The 2004 season was jam-packed with fantastic skating events. I was lucky enough to experience skating at the local, national, and international level. Along the way, I met some amazing people who share a great passion for building and supporting inline speed skating. The following is a review of the 2004 season. You can view all the reports and photos on my site: Peter's Inline Racing Web Page.
January 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Indoor Speed Points Series #2- Cambridge, Ontario
The first indoor event in Ontario of 2004 featured some very fast racing. Brothers Camilo and Leonardo Echeverri provided some much needed excitement and drama at the front of the pack of the fastest division.
Morgan Williams finishes ahead of Andrew Hegarty, Tatia Wallace, and Beth Clarke.
Dean Arndt ahead of Camilo Echeverri, Peter Doucet, and Leonardo Echeverri.
January 2004- Beginner Meet- Cambridge, Ontario
The Tri-Cities Speed Club put together this event for entry level skaters. This gave the chance for a number of beginner competitors to try their newly learned skills in a race situation.
Dave Matthews hands an award to Allison Burnside.
Two young skaters go head-to-head.
February 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Indoor Speed Points Series #3, Mississauga, Ontario
This was one of the indoor events that featured the highest number of skaters in recent times. Racing action was hot in all the divisions despite slippery floor conditions.
Left to right: Beth Clarke, Lindsay Chard, Chelsea Parry, Shannon Hegarty, Keri Chard, Sigrid Ziegler
Left to right: Andrew Hegarty, Chelsea Parry, Tatia Wallace, Keri Chard, Jesse Pauley, Paul Robbins, Tasha Burnside
March 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Indoor Championships, Cambridge, Ontario
Roller Sports Ontario put together a strong championship which was supported by the local indoor clubs including Scooters Indoor Speed and Tri Cities Speed Club as well as a number of independent skaters.
Tasha Burnside follows Chelsea Parry.
Left to right: Jason Fischer, Tasha Burnside, Chelsea Parry, Dean Arndt, Jesse Pauley, Keri Chard
March 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Indoor Speed Points Series #4, Cambridge, Ontario
This was the concluding event of this first indoor points series in Ontario. Roller Sports Ontario successfully carried over the outdoor model to indoor racing.
Left to right: Gillian Clarke, Carla Raetsen, Sue Burnside
Dave Taras follows Dean Arndt and Peter Doucet.
March 2004- TISC Annual General Meeting, Mississauga, Ontario
TISC�s Annual General Meeting took place at the Clarkson community centre. TISC approved programs and initiatives like the Toronto International Inline Race Weekend and the Friday Kids Races. The board of directors of the club was elected.
Wayne Burrett and Mike Belchos look on the proceedings.
Many of TISC's members attend the Annual General Meeting to make sure they have input in the future direction of the club.
April 2004- Sweeping TISC�s practice venue, Mississauga, Ontario
After a harsh Canadian winter which saw tons of salt and sand being dumped onto the streets for better traction, it was time to sweet the Hershey Centre parking lot before the year�s first practice.
Ryczard Adamczyk shovels some dirt.
Peter Doucet, Andrew Hegarty, and Sigrid Ziegler with their sweeping tools.
April 2004- Roller Sports Canada Indoor Championships, Cambridge, Ontario
In the past, Roller Sports Canada held its indoor and outdoor speed championships during the same event, but now indoor and outdoor speed take place 3 months apart. The championship was supported by local skaters as well as skaters from Quebec and Alberta and took place at the Forum. The championships almost took place at the Scooters Indoor Speed Club because the Forum almost closed its doors for good.
Tatia Wallace, Aaron Arndt, and Lindsay Chard meet during the official practice.
Senior men at the line.
Camilo Echeverri ahead of Leonardo Echeverri and Jade Pauley during a warm-up.
Senior 2-men podium: CRISC- 2nd, TISC- 1st, VAR: 3rd
April 2004- Empire Skate Series #1, Bronx, New York
The Empire Skate Series opened up for the 2004 season in the Bronx, New York. The event was blessed with fantastic weather and amazing racing at all levels. A lot of skaters showed up and supported the event, including many junior skaters. I made the trip with Eric Gee, Andrew Hegarty, and Sigrid Ziegler and we stayed at Robert McDermott�s place.
