B.C. city looks to cement status as speed skating powerhouse with new college program

Fort St. John is known for exporting power, grain and — in the right circles — speed skaters.

The northeast B.C. city of just over 21,000 people calls itself "The Energetic City," not only because of its resource base of oil and natural gas but also because it prides itself on its youth, boasting its residents are on average nine months younger than the average in B.C.

Those youth are catered to at the Pomeroy Sports Centre, a facility that hosts two NHL-sized ice rinks and, on its second floor, one of only three Olympic-sized indoor speed skating ovals in Canada, and just a handful in North America.

And it's here that the city plans to host what is believed to be the first college speed skating program in the country, building on the community's long legacy of punching above its weight when it comes to the winter sport.

"We're absolutely excited," said Jessie Drew, vice-president of community relations at Northern Lights College (NLC), which is spearheading the program. "We are looking for students from across Canada and the world who want to come and study with us."

In partnership with the city, the program will allow students to take trades or university classes while also training as part of the NLC speed skating team.

They will receive access to coaches, physiotherapists and up to five ice sessions every week, in addition to their regular studies, with the goal of moving on to higher-level skate programs — offered in Quebec City and Calgary, which host the other two Olympic-sized indoor ice ovals in Canada.

The oval in Richmond, B.C., used in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, has been converted to other uses.

The idea of producing top speed skaters is not a new one for Fort St. John: local Denny Morrison