Veeman, Dallaire lead Lions’ Canada Winter Games medal parade

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Luca Veeman, right, leads Fergus English down a straightaway.

Luca Veeman and Serena Dallaire thrived under the new experience of the Canada Winter Games spotlight.

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.”

Serena Dallaire won two bronze medals at the Canada Winter Games.

Veeman was pleased he could live up to that honour by winning the medals he did. The men’s mass start race was Veeman’s final race at the Canada Winter Games, and he was pumped to close out with a gold medal win.

“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.”

Luca Veeman won five medals at the Canada Winter Games.

She was pumped to follow up that skate with a bronze medal win in the women’s 3,000-metre race a couple of days later.

“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.”

Serena Dallaire will reflect fondly on the Canada Winter Games.

For Dallaire, she said in the future when she is at big meets she can look back on her time at the Canada Winter Games to remember how positive experiences at big meets and events can be.

“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.

Lions quartet cracks Top 30 RBC Future Olympians list

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Oskar Stack-Michasiw, left, and Luca Veeman are Olympian prospects.

The Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club had a highlight start to 2022.

On January 4, the Lions had two present and two past members named to the Top 30 RBC Future Olympians list including Bon Lowe, Oskar Stack-Michasiw, Daniel Pauli and Luca Veeman. Stack-Michasiw and Veeman are the two current Lions who made the list.

Lowe and Pauli are the two former Lions who made the list. They graduated from high school in Saskatoon last June and relocated to Calgary for the start of the 2021-22 season.

All four skaters are members of Saskatchewan’s provincial long track team for the 2021-22 campaign, while Veeman is also a member of the provincial short track team.

The four athletes are set to receive funding for training and earn a potential spot with Canada’s speed skating national team program. Each athlete in the top 30 receives $7,500 in funding from the RBC Future Olympic Program.

The top 30 list was made through the RBC Training Ground program partnership between RBC, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Bell Media to find and support Canada’s future Olympians between the ages of 14 and 25. Athletes were evaluated on their speed, strength, power and endurance to gauge their potential in high-performance sport.

The final top 30 list was featured on a special TSN program that aired on the night of January 7.

Veteran speed skating coach Tim Comfort, who is the Saskatchewan Speed Skating Association provincial coach and technical director, said the four Lions skaters were deserving of being on the top 30, because they went out and earned it.

“Speed skating is a work-oriented sport,” said Comfort. “If you don’t like hard work, it is not for you.

“If you like going fast, that is fine. You are going to go fast, and it is very, very fun, but it is a lot of work. These guys part of the reason they did so well in the RBC is how hard they work at speed skating.

Oskar Stack-Michasiw made the Top 30 RBC Future Olympians list.

“It is always a pleasure and privilege to stand there and to tell them to go faster or longer or harder, and they just do it. It is quite a privilege actually.”

Stack-Michasiw, who is 16-years-old, has been in the sport of speed skating as a member of the Lions for about nine years. He entered the competition to make the top 30 list with an open mind but was uncertain what the end result would be.

It was highlight to find out he had made the list.

“It was really, really exciting,” said Stack-Michasiw, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 150 pounds. “I didn’t think I would have gotten it, and then I got the phone call, and it was really exciting.

“It made me think that I have maybe even bigger plans in speed skating and more potential.”

Veeman, who is 16-years-old, has also been speed skating for about nine years. When he entered the competition to make the top 30, he wasn’t sure how he would compare to athletes from across Canada that competed in various different sports.

He said he was pretty pumped to discover he made the top 30 list.

“When I got the phone call, it was a pretty crazy moment,” said Veeman. “At first, I was surprised I made top 100.

“That was a shock. Finding out that I actually made top 30 was another crazy moment. Going into it, I wasn’t too sure what to expect and how realistic it was.

“When I got the phone call, it was a pretty big moment.”

Stack-Michasiw said the funding grant helps reduce the financial stress that comes with participating in speed skating at a high level.

“It helps quite a lot, because you don’t have to think about purchasing equipment,” said Stack-Michasiw. “You can say, ‘Oh, I am going to go to that meet,’ because I have the funding to do it.

Luca Veeman cracked the Top 30 RBC Future Olympians list.

“It just allows for a lot more opportunity.”

Veeman said being named to the top 30 list was a special reward due to the fact the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world has thrown a major wrench into the speed skating schedule over the past two seasons. 

Instead of traveling to meets, the Lions have spent the majority of their time training at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds or the Lions Arena in Saskatoon.

“It is super nice considering there hasn’t been a whole lot of racing the past few years,” said Veeman. “The opportunities in terms of competition like that have been limited.

“Getting that achievement is definitely a confidence booster. It is nice to have a token for the hard work I’ve been putting in over the past couple of years, especially the COVID years. I think it will be one of the things that can help me take me to the next level just with opening up training opportunities like spending some time in Calgary more than just a couple of weeks.”

Comfort said it hasn’t been an easy past two seasons for the Lions as most of the competitions they would have normally attended have been cancelled. The veteran coach said the skaters have lost out on opportunities to bring home medals from those various meets including nationals.

Even with those setbacks, Comfort has been impressed with the effort the Lions have put into their training and the inner-club meets the Lions hold.

