Archived News

PSC in the news:

Short-track speedskating making a name for itself in the 'Burgh' - June 23, 2011

Area teens devoting summer to speedskating - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - June 18, 2011

Spring and summer training events in Pittsburgh:

2011 US Speedskating Junior Short Track Category 1 Camp - June 13-18

Sand Camp - June 26- July 1

Pittsburgh Summer Camp 2011

US Nationals and AmCup Finals: Pittsburgh Speedskating finished it's season with a high note at the US Nationals and AmCup Final held in Wausaw, WI . This season has had plenty of “ups” and a few “downs”, but the team put it together to finish the season on a high note. For the first time, USS had a team category. Pittsburgh finished up the meet in 3rd place. As one of the smaller teams participating, this finish is not bad!

At the Age Group Nationals, Pittsburgh brought home 2 National Champions – Evan for the Juvenile Men's group, and Julie (skating for RMU out of Buffalo ) for the Intermediate Women's group. Great Job!! Evan was also able to secure a National Record in his 1000m distance. Also in the Age Group divisions, Ross was able to secure 2nd place as a 1st year Midget, John celebrated both his birthday and a 3rd place overall finish in his 50-59 division, and Margo finished 9th in her Midget division. Needless to say, there were a few PB's gathered by these skaters!

In the AmCup finals, Pittsburgh skaters showed how they've grown throughout the season. The AmCup final rankings are a compilation of the two highest point values from AmCups 1, 2, and 3 (with the lowest score thrown out) plus the inflated points given for placement at the AmCup Final. With this in mind, Lexi was not only the highest finishing Pittsburgh skater, but also the highest finishing Junior age skater with her overall 3rd place AmCup finish.

For the men, Cole showed great maturity and skill in the AmCup final. He had an overall finish of 6th place in the always competitive men's division. Rounding out the Pittsburgh team were John-Henry in 7th place and Claude in 8th place. Great Job guys!

Special thanks to Coach K for our successful season! Are you ready for Sand Camp 2011??

Welcome back to our World Junior Team Skaters - Lexi, Cole, and John-Henry! After a week of training and competing in Courmayeur, Italy (Feb 20 - 28), our kids have come home with invaluable knowledge and savvy to help them in their speedskating goals. The experience gained by participating with and watching skaters from around the world was eye opening for all.

Overall finishes for our skaters were Lexi - 26th; Cole - 19th; John-Henry - 24th. Lexi finished in the top half of the women's division, and both Cole and John-Henry finished in the top third in the men's group. Not bad!!

The US Junior National Competition in Saratoga, NY on January 21 – 23 was a great experience for all of our Pittsburgh skaters!  We had a lot of “rookies” who were trying out the concept of time trials and the Junior/Senior competition format that is so different than the meet format they are used to.  Our 1st time skaters were Evan, Amanda, Margo, Harshaan , Nathan, and Aiden.  On the other end of the spectrum, we had last year's Junior World Team members Cole and John-Henry returning to defend their positions on the team.

Making the Top 16 skaters after time trials in the Women's division were Lexi and Julie.  Lexi was able to win both the 9 and 4 lap time trials .  For the hotly contested Men's division, our Top 16 skaters were John-Henry, Cole, Claude, Evan and Mitch.  In the Group 2 divisions, Amanda, Margo, Harshaan, Nathan and Aiden rounded out our group of young skaters.

Once racing started on Saturday, the pressure hit.  By the time racing ended on Sunday afternoon, a new US Junior World Team would be selected.  Pittsburgh brought home the youngest male and female Junior National Champions ever, and will be sending 3 of the 8 skaters to the Junior World competition in Courmayeur, Italy in February.  Congratulations to Coach K for training ALL of our skaters to excellence, to John-Henry and Lexi for becoming the US Junior National Champions and heading up the US team in Italy , and to Cole for again making the Junior World team.  Special note needs to be made that John-Henry won all 4 skating distances, and that Lexi won the women's division in her first year of eligibility to skate in the Group 1.  Evan also made the top 16 men skaters on his first trip to Juniors, which is also a great accomplishment!

