham that was dedicated to wheeled activities. Cliff continued to be Chairman of the club and in fact donned his skates for them, one last time, on 8th May 1994 in the British Marathon Championships held at Skegness. Aged now 72, Cliff secured second place in the "over 60’s". A remarkable achievement for a remarkable man. Shortly after, Cliff announced that he was stepping down as Chairman, feeling that the sport had moved on considerably with the introduction of in-lines just a few years earlier and that his role was now more of a figurehead rather than anything of practical value to the club. Despite this he continued to support the Birmingham Wheels club and it wasn’t often that a Wheels race meeting was held where Cliff was not in attendance. 1994 was also another milestone for Cliff. It was the year that his son and only child, Chris, became an international speed skater, representing Great Britain for the first time at that year’s World Championships in Gujan-Mestras, France. Chris’s success breathed new life into Cliff and his support of his son in achieving his goals was reminiscent of that he had given two young New Zealanders nearly four decades earlier. With his father’s support and knowledge passed down to him, Chris has become one of the most successful roller speed skaters this country has ever seen, with well over 20 national titles and an international career that has taken him to every corner of the globe over the past 14 years! In 2005, Cliff fell ill and soon after was diagnosed with cancer. Over the next three years he continued to battle the disease, and battle he did. Despite his illness Cliff continued to come to races and socialise with his friends at events. In fact, only last July he could be seen, sticks in hand, dancing away at my 40th birthday bash – surrounded by his family and friends who know him so well and who admired his strength of character and wise words. Cliff was certainly one for enjoying life to the full. If it wasn’t roller skating it was ice skating, and if it wasn’t ice skating it was skiing. Cliff continued to do the things that many people less than half his age are prepared to do. And this alone is testament to what a character Cliff really was. Sadly, on the morning of 8th June 2008, Cliff passed away. He leaves behind him a doting wife, Carol, and a loving son, Chris. But more importantly he leaves behind a legacy amongst his friends and those who knew him best. A legacy that life is there to be lived, so enjoy every minute and embrace every moment. Clifford Roy Stafford – the kindest of men and the truest of gentlemen. John Fry (Junior) Cliff's funeral was held on Monday, 16th June at 3.15 p.m. at St Phillip and St James Church, Groby, Leics.
Beat the Heat
Inline Planet tips on how to keep your skating cool this summer here
LSST Race 8th June 2008
LSST hosted their second race meeting of the season at Tatem Park on the 8th June 2008. Billed as a warm up for the British Championships by way of here being official FISS timing equipment present there was a relatively high turn out, perhaps reduced by it being the third consecutive weekend of UK racing, which is a hard slog for anyone travelling major distances to attend. However a large contingent from Birmingham Wheels RSC were in attendance, ranging from our tiny to veteran, and competing in all categories bar Cat 2. They were rewarded with the first summery day of racing this year, which buoyed everyone’s spirits and was a pleasant introduction to Tatem for those racing there for the first time. A new British Record (unofficial as of yet) set by Chloe Astle in the Pupil Girls category was a highlight of the day, as well as a welcome first visit by a local skating club to take part in the RAT races.
Pics available now in the Photo Gallery
Unofficial results (not complete)
Category 7 - 500m & 800m
1st - Eleanor Mullins (South Woodham Ferrers)
2nd - Scott Aitken ( Birmingham Wheels)
3rd Danielle R Smith (South Woodham Ferrers)
Category 6 - 500m & 800m
1st - Lauren Furber (Cado Motus Racing)
2nd - Taylor Scott (South Woodham Ferrers)
3rd - Rachel Knight ( Birmingham Wheels)
Category 5 - 500m & 1,000m
1st - Conor Mullins (South Woodham Ferrers)
2nd - Hannah Wilkes ( Birmingham Wheels)
3rd - Adele Clements (Cado Motus Racing)
Category 4 - 500m & 1,500m
1st - Jennifer Wilkes ( Birmingham Wheels)
2nd - Louise Sullivan (South Woodham Ferrers)
No 3rd place
Category 3 - 1,000m & 3,000m
1st - Alex Bradley ( Birmingham Wheels)
2nd Tom Greasley (LSST)
3rd Chloe Astle (Cado Motus Racing)
Category 2 - 1,500m & 3,000m
1st - Daniel Smith (South Woodham Ferrers)
2nd - Chris Ampadou (Cado Motus Racing)
3rd - Peter Carr (LSST)
Category 1 - 3,000m & 5,000m
1st - Kimmo Ilmavirta (LSST)
2nd - James Ashby (Belotti Wisbech)
3rd - Michael McInerney (Belotti Wisbech)
AGE GROUP RACE RESULTS
6-9 'Minis' (Males) TIME: 1:07:34
To be confirmed
6-9 'Minis' (Females)
1st - Danielle Smith (Cado Motus Racing) TIME: 1:09:55
2nd Eleanor Mullins (South Woodham Ferrers)
10-12 'Pupil' (Males)
1st - Alex Bradley ( Birmingham Wheels) TIME: 2:57:54
2nd - Conor Mullins (South Woodham Ferrers)
3rd Joshua Robins ( Birmingham Wheels)
10-12 'Pupil' (Females)
1st - Chloe Astle (Cado Motus Racing) TIME: 2:55:07 * BRITISH RECORD *
2nd: Lydia Bunn (Cado Motus Racing)
3rd - Louise Sullivan (South Woodham Ferrers)
13-15 'Cadet' (Males)
1st - Daniel Smith (South Woodham Ferrers) TIME: 5:37:70
2nd - Robert Whiting (South Woodham Ferrers)
3rd - Harry Hoare (South Woodham Ferrers)
13-15 'Cadet' (Females)
1st - Jennifer Wilkes ( Birmingham Wheels) TIME: 7:03.61
2nd - Jessica Hoare (South Woodham Ferrers)
3rd - Hannah Wilkes ( Birmingham Wheels)
18-34 'Senior' (Males) TIME: 8:15.20
The results of this race are under review by FISS, details will be posted later.
