The Editor,
I am a 14 year old member of the Richmond Rockets Speed Skating Club.
I have been inspired by the 2010 Winter Games and greatly enjoy the exhilarating sport.
However, I'm very upset that our club's ice time was cut from 5.75 hours to 3.25 hours a week just because we did not have enough members.
With the original schedule of 5.75 hours a week, we had 1.25 hours on Tuesday for high performance practice and 2.25 hours on Thursday and Sunday with two sessions for beginners and advanced skaters, with one hour for each group.
But, now we have to merge the two sessions into a one hour session for all the skaters on Thursdays and Sundays.
The reduced ice schedule will affect the quality and safety of our practices.
Our club has members of various age and skill, from toddlers to seniors, beginners to competitive skaters. This is a common situation in all the speed skating clubs in the Lower Mainland and the rest of B.C.
Richmond has three skating facilities, and a total of 10 ice rinks. Yet, only 5.75 hours a week were used for our club.
Taking 2.5 hours away is a crippling blow. In fact, our speed skaters need more ice time, not less. For other sports, 2.5 hours of ice time wouldn't make a significant difference.
Over last year, our club has vastly progressed. Some of our skaters are improving greatly.
A huge part of this is because we have an excellent coach team and we're skating in the excellent condition of the Olympic Oval.
I'm just wondering why, Richmond, the city that hosted the speed skating event during the Olympics, can't provide enough support for its only speed skating club?
Since last November, I've written letters to the oval, city hall and the RACA, not getting any response up until now.
I worry if speed skating lovers can skate in Richmond in the future.
Peter Li Richmond