Congratulations to all of our Junior skaters!  We are proud of each of you for your hard work and the steps you've made in your skating.  Remember where you were a year ago?  Thank you Coach K!!    

The Midland Winter Blast was held on January 8 to kick off the new year.  Travelling with Coach K to compete were Lexi, Nate, Harshaan, Amanda, Margo, Jonathan, Joe, Ellen, Andrew, Naoki, and Hiroki.   Thank you Midland for a great meet, fast ice, and plenty of personal records for our skaters!

Nabbing 1st place in their divisions were Ellen (Tiny Tot A), and Joe (Pee Wee).  2nd 's went to Hiroki (Tiny Tot A), Andrew (Tiny Tot B), and Harshaan (Open A).  Getting 3rd place trophies were Naoki (PeeWee), and Amanda (Open B). 4th place went to Jonathan (Group 2 B), and Lexi (Open A). And rounding it out in 5th place was Margo (Midget) and Nathan (Open A).  This was an ability meet, and all divisions were skated with boys and girls in each division!  Great job skaters!

Next stop – Junior Nationals in Saratoga . .  .

US Shorttrack Senior Championship results are in!!  For this invitational meet for senior age skaters, PSC was represented by Cole, John-Henry, Robert, Claude and Mitch.  After opening with 9 lap time trials, Cole, John-Henry, and Robert were advanced to the Group 1 division (top 16 men skaters from the 1000m time trials ).  The purpose of this meet was to choose the World Team members for the rest of the World Cup meets for the 2010/11 season.

After a vigorous weekend of skating, our Group 1 skaters finished as follows:   John-Henry  -- 9th overall, Robert – 10th , and Cole –13th .  The highlight for John-Henry and Cole were a 1, 2 win in the 3000m Super B-Final.  Great Job Guys!!

A GREAT showing by Claude in the Group 2 men division.  Highlights for Claude included A Final wins in the 1000m and the 3000m Super Final, leaving him in the position to WIN the Group 2 Men's division.  Congratulations to Claude and Mitch!

What a HUGE honor for these guys to compete at this competition!  Congratulations also to Coach K – thanks to you, PSC just keeps getting better!

The 2010 Holiday Speedskating Camp was a great success, we appreciate all of the positive feedback from parents and athletes about the quality of the camp!  A special thanks to Coach K for keeping everyone challenged during 15 hours of ice and 13 hours of dryland training sessions in just 4 ½ days.  Also, a big thank you to all the parents and volunteers that worked behind the scenes to help feed, house, transport athletes and organize the camp.  Many new friendships were formed as skaters from all over the U.S. and Canada attended representing ages from 6 to 56 years old.  Best luck to all of the short track speedskaters during the 2nd half of the season!

Invitations were issued to Cole, John Henry, Robert, Mitch, and Claude to Senior Nationals in Salt Lake City in December.  This meet will determine the winter/spring US World Cup team.  Good luck to all and Coach K!!

How fitting for Pittsburgh to travel to Bethlehem -- PA, that is! -- for the Lehigh Valley ST Open.  Travelling with the team were skaters Naoki, Hiroki, Margo, Harshaan, and Nathan.  Lexi rounded out the team by testing her skills as a block chaser!  East Penn really changed the tune of speed skating by using a GONG to announce each race's final lap -- very nice touch!  Although we were a small contingent of skaters compared to a lot of the other teams there, all of our skaters were able to post at least one personal best time!!  On a side note, many thanks to everyone from East Penn -- you ran an excellent meet!!  BUT, the rink has got to be one of the coldest rinks we've ever visited!  Note to team:  cold rink.  dress warm.    

Pittsburgh saved their best stuff for Cleveland Heights and AmCup 2!  As our skaters entered Cleveland Heights, who knew what the weekend would bring, the biggest surprise being an extended power outage in the area which suspended action on Saturday and changed the meet's race schedule for Sunday.  All AmCup A races were completed to make the meet official, but the AmCup B division skaters, and the mini meet skaters had some changes.  

