The Santa Clarita Speed Skating Club wants to recognize Coach Richard Atkinson for his past and present contributions.
Short-track speed skating coach, Richard Atkinson.
For those just coming in, you might wonder: where is Coach Richard? Due to family obligations beyond anyone’s control, Coach Richard is taking care of matters larger than speed skating. He will evaluate his future role when it's appropriate.
It is my great pleasure to share my thoughts on a year of learning to speed skate with the Club and Coach Richard.
We want to give a warm welcome to SCSSC's new coach, Mark Jeter.
Mark's first day taking selfies with skaters, parents, and his new home rink.
Coach Mark has a great love and enthusiasm for speed skating and short-track, and is excited to help inspire young and old alike to share his passion for the sport in southern California.
Mark's Accomplishments in Speed Skating
USS Certified Coach.
Bronze and Silver medalist, 3000 meter relay in 1990 and 1991, US Olympic Sports Festival.
Member of Regional Development Long Track Training Team under Gerard Kemkers 1994-1995.
No Ice? No Problem!
Matching that level of accomplishement on ice might be enough for most of us, but not for Mark. He also participates in track and field. Coach Mark is fast—on and off the ice!
Full page feature in the Sports section of The Signal dedicated to SCSSC.
Santa Clarita Valley Signal, June 20, 2023
A big applause and much gratitude to the Santa Clarita Valley Signal for another superb cover story and photographs of Santa Clarita Speed Skating's Western States Regional Championships on June 17, 2023.
The Santa Clarita Speed Skating Club hosted the officially-sanctioned U.S. Speedskating event at The Cube Ice and Entertainment Center on a warm summer Saturday afternoon and evening in Valencia, California.
From the article
[Quoting SCSSC's president, Ron Halcrow]:
"Our 13-year-old, Alex Khuong, turned in a pretty fantastic time for a 13-year-old in his 500-meter race. I suspect if he sticks with the sport, he’ll make the world team."
Speeding on ice at the 2022 Western States Championships. (Photo credit: FJ)
Santa Clarita Valley Signal, June 30, 2022
A big thank you to the Santa Clarita Valley Signal for their excellent coverage and photographs of the Western States Regional Championships on June 26, 2022.
The Santa Clarita Speed Skating Club hosted the event at The Cube Ice and Entertainment Center, and attracted competitors from nothern and southern California, Arizona, and as far away as Colorado.
From the article
"The race featured four events, with nine groups each, and offered a variety of lengths, which altered strategy for each. The 1,000-meter races required pacing while the shorter 500- and 278-meter races were more like sprints. The competition also featured a 3,000-meter relay race."
"Skaters were divided up into groups based on skill level, weight and height, which made for some interesting matchups as they were generally not organized by age. One race featured a 71-year-old skater versus a 14-year-old skater of the same height and weight. The race was extremely close."
Short-track speed skating coach, Richard Atkinson.
