January 7th update

Welcome Back to our HRSSC 2020 Winter Season – time to get back on the ice and some great speed skating!!
Please remember to update your registration online if you need to add the Winter Season to your registration.   This session runs for 12 weeks:  Tuesday 7 January to Thursday 26 March, and includes either one or two nights of Short Track speed skating, and Long Track speed skating at the Oval.
You may have already received an update from Summer regarding registration fees, and we would also appreciate updating your online registration if your skater was registered separately in the Fall Season – this helps with our record keeping and Speed Skating Canada requirements.    Thank You to Summer and Richard for all of your hard work keeping us up to date here.    
Short Track weekly practice times at St. Margaret’s Centre remain the same:
TuesdaysGroup C – Learn to Speed Skate 7:00 to 8:00pm
Group B – Recreational and Intermediate 7:00 to 8:30pm
Group A – Advanced and High Performance 7:45 to 9:15pm

*Groups C/B/A will overlap for activities and games together from 7:45 to 8:00pm**Groups B/A will overlap drills and skating from 8:00 to 8:30pm***Group A skaters – If available, are asked to assist with safety pads (helmets mandatory) before starting Dryland at 7:05 to 7:35pm.

ThursdaysGroup C – Learn to Speed Skate 7:30 to 8:15pm
Group B – Recreational and Intermediate 7:30 to 8:30pm
Group A – Advanced and High Performance 8:15 to 9:15pm

*Groups C/B will overlap for activities and games together from 8:00 to 8:15pm**Groups B/A will overlap for drills and skating from 8:15 to 8:30pm***Group A skaters – If available, are asked to assist with safety pads (helmets mandatory)before starting Dryland at 7:35 to 8:05pm.

Long Track weekly practice times at the Oval:
Wednesday and Fridays 5:00 to 6:00pm   – Groups A/B/C *Dryland for Group A/B skaters at 4:30pm  
Saturdays 9:00 to 10:00am Group C8:30 to 10:00am Group A/B *Dryland for Group A/B skaters at 8:00am

Come on out and give the Oval a try and enjoy some team speed skating at this great facility.  A reminder to always check for updates on the HRM site before heading out:  https://www.halifax.ca/recreation/facilities-fields/emera-oval for any schedule changes and cancellations due to weather and/or ice conditions.

With regard to upcoming Long Track events, registration for the Atlantic Long Track Championships on 25-26 January 2020 is opening soon.   The ALCT is hosted by SSNS and this event is traditionally very well attended by HRSSC members, and SSNS is committed to keeping it accessible to all of our members.   And yes, there will be a call-out for volunteer officials on the weekend of the event (you know you want to!), we are also being asked to support the organizing committee with volunteers in the planning stages.   All proceeds from the event go to cover the costs of hosting but also to support SSNS efforts to fund our skaters and programs.  

This year, there are a couple long time SSNS members mentoring in the event coordinating role and we are hoping to have the participating clubs represented in the volunteer team taking on the specific tasks to make this event happen  (ie. organizing the hospitality station; heading up the set-up and take down crew; coordinating safety pad transport).    If your skater is participating, and a returning participant, please consider lending some of your time and skills to get the Atlantic LT Championship up and running (well, skating that is). Once again – you know you want to!!  Please check in with Paula at aparruda.ns@icloud.com.   Thank You!!  You will be showered with appreciation and good cheer from the speed skating community. 
Please keep an eye out for a separate email with more events in the 2020 Speed Skating Calendar.  

  
For those of you who ordered a toque….hard to believe, but there was a typo so they need to be redone.  It will be another few weeks before we get them.  So sorry it has been delayed once again.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on the ice.

HRSSC