Empire Speed`s Bobby Piedra leads Dennis Humphrey and TISC`s Herb Gayle.
K2/ Empire`s Bret Whitman ahead of Pyro/Apparel's Randy Bowman and Canariam's Fransico Ramirez.
May 2004- Disney Marathon, Orlando, Florida
Eric Gee and I left Mississauga Friday at 11pm and arrived in Orlando Saturday at 11:30pm after driving for 24-hours straight. We arrived at the hotel at 1:00am and stayed with the Belchos family. We were up at 4:45am and competed at 6:30am. There were tons of crashes on the wet board-walk! I was involved in a crash where about 7 pro skaters went down Eric and I left after the race at 11am on Sunday and arrived in Mississauga on Monday at 6:30am.
The pro men at the line for the early 6:30am start time.
The pro men fly by.
That's me and the Florida oranges I bought for my Kindergarten students.
May 2004- Empire Skate Series #2, Bronx, New York
Another Empire Skate Series race with beautiful weather- Canadians skated very well including Steve Robillard placing 4th overall and up-and-coming 14-year old Jordan Belchos was involved in the final sprint. There was a bad crash in this race which took skaters such as Marc Griffin out of skating with broken bones in his arm/ wrist.
I went to this race with my friend Jason. Here we are on the roof-top of Robert Mcdermott's appartment.
The advanced women's pack goes by the start/ finish line.
May 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Outdoor Speed Points Series #1, Cambridge, Ontario
The Roller Sports Ontario opened its 2nd season after a successful first year. The event took place at the Tri Cities outdoor practice facility in Cambridge. This series places skaters in ability groups and the formula works; racing was exciting for each category. I was able to lap the pack in the 10km race and also win the 1500-meter time trial.
Peter Light entertained the crowds with his fiddle playing.
Dennis Lo leads Lindsay Chard, Tatia Wallace, Chelsea Parry, Peter Light, Andrew Hegarty, and Rhett Cappleman.
May 2004- National Capital Race Weekend, Ottawa, Ontario
Beautiful weather seemed to follow the skating races so far this year. Eddy Matzger was able to capitalize on an apprehensive pack in the last 4km�s of the race and win with a late-breakaway. Barry Publow ended up taking 2nd place in a sprint finish. Tatia Wallace took an uncontested win in the women category.
The men's 42km podium: 1st- Eddy Matzger, 2nd- Barry Publow, 3rd- Thomas Desplanches
The start line of the race.
Eric Gee poses with some yummy food!
June 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Outdoor Championships, Kitchener, Ontario
This was a well attended provincial competition, with Tri Cities, TISC, and OUISC clubs being represented as well as a number of independent skaters. The weather was super nice and the skaters were pleased with the quality of the skating surface.
Here I am leading the pack with Camilo Echeverri, Mike Murray, and Aaron Arndt following in my draft.
Group photo!
June 2004- Empire Skate Series #3, New York, New York
The Empire Skate Series continued to roll along, again with fantastic weather. The race course took skaters through the streets of Manhattan. Herb Gayle skated like a beast, taking the master men�s win in a fantastic sprint with Jim Bourgeois. USA 300-meter time trial champion William Bowen finished his first ever marathon.
The pro master men's pack: the race featured a fantastic sprint-finish.
Chris Creveling, Darren Kauffman, and William Bowen; USA World Team skaters; were competing in the race.
The start of the advanced race.
Herb Harbison leads the uphill; in tow are Scott Bliss, Eddie Wilcox, Bret Whitman, Aaron Warr, myself, and William Bowen.
June 2004- Rolling Rampage, Toronto, Ontario
This event took place in the down-town core of Toronto. Support for this race was heavily local, but a few skaters did come from Detroit and Montreal. The race course was a 1.4km loop around Queen�s Park- the provincial legislative building.
Morgan Williams leads the field on the first lap through the start/ finish area.
Steve Robillard leads myself, Aaron Arndt, and Jordan Belchos as we pass Morgane Echadour.
