Speed, safety & parent involvement are keys for the Port Coquitlam club

The air is cold and cloudy and, despite a slick, glossy surface, traffic continues to spin at a tremendously torrid pace. The travellers motor along swiftly and rhythmically, with virtually no gap between them, a parade of tailgaters tucked so tightly together that one slip could prove disastrous, not only to the leader but also to those following fast within striking distance.

It’s a wild pile-up waiting to happen, yet the need for speed is paramount.

What sounds like a morning commute on the Trans Canada Highway in the deepest winter freeze is actually a bustling speedskating oval on a recent Thursday evening at PoCo Rec Centre.

And while there are physical dangers associated with the sport — knife-sharp blades that could shred tire rubber, for instance — every measure is taken to ensure the athletes’ safety, first and foremost, though personal exhilaration runs a very close second on the PoCo Lightning Speedskating Club.

“I think, initially, it’s the thought of being able to go fast, number one,” club president Janice van Veen said of the sport’s allure to athletes. “Then, I think when they join this particular club, it’s quite the tight little family. It’s very family oriented and everybody watches out for everybody’s kids.”

Parents in the club are hands-on active. For instance, at least one parent — or pre-assigned adult — must attend each child’s workouts and competitions, primarily for safety reasons but also to lend a helping hand if needed.

In the case of club secretary Trish MacPhail, her whole family is active with the Lightning. She and husband Ian both skate and volunteer their coaching and organizational skills at practices and various meets, while their two children, Mikaela, 13, and 11-year-old Tanner, skate competitively.

The Lightning, the only speedskating club in the Tri-Cities, holds workouts each Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday at PoCo Rec Centre or Coquitlam’s Planet Ice.

“I think we all grew up doing a little bit of skating,” Trish said. “I grew up in Calgary and we’d put skates on in winter and go up the river. I was never involved in organized sports as a kid. I always thought it would be fun to take up something like this. It’s amazing exercise.”

Her daughter Mikaela is a talented up-and-comer who’s in her fifth year with the Lightning. Her sights are set on soon qualifying for the Canadian national finals and, one day, the Olympics.

“I like the speed and the people are really fun to be with on the club. I love the races and enjoy the practices, too,” said Mikaela, who previously tried figure skating but found it “too frilly and girly.”

Head coach Barb Beck never participated as a speedskater but has coached the sport for 24 years, the last 11 with the Lightning. The club currently boasts 41 members, ranging in age from five to 50 years, and from beginners to high-performance athletes.

“Both my daughters speedskated with this club and then their coach moved on to a new job on [Vancouver] Island,” Beck said. “I took over from there. I love it. My children are long past this. I’m doing this because I love the people and I love the sport.”

Beck believes the love for speedskating is contagious and once a child starts, they usually carry on, often into adulthood. Cost of the sport is relatively inexpensive, compared with some others, with Lightning club registration for a season being $350, plus $85 to rent speedskates (boots are provided along with specialized blades, which parents are taught how to have sharpened). Equipment, including a skin suit (about $100), helmet, neck guard, knee pads, shin guards and gloves, is also moderately priced and can normally be worn for multiple seasons.

“A lot of the kids will stay [with the Lightning] from when they’re little until when they graduate, and sometimes beyond,” Beck said.

And the sport doesn’t necessarily end in winter, should participants wish to continue on.

“You could go to a summer speedskating camp about every weekend during summer, from Calgary to here [the Lower Mainland] to up north,” van Veen said.

With the 2010 Winter Olympics fast approaching, Vancouver-area speedskating clubs such as the Lightning are getting more popular. In fact, a brochure put out by the BC Speedskating Association boasts that Canadian skaters win more medals than in any other sport at the Winter Olympics. The next plum event is the Samsung ISU Short Track World Cup running Oct. 24 to 26 at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum, and hype for the sport continues to stockpile like snow in Whistler in January.

“I’m getting more and more inquiries about speedskating,” said van Veen, whose 13-year-old son, Austyn, skates with the Lightning.

Novice speedskaters with the Lightning are initially invited to take part in two tryout sessions, with all equipment provided for them.

“Then they decide from there if they like it or not,” van Veen said.

Most elect to stay and the club is currently operating at close to capacity, she added.

Austyn is in his fourth year with the club and is always eager to lace up his blades and blitz around an ice oval at top speed.

“I just tried it out one day and kind of liked it,” Austyn said. “What I like about it is the speed. It’s really fast and fun.”

Well, mostly fun. It wasn’t all kicks when Austyn, then in his second year with the Lightning, lost an edge during a workout and went spinning hard into the padded boards.

“I screw-dropped [sprained] my neck and was out about a month,” Austyn said. “I’ve had a few wipeouts but nothing too bad after that. It can happen to anyone.”

Anyone, that is, who’s determined and courageous enough to combine speed and ice, two elements that can make driving a nightmare but make life with the Lightning a hoot.

lpruner@tricitynews.com