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General
Info
Types of Meet
Age Class Divisions/Distances
Meet Format
Meet Goals &
Etiquette
Meet Attendance
GENERAL
INFORMATION ABOUT SPEED SKATING COMPETITIONS
There
are
many speed skating competitions during the year. As a
Club, we participate in our own Fun Meets, regional All Points or
Divisional Meets, and championship Age Class events. The age,
skating group, skill, and goals of the skaters determine which meets
they may and do participate in. Please see the tentative meet
schedule for notes on
the eligibility of different skaters to participate in meets
during the year. The coaching staff of Speed Skate PEI has
the
final decision as to which skaters may participate in which meets, in
accordance with the guidelines of the meets. Please consult
the age group
classification charts and tentative
meet schedule for more
information. Participation in meets is all about doing your
best
--- see the separate section
on this topic.
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THE
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SKATING MEETS
Fun
Meets: We generally run two Fun Meets each year,
one in
December
and one in March. These meets are open only to our local
skaters. The emphasis in these meets is on having
fun. They
are run in the same manner as other meets, but there are both regular
races and fun races. Some type of relays is also usually part
of
the meet. These meets give the skaters are chance to test
their
speed in a relaxed atmosphere. The competitive skaters also
participate in these meets so that our younger skaters can get a chance
to watch them skate.
All Points
Meets: The All Points Meets are the most common
meets in
Atlantic
Canada. In these meets, skaters times are submitted in
advanced
and the skaters are then ranked in Divisions based on their times,
regardless of age and sex. This ensures that all skaters have
fun
and competitive races. In general, the meets are spaced over
two
days and the skaters will participate in 7 races. All skaters
skate a heat and a final in three distances and a single final race in
the longest distance. The distances skated depend on the
speed
and age of the skaters in the division. The focus in
All Points (also referred to as Ability or Divisional Meets) is on
putting in your best effort and improving your own performance (eg
using good technique, skating faster times, moving up in a Division,
making a good pass). To a certain extent, the ability of a
skater
to finish in the medals in their division is dependent on the
"luck of the draw" when the divisions are made up. A
skater who finishes at the bottom of a division may easily have been
the skater who would have won the Division below if the dividing line
had been moved up one skater. Therefore, the focus is on the
skater's own performance and not on whether they win a medal -- of
course, everyone likes to win and the best way to win is by
skating our best.
Age Class
Meets: Age Class Meets in Atlantic Canada are
generally
reserved
for the Championship Meets. Thus, the Eastern Canadian
Championships, the North American Championship, and the Canadian Age
Class Championships (The Nationals) are age class meets. In
age
class meets, skaters are placed in divisions based on age and
sex. Please see the table
of age
classifications to know what
division you would skate in. To participate in
these meets,
skaters must meet time and/or age standards established either by the
meets hosts or by Speed Skate PEI. Please see the section on time
standards for the North American and National time standards.
These meets are generally only open to those skaters in our competitive
programs. Occasionally, top skaters from our Development
program
are invited to participate in the Eastern Canadian Championships.
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AGE
CLASS
DIVISIONS AND DISTANCES
| Age
Division |
Age as of
June 30 |
Distances
Skated (m) |
| Cradle |
under 5
|
111, 222,
333 |
| Pee Wee |
6,7 |
111, 222,
333, 500 |
| Bantam |
8,9 |
222, 333,
500, 666 |
| Midget |
10,11 |
333, 500,
666, 777 |
| Juvenile |
12,13 |
500, 666,
777, 1000 |
| Junior |
14,15 |
500, 777,
1000, 1500 |
| Intermediate |
16,17 |
500, 1000,
1500, 3000 |
| Senior |
18 |
500, 1000,
1500, 3000 |
| Masters |
25 |
500, 777,
1000, 1500 |
GENERAL
MEET FORMAT
There are
some
variations from meet to meet, but generally skaters will
skate a heat and a final race every half day. The two middle
distances are skated on the first day, and the shortest distance on
Sunday morning. The longest distance is usually skated on
Sunday
afternoon and only a final is skated so that the meet can end early to
mid-afternoon. All skaters participate in the Finals and
ribbons
are awarded to all skaters for individual races. Medals are
awarded to the top three males and females in all Divisions or Age
Categories.
The heats
for a distance are run first. For example, if there are
fifteen skaters in a division, there would generally be three heats of
five skaters. The skaters are seeded into the heats based on
previous times so that the fastest three skaters are in separate heats
and the rest of the skaters are also equally distributed based on
times. Depending on the meet and the number of skaters in
each
division, placement of skaters in the finals are based either on
placings, times, or a combination of the above. If you are
unsure, you should check with your coach. After the heats,
the
skaters are then placed in the A (top), B, or C finals. The
winner of the A final is the winner of that distance. With
our
fifteen skaters, there would be five skaters in Final A. The
winner of the Final B will receive a first place ribbon for winning the
Final, but is actually placed 6th over-all. It continues down
the
line so that the winner Final C is actually 11th over-all.
Points
are awarded based on over-all placing for each distance. The
top
3 male and female in each division then receive the over-all Gold,
Silver, or Bronze. Except for the Nationals, medals are not
usually given for each distance.
Skaters are responsible for watching the race numbers to know when
their race is coming up. Approximately 45 minutes before the
race, the skater should warm-up by jogging and stretching as they have
been taught by their coach. Generally, our skaters warm up in
groups. The skaters should then go to the dressing room and
get
into all their equipment approximately 20-30 minutes before the
expected start of their race. They must leave themselves
adequate
time to check and put on all their equipment. Skaters then go
to
the "bullpen", usually around 15 minutes before their
expected race start. The bullpen is the designated gathering
area
near the point of entry on to the ice. A meet official here
will
call out the names and arrange skaters into their heats (on chairs set
out for them to sit on). Skaters are then moved on to a bench
(usually the players bench) just before they go on the ice.