Steve Robillard leads Camilo Echeveri, Jordan Belchos, myself, Aaron Arndt, Tatia Wallace, and Morgan Willilams.
June 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Outdoor Speed Points Series #2, Toronto, Ontario
The Roller Sports Ontario Outdoor Speed Points Series continued to gather strength with support from varied skating groups. The numbers for the series had not greatly increased, but the event now had a core group of supporters who competed and were officials in the series. The plan was to have this event on the same weekend as the Rolling Rampage to draw more skaters from out of town, and the plan worked.
Mau Pan Lau leads Lindsay Chard, Keri Chard, and Shannon Hegary while Carla Raetsen skates on the inside.
Carolyn Gullo leads Sigrid Ziegler, Keri Chard, and Shannon Hegarty.
Sigrid Ziegler leads Keri Chard, Shannon Hegarty, Morgane Echardour, and Carla Raetsen.
Lindsay Chard leads the sprint to the line ahead of Shannon Hegarty, Pan Mau Lau, Carla Raetsen, and Carolyn Gullo.
June 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Outdoor Speed Points Series #3, Aylmer, Quebec
Held one week after the 2nd race in the series and hosted by OUISC, this event drew skaters from Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto. The races were completed just in time for the rain to begin.
After the races, we headed to a restauraunt.
Jordan Belchos leads the level-1 group.
July 2004- Roller Sports Canada Outdoor Speed Championships, Kitchener, Ontario
Racing action was hot- temperatures were soaring and so was the skating action. A house burned down near the race course while skaters burned down a number of Canadian records. The senior men�s category had many skaters in it. Dean Arndt, an up-and-coming junior skater, completed the fastest 300-meter sprint of the event. The Marathon, which was held in conjunction with the championships, drew many skaters from across Canada and from the USA.
A rabbit at the restaurant where we ate.
I'm leading Camilo Echeveri, Mike Murray, Aaron Arndt, and Stephane Tremblay.
Meaghan Buisson passes the senior women's pack.
The start of the 10km points/ elimination race.
The main pack leading out the marathon.
A house burned down near the race course.
July 2004- 24-Hour Inline Relay, Montreal, Quebec
Perhaps one of the most successful events in recent history as well as one of the most enjoyable and unique events, the event organizers did a top-notch job at making this event a positive experience for all involved. With up to 10-skaters per team, skaters competed for 24-hours on the Formula 1 race course in beautiful Montreal. With just over 200 skaters in the 2004 event, it will be no surprise if the event doubles or triples for 2005.
The Toronto Inline Skating Club had two teams: Bullet Train and Starlight Express.
Myself, Steve Robillard, and Mathias Archambault checked out the Montreal International Jazz Festival the night before the race.
Racing at night: I am behind Dennis Humphrey and Mathieux Turcotte.
After the race, all the skaters got together to do one lap around the race course!
This event attracted the serious and non serious teams- here, 'les clowns' pose.
After all the events finished up, we got to go to the beach right by the race course. From left to right are Mathieux Turcotte, Steve Robillard, Olivier Jean, and myself.
July 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Outdoor Speed Points Series #4, Mississauga, Ontario
With racing back at TISC�s training ground- the Hershey Centre, the 4th race of the Roller Sports Ontario Outdoor Speed Points Series was another success. Like the previous races, the number of skaters competing in the series did not increase, but the core-support was strengthened, with skaters from Montreal being added to the group of regular supporters.
Mau Pan Lau leads Chelsea Parry, Martine Charboneau, and Morgane Echardour.
Jordan Belchos leads Aaron Arndt, myself, Camilo Echeverri, Leonardo Echeverri, Derik Beier, Herb Gayle, Morgan Williams, Rhett Cappleman, Andrew Hegarty, and Paul Shoebridge.
July 2004- Canada Inline Cup Virtual 10k, Mississauga, Ontario
A very unique event, skaters were able to compete in a virtual 10km race within a 1-week period to earn a time and submit it to the Canada Inline Cup organizers. The 10k races were held in various locations across Canada and beyond.
Ross Hanham leads Kristi Shoebridge, Jade Pauley, and Keri Chard.