Our mini-meet skaters made a great showing!  For some it was a first "official" meet for them (Hiroki, Jonathan, and Naoki).  Coming in 1st in their divisions were Ellen (Tiny Tot A women), and Ross (Midget A men).  Coming in 3rd for their divisions were Hiroki (Tiny Tot A men), Joe (Pee Wee A men), Jonathan (Pony B men) and Amanda (Juvenile A women).  Also showing fine form and Pittsburgh spirit were Andrew, Naoki, and Alex.  Great Job guys and girls!!!

The Women's AmCup B division had two skaters representing Pittsburgh and RMU with Julie (finishing 6th), and Margo making her AmCup B debut.

In the men's B division, there was more action from four Pittsburgh skaters, with all four of these men still cutting their teeth in the B division this being their first year skating AmCup. Congratulations to Harshaan (finishing 6th), Aiden, Ryan and Nathan.  Great job guys!  Hope to see you soon in the A division!!

Making her AmCup A women's debut was Lexi.  She made a good show of reminding everyone that she may be young, but she's ready to skate with the big girls!  After a 1st place win in the 1000m A final, Lexi was able to finish her meet in 4th place overall.  She was also the highest finishing Junior skater.

In the Men's A division, the action really heated up!  John-Henry finished the meet in 3rd place overall, and also as the highest finishing Junior skater.  Adding points to his overall were a 2nd place finish in the 1000m A final, and a 3rd place finish in the 500m A final.  Cole ended up in 6th place overall, getting points from his 3rd place finish in the 1500m A Super Final.  Debuting in the tough Men's A division was Evan -- good showing!  For Mitch, this was his 2nd AmCup A meet to work on his experience.

As always, Thank You Cleveland Heights for hosting a great meet!!

Thank You Rochester Speedskating for another great meet for all abilities! 

PSC travelled to Rochester, NY on Oct. 16 and 17, 2010 in a quest for Personal Best times, racing experience, and a fun weekend.  Division wins went to Ellen (Tiny Tots) and Lexi (Open A Women).  Also achieving PB's and experience were Andrew (Tiny Tots), Joe (Pee Wee), Margo and Zach (Midget), Amanda and Aiden (Juvenile), Julie (Open A Women), and Mitch and Nathan (Open A Men).

Great Job Coach K!!  Great Job new skater parents for making this a successful weekend for your families!!

Next stop -- Cleveland Heights for AmCup 2 in November. . . . 

AmCup I News: AND SO IT BEGINS . . .   Pittsburgh Speedskating Club started the 2010/11 season by travelling to Milwaukee , WI to compete at AmCup 1 and the Great Lakes Championships.  Ross started out his season with a 1st place win in the Midget division.  The rest of our skaters raced in the A or B divisions of AmCup.  Congratulations to Men's B skaters, finishing in descending order, Evan, Harshaan, Nathan, and Lexi. 

Our Men A skaters put on a great show and made us proud!  Remember, that this AmCup was used to choose the US World Team, so ALL the country's skaters were on the ice to be chosen as this nations best and to represent our country in this fall's World Cup competitions .

After two days of racing, CONGRATULATIONS to Robert Lawrence for his selection to the U.S. men's team for World Cup 1 and 2.  Robert is our adopted skater from Gaffney , SC that has trained with us since June, and has added a whole new dimension to the word “teammate”.   We look forward to sending him to World Cup events for many years to come!

Placement at the end of the competition for our A Group men was Robert (8th ), Cole (14th ), John Henry (18th ), and Mitch (24th ).  Also coached by Coach K was Jared (22nd ) and Ian (26th ).  Many Congratulations to all of these guys and the progress they made this year in their skating careers.

Special Thanks go to Coach K for his continued training and support of all of our skaters!  Sand Camp produced some great results – Thank You Coach K !

Thank you's also go to Tony Chung for his video streaming all weekend long, Jerry Search for his photography, and the Pettit Ice Center in Milwaukee for a great meet!

Results of the Pittsburgh Summer Time Trial are here.

