By Darren
Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex
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| Luca Veeman, right, leads Fergus English down a straightaway. |
Together,
they led the medal haul for the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club and Team
Saskatchewan at the Multi-sport event that took place from February 18 to March
5 across Prince Edward Island with long track speed skating taking place at the
Halifax Oval in Halifax, N.S. Both were competing in their first Canada Winter
Games.
Veeman, who
was Saskatchewan’s flag bearer for the opening ceremonies, took home five
medals in long track speed skating. Dallaire captured a pair of long track medals.
In total,
Lions skaters accounted for eight of Saskatchewan’s 20 medals at the Canada
Winter Games. The medal wins gave Saskatchewan a fast start at the games as
speed skating was held during the first week of competition from February 18 to
February 25.
Veeman won
gold in the men’s mass start race, silver in the men’s 1,500-metre race, and
bronze medals in the 1,000-metre and 5,000-metre men’s races. In the men’s team
pursuit, Veeman teamed with Lions members Bon Lowe, Fergus English and Daniel
Pauli to claim the silver medal. Lowe captured silver in the men’s 5,000-metre
race edging out Veeman by just over six seconds.
Earlier in
February, Veeman skated for Canada at the International Skating Union’s Junior
World Cup Final and World Junior Speed Skating Championships both held in
Inzell, Germany. Those international appearances lead to Veeman being the flag
bearer. Having represented Team Saskatchewan at the Canada Summer Games that
were held in the Niagara Region of Ontario in August of 2022, the 17-year-old
had a great appreciation for being named the flag bearer.
“Being nominated as the flag bearer is almost hard to
believe,” said Veeman, who stands 5-foot-10. “I went to the summer games in
Niagara in 2022.
“I got to do the closing ceremonies and walk out with Team Sask. It was cool moment where I kind of realized what it means to represent your province. It was a real cool thing to experience those closing ceremonies, and it just made it so much more special walking in and leading Team Sask at these games.
“It was definitely a little bit of added pressure being named the flag bearer, but it was a pretty incredible experience all in all.”
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| Serena Dallaire won two bronze medals at the Canada Winter Games. |
“It was such a great games,” said Veeman, who attends Grade 12 at Walter Murray Collegiate. “I think every medal just felt so special.
“In a sense, it almost felt like every medal was like a
weight lifted off my shoulder. With the pressure of being the flag bearer, each
medal was like a little bit of a weight off the shoulders. I’d say the gold at
the end was just such a good moment.”
Dallaire went
into the Canada Winter Games in search of personal best performances and wasn’t
expecting to medal. The 17-year-old jumped into the spotlight for Saskatchewan
capturing bronze medals wins in the women’s 1,500-metre and 3,000-metre races.
“I really didn’t have any expectations,” said Dallaire, who
stands 5-foot-4. “I knew that I was in the middle of the pack.
“I just wanted to perform like what I knew I could do in
Calgary (at the Olympic Oval). I just wanted to execute my race plans and do the best I could. I
really just wanted to have fun.
“I didn’t really expect to get any medals out of it, so I’m
happy with how it all turned out.”
Dallaire
won her first bronze medal in the 1,500-metre race. She skated her race early
in that day and was surprise to find out her time was going to hold up for a
medal.
“I was the first race of the day,” said Dallaire, who is completing
her Grade 12 studies at Walter Murray Collegiate. “I didn’t know I won until
like a while after, so after the race, I was just kind of glad it was over.
“A few minutes after people were telling me they think I was
third. It was like surreal, because I didn’t expect it. I was really happy.”
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| Luca Veeman won five medals at the Canada Winter Games. |
“I just wanted to skate the best I could and perform,” said
Dallaire. “Because it was like near the end, we were kind of tired.
“It was still the same feeling inside. I was excited and
really happy to win the medal.”
Veteran Lions coach Tim Comfort, who is the Saskatchewan Speed Skating Association’s provincial coach and technical director, served as the long track coach for Team Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games.
He was
proud of the performances by all the Saskatchewan skaters and was happy to see the
multiple medal wins by Veeman and Dallaire, who have put in a tonne of work at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval over the years.
“Saskatchewan speed skaters had a strong Canada Winter
Games,” said Comfort. “In particular, Saskatoon club skaters really performed
well.
“Luca and Serena’s success has come from hours and hours of
hard work pursuing their dream.”
Veeman said
his experience at the Canada Winter Games and the ISU’s Junior World Cup Final
and World Junior Speed Skating Championships made for a memorable February. He
said those experience’s will help his confidence going into big meets in the
future.
“It was a big month for getting some big competitions under my belt like my international debut and Canada Games is a big one,” said Veeman. “It would help with my confidence going into the big meets just kind of reminding me of what I need to do to race my best.
“It is not changing things for the big competitions. It is
just staying level headed and relaxed going into every race. That is what
works.
“I know that if I get hyped up and I try and do something
differently because I want this race to be so better than the last one, it is
not going to work out in the end. I just have to stay relaxed and do what I
always do.”
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| Serena Dallaire will reflect fondly on the Canada Winter Games. |
“It is a pretty big meet, because Canada Games happens every
four years,” said Dallaire. “This was my only time to do it.
“It was just a fun experience.”
For more information about the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club, feel free to check out their website at www.slspeedskating.com.
