Shooting Off The Line

Shooting Off The Line

The RCMP came to the CGC to check people’s speed, but they were checking competitors not cars!

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Photo by Josh Schroeder / Arctic Winter Games

During the Arctic Winter Games, the RCMP have been patrolling and keeping us safe. However, the Speed Skating committee had a more unconventional task for them on Thursday 12th March. They were asked to record how fast the athletes were going and were happy to oblige, sending Cpl. Spicer and PC. Verstegen with their speed gun to clock the athletes’ pace.

Malcom Taggart, Speed Skating Sports Chair, came up with the idea. He has been involved in the sport for many years and is very passionate about speed skating, particularly with the youth. He even has three sons who are also involved with the sport. He explained that working out the average speed of the athletes is fairly simple, but it doesn’t let them know what their top speed is. He felt that the idea of the speed check would not only be fun but also helpful and encouraging information for the athletes.

The RCMP recorded multiple athletes in several categories for the preliminary rounds and found the average speed on the ice was between 30 to 35km/h. The athletes weren’t aware their speeds were being clocked. Although the officers were impressed with how fast the skaters were going, Cpl. Spicer believes some of the kids competing had the ability to go even faster. She commented on how some of the competitors pulled away effortlessly from the start and looked like they were holding back for the preliminary round. “It’s a pretty cool experience to give the kids that exposure, I don’t think they get to know their speeds so to give them that information is pretty cool”.

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PC. Verstegen & Cpl. Spicer Photo by Josh Schroeder / Arctic Winter Games

The fastest speed they captured was 38km/h, which was reached by several contestants, particularly from Team NT, who have been breaking records and earning medals in Speed Skating since the opening night. One of which was 16 year old Seiya McEachern. His younger brother Yuma is also competing in the tournament and beat the AWG record previously held by Seiya. Another young speed skating record breaker is Lindsey Stipdonk, who at the age of 13 is already making a name for herself. Setting records in the Stipdonk family seems to be a theme for the 2026 games as Lindsey’s father Chris also beat his own world record in the Knuckle Hop. Malcom Taggart stated that a lot of records have been broken this tournament, many may even have been broken again by the time you are reading this!

The Speed Skating committee are hoping to clock the speed of as many athletes as possible before the end of the tournament. Cpl Spicer said she is hoping to record the athletes’ speeds again tomorrow and clock someone going above 40kmph, something many of these up and coming champions have the potential to do!

By A.J Smith