End-of-the-season MSSC Potluck Banquet Thursday April 27th, 6:30PM
All MSSC members and their families are encouraged to attend the annual end-of-the-season potluck banquet Thursday, April 27th at 6:30PM in the fellowship hall of Aldersgate United Methodist Church (directions). As usual, table service and drinks will be provided. Join the fun as the coaches wrap up the season and Coach Beth hands out her very special MSSC yearbook to all the members. Don't forget to bring your rental skates and your washed skinsuits, labeled in a bag with your name on it.

If your last name starts with:
A-G, please bring a salad or a vegetable
H-P, please bring a main dish
R-W, please bring a dessert


MSSC's Ryan Bedford wins at 2006 North American Short Track Championships!

Not only did Ryan win the overall senior men's title in Kamloops, British
Columbia, but he also set a new North American record in the 1500m -
2:20.99! (The old record was 2:23:07.) Ryan can defend his title next year
right here in Midland, March 16-18, when MSSC hosts the 2007 North
American Short Track Championships.



Results & photos from the 2006 U.S. National Short Track Championships
MSSC skaters did great at the Nationals! (For complete results, click here.)
Take a look at MSSC's skaters in action in an album of Phil Bedford's photos from the 2006 Nationals. (For even more photos from the Nationals, check out Jerry Search's photo gallery.)

Senior Men - Ryan Bedford 4th, Barry Winslow 11th, Kevin Geminder 12th





Pony Ladies - Sophia Olenchek, Darcey Lehman, Amy Smith
Midget Ladies - Sarah Lehman 6th
Juvenile Ladies - Maggie Smith
Junior Ladies - Kelsey Schiel

Intermediate Men - Joseph Eckstein
Juvenile Men - Brett Perry
Midget Men - Elliot Olenchek 5th, Andrew Clements
Master Men 40-49 - Mark Eckstein
Master Men 50-59 - Richard Smith 3rd


Check out the photos from the 2006 State Short Track Meet!
See the results and enjoy the photos from February's state short track meet on the new
2006 State Meet webpage.




National & International short track speedskating coming to Midland!
Mark your calendars now - Midland will host two elite-level short track events next season!
At the 2006 American Cup 1 on November 11-12, 2006, the best skaters in the U.S. will compete for a spot on the U.S. World Cup team. At the 2005 American Cup 1 last fall in Wausau, Wisconsin, many of the members of the U.S. Olympic team competed - including Shani Davis, Rusty Smith, Bay City's Alex Izykowski, Allison Baver, Hyo Jung Kim, and Kimberly Derrick. At the 2007 North American Short Track Speedskating Championships, the best skaters from both the U.S. and Canada will compete in Midland from March 16-18, 2007. This year, the North Americans will be held in Kamloops, British Columbia. (More details on both of these upcoming Midland events will be coming soon, including hotel information.)

Thanks to Sandi Beaudoin of Beaudoin.Design.Marketing.Communications for designing these great graphics:




MSSC's Sarah Lehman Skates Great in National Long Track Events!
Competing against the best long-track skaters from both the United States and Canada, MSSC's Midget Lady Sarah Lehman skated to a 5th place finish at the North American Long Track Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sarah did even better at the U.S. National Long Track Championships in Roseville, Minnesota - skating to a strong 2nd place finish! Sarah finished 1st in the 300m race, and 2nd in the 600m, 500m, and 800m. Congratulations Sarah! Take a look at Sarah's medals, earned for finishes in the individual events at the Long Track Nationals:




Check out the photos & results from the 2006 Midland Festival Meet!
MSSC is proud to have hosted the 2006 Midland Festival Meet February 4th, at the new Midland Civic Arena. Thanks to the help of our many volunteers, this meet was a great success. The new 2006 Midland Festival Meet webpage has four photo albums/slide shows, the results, a list of state record-breakers, and even some Photo Finish images. Take a look!




Join your friends on the web and get your skater biography form filled out today!
All MSSC members, beginners to advanced, are encouraged to fill out (or update) a skater biographical information form. This is a completely voluntary activity, with your information posted on our Skater Biography web page. Feel free to share as little or as much information as you wish, and have your name posted with as little or as much identifying detail as you desire (e.g. first name only, first name & last initial, first & last name). Your information will be pared up with your official MSSC club picture (to be taken Monday Jan. 30th at practice), unless you choose otherwise. Popular with all, the skater biography page has turned out to be one of the most visited pages on the internationally-visited MSSC web site. Download the blank skater biographical information form in .pdf or Word format, and return it: with your picture envelope Monday; to Susan Dyke, MSSC webmaster; or email it.