Click here for archived news...

Get FAST in Pittsburgh this summer. DESIGN YOUR OWN SPEEDSKATING CAMP!!! Info here.

Another successful Lake Erie Sand Camp is complete!

Sand Camp 2010 Full Size Image

Congratulations to our own Pittsburgh skaters, Cole, John Henry, and Julian!
All three of them spent a week in Taipei, Taiwan representing the USA at the
Junior World Speedskating Championships.  Besides the great experience for
all of them, they actually managed to get some skating in!  Cole finished as
the highest ranking team member, coming in 10th in the WORLD.  All three
boys skated in the relay (along with Robert Lawrence from the Utah club
team), and the US finished that in 6th place.

Congratulations Team Pittsburgh!  We're all proud of each of you!

Click here to see professional photos by A1photos

Pittsburgh Holiday Open

A USS Sanctioned Speedskating Meet

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

Race results
Group points
Time classification
Awards list
Addendum

Team members Ross, Joseph, Ellen, Maddie, Alex, Lexi and Margo competed at the Rochester, NY meet.  With skaters fighting off cold and flu symptoms , Team Pittsburgh still had a very respectable showing!  In the Tiny Tot division, Ellen and Alex both earned 1st place finishes. Joseph was asked to skate up into the Peewee division because of his great seed times and was able to set some new PB's (not bad for a 5 year old - good job skating with the "big guys"!).  Maddie came in 4th in the Peewee Girls division.  Margo placed 9th out of 16 in her first year of Midget competition.  Ross finished up with a 2nd place finish in the strong Pony Men's Division.  Lexi secured 2nd place in the Open A Women's Division by winning the 1500 Super Final.   Good job skaters with your new PB's.  Thank you Rochester for a great meet!

John Henry, Cole, Lexi and Margo went to Saratoga to compete at AmCup 1 and the Saratoga Cup races.  In the AmCup B division, Lexi swept the races with wins in every distance, and set a new PB in her 500m race.  John Henry finished 10th overall, and Cole finished 12th in a tough men's AmCup A division.  Margo finished in 10th place in her Saratoga Cup races.  Highlights for Cole and JH were Cole getting the fastest 1000m time of all the men at this meet, and both got to skate the 1500m Super Final.  Thank you Saratoga for a such a well run meet!

Read about Maddie as athlete of the month in her high school newspaper here and watch the online video of John Henry being interviewed at nationals here.

Each skating family has annual membership dues for the 2009 calendar year. Click here for form.

Pittsburgh Holiday Open results: heats & finals, time classification and division placements

Professional photos by Joanne Bartone: here

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article: "Speedskating group glides to success"

Congratulations to the three Pittsburgh skaters that have been designated jr. category 1 by U.S. Speedskating for the 2008-2009 season: John-Henry, Maddie, and Cole. This status is an honor and acknowledgment of talent, hard work, performance and of future expectations. These skaters are now official U.S. Speedskating Athletes with all of the privileges and responsibilities that accompany that ranking. See the complete list here.

View Shafeeq's photos from AmCup3/Ohio Invit. and the Pittsburgh Holiday Open.

PSSC members may join US Speedskating online here which is required of all on-ice participants (except learn-to-speedskate only). Several options are available. New members who wish to compete may register as first year competing athletes at $30. If you are only interested in practicing or volunteering then consider a fan membership at $15 per year. There is also a two month introductory membership with all privilages for only $10.

Ohio All Points results are here.

Read the fantastic new Mt. Lebanon Magazine article on the club here.

John Henry, Maddie, and Cole have returned from an exciting US Junior Championships. Results: race results points time classification. Highlights include Maddie qualifying for top 16 (group 1), finishing 13th overall, and setting PB's in the 500, 1000, and 1500 meter events, including a 1000 meter time to qualify for future American Cup Meets (A division). John Henry placed 4th in the group 2 men and set PB's in the 1000 and 1500 meters and Cole placed first overall in the group 2 men.