Derik Beier leads Tatia Wallace and Chelsea Parry.
July 2004- Cornhusker Classic, Lincoln, Nebraska
This event was held right after the USARS Indoor Championships. I drove down with Randy Bowman. The race course in Piedmont Park is one of the toughest race courses that I have competed on. Bret Whitman took the race in a 8-skaters sprint.
Randy Bowman and I drove out of the fog and into the sun rise. The drive down was an adventure; I got two speeding tickets and I was violently woken when Randy ran over the sleep lines on the side of the highway and swerved to regain control of my car.
The start line of the 42km race.
That's me leading a breakaway with Jono Gorman and Bret Whitman following closely.
August 2004- Empire Skate Series #4, New York, New York
The Central Park Marathon was a success. Despite rain falling down after 2-laps in the race, the presence of Chad Hedrick enhanced the competition in the pro/ elite men�s race.
Dane Lewis leads John Howe and Jordan Belchos.
Various peoples pose for a picture after I convinced them to group up and look at me.
August 2004- Toronto International Inline Race Weekend, Mississauga/ Toronto, Ontario
This event could not have been better. With over 130-skaters, chip timing, 2 days of racing on road and track, Doug Fessenden announcing the races, and plenty of prize money, the race was simply amazing. A huge field sprint in the marathon involving 17-skaters was won by Eddy Wilcox.
The start of the 42km pro men's marathon; the finish of the race featured a legendary 18-skater sprint finish!!
Martine Charboneau atop the pro women's 42km marathon podium, 2nd place: Sheena Freeman, 3rd place: Tatia Wallace
K2/ Empire's Eddie Wilcox is interviewed by Doug Fessenden after winning a track race while Jesse Pauley is in the background.
That's me ahead of Steve Robillard and Eddie Wilcox.
Tatia Wallace leads Martine Charboneau, Lindsay Chard, and Sheena Freeman.
The advanced men's 10km race: Herb Gayle in front of Luc Beauvillier, Bob Harwell, Mau Pan Lau, Nick Zacchia and the rest of the field.
August 2004- Breakaway Speed Clinic, Mississauga, Ontario
Barry Publow led skaters with his technical knowledge about inline skating technique. He was able to get skaters of all levels experiment with and apply his concepts and ideas on and off skates.
Barry Publow and Aaron Arndt demonstrate and explain technique and drills.
Derik Beier, Tom Hanham, Travis Shaw, Bruce Wilson, and Paul Ho experiment with Barry's tips and advice.
August 2004- Rollapalooza, Toronto, Ontario
A fundraiser organized by Mike Belchos and supported by TISC, the Rollapalooza helped raise funds for the TISC World Team skaters to attend the 2004 World Championships in Italy. 8-skaters and 3 officials with the Roller Sports Canada World Team were members of TISC.
People eating food.
Left to right: Lorraine Rest, Sigrid Ziegler, Benoit Joubert, Andrew Hegarty, and my Mom.
August 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Outdoor Speed Points Series #5, Belleville, Ontario
The final race of the successful series took place on a 250-meter track in Belleville, Ontario. The race attracted skaters from the local clubs. This location was perfect, as it was in the middle of all the clubs that supported the series. The race course provided super racing action because of its tight corners.
A dog.
Martine Charboneau ahead of Tatia Wallace, Benoit Joubert, Rhett Cappleman (outside), and Andrew Hegarty.
Nick Zacchian leads Morgane Echardour, Chelsea Parry, Jason Fischer, Miguel Montilla, Carla Raetsen, and Mau Pan Lau.
September 2004- World Championships, L�Aquila/ Sulmona, Italy
The crowds were amazing, all three of the venues provided exciting racing, and a record number of nations supported the championships. The Canadian team looked wonderful and performed well. It was beautiful to watch the races at night under the lights and clear skies. The pizza from Il Kanguro was very good.
500-meter senior men's heats: Venezuela's Arcala on his way to qualify for a berth in the final and an eventual medal.
The world championships packed a lot of powerful people in skating: Here we have JC Becantur (Supersonic), Sarah Bont (Bont), and Guido Ferra (Patincarrera).
