Long and short of an Oly quest

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This article was published 24/06/2010 (5888 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In an odd twist of fate, a concussion suffered at the Olympic short-track speedskating trials last year may have provided Tyler Derraugh with the opportunity to compete in Russia’s 2014 Winter Games in long-track.

"I found out I had made the long track development team about a month ago," said the 23-year-old University of Calgary student, who is back home in Winnipeg for the off-season.

Normally, a short-track specialist, Derraugh explained the chain of events that led him to this point in his career on the long blades.

"I was at the Olympic (short-track) trials in August, and in the 500-metre final I got taken out by a skater who fell in front of me. I went head first into the mat and got a concussion. I had tried for four years to make the team and that was my only shot at making the Olympics."

Having to sit back and watch the competition at the Vancouver oval was a frustrating thing, said Derraugh.

"I knew that if I wanted to go to the 2014 Russian Olympics I would have to switch to long-track, and I did that in September, for the trials Dec. 27-Jan. 3."

Even though as a youngster with River Heights Speed Skating Club he started with long-track at the Susan Auch Oval, Derraugh had no idea how he would adapt in such a short time.

"I had skated long-track for six years previous in Winnipeg," he said. I had to qualify and skate times fast enough that they would consider me. The top 16 skaters had already been selected the previous year, so I had to go in and prove myself.

"I didn’t beat enough of them to make the Olympic team. I missed it by about four spots, but I did make the world championships."

At the world championships, Jan. 16-18 in Obihiro, Japan, Derraugh was the top Canadian overall. "My best individual placing was 13th out of 1,000."

A combination of his basic long-track skills, learned early in his career, and the short-track corners, proved to work to his advantage.

"When I became a sprinter in long-track, being used to the tight corners in short track made the corners not seem as fast, and I could handle them better."

Admitting he still has plenty of work to do to crack the 2014 Olympic lineup, Derraugh is optimistic. "I know I can progress in long-track, so I believe the 2014 Olympics are definitely a possibility."

While in Winnipeg, much of his dryland training is done at the Rady Centre at the Asper Centre, and with the Double Dragon Kick Boxing Academy.

"There’s no ice here or Calgary, so I am working out at the Rady doing all my weight programs, and I’ve taken up kick boxing.

"I was more focused on distance as a short-track skater, and one thing I didn’t have was the quick reactions," he said, explaining the connection to kick boxing. "In long-track I can get a really fast time going, but I have never focused on quick sprinting (100 metres) and kick boxing helps with that." Also on his training regime is running and in-line speedskating. "I actually starting my first group session at Grant Park High School Wednesday."

In spite of the fact Canada has two Olympic indoor ovals (Calgary and Vancouver), Derraugh says there is no ice to provide summer training. "In Calgary their money is tied up, and with ice costing $250,000 a month, they (University of Calgary) decided not to have it.

"The Vancouver oval is no more. It’s now a community centre. They have hockey rinks, tennis, badminton courts etc., but that was always the intent."

Calgary will have ice by the end of July, said Derraugh, which means he’ll head back to the foothills just before the start of August to continue his quest for the 2014 Olympics.

allan.besson@freepress.mb.ca