When speed skater Eric Orlowski made the choice to leave Prince George and join the Olympic Oval program in Calgary he knew he'd surrounded by some of the best long-bladers in the world.
Calgary and its 400-metre indoor track regularly hosts World Cup speed skating events and is home to the national team in long track, which is right up Orlowski's alley.
The 17-year-old gained his love of the sport skating laps at the outdoor oval at Exhibition Park with the Prince George Blizzard Sped Skating Club and the move to Calgary meant he would be training on what is recognized as the best ice in the world. No worries about it melting away on a warm day.
Consistent ice, better coaching and the advice of an Olympic champion helped Orlowski on his way to a breakthrough season as the B.C. Speed Skating Association's long track skater of the year.
"It's been an amazing experience, I have some of the best coaches ever and an amazing facility and my parents are super-supportive - my mom (UNBC ecology professor Kathy Lewis) even coming out and taking a year's sabbatical to take care on me," said Orlowski.
"The coaches are hired by the Olympic Oval (club) and they're trained to be some of the best coaches you can get, to further young athletes who want to take the next step in their speed skating career to the national team."
Orlowski had the chance to train with the senior national team and the likes of Ted-Jan Bloeman, a Dutch-born skater who moved to Canada in 2014. Bloeman went to the Olympics in Pyeongchang in February and won gold in the 10,000 metre event and silver in the 5,000m ending an 86-year medal drought for Canada in those events.
"They train with us, they do the same programs with us, and they help us out of we need it," said Orlowski.
Orlowski joined the Blizzard club when he was eight and did mostly short track racing early in his career. For the past two seasons he's shifted his attention exclusively to long track.
"I really like how you can focus on yourself and it's all about you and your times, not so much about getting stuck behind someone," he said. "You get to focus on what you're doing and get to fix how you're skating.
"It was pretty tough (to move from Prince George) but I was pretty much looking forward to it. I was really excited to try something new out. I really like the community. All the skaters are really nice people and so are the parents. It's an awesome sport just to stay healthy."
At the junior team trials last season Orlowski ranked 16th in Canada among long trackers,competing against mostly older skaters in the under-19 division. He will skate as a 17-year-old next season and the 2019 Canada Games in Red Deer will be his major focus.
"I'm pretty confident, so far it's looking pretty good for a spot," he said.
Orlowski will return to Prince George once he writes his Grade 11 exams and plans to do a lot of bike riding and aerobic work for the next few weeks to build his endurance and strength before he heads back to Calgary to rejoin the Olympic Oval program later in the summer. The 31-year-old facility, used for the 1988 Olympics, had to replace its ice plant this spring and Orlowski said the ice will be back in use by August.
Blizzard alumni Carolina Hiller, 21, is on the NextGen national team based in Calgary. Blizzard short trackers Keenan St. Rose, 16, and Craig Miller, 17, are also moving to the Olympic Oval program.
Adam Ingle, a former head coach of the Blizzard club, now lives in Surrey and as head coach of the Vancouver Speed Skating Club he won the Viasport B.C. coach of the year award in the regional/provincial development category.