One of many amazing finishes in the junior women's race.
Trackside at the championships; friends from Australia and Canada.
500-meter heats on the track: Dean Arndt (Canada on the inside) along with skaters from Germany, Korea, and France.
Crowds were noisy and they made it clear which nations and skaters they supported.
A bloody Max Presti after the senior men's track relay. Italy fell in the race and made a superb come-back to claim the bronze medal.
Many nations took part in the races, and that was reflected by the flags in the crowds.
USA's gold medal winning junior women relay team.
3rd place is Joey Mantia followerd by Pascal Briand.
Senior men's action on the road- USA's Joey Mantia and France's Alexis Contin follow an Italian skater.
Junior men on the track.
Tom Hanham before his junior men's points/ elimination final.
At the opening ceremonies.
We arrived in Italy 4 days before the championships began. They were putting the finishing touches on the facilities.
Walking out under your nation's flag is a superb experience.
The crowds were big.
That's Rafael from Brazil and I!
What a team! Here we are on the 2nd day of training on the track.
My race numbers.
This was taken on our first day of training; we had had very little sleep in the previous 24-hours.
The crowds on the road course.
We were completely exhausted when we arrived in Italy. We had to wait at the airport for 4-hours. Mike Belchos took some time for a well earned and needed nap.
Some of the beautiful scenery on the way to L'Aquila from Rome.
Romans!
After the championships, I had the chance to ride around in a scooter and visit Rome.
The marathon took place in beautiful Pescara- a city by the sea. You can see me on the right side leading the charge up the pack.
Senior women's racing action on the road in Sulmona.
September 2004- Northshore Inline Marathon, Duluth, Minnesota
The Northshore Inline Marathon drew about 5000-skaters. The event was supported by local recreational skaters and top-level world champions. Beautiful weather made this event a pleasure to compete in.
Duluth sees thousands of skaters attend the Northshore Inline Marathon.
Carla Raetsen atop the Pro Veteran Women's podium.
September 2004- Empire Skate Series #5, New York, New York
100km�s- do I need to say anything else? Wonderful weather made this event successful. This was one of the toughest events for me. In the last 3-laps, I was extremely dizzy and experienced extreme foot pain. All I wanted to do was finish. I was passed by Dennis Humphrey and Remy Chait with 3km to go and I could not even think about staying with them. Eddy Matzger was able to win the race once again.
Lining the start line for the 100k.
Left to right: Canadian supporters Eric Gee, Benoit Joubert, Carolyn Gullo, Martine Charboneay, and Zsolt Finta.
October 2004- Roadskating, Brampton/ Caledon, Ontario
Aaron Arndt organized a group of us from TISC to try to break the 100km/h barrier going down one of the hills in the beautiful country-side of Caledon. We only managed to reach about 85km/h down the hill called Big Boy.
Font to back: Tatia Wallace, Aaron Arndt, Peter Light, Jesse Pauley, Peter Van Rijn.
Photo taken in the badlands- Left to right: Myself, Aaron Arndt, and Herb Gayle.
October 2004- Defi De L�Ile De Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
This was one of the most painful races of my life; I got lost many times, my feet were in pain, and I was soaked due to the rain. I skated the 2nd half of this 128km event with my friend Pan Mau Lau and I was extremely happy when I finished. I recommend this event to anyone who�s up for a challenge.
It was pouring for the start of the event; we all had to bundle up in lots of warm clothing.
In the 2nd half of the event, I skated with Mau Pan Lau. Here, we were on a path that went through the forsest and was covered in the leaves.
December 2004- Roller Sports Ontario Indoor Speed Points Series #1, Mississauga, Ontario
The 2nd year of the Indoor Speed Points Series started off slow, with almost all of the competitors coming from one club- Scooters Indoor Speed. Part of reason why there were lower numbers of skaters is that the Tri Cities Indoor Speed Club has lost its training facility and some skaters chose not to support the series.
Sigrid Ziegler in front of Chelsea Parry.
Jordan Belchos ahead of Andrew Hegarty, myself, and Benoit Joubert.
©Peter Doucet and www.RaceReports.net |
