Roller Skating: Speed skaters bring home medals

Hamilton's new speed skating track will host its first ever national championship in February. Photo / Supplied

The NZ Banked Track Nationals are coming to Hamilton for the first time after completion of the Hamilton Speed Skaters' track on Melville Park.

The track, which was completed in May 2016, will host the national tournament on February 10 and 11.

Kathy Moody, President of the Hamilton Roller Skating Club said it is a big deal for Hamilton that the event will be held here.

"It is the first time ever for Hamilton and there will be skaters from Auckland down to Timaru," Ms Moody said.

"I thought it might be a bit quiet because we've just had the national indoor one, but apparently loads of people are coming."

Her thoughts are shared by one of the club's top skaters Kierryn Hughes who said he did not think it would ever happen.

"To get nationals somewhere else other than the South Island I did not think would happen after all the other tracks became run down," Mr Hughes said.

"We are now lucky enough to have one up here."

Hosting the National Banked Track Nationals is not the only success for the club this year as the Speed Skaters have just returned from the Indoor Flat Track Championships.

Held in Timaru on the first week of January, the team took third place overall behind the Timaru and Wanganui clubs.

Coaches Eileen Hughes and John Nation were thrilled with their team's performance and have put a lot of the success down to having the new track facility to train on.

Top of their skaters in performance was Scott Moody who took all four indoor gold medals, three silver medals and bronze on the road, in the Masters division.

Marcus Fellowes won the bronzes in the 1000m indoor and time trial while Paul Cleave took silver in the 500m road and time trial races.

Another star performance came from Zoe Duggan in her first Nationals wining gold in the 200m and 400m Indoor and placing in all eight of her races, winning six silver and two bronze medals in the other races.

Miley Jay Hill also in the primary division had success, taking two silver medals and five bronze.

Other notables were Jackson Fellowes winning four bronze and one silver medal.

Jake Duggan also won four bronze and one silver. Both boys competed in the Juvenile Boys section, splitting the minor medals between them.

Duggan, 11 also skated in the Junior half marathon finishing seventh in the leading group.

Fran Duggan, competing in her first nationals as a speed skater, won two silver medals in the Ladies Masters grade.

Fran previously as a teenager was a national figure skating champion and decided to take up skating again to help keep fit and spend time with her three children, who all compete.

The club is now looking for more members to have a go at roller skating at its public sessions on weekends.