Jefferson City Speedskating Club hosts 27th annual Capital City Championships: A family affair on ice

The Jefferson City Speedskating Club hosted The 27th Annual Capital City Speedskating Championships today at the Washington Park Ice Arena.

Speedskating is an under-the-radar sport that not too many people know a whole lot about, “So this sport isn’t really popular so many people don't know that it has a lot of similarities to hockey and that this is what I like running on ice,” shares Naavya Dwivedi, Speedskater.

For some families at the meet, this is a sport played over generations. Ed Jacquin spoke about the long history of speedskating in his family with four generations sliding into the sport. “it's a great fun winter sport for the entire family. As a referee, I make sure that we have a very inclusive and supportive organization,” said Jacquin.

Those who have competed in speedskating come back to the ice as coaches, hoping to inspire the next generation to become national champions with over 15 speedskaters from Missouri making it into the Olympics over the last 30 years. “I actually had to take a little bit of step back from speed skating after I went to Nationals for figure skating, and I had to take a little bit of a break. And so coming back I really like getting to help the new generation of speed skaters,” said Mylee Hawkin, Speed Skating Assistant Coach.

Many of this year's skaters are either new to the sport or have been competing for years, the championship grouped skaters based on time and skill level with boys and girls ages ranging from 5 years old to adulthood. “It's like a great community to be a part of even though it's very uncommon, you should try it. It's like to find you'll get hooked on it,” exclaims Stella Shapiro, a 12-year-old speedskater.