Picture night is Monday, January 30th.
Be sure to attend practice Monday, January 30th, when professional photographer Christry Guest will be taking photos of all MSSC members. In addition, a team photo will be taken. Don't forget your club jackets!


It's Almost Time for the Annual Pizza Party!
All MSSC members and their families are invited to the annual MSSC pizza party, held the Friday night before the Midland Festival Meet. This year, join us at 6PM on February 3rd at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, located at Airfield Lane and Dawn Drive. We will provide Pizza, drinks, and table service; you brind a salad or a desert!


MSSC home to seven state long track champions!
MSSC was well represented at the 2006 Michigan State Long Track Championships in Petoskey, held January 21st. Seven MSSC members won first place in their age groups: Darcey Lehman (Pony Ladies); Sarah Lehman (Midget Ladies); Cilla Jones (Master Ladies 50-59); Andrew Dyke (Pee Wee Men); Brett Perry, (Juvenile Men); Joseph Eckstein (Intermediate Men); and Richard Smith (Master Men 50-59). Other MSSC members skating great included: Meredith Schulz - 2nd, Pony Ladies; Kevin Eckstein - 3rd, Midget Men; Christopher Smith - 2nd, Intermediate Men; and Mark Eckstein - 5th, Master Men 40-49. Congratulations all!!!

Click here to see more photos from the meet.
Download the results by Times or Points.

2006 MSSC State Long Track Skaters


U.S. Jr. Champion Ryan Bedford Skates Great at Jr. World Championships!
Midland's own U.S. Jr. Short Track Champion Ryan Bedford finished fifth overall in the 1000m at the Junior World Short Track Speedskating Championships this month in Romania. Ryan finished a fantastic 20th overall, out of a field of 73 skaters. Check out some great photos from Romania, taken by Phil Bedford, here. To see a whole gallery of Phil Bedford's photos from the Jr. World Championships, check out the gallery at www.ohnozone.net.

Ryan Bedford chasing Canada's Frank Hamelin in the 1000m semi-final:
Photo by Phil Bedford


Check out our newly updated Equipment Exchange page.
Have some speedskating equipment to sell, trade, or give away? Then email MSSC to have it posted on out Equipment Exchange page.


Catch the U.S. Jr. Short Track Championships on MCTV 3!
During the first two weeks of January, Midland cable access channel MCTV 3 will be broadcasting a narrated, edited program showcasing the 2006 Dow U.S. Jr. Short Track Championships. MSSC parent Paul Perry, who's son Brett skated in the Championships, did a fantastic job managing the production of the program, from begining to end. Commentary from Paul Perry and MSSC club president Wayne Winslow, (who's son Barry also competed at the event), highlight the show. Watch all the excitement on:
Friday, January 6th at 7AM & 8PM;
Saturday, January 7th at 11AM & 11PM;
Sunday January 8th at 1PM;
Monday, January 9th at 2PM; and
Friday, January 13th at 7AM


Practice schedule changes for 12/8 & 12/12
Due to a scheduling conflict, badge night will be held again for Group 1 on Thursday 12/8 at their regular 6:30PM practice time. On 12/12, due once again to a scheduling conflict at the rink, Groups 1 & 2 will skate together from 7:30-8:30; adults from Group 2 will join Group 3 and skate from 8:35-10PM.


MSSC club registration form now available online!
New members - download the MSSC Registration Form, fill it out, and send it in (address on the form). Welcome!


Wear your MSSC jackets to the Jr. Nationals!
Show your club spirit and wear your jacket to the Jr. Nationals meet November 5 & 6. Let's see blue jackets everywhere!


Club Practice Schedule Change - Thursday November 3rd
Due to the Jr. Nationals meet, the regular Thursday schedule has been changed. Instead of skating, all MSSC club members are urged to attend a 1 hour dryland session at 6PM. This session will be geared to beginers - come dressed for a workout and see what dryland sessions are all about. Then, at 7PM, MSSC will be hosting a pizza party! Come and have some fun and watch the Jr. National competitors practice for the meet. All MSSC members will receive a program book at the party so skaters can get autographs of their favorite competitors. FYI - Thursday from 7-9 is also the official Media Night for the Jr. Nationals! (Note: Those skaters not competing in the Jr. Nationals will receive a $10 ice fee credit for the next session.)


