BY SCOTT HADDOW
Fresh on the heels of Canada's best ever
showing for speed skating at the Olympics, Greater Sudbury has
announced they will host the best of Canada's skaters in
2007 for the Canadian Open Short Track Speed Skating
Championships.
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Mayor David Courtemanche, far
right, gets ready to test the skills of local Sudbury
Sprinter Speed Skating Club members, From L to R:
Keegan, Kelsey and Kaelyn Pitre. |
At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Canada won 24
medals, including 12 in speed skating.
The city and the local speed skating club,
the Sudbury Sprinters, can hardly wait to showcase the
community in all its glory, which will occur at the Countryside
Arena from Jan. 18 to 20, 2007.
"Sudbury has a long history of hosting
national championships," said Mayor David Courtemanche.
"The skaters will be the top 64 short track skaters in the
country. Some people will remember them from the recent
Olympics. If they weren't in Torino, then they will be in
Vancouver in 2010. It's a great opportunity for our people
to see this exciting sport first hand."
A major speed skating event isn't new to
the Sprinters, as they helped put on the 2005 provincials
championships last year. The club rolled up their sleeves to
bring the 2006 event to Sudbury.
"Our experience from last year, definitely
got us prepared to host an event of this level," said John
Hreljac, Sprinters publicity coordinator. "It's a really
feather in our cap because it brings attention to the sport and
kids that participate in it here. The kids will get to see an
elite level competition live and it's just awesome."