18-34 'Senior' (Females)
1st - Ghizlane Samir (LSST) TIME: 9:11 2nd - Tanya - Gibson (Cado Motus Racing)
3rd - Alice Dobell ( Birmingham Wheels)
Age Group 35+ 'Veteran' (Males)
The results of this race are under review by FISS, details will be posted later.
Age Group 35+ 'Veteran' (Females)
1st - Pammie Murray-Hopkin ( Birmingham Wheels)
There were no other skaters in this category to contest the 2nd and 3rd placings.
What to eat before and after you race
Westy Bell explains the do's and don't of performance foods here
Lost the Bont Skate Forum?
The Bont Forum has moved!! It can now be found here
Be the Bus
Strategies for Success- Inline Planet article by Tony Muse
Birmingham Wheels Race Meeting June 1st
Well, don't let anyone say we don't battle on through to put on events here at Birmingham Wheels! The best laid plans of mice and skaters were put to the test in more ways than one on Sunday June the 1st here at Birmingham Wheels Adventure Park when a complete loss of local electricity resulted in a series of unexpected events! The rapid deployment of generators all round were tripped at one point, probably by the lunch rush kettle and again later, by an amp deciding to end it's days viking style ie in clouds of billowing smoke. Enormous thanks to Natasha from LSST who happened to have her street skating boom box/amp in the back of the car, which almost seamlessly (well once the fire had been put out!!) enabled the skating commentary to continue.
Talking of skating...!! Despite what started out looking like yet another wet racing day the clouds held at bay for the most part. With most of South Woodham Ferrers racing in Bruges and many senior skaters racing abroad, 52 registered skaters plus RAT racers made the journey to Wheels for what turned out to be another great days skating.
In Cat 7 Callum Furber showed good form again, with Scott Aitken racing well gaining a silver medal. In Cat 6. Kirsty Pullen gained her first medal in Cat 6 (well done you!) following recently promoted Lauren Furber to the line. New competitor Max Rothwell skated strongly to win Category 5, with Jared Williams and Hannnah Wilkes following closely behind.
It was a three horse race in Category 4 with Jennifer Wilkes winning the first race and doing most of the work in the second, to be pipped for the medal by the ever determined Zachary Tong, with a good effort being put in by all three skaters.
Cat 3 by contrast had a much larger complement of skaters and was a battle from the start in both races. Newly promoted Alex Bradley showed his preference for the outdoor track by taking up much of the lead in the first race, but both races were hotly contested with a well earned win overall by Ben Taylor from Alex Bradley and Chloe Astle.
Cat 2 welcomed the return of both Chris Ampadou and Errol Spence back to the UK track for 2008 in what turned out to be, unusually, primarily a vet's race. Cat 1 threw up few surprises, won by Matt Price, but Simon Davis chased hard as ever gaining 3rd place to Dan Ibbotson.
Unofficial Results as follows;
CATEGORY RACES
Cat 7: 1. Callum Furber (Cado Motus) 2. Scott Aitken (Wheels) 3. Doug Illingworth (Ashbourne)
Cat 6: Lauren Furber (Cado Motus) 2. Kirsty Pullen (Wheels) 3. Danielle Smith (Cado Motus)
Cat 5: Max Rothwell (YMCA) 2. Jared Williams (Wheels) 3. Hannah Wilkes (Wheels).
Cat 4: 1. Zachary Tongue (Ashbourne) 2. Jennifer Wilkes (Wheels) 3. Nathan East (YMCA).