Please be on time. Races are not usually held for late
skaters. You can usually estimate that every race, regardless
of
distance, will take three minutes. Thus, five races takes
approximately 15 minutes.
After the race, the skater must promptly leave the ice, remove and dry
their equipment, check skates for any problems, then return their
equipment to their bag or sharpen it as required.
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TEAM
MEETING AND SETTING GOALS
Before
every meet, we have a team meeting and ask our skaters to set
goals. For the Atlantic Cup, these team meetings are usually
held
on-ice or at the Civic Centre during the week before the Atlantic
Cup. During out-of-province meets, the team meetings are
normally
held on the Friday night before the meet in the team hotel.
The
meeting is a chance for the coaches to talk to the skaters, for
equipment to be checked, and for skaters to set their goals for the
meet. Typically, skaters are provided with a sheet with the
current personal best times. They then set their time goals
for
the meet, with the help of the coach, and any other goals (good passes,
improved arm swing, better knee bend). This helps the skaters
focus on skating their best at the meet and allows them to win without
being the first across the line.
WHAT
TO
BRING AND HOW TO BEHAVE AT MEETS
CURFEW
We
expect all our skaters to behave well in public places, be it at the
rink or at the hotel. We have established curfew guidelines
so
that skaters are at their best for the meet.
Peewees: 8:00 pm
Bantams: 8:30 pm
Midget: 9:00 pm (8:30 pm
recommended)
Juvenile: 9:30 pm (9:00 pm
recommended)
Junior and up: 10:00 pm
FOOD
AND
WATER
All
skaters are reminded that junk food is not
to be eaten during a
meet -- no candy, no chips, no soft drinks, pre-sugared cereals,
etc. Please eat healthy food. Of course, you should
do this
at all times and not just during the meet, but avoiding "sugar
highs" is particularly important during a meet.
Good
food is often not available at the rinks and there is often not
time to leave the rink to get food. Many skaters bring a
cooler
with them containing healthy foods for lunch and snacks, and remember
to bring lots of water to drink. You should have your own
water
at the meets. Dehydration can dramatically decrease your
performance.
CLOTHING
Water is put on the track to keep the ice from getting damaged by the
skaters. This means that when a skater falls, they usually
get
wet. It is important to make sure that a skater has at least
one
and preferably two changes of clothes suitable for skating
in. A
change of gloves is also useful, but make sure they meet the
requirements for competing. Many skaters will bring along a
hair
dryer to dry out their clothing if needed. In addition to
appropriate outdoor footwear, a pair of sneakers for warming up inside
is also needed, especially for older skaters.
DRESSING
ROOM ETIQUETTE
The dressing rooms are primarily for the skaters and the
coaches.
With a lot of skaters, there is often not much room. Also, it
is
a good place for the skaters to meet and interact with other skaters
and it is the place where the coaches can talk to the skaters before
and after the races. Parents in the dressing room
tend to
interfere with the interaction between coaches and skaters.
Younger
skaters will obviously need help with their equipment prior to
the race and perhaps after the race as well. However, please
limit assistance in the dressing room to one parent only (no siblings
please) and only to the time needed to dress the skater. In
general, if your child is over 12 years old, parents should not be in
the dressing room.
In the dressing room, skaters should keep all their belongings
together, preferably in their bag so that they know where to find their
equipment when it comes time to get ready for the races.
EQUIPMENT
Skaters can be disqualified for not having their protective equipment
on while on the ice. Please check all your equipment prior to
the
meet and before every race. Skaters are not to remove any of
their protective gear until they are off the ice.
SKATE
SHARPENING
The Coaches will help skaters in the Novice and Development program to
keep their skates sharp and in good working order. However,
it
should be remembered that there can be many skaters at a meet and the
sooner a skater and/or the parent becomes responsible for their own
skates, the better. For the Novice/Development Skaters, a
club
sharpening jig will be available at meets. Skaters in the
Competitive Program are responsible for sharpening their own skaters
and providing their own equipment to do so. If you do not own
your own sharpening equipment, you are responsible for making
arrangements with other skaters.
Skates should be checked at the pre-race meeting and every couple of
races. If a skater thinks they have damaged their blades,
they
should be checked right away. Skaters should keep their
guards on
while walking on their skates and younger skaters should be reminded to
avoid kicking the benches and boards while waiting for their race to
start.
OFFICIATING
Parents,
skaters, and coaches must respect the officials at all
times. Please see the section on Rules for a
general
overview of speed skating rules. Some of the calls made by officials
are "judgement calls". Please
do not openly criticize
the officials. If the Coaches feel a significant
error has
been
made (ie the wrong skater penalized by mistake), they will raise the
issue with the referee. While the Coaches may ask for
clarification so that we may properly explain the call on to the
skater, we will generally not argue judgement calls with the officials.
PARENTS'
ROLE
The
assistance of parents of the younger skaters (under twelve) is
requested in ensuring that your child is ready for their
race.
Please cheer loudly for all our skaters and congratulate all children,
but especially your own, for their efforts. Even in a race
that
doesn't go well, there is always something good to
encourage. Leave all coaching and "helpful tips" to the
Coaching
staff. They have a much better understanding of what to
expect
from kids at each age and ability level.
If a skater falls or has an otherwise bad race, please do not rush down
to the dressing room to console the skater. Let the coaching
staff talk to the skaters. All skaters, regardless of their
level, need to learn to handle competition on their own.
Go
to Page on Speedskating Rules
Go
to Page on Meet Eligibility
Go to
Page on Meet Attendance Policies
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