MSSC jacket orders due by Sunday, November 13th
MSSC fleece jackets can be ordered now through November 13th. The price for a regular club jacket with the skater's name embroidered on the front will be $50.75. New this season - a small American flag can be embroidered under the skater's name. If the flag option is chosen, the jacket will cost $55. Payment is due upon delivery of the jackets, which will be before Christmas. MSSC makes no profit on the jackets. Sizes available are Youth - S, M, L, XL and Adult - S, M, L, XL. Contact Julie Dukes to place your order.


From the Midland Daily News, 10/31/05:
Winger: New arena gets speed skating meet this weekend How's this for confidence? You propose to host a national event in a building that is still under construction. That's exactly the situation Phil and Beth Bedford were in earlier this year when they submitted a proposal to U.S. Speedskating to hold the U.S. Short Track Championships at the new Midland Civic Arena this coming weekend. The Bedfords, long active in speed skating at the national level, submitted the bid in March of this year on behalf of the Midland Speed Skating Club. At that time, the arena was scheduled for completion in September. It was a little bit of a gamble, but we were confident it would be done in time after talking with Marty (McGuire, the Midland director of public services)," Phil said. In submitting the bid, the Bedfords included an artist's rendering of the building in the bid package. They had to assure the site selection committee that there would be adequate seating, locker room facilities, and housing accommodations close to the arena. Since Phil is a member of the site selection committee as well as chair of the scholarship committee, he had to abstain when the final vote was taken in April. Several things had to be assured, among them that the ice would be of championship quality."We're honing in on those things," Phil said. "We have to make sure the temperature is right as well as the humidity and the hardness of the ice. But all the variables are coming together." When national officials arrive from Cleveland on Thursday, including Katie Marquard, executive director of U.S. Speedskating, it will be their first time to see the arena which was dedicated on October 2."I think they'll like what they see," Phil said. Bringing skaters of Olympic caliber to Midland for such an event adds to the city's reputation as one of the top recreational sports sites in Michigan and the nation. It goes along with the many softball, soccer and tennis tournaments, among others, that we have hosted. The Midland Speed Skating Club is the official host. It should be proud to have people like the Bedfords with the foresight to offer such a facility as this."Hopefully, this is just the first of many such events to come here," Phil said.


Watch Coach Beth on MCTV!
Local Midland television, MCTV, is broadcasting a 20-minute segment on the 2006 Dow(R) U.S. Jr. Short Track Championships, which features Beth & Phil Bedford, as well as MSSC's Paul Perry. The segment will be shown on both channels 3 & 15.


Changes in Monday Practice Schedule
Ice times have changed on Monday night. Check out the newly revised schedule (10/4/05).


MSSC billboards on US 10 & M20!!!
Running from October 1 through the 31st, Midland Speed Skating Club billboards will be visible on US 10 eastbound/southbound from Sanford to Midland and on M20 eastbound between Mt. Pleasant and Midland. The billboards promote the upcoming 2006 Dow U.S. Junior Short Track Championships scheduled for November 5th & 6th. Also, look for the informational "table tents" on the food court tables in the Midland Mall during the same time period. Advertisements for the meet will run in the special section of the Sunday, October 2nd Midland Daily News highlighting the grand opening of the new Midland Civic Arena. More ads will run in the Midland Daily News on the Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday before the meet.




U.S. Speedskating awards MSSC two meets for 2006/07 season!
At the U.S. Speedskating Fall Board Meeting in Westlake, Ohio, the Midland Speed Skating Club was awarded the 2006 American Cup 1 and the 2007 North American Short Track Championships. The 2006 American Cup 1 will be held in the fall of 2006 and will attract the top U.S. short track speedskaters. The 2007 North American Short Track Championships will be held in Spring 2007 and will attract the top speedskaters from the U.S. and Canada! The 2006 North Americans are being held this coming spring in Kamloops, British Columbia.


Check out the new Midland Civic Arena photos & maps!


Dryland schedule announced for 2005-2006 season
MSSC will hold dryland workouts twice a week during the upcoming season. Tuesday nights it will begin at 7PM at the new Midland Civic Arena, which is 1 1/2 hours prior to the start of 8:30 ice. On Wednesday nights, dryland will be held from 7PM-8PM at Carpenter Street Elementary School. Dryland Coach Gary Westendorf will once again be conducting the sessions.


