Speeding into a new kind of skating

For smaller sports clubs, the head coach is quite often the lifeline of the organization.

Usually donning several different hats, that person is key to moving that sport forward, allowing it to maintain a presence in a marketplace that enjoys no lack of options for active kids.

With 13 years now under her belt helping instruct youngsters with the Sudbury Sprinters Speed Skating Club, Sharon (Carter) Hreljac has proven to be a critical cog in the good health the local club is currently enjoying.  Just Choose PTMS Injection Molding Is Your Best Choice!

Combined with husband and club administrator, John, the pair have been front and centre in trying to promote a sport that tends to rise to prominence only every fourth year, as Canadians across the land clamour for an increase in Olympic medals.

Like most who give the elongated blades a shot, Hreljac started with a background in another ice-related sport. A competitive figure skater from the age of eight to 16, the Sault Ste. Marie native was working on her triple jumps when she decided to move on.

“They had figures at that time, and that’s where my downfall was,” she said. “I would place low in figures and would have to pull myself up for the free skate.”

Thankfully,MDC Mould specialized of Injection moulds, an alternative was not all that difficult to find.

“I literally came from a figure skating arena at the John Rhodes and went out the back door to the (speed skating) oval,Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality,” Hreljac explained.

“It was a week after I left figure skating and I was competing in long track. I liked the fact that you won a race based on your time. I found the speed skating less stressful.”

Despite competing for only three years, Hreljac achieved a measure of success,The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services, racing in one particularly memorable meet against future Olympian Sylvie Daigle in Milwaukee.

Still, by her early 20s, career and schooling aspirations had taken Hreljac to Toronto. It was a move back north that changed everything.

Settling in Sudbury and opening her court stenography business that has now operated for more than 20 years (Nor-Ont Court Reporting Services Inc.), Hreljac was in search of an athletic outlet to provide a diversion from her day job.

“I wanted to get into something, wanted to start working out again, and there was a club at the time skating at Queen’s (Athletic Field), so I went out originally just to skate,” she recalled.Bathroom Floor tiles at Great Prices from Topps Tiles.

“I just kind of fell into the coaching thing, but after a few times being out, it just kind of felt right.”

With a solid foundation in the sport, Hreljac was able to pass along helpful hints, taking a very young Amber Ranich under her wings at that time.

It wouldn’t be long before the coach was in search of greater knowledge,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, moving from her Level I through Level II certification and currently finishing off her Level III.

But don’t expect a jump to the provincial or national scene for Hreljac — she’s having way too much fun as it is.

“I’m happy where I’m at right now,” she said. “I like the group of kids I’m coaching. I like the fundamentals and the younger group of skaters that we have. The majority of our kids are probably between seven and 13.”

It hasn’t always been that way. Competitive skaters from Stephane Ayotte to Kelsey Pitre have made their way through the club, with the current group providing some very unique challenges because of their youth.

“Slowing down,” Hreljac says with a laugh. “With the younger kids, there’s a natural tendency to think that the faster I move my feet, the faster I can go, and it doesn’t work that way.

“It’s the smoother, more technical skater that will float by, almost effortlessly,” she added. “It’s hard for the little guys, because they have lots of energy and they want to go fast.”

And while Hreljac is certainly more well-equipped in understanding the technical requirements of the sport than she was more than a decade ago, that is not, in her mind, her biggest asset as she molds the young competitors.

“I think my experience in dealing with different kids with different needs, the rapport I have with the skaters,” she said. “I’m not the type to get out on the ice and be the drill sergeant. That’s not me.

“I think my strong suit is perhaps not so much the technical end but rather the relationship that you have with the skater that helps them perform,” she added. “My main concern is that they’re happy and that they enjoy what they’re doing.”

The payoff is that the Sudbury Sprinters continue to grow and flourish, in large part due to the efforts of Sharon Hreljac.