Cat 3: 1. Ben Taylor (YMCA) 2. Alex Bradley (Wheels) 3. Chloe Astle (Cado Motus).
Cat 2 1. Chris Ampadou (Cado Motus) 2. Errol Spence (South Woodham) 3.Peter Carr (LSST)
Cat 1: 1. Matt Price (Cado Motus) 2. Dan Ibbotson (Cado Motus) 3. Simon Davis (Wheels)
AGE GROUP RACES
Mini boys 6-9 1. Zachary Tong (Ashbourne) 2. Jordan Robbins (Wheels) 3. Calum Furber (Cado Motus)
Mini girls 6-9 1 (no 2&3): Danielle Smith.
Pupil boys 10-12: 1. Alex Bradley (Wheels) 2. Jared Williams (Wheels) 3. George Stone (Ashbourne).
Pupil girls 10-12: 1: Chloe Astle (Cado Motus) 2. Lydia Bunn (Cado Motus) 3. Amy Spence (South Woodham).
Cadet boys 13-15: 1. Max Rothwell (YMCA) 2. Michal Roman (Wheels) 3. Jacob Pullen (Wheels).
Cadet girls 13-15: 1. Hannah Wilkes (Wheels) 2. Jennifer Wilkes (Wheels) no 3rd place.
16+ females: 1. Pammie Murray-Hopkin (Wheels) 2. Sharon Tongue (Wheels) 3. Helen Bannister (Ashbourne).
16+ males: 1. Matt Price (Cado Motus) 2. Simon Davis (Wheels) 3. Ben Gaskin (Ashbourne).
Veteran females: 1. Jill Rothwell (no 2, 3)
Veteran males: 1. Errol Spence (South Woodham) 2.Peter Carr (LSST) 3. Bjorn Campbell-Lyons (Ashbourne).
Finally well done to all our RAT racers who continue to improve every time we see them race! C.P.
Some Photos can be found now in the Photo Gallery (more to follow)
More comments about the race can be found on the Bont Forum and the LSST forum.
Tiniest Rat Racers lining up for the start
Photo by Mathew Bradley
Beggsport Inline Speed Skating Coaching Videos near completion
Renowned New Zealand coach Bill Begg and his family, in association with Bont skates, have produced a series of inline speedkskating coaching videos, from coaching kids through to plyometric exercises for the hard core speed skater. See here for the list so far!
South Woodham Ferrers RSC Race Meeting 25th May
New Race Date Announced
An extra race date has been added to the 2008 FISS calender. On 13th of July Ashbourne SSC will host a race meeting here at Birmingham Wheels Adventure Park - book the date in your diary now!
FIRS takes tough stance on intravenous injections
In a communication sent from FIRS on May 4th, they are implementing strict rules regarding intravenous injections for athletes. Please check out the article on the BRSF website for further details
Birmingham Wheels Race Meeting May 4th
Well...
As well as the category races there were also age group races. The most notable of these were Alex Bradley's win in the boys 10-12's and Harry Hoare's in the boys 13-15's. Bradley who had suffered at the indoor championships a little over a month ago has come into his own outdoors, as has most if not all of the Birmingham Wheels crew. With the knockout having been cancelled the last race of the day was for the prestigious Keith Lee Boot, a 10,000m race for both men and women over the age of 16 (separate medals for men and women). It was a big field but the confusing nature of the 2008 race programme meant it was once again difficult to determine the actual number of entries. The early breakaway included James Ashby (Wisbech Belotti), Vincent Henry (Birmingham Wheels), Ghizlane Samir (Londonskaters) and Matt Price (Cado Motus). Very soon, though, Price found himself back in the chasing group whilst Ashby, Henry and Samir went on to lap the field. Ashby's sheer strength and sustained attacks eventually also took their toll on Henry and Samir and very soon the East Anglian youngster found himself 2 laps ahead and finally holding aloft the Keith Lee Boot. Henry, just back from training in the states, followed by Gross Gerau and then some racing in Holland (where he teamed up with French superstar Alexis Contin) made the Birmingham event his last race before he jets back to the USA to marry Emily Harris (sister of USA junior international Alex Harris) on Tuesday. All at Birmingham Wheels RSC congratulate him and sincerely wish him all the best! The real superstars of the day were the RAT racers. These are events for non-federation skaters taking their first steps towards category racing. With around 30-40 skaters these races are no less exciting. With Birmingham Wheels providing up to 90% of these skaters the future for the Midlands club is looking rosy. To round off a damp but nonetheless enjoyable day the presentation of medals and trophies was made by Birmingham Wheels hero - European Champion, British Champion and British international (1973-85) - John Mullane. Mullane who was making a flying visit from his new home in Adelaide, Australia, was a welcome visitor to the track. Edited from the Bont English Forum Photos up now in the PhotoGallery llane |
Cat 7 was won overall by Loren Furber (Cado Motus). Streets ahead of her nearest rival, even over just 400m suggests she may soon be moving up a category.