There is currently one opening available for the MSSC Sue Ellis Camp!
Due to scheduling conflicts for one of our registrants, we now (8/30/05),
have a space available for one more person in the October 7-9 MSSC Sue Ellis camp. Contact Gary Dyke for more information, or see MSSC's Ellis Edge Camp Web page.


Registration Night is Wednesday, August 31, 6:30-8:00 PM
NOTE: Registration location has been changed to the Aldersgate United Methodist Church.
All skaters are encouraged to attend Registration Night at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 from 6:30-8:00. Rental skates will be available for trying on, so be sure to bring the socks you plan to wear skating. Speedskins will also be distributed. Don't forget your checkbook! Contact Wayne Winslow or Julie Dukes if you can't make it.


Final 2005-2006 schedule and fees are now available
Click here to download a .pdf file detailing the schedule and the fees. There are several changes from last year, including: a new September session for skaters holding badges 5 and above; a Tuesday night skate during the regular season for advanced skaters only; and, of course, a new location!


Sell your old equipment! MSSC is now hosting an Equipment Exchange page.
Anyone (club members or not) can submit speedskating-related items for sale/give away. See the Equipment Exchange page for more details.


The preliminary ice practice schedule for the 2005-2006 season has been posted.
Check out the Practice Schedule page for details.


MSSC awarded 2006 U.S. Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships!

From the Midland Daily News, 5/4/05:
Organizers thrilled about speed skating competition coming to Midland
Only a few months after opening, the new Midland Civic Arena will feature one of the biggest events in speed skating. The Midland Speed Skating Club will host the U.S. Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships Nov. 5-6 at the arena on Bay City Road, which is scheduled to be completed in August. Among those expected to compete are Midland's Ryan Bedford, the defending U.S. Junior champion, and Midland's Barry Winslow, Eric Eckstein and Kelsey Schiel. "We were out at the U.S. Speedskating Convention in Pennsylvania last weekend. We put a bid in (for the Junior Championships), and they gave it to us, even though we didn't have a rink," laughed Beth Bedford, who will be the meet director for the Junior Championships." But we had the plans of the rink and an artistic drawing, and they knew we had helped put on meets in Bay City," added Bedford, who was the co-meet director of last year's Junior Championships in Bay City. The arena will have an Olympic-sized rink, a key factor in the bid being awarded to Midland. Bedford said the MSSC also put in bids for the America Cup in November 2006 and the North American Championships in March 2007. Those sites have not yet been decided." We're excited. It will probably be the first national competition at that rink. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come. Hopefully we will keep drawing more competitions every year," Bedford said. MSSC President Wayne Winslow is equally excited. "This is great news for the community of Midland," he said. "It's great to be able to bring this event here, especially in an Olympic year." The U.S. Olympic Trials for short track speed skating will be held in Marquette in December, prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics in February in Italy. Bedford expects between 80 and 95 skaters to come to Midland, along with more than 100 volunteers, 15 officials and 20 coaches, plus family members. "This is one of the only major competitions in the U.S. this year prior to the Olympic Trials," Bedford said. "So (the top skaters) will definitely be here, just to get one more race in prior to the Olympic Trials. "Now the work begins in earnest for the MSSC, Winslow said. "The Midland Speed Skating Club has got a lot of work ahead of them to be prepared to do this," he said. "We've got to get sponsors and get money coming in. We've got to be very successful at this meet in order to bring other big events to Midland." ©Midland Daily News 2005


From the Midland Daily News, 5/3/05:
Midland to host U.S. Junior Short Track Championships in November
U.S. Speedskating announced recently that the new Midland Civic Arena will be the site of the 2006 U.S. Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships, according to a press release issued by the Midland Speed Skating Club. The event will be held Nov. 5-6 of this year and will qualify skaters for the World Junior Championships to be held next January. The U.S. Junior Short Track Championships will be the first major event held at the new MCA and the first national-caliber speed skating event in Midland in more than 30 years. The event will attract the top junior speed skaters in the country, who will compete for six spots on the 2006 U.S. World Junior Team. The top three boys and top three girls at the U.S. Junior Championships will qualify for the World Junior Team and compete at the World Junior Championships at a site to be determined. Among the athletes expected to compete is Midland's Ryan Bedford, who will be attempting to defend his U.S. Junior Championship and earn his third straight berth on the U.S. World Junior Team. Also expected to compete are Midland's Barry Winslow, Eric Eckstein, and Kelsey Schiel. ©Midland Daily News 2005

Note: See the 2006 U.S. Junior Short Track Championships Web site for more information.

MSSC Club News from the 2004-2005 Season