From the Wednesday, February 22, 2006 edition of the StarTribune West:

Speedskating returns to Plymouth after long hiatus

The lead coach has restarted a west-metro speedskating program after a decade-long break. Regular practice times and low dues are helping the club find a following again.

by Brian Stensaas, Star Tribune

Among the countless pamphlets and posters on the walls of Plymouth Ice Center is one decked in red, white and blue reading:

"TRY SPEEDSKATING"

Clearly, many have. And they continue to do so.

Each Sunday night, the Plymouth Wayzata Speedskating Club meets for 90 minutes. Members ranging in age from 4 to 70 work on techniques first on dry land then take to the ice.

Lead coach Greg Oly, a seven-time national long-track champion, restarted the program last year after a decade-long hiatus.

"We wanted to bring it back locally," Oly said. "Most of our members [from the 1990s] went over to St. Paul," and joined speedskating clubs there.

"We're trying to gain support here again."

Oly said in total the Plymouth club has about 50 members, though some are seasonal and do not skate year-round.

At practice last week, participants were mainly grade-school-aged, which Oly said was a good thing.

"Especially if the kids are started young, this is something the whole family can participate in at one place," he said. "There aren't any long drives to different practices or games."

The biggest positive development since restarting the program has been the luxury of having regular ice time. Last year, practices were at different times from week to week. That hurt membership commitments, Oly said. This year they've locked up the Sunday night practice time.

The club stays afloat thanks to membership dues. A yearly fee of $25 gets you into the program, then it's $130 per person per season for ice rental -- or a family cap of $300.

"We really try to keep the cost down," Oly said. "We want as many members as possible."

Thanks to a $4,500 interest-free loan from a private company, the club was able to purchase new padding for the Plymouth Ice Center's boards. Oly said the club plans to ask more organizations for donations so it can grow.

Already there are signs of maturing. The club is set to host its first short-track meet March 11.

"For a lot of kids, it will be their first race, so that will be exciting," Oly said. "And I'm a meet manager for the first time -- so I'll be a little nervous, too."

As usual, being an Olympic year, interest in speedskating is high. And the Plymouth Wayzata Speedskating Club has a little promotion on its hands as well.

Joey Cheek, gold medalist in the 500 meters and silver medalist in the 1,000 at this year's Olympics in Turin, Italy, got his start in speedskating -- albeit brief -- with the Plymouth speed-skating club in 1995.

Cheek, who is from North Carolina, was visiting family here for a week around Thanksgiving. He had been an in-line skater up to that time, but when he got a taste of speedskating in Plymouth, he wanted more. He went on to train in Milwaukee and by 2002, he was good enough to win the bronze medal in the 1,000 meters at Salt Lake City.

"He loved it right away," Oly said. "You could tell he was very motivated and very serious."