The Central Speed Skating Club is preparing to launch its second season in Portage la Prairie, offering both children and adults an opportunity to participate in one of Canada's most successful Olympic sports. The club, which begins its new season on October 7, is encouraging new members to join, whether they’re looking to try speed skating for fun or train competitively.
Co-founder Haylee O'Neill started the club after realizing there were no local speed skating programs in the area, forcing her to make frequent trips to Winnipeg.
“There hadn't really been a club in the central region, our closest options were either Winnipeg or heading to Brandon. There was some potential for a club here in Portage. Now we are the 5th club in Manitoba.”
O'Neill teamed up with Trent Simpson, whose son is currently part of the Olympic Oval program in Calgary.
“He was very interested in having a club here in Portage, so the two of us kind of got together and started it,” O’Neill shared. “We're building, we're still a young club, we're still a small club, but we've had a lot of very generous support. We had the Olympic Oval Skate Shop donate a bunch of skates for us, and we have acquired some grants to help purchase equipment and things like that to help us in our first couple of years here.”
The club practices at Stride Place in the Portage Mutual Arena, focusing on short-track speed skating. As the winter season progresses, they aim to take advantage of the outdoor Oval in Winnipeg for long-track training.
Competitions are held throughout Manitoba, some of the races being hosted right in Portage.
“You sign up for and pay for the ones that you want to participate in. Some of our competitions are actually held at Stride Place, which is lovely. We have beautiful ice there for speed skating and it's a great place and we have all the mats and the safety equipment already there. So, it's really nice to be able to skate over there. It's warm compared to some of the other rinks. There are other competitions out of Niverville and Winnipeg.”
As the club prepares for its upcoming season, O'Neill hopes to see more people come out and give speed skating a try. The club offers trial sessions and flexible registration options to accommodate beginners and those simply curious about the sport.