It all began in 2016 when a young Portage resident gave hockey a shot. It didn’t quite click for him, but his love for skating remained. That’s when Joel Simpson discovered something new—speedskating.
Simpson no longer lives in Portage, but Calgary. Still, Portage is where the journey began, as he made regular trips to Winnipeg to train in a sport that would eventually take him across the country.
"I initially started skating in Winnipeg, so I would drive out to Winnipeg, do my practices, but I attended school in Portage," says Simpson. "I graduated from Portage PCI. I was in my first year of hitting in hockey, and I just really did not enjoy it. I lost interest in hockey, but I still loved the skating aspect of it. I was looking into other sports that I could do, and I saw speedskating on TV — the Olympics — and I got my interest and I had to start. So, I went to Winnipeg to do a test run of it, and took off from there."
From Portage to the podium
After graduation, Simpson moved to Calgary to train at the Olympic Oval. His hard work paid off. At the Canada Cup Finals in Quebec City, he won gold in the 5,000-metre race.
"It's been a tough season. I had a little bit of an injury, so being able to win — and it being my first gold medal ever on a national level — was absolutely amazing. I got a silver in the 5,000 metre two years ago in Winnipeg, so I was super happy with that, being on home soil, basically. Winning that gold medal and getting to the next level; that was something else in Quebec."
Eyes on the Olympics
That win gave him the boost he needed as he sets his sights on Olympic qualification.
"I'll have to do Olympic trials, which will be in Quebec City in January. That gold medal really just skyrocketed my confidence. And now, I'm just super excited to start training again, and, hopefully, make the Olympics. If you have the time standards in the trials, you can enter multiple distances. And right now, I think I have the 1,500-metre time standard to try to make the Olympics in that one, and then the 5K standard, for sure."
Speed and precision
Speedskating, Simpson says, is as fast as it sounds.
"You'll have your shorter distances, where you'll be able to hit speeds between 50 and 66 kilometres an hour. And then those long-distance events, you'll usually average between roughly 40 kilometres an hour to 50 kilometres an hour. So, it's very, very quick."
And that speed, he adds, makes for an incredible experience.
"It's an extremely cool sport. If more people knew about it, I’m convinced there would be many more who’d give it a shot like I did, and absolutely fall in love with it."
A different kind of blade
Speedskating requires a unique setup—starting with the skates.
"Hockey skates are fixed on the bottom of your boot, and then on the long-track speedskate, only the front part is fixed. They're called 'clap skates' because the back parts clap. Having that clap makes you have a longer push and a longer stride, because your blade will be on the ice that long; just a little longer."
Giving back to the region
Simpson’s roots remain connected to Portage. His father, Trent Simpson, still lives in Portage la Prairie and co-founded the Central Speedskating club last year alongside Hayley O’Neil. The club serves the Central Plains region.
"Even if you don't live in the Central Plains region area, you're always welcome to come out and try it, and you might also have a speedskating club in your region."
Built for the track
Standing at six-foot-three, Simpson notes that body type plays a role depending on the discipline.
"The cool thing about speedskating is there's short track and long track. On average, being a little taller in long track, I might have a little bit of an advantage. In short track (obvious in its name), being a little smaller might hold its advantage. But that being said, there are also some very good short people that do long track and some very tall people that do short track."
See the You Tube video HERE!