With all that has happened, Comfort said it was uplifting to see Lowe, Stack-Michasiw, Pauli and Veeman make the top 30 list.

“Competitions were just cancelled, and they all are good with it,” said Comfort. “They don’t miss a beat, but it is a nice reward that they’re recognized by RBC.

“It is really nice the exposure and sort of a little nudge to keep going in the same direction.”

Stack-Michasiw and Veeman both added it was special that four skaters with links to the Lions made the top 30 list.

Oskar Stack-Michasiw, left, and Luca Veeman have bright futures.

“It was cool, because just everyone who trains together we all got it,” said Stack-Michasiw. “Top 30 in Canada and four people from the same place got it is pretty cool.”

“With the four of us making Top 30, it is pretty crazy,” said Veeman. “It was like 13.3 per cent of the finalists were from Saskatoon and were speed skaters.

“It is pretty astounding. I guess it shows we are doing something right here in Saskatoon. I think it is definitely something the club can be proud of.”

For more information about the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club, feel free to check out their website at www.slspeedskating.com.

Lions’ Lowe grows into new speed skating identity

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Bon Lowe skates at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval.

Bon Lowe has started to redefine his speed skating identity in his middle to late teenage years.

The 17-year-old Grade 12 student at Evan Hardy Collegiate has been part of speed skating since he was placed by his mom in a learn to skate program around age three.

Lowe used to play hockey too. He discovered in that sport he liked skating fast on the ice more than any other aspect of the game.

Feeling that need for speed, Lowe decided to focus on speed skating. The Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club member enjoyed a fair amount of success in the sport, but as he grew into his current body size of standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 172 pounds, Lowe is finding his new comfort zone with long track events.

“Right now, I like long track just because I am taller than most short track skaters are,” said Lowe. “I have been able to do a bit better at long track.

“It just feels nicer to skate.”

Lowe is a member of the Saskatchewan Speed Skating Association’s provincial short and long track teams, and he is entering his first season as a junior level skater. He sees himself specializing in the 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre distances.

Due to his taller height, Lowe believes the longer strides he can make are a big benefit when it comes to racing in longer distances. He is also intrigued by the strategy that goes into planning out a race that covers a longer distance.

“When you skate the longer distances, you have so much time to think,” said Lowe. “It is not a race that is won by the start.

“It is how you skate all throughout. You kind of have to be able to think about your race in the middle of it. You have to think about how you are doing it and what you are doing good and what you are doing bad.

“It gives you lots of time to work on the race, while you are doing the race. You are not necessarily stuck with the result you get right off the start.”

Veteran Lions coach Tim Comfort has coached Lowe for 10 years and has enjoyed watching the young skater evolve. Comfort said Lowe reached the top of the podium quite a bit in younger age groups before he hit his growth spurt.

Bon Lowe aims to make longer distances his skating specialty.

“When he was younger, he won three out of four years in a row Western Canadian Championships in short track,” said Comfort, who is also a Saskatchewan Speed Skating Association provincial coach and technical director. “He was the absolute dominant skater.

“Nobody could basically touch him. As they grow, you can be really good when you are young, and then all of a sudden, the day comes when people catch you, and then you have to decide how much you like it. I love the character building in that.

“When there is a little bit of adversity and you are not beating everyone easily anymore, then you really, really, are tested as to how much you love what you are doing. Anybody that ever plays a sport will have a taste of that. To see them face that and to figure it out is very, very, fun.”

Comfort said Lowe had to adjust his skating the taller he grew.

“Every year he has to get used to a new height, because he has grown so much, and he just doesn’t ever seem to stop,” said Comfort. “He may be at his adult height, and there are adjustments you have to make to your new height.

“Speed skating is a highly technical sport. He is needing to be adaptable and keep learning, because of his new height.”

Comfort has enjoyed watching Lowe evolve and gain an interest for competing in longer long track events. With that noted, Comfort added Lowe is still taking his first strides in a bigger world there.

“He has had some success, but he will have to keep working at it for a longer period of time, if he is going to be really good at long track,” said Comfort. “He is really good compared to others his age in Western Canada and Canada.

“Really good doesn’t mean he is in the top two or three, but he is still really good. The long legs could help him quite a bit in long track, if he keeps training.”

To this point in his career, Lowe has had limited opportunities to skate in a distance as long as 5,000-metres in competitions. Early last February at long track meet in Regina, Lowe won the 3,000-metre race in his age category in a time of four minutes and 55.76 seconds.

Now part of the junior level of competition, Lowe expects to go through some learning curves going up against more experienced skaters.

“Now, I am sort of mixed in a bigger pool again,” said Lowe. “I’m kind of the small fish in the pond.

Bon Lowe enjoys being a part of the speed skating community.

“I think there is lots of experience that I can gather being around all the older skaters. I’m looking forward to it, when I get to compete again. Right now, I’m really enjoying being able to gather all that knowledge.”

He looks forward to taking on that adventure as a member of the Lions, because he has had so many great experiences being part of that club.

“It has been really great,” said Lowe. “Some of my best friends that I’ve ever had I’ve met with skating.

“Being able to have this community that follows me and supports me and I can support them back too, not only is it just here in Saskatoon, but the sport is able to foster a good community all across the country. I know people all across Canada.

“I think wherever I go, I am able to be apart of this community of speed skating and of sport in general.”