Round Table 8 Add to Rink Fund

Last Thursday night I spoke at a Round Table evening in Timaru and Round Table 8 donated $1000 towards the new rink fund. Every dollar counts so we really appreciate the donation, thank you.

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Open Day

Yesterday we had an open day incorporated into our normal learn to skate and public session that we usually run on a Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately speed training had to be cancelled because the track was too wet but the bad weather didn't stop huge numbers from turning up for the open day. We had 80 people out there on skates yesterday, WOW! I ended up signing 95 postcards and by the end of the day the track was dry enough for me to do a demo. It was a fantastic day and it also helped raise some funds to go towards the new track.

Here are a few video clips from the day and there will be pictures to follow.

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Timaru Herald 22/7/2010

Nicole rolls back into town

By STU PIDDINGTON - The Timaru Herald

Speedskater Nicole Begg is back in Timaru for a mid-season break from northern hemisphere competition but has Colombia on her mind.

The 23-year-old has been based in Europe since February and now has almost a month at home before heading off again in a buildup to the World Inline Championships in South America in October.

"It's nice to be back home among family and friends and I am only missing one race of any significance."

Begg has been competing with success in both the World Inline Cup marathon and track series and sits second overall in the marathon behind Colombian Cecilia Baena and leads the track series, having missed the podium only once in 10 events.

Her racing has been somewhat harder without a team around her for support this year but the former world champion's new Chinese sponsor X-Tech was keen for the exposure in Europe.

Begg is unlikely to hold her standings, however, as her next stop is a world-class training venue in China to prepare for the worlds, which is her main focus for the year.

She is hoping to add to her two previous titles and is likely again to be the only skater to race in every event from the 500m upwards.

Conditions in Colombia will certainly test Begg with Guarne, the host city, at 2150m above sea level and the altitude could have an effect on her performance as she has never raced at anywhere near that height.

"I've been to St Moritz plenty of times but it's way below that," she said.

Begg leaves on August 16 and will compete in the Asian Inline Cup and possibly a WIC marathon in Korea, which only a two-hour flight from where she is based.

Her programme may however be adjusted to ensure she does not hand the Colombians, who are a powerhouse in skating, too much of an advantage.

While at home Begg is largely keeping off the skates. Instead she will focus on building up the kilometres on bike, gymnasium work and off-skate plyometrics.

She will also spend time coaching the South Canterbury Roller Skating Club speed squad which has grown tenfold in the last two seasons.

"I'm really happy how much they have improved," she said.

She will also attend a learn-to-skate session at the Caroline Bay rink this Sunday afternoon at 2pm and no doubt will spend time signing autographs for her growing number of fans.

Also on her agenda is helping to fundraise for the new $455,000 track.

Update

I'm back home in Timaru, New Zealand at the moment and will be here for around a month before heading to China.

I arrived in Christchurch about 4 days ago and stayed up there for the night before driving home the next day. After 38 hours worth of travelling I had no problems falling asleep only to be woken up a few hours later by Drug Free Sport NZ representatives. I was chosen for an out of competition drug test and seeing I was in Christchurch for the night it saved them having to travel to test me. That is my second out of competition test this year. Even though it can be inconvenient it's good to see they are doing their job.

Our team, Klinik im Zentrum finished second in the Gigathlon. I'll write a bit more about this event in another post sometime next week. It was a fantastic event and I had a lot of fun.

Tomorrow we have the South Canterbury Club Champs, we have 38 entries from our club. A lot of young girls speed skating at the moment with 6 in the Primary Girls and 4 in the Tiny Tot Girls divisions.

There's no time for jet lag. I've already done two gym sessions, a skate last night and a few hours on the spin bike today. Looking forward to starting motor pacing next week around the car race track.

There's no place like home!

Timaru Herald Article 17/7/10

On track for new skating rink
By STU PIDDINGTON - The Timaru Herald

FREEZING FUN: Inline skating has been revived in South Canterbury and the Caroline Bay rink is set to be replaced. But even cold winter nights have not kept keen skaters away.

The South Canterbury Roller Skating Club is almost halfway towards the $455,000 it needs to put down a new track at its Caroline Bay headquarters.

The club has been revitalised over the past two years with an active committee, a speedskating team that has produced two age-group New Zealand representatives, and now boasts more than 120 members.

The dramatic change came two years ago after 21-year-old former world champion, Nicole Begg, offered free lessons at the almost forgotten track.

Since then new life has been breathed into the facility and the revival is almost complete with up to a 100 casual users skating on sunny Sunday afternoons, with Friday night club skating and speed training in-between.

Stage one of the project is to demolish the old 166-metre, cracked and outdated track and lay a new international-sized, 200m bitumen banked track.

The new track will cost just under $330,000 while the balance of the money will be used to move the club rooms and brick wall at the western end to make way for the extension of the track.

The club has raised $205,000 so far.

The major donors are the Community Trust of Mid and South Canterbury ($100,000), the Timaru District Council ($50,000) and gaming machine trust Pub Charities($20,000).

The club has reserves of $27,000 which are being put towards the project while Mt Harper Ice Rink trustees has given $8000.

Club spokesperson Mark Lowen is delighted by the progress so far and hopes the track will be laid before next winter.

He said a new track was essential because cracks in the surface have made the track dangerous and were getting bigger as water got into them and froze.

"It's beyond fixing and the numbers we have attending both competitive and recreational skating mean it will be a well-used facility in both summer and winter."

Mr Lowen said that while the revival started with 21-year-old Begg there was now a solid base of parents to take the sport forward.

He was delighted with the support the club had received but was keen to hear from anyone else interested in helping.

The club has two additional stages planned: resurface the rink with the coatings that they use at the world championships, at a cost of $100,000 to $120,000, and build new clubrooms.

Tomorrow the club will hold its first championships in more than a decade with more than 50 skaters expected to compete indoors at the SBS Events Centre.

Next Sunday there will an open day at the Caroline Bay rink from 2pm with Begg showing her skills while on a break from racing.