Track planned for skaters

Hamilton Roller Skating Club president Kathy Moody hopes to attract national competitions to the city if they gain approval for a 200m bank track.

Hamilton speed skaters have high hopes to roll out a new 200m bank track, to bid their car park training sessions goodbye.

While the track is still in the early stages of planning, and is yet to gain council consent, Hamilton Roller Skating Club president Kathy Moody says it would make a big difference to the skaters, who currently train in car parks throughout the city.

"For us it would be ideal because you can do all your road training on it, other than using car parks which can be quite dangerous, because speed skaters get up to huge speeds on the skates and, of course, they have no way of stopping if a car pulls out in front of them.

"They do it at a time when shops are shut but even so it only takes one car to come into a car park and skaters not see it. We use the car parks because we've got nothing else to use. The next step is for the club to build a track that is multipurpose, it can be used for the Bank Track Nationals and for training as well."

The Hamilton Roller Skating Club has an indoor rink in Melville Park, and has recently competed in the New Zealand National Speed Skating Championships achieving personal best times and raking in a swag of medals.

The club will raise funds for the proposed 200m bank track, and will mean Hamilton can host the Speed Skating Nationals. The country's only other 200m bank track is in Timaru.

A bank track is a track designed with banked or raised, sloped turns and affects the speed of the skaters.

Moody hopes if the plan goes ahead the track will be built next to the current indoor rink, which is used for speed skating and figure skating, inline hockey and public skating sessions.

"We're on council land so we have to see if the council would be in agreement to allow us to do it," she said.

"I would hope it would be achievable."

The nationals were in Auckland at the ASB Stadium and Mt Wellington go kart track from December 30-January 5. Club coach Eileen Hughes was thrilled with the team's achievements.

Nine skaters from the club qualified, with Scott Moody taking five gold and three silver medals in masters grade races.

Marcus Fellowes was third in the masters time trial and Mark Brill won all eight races in the masters B grade, qualifying to skate up next year in the masters A grade.

The three skaters teamed up to take out silver in the senior men's relay.

Helen Hughes, also in the masters B grade, scored eight silver medals.

Junior Josh Hughes made all the finals and was fourth in most of his races while Campbell McRobbie took eight silvers in the juvenile grade.

The pair was third in the junior relay.

Jackson Fellowes raced primary boys for six bronze medals. Deacon Brill and Lacey Fellowes, also in the primary grade and in their first year of competitive skating, achieved personal best times. Lacey, 6, was awarded the Whittle cup for the youngest competitor at the nationals.