Three Keys to Speed
How to achieve your top end speed. Inline Planet Article by Tony Muse
London Skaters Speed Team Track Event 20th April 2008
A Birmingham Wheels 1, 2 3 in Cat 4 at the first outdoor skate meeting of the season! Hosted by the friendly crowd of the London Skaters Speed Team at Tatem Park, Enfield on Sunday 20th April, the clouds held at bay and a good turn out ensured an exciting days racing. Highlights of the day for me included Kimmo Imavirta’s turbo-like acceleration in the first Cat 1 race, the tiniest new speed skater in cat 6 from ERRSA who whipped round like a little bullet (I’m sorry I don’t know her name but will amend this if someone can send it to me) and young Josh Robins who almost seemed to surprise himself by how well he was doing in Cat 6! Birmingham Wheels' Pammie Murray-Hopkin showing good form in the Cat 3/4 elimination race. Photo courtesy of Chris Ife. In Cat 7 the standard was extremely high. Loren Furber dominated and looks about ready for Cat 6. In Cat 6 Kieran Shepherd was strong, and also featured on the podium in the longer elimination race, so again may be due for a promotion. In Cat 5 Louise Sullivan showed how well she has developed over the last 6 months or so with a confident skate, outrunning Conor Mullins and Aaron Rowswell both racing their first outdoor race for a while. Cat 4 (yay!) was a sea of yellow and green with a cracking contest won by Michal Roman on the final sprint. Cat 3 saw Dave Langlois take the straight races assertively. but he didn’t have much left for the elimination race which was won by a determined Alec Robinson, over new racers Vishal Patel and Edmar Gwiazda, chased hard by Chloe Astle , Alex Bradley and | Pammie Murray-Hopkin who looked on great form. Harry Hoare came out flying in his first Cat 2 race, won overall by Robert Whiting, and it will be interesting to see how the South Woodham boys develop over the coming season. Peter Carr and Tanya Gibson also put in some great racing. Cat 1 saw some grtitty racing, dominated by the Ilmavirta/Ashby duel, with Kimmo taking the straight racing and James the elimination. Simon Davis from Birmingham took the bronze medal in the straight races. Results Overall Categories Cat 7- Loren Furber, Callum Furber, Eleanor Mullins Cat 6 - Kieran Shepherd, Samuel Gibb, Danielle Smith Cat 5 - Louise Sullivan, Conor Mullins, Aaron Rowswell Cat 4 - Michal Roman, Alex Bradley, Jennifer Wilkes Cat 3 - David Langlois, Alec Robinson, Chloe Astle Cat 2 - Robert Whiting, Daniel Smith, Peter Carr Cat 1 - Kimmo Imavirta, James Ashby, Simon Davis Prize races Cats 5, 6, 7 - Amy Spence, Kieran Shepherd, Samuel Gibb Cats 3 and 4 - Alec Robinson, Vishal Patel, Edmar Gwiazda Cats 1 and 2 - James Ashby, Kimmo Ilmarvirta, Gavin Pollock Well done to every single one of the Birmingham racers who worked their socks off, and thanks to LSST for a great day! CP More photos available now in the Further discussion about the event can be found on the London Skaters Speed Team forum and the Bont English Forum |
Grow Your Own!
Stuck out in the sticks with hardly a speed skater in site? Some tips from Team Rainbo's Cale Carvell on how to launch and grow your own skating club here
Skate Magazine UK and the BRSF
It is now possible to subscribe to Skate Magazine Uk and join up with the British Roller Sports Federation (BRSF) at the same time. The BRSF represents all skating disciplines in the UK including Artistic Skating (FARS), Inline Puck Hockey (BiPHA), Roller Hockey (NRHA), Speed Skaters (FISS), Inline Skater Hockey (BiSHA), Freestyle (UKFSA), Recreational Skaters (NARS), Roller Derby UK and Skate Boarding.
Membership benefits include annual subscription to Skate Magazine UK (6 bi-monthly editions), BRSF Membership Card, Limited Edition BRSF T-Shirt, BRSF Membership discount at BRSF Approved Skate Stores and Discounted entry to some BRSF events. See here for further details
Trans USA Skater plans to do it again
Danny Dannells who recently broke the Trans USA Speed Skating record (along with his wrist and his ankle!) gives his final commments on his extreme challenge here
Blogtastic!
Nicole Begg, New Zealand world champion inline speed skater and daughter of Bill Begg, launches her new blog here
For more news stories from 2006/7/8
please see our News Archive pages
