OHIO SPEEDSKATING TOUR
"Oldest continually running speedskating league in the U.S."
327 Earl Avenue
Washington Courthouse, Ohio
http://www.OhioSpeedskatingTour.com

-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --

HERMITAGE, PENN. -- A record breaking twenty-one teams representing eight states attended the speedskating clash between the Ohio Speedskating Tour and the Keystone Speedskating League of Pennsylvania.  Located in the newest speedskating oval in the nation on the Buckeye-Quaker border, the racing was some of the finest in nearly a decade.  Novice and veteran inline skating racers took to the track after a major snowfall hit the greater Pittsburgh area causing major congestion getting to and from the arena. 

Vendors represented included Hyper Racing, Mogema USA, PYROApparel, Subzero Racing, and Canariam USA.  The facility featured a video screen showing the action in real time pre-empted by racing action from last seasons national championships.  The coveted Senior Mens division was clinched by Keith Ellsworth (Canton, Ohio) with Terry Palmer (Detroit, Michigan) winning the 500 meter sprint race and Rob Campbell (Pittsburgh, PA) winning the 1,500 meter event.  There were an estimated two-hundred speedskaters in attendance.  Lamar Melton (Mansfield, Ohio) was injured during an eliminations heat in the Senior Mens division and had to be hospitalized. 

The next tournament for the Ohio Speedskating Tour will take place January 16th in the greater Columbus, Ohio area at the Roll-arama Arena in Marion, Ohio on a smaller speedskating oval. 

Near perfect speedskating conditions made for lap times into the 8 second ranges
(C) 2004 Shafeeq Sinnamohideen, Carnegie Mellon University

Gary Bowman (Akron, Ohio) off of a three year retirement leads Rob Campbell (Pittsburgh) and Darren Kauffman (Philadelphia)
(C) 2004 Shafeeq Sinnamohideen, Carnegie Mellon University

OHIO SPEEDSKATING TOUR                                                            
       Standings entering Marion, Ohio

1)  Marysville, Ohio ; 785
2)  Hermitage, Penn. ; 585
3)  Newark, Ohio ; 550
4)  Cincinnati, Ohio ; 440
5)  Marion, Ohio ; 330
6)  Michigan Thunder ; 275
7)  Philadelphia, PA; 185
8)  Detroit, MI; 165
9)  Findlay, Ohio ; 165
10) Dayton, Ohio ; 165         
11) Akron, Ohio ; 150
12) Pittsburgh, PA; 130
13) Elyria, Ohio; 120
14) Springfield, IL; 110
15) West Virginia ; 85
16) Miami Univ/Oxford, OH ; 75
17) Washington Courthouse, OH; 70
18) Mansfield, Ohio ; 55
19) Chicago, IL; 50
20) Georgia ; 30
21) Ohio Velocity ; 5
                  
About the Conference
The Ohio Speedskating Tour is one of the oldest speedskating leagues in the United States. Founded in 1944, the tour is a registered non-profit under the name of �Ohio Buckeye Speed League�. The Ohio Speedskating Tour is a registered program of U.S. Roller Sports, the national governing of competitive roller-skating in the United States recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee. In the vested interest of the State of Ohio, the Ohio Speedskating Tour (OST) is interested in developing in-line skating athletes to represent Ohio in the annual U.S. Regional and National Championships. The administration of the tour consists of an Executive Board that convenes annually to finalize a schedule, national regulations to implement, and other issues to further Ohio Speedskating.

Hyper Racing:  Where there's a winners circle, we'll be there
(C) 2004 Shafeeq Sinnamohideen, Carnegie Mellon University

Inline skating racers hammer through a turn just like Olympic ice speedskaters
(C) 2004 Shafeeq Sinnamohideen, Carnegie Mellon University

Controversy surrounded the Novice Sophomore Men when the entire field fell and the last skater trailing claimed gold
(C) 2004 Shafeeq Sinnamohideen, Carnegie Mellon University

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