Pictures from Ice Speedskating

The 2010-2011 season has just been over for a month and already looking forward to the new speed skating season. While athletes are enjoying some time off to spend with their family and friends, orginizing comittees have already been working hard. Rumours are confirmed and the first dates and places have been published. The result as far as I know:

November 18-20. Chelyabinsk (Russia). World Cup (all)

November 25-27. Astana (Kazakhstan). World Cup (all)

December 2-4. Heerenveen (Netherlands). World Cup (all)

January 6-8. Budapest (Hungary). European Championship all-around

January 21-22. Salt Lake City (USA). World Cup (sprint)

January 28-29. Calgary (Canada). World Championship Sprint

February 11-12. Hamar (Norway). World Cup (stayer)

February 18-19. Moscow (Russia). World Championship all-round

March 2-4. Obihiro (Japan). World Junior Championships

March 2-4. Heerenveen (Netherlands). World Cup (all)

March 9-11. Berlin (Germany). World Cup Final

March 22-25. Heerenveen (Netherlands). World Single Distance Championships

Thinks that are completly differant are

• Start of the season late november, finish of the season end of March 2012
• Only 3 World Cups in 2011, 4 World Cups in 2012, bringing the totall to 7
• One World Cup less than last season, one more all distances, 1 less sprint and 1 less long distance
• No events in Asia
• World Cup Sprint before the World Sprints and World Cup Long Distance before the World Allrounds
• No international competition for 5 weeks between the last World Cup 2011 and the European Allrounds in Budapest

I'm happy there will be events at new icerinks as Chelyabinsk in Russia and Astana in Kazachstan, also nice to see a Sprint World Cup and Sprint Championships at the two fastest ice rinks in the world in January. I do think however, it's a very brutal scedule for any non-european long distance/ allrounder, with 7 weeks straight in Europe. And I'm not sure if a World Cup long distance with a 10k for men and a 5k for ladies, the week before the World Allrounds is such a good idea. Furthermore I think it's a challenge to keep focus untill the very end of March for the World Single Distance in Heerenveen but we'll see how that will unfold.

For now I would say: rest well during the summer, because it's going to be an interesting new season!

Naomi Schläger