Pittsburgh skaters Cole, Maddie, Alex M., John Henry, Lexi, Margo, and John H. are racing at the American Cup II/ Eastern States In Saratoga Springs, NY this weekend. Check back here for results.

Club skaters Maddie, Alex M.,Evan, Lexi, Kailey, Margo, Ross, and Binny had great fun at the Rochester International Meet this weekend. Among the many personal bests Alex M. and Evan skated 1000 m times that qualify them for American Cup Meets. Check here for results. Skaters, Kailey, Margo, Lexi, Alex M., Cole, JH, EJ, and Alex W., have already competed this season. Check the meets link for results. Highlights include Lexi qualifying for American Cup Meets based on 1000 m time at the Midwest Mini Cup and Cole qualifying for American Cup Meets (A division) at our own RMU Island Sports Fall Open. Read more here.

Its official! A new weekly session starts on Thursday evenings at Divito Park, an Olympic size ice arena, near Connellsville, PA. The address is 101 Frankie Lane, Leisenring, PA 15455. For directions see here. Pricing is a flat walk-on rate of $12 per person for everyone regardless of level. Coaching fee is separate as usual. The month of October is a trial period and if participation is good sessions will continue. Please do your best to support this new ice time which Jim Komarinski has arranged for the Club. Yes, we have pads!

Complete Arnold Fitness Results are here. Pittsburgh skaters placed as follows: Firsts to Ross (peewee A), Evan (pony A), John-Henry (midget A), Maddie (juvenile A), Cole (senior A), and Matt (senior B). Seconds to Binny (tiny tot A), Ike (tiny tot B), Kailey (peewee B), and Lexi (pony A). Third to Alexander W. (tiny tot A) and Margo (peewee A). Fourth to Will (peewee A). Fifth to RJ (peewee A). Sixth to EJ (peewee A) and Ean (pony A). Seventh to Alex T. (peewee A) and Jim (master).

Congratulations to Pittsburgh skaters who placed at Nationals. Evan - 2nd overall in Pony Boys, John-Henry - 2nd overall in Midget Men, Landon - 3rd overall in Junior Men, Maddie - 4th overall in Juvenile Ladies, and Cole - 6th overall in Juvenile Men. Placing first in final races and claiming National titles are John-Henry (333 meters), Maddie (777 meters), and Landon (1000 meters). Complete results are here.

Placements at Saratoga for our skaters are Landon 9th, and Cole 18th in America's Cup III. And in Eastern States - Margo 2nd in Peewee, John Henry 2nd in Midget, Lexi 3rd in Pony, and Alex M. 9th in Midget. Complete results are here.

Read about Ean in the South Hills Record here.

A second order of Club T-shirts and sweatshirts is being put together. The order form is here.

New member Shafeeq took some nice photos at the Pittsburgh Holiday Open which can be seen on his website here.

The Pittsburgh Speedskating Club thanks all who competed or volunteered at the Pittsburgh Holiday Open on Dec 30th. The official results are here. We hope everyone had a great time. See you back in Pittsburgh next December. Please check the great action photos taken by A1FOTOS. Click on the examples below and see more in the gallery.

Photos of Maddie, Cole, and Landon competing at U.S. Junior Short Track Championships have been added to the gallery. Complete results are here.

Friendly reminder that some club memberships for 2006-2007 are still due. A membership application can be found here.

Congratulations to our trophy winners at the Ohio All Points Meet! 1st places to Ross in Peewee A, R.J. in Peewee B, Evan in Pony A, John-Henry in Midget A, Maddie in Juvenile A, and Cole in Juvenile A. Second places to Binny in Tiny Tots, Margo in Peewee B, and Alex T. in Peewee B. Third Places to Alex M. in Midget A and Alexis in Pony A. Fourth places to Alexander in Tiny Tots and Will in Peewee B. Photos have been added to the gallery.

We are proud to announce that Kwang-Jae Lee (Coach "K"), a full time professional coach, has moved to Pittsburgh to assume coaching responsibilities for all speedskating sessions. Did you know that Coach K already has off-ice homework for us?