Most Memorable Moments

 To submit your memory go to the Mmmm submissions page.

2012

"The staff (Leah,Sarah,Stefanie & Tracy) are excellent! They always: greet you with a smile, are always courteous, are very helpful!" -Walter Keifer, Calgary (March 2012)

"Skating a Personal Best in every distance during Oval Finale, 2012." -Claudia Jiff, Appelscha, the Netherlands (March 2012)

"My Personal Best at the 500M during the Oval Finale, 2012. It was the highlight of my fantastic week." -Rob Van Grinsven, Ruinen, Holland (March 2012)

"What a wonderful experience for Bugs, Vern and myself, seeing Rick Hansen, the Man in Motion, on his 25th Aniversary. We were invited by the U of C Rehab Program. What an inspiration!" -Bev Garrow, Calgary (February 2012)

"Sharing special time with my family." -Sotia, Calgary (Family Day Skate, February 2012)

"Face painting and the bouncy castle during Family Day." -Ella-Rose, Calgary (February 2012)

"Skating with my mom and sister." -Christian, Calgary (Family Day Skate, February 2012)

"Watching the girls race and seeing Jong Yu set a new world record in the 500 m. The entire experience was incredible and seeing Christine Nesbitt come so close to winning it was an added bonus." - Mojra Vaughan, spectator (January 2012)

"Watching the World Sprints 2012 including the 1:12 of Chrstine Nesbitt  and the 36,94 of Jing Yu." - Edwin Visser, spectator, Loosduinen, The Netherlands (January 2012)

2011

"My Most Memorable Moment has nothing to do with speed skating. In October 2011 my daughter Laura won a medal at the PanAm Games. When I arrived at the Oval the next day, John Little had put a podium picture of her on the jumbotron, with a congratulations. It made me cry that he had been so thoughtful." -Dawn Brown, Oval Staff (October 2011)

"Well, I had wanted to learn to skate for awhile so I could eventually play hockey. So I signed up for the adult learn to skate at the Oval. Stepping onto the ice for the first time seemed daunting - I didn't want to leave the boards. Then class started and the teacher called us into the middle of the ice for warm up. The middle of the ice! Oh no! How was I gonna stop when I got there! Luckily I glided to a stop semi-close to where I should be. Class went wonderfully, by the end I was skating and stopping easily. I had no idea how much fun it would be! That first class is one of my most memorable moments. It spawned a love of skating that I'll keep forever. Thanks Oval!" -Michael van Doorn, 29, Calgary (September 2011)

"The day I had my interview at the Oval." - David Vink, Olympic Oval Staff (July 2011)

"Participating in Between Friends Club's, Friends in Motion (formerly Skate, Walk or Wheel-a-kid-to-Camp) fundraiser to send children and adults with disabilities to summer camp! Can't wait to do it again on February 25, 2012!" - Carly, Calgary (March 2011)

"Skating my first 36 second 500m ever at the Intact Canada Cup Finale in 2011. It was a great race against a friend of mine which helped push me to the milestone." - Adam Ashdown, 22, Oval Program Skater (March 2011)

"I met my best friend, John, at the Oval." -Cory Davidson, Calgary (2011)

2010

"I have been a longtime user with my rec hockey team, since the 88/89 season. I also use the indoor track for running during the bitter winters, and attend numerous events. Although not a hmmmmm, but I always get a really good feeling to see the World and Olympic records held and still being created at this venue. I was an Olympic volunteer in both 1988 (cross country skiing) and 2010 (Richmond Oval) so have a cross over memory I will hang onto for some time. This has to do more with the capability of our Oval staff as much as the facility itself. It has to do with the morning the Calgary Zamboni fired up, and rumbled onto the Richmond Oval. I say rumbled as the difference between it and the resident machines was so obvious the crowd of volunteers, coaches, and athletes there at the time all stopped and watched it pull out onto the ice. It had arrived to save the day and that did not go un-noticed. The continuation of the memory was that I got to see it every Sunday through the winter before our Sunday night game as it stayed dressed in the 2010 colours after it got home. I certainly passed this story on to many. This may not be the type of Mmmm you are looking for but it is a memory I will not forget...." -Ron Legere, Calgary (Winter 2010)

"When the 2010 Olympic Flame arrived en route to Vancouver.  I skipped out of work with my brother to watch Susan Auch take a lap with the torch then pass it to a youth skater. Afterwards I got to see the unveiling of the new racing skins for the Canadian speedskating team. As a former University of Calgary student I have dozens of memories of the Oval but that was my most memorable." - Craig Drebit, 31 (2010)

"Matt loved skating but lost interest at age 5 in organized hockey (too much equipment). Speed skating returned Matt’s desire to be on ice and he happily refers to himself as a speed skater. What a great pursuit for kids. Thank you Olympic oval!" -Lynne Searles, mom (2010)

"I met my girlfriend of over a year ago here, when she was a member of the U of C Dinos Girls Hockey team." -John Berezuk (October 2010)

"My most memorable moment was watching my son Dustin at World Cup #3 and #4 in China and then travelling to Shanghai in December 2010 to watch him represent his country. A life long dream with pride and joy...his mom." -Diane Miller, Dustin Miller's Mom (September 2010)

2009

"Santa at the Oval." - Aletta de Rooij, Head Coach Calgary Speed Skatng Club (December 2009)

 2008

"Experiencing the Fastest Ice in the World in my first indoor LT race, and cutting down a significant amount of seconds in all distances. I was a happy kid :)!" -Alexandra Ianculescu, 20, Oval Program Speed Skater (2008)

2005

"Although this event was not a sporting event my most memorable event(s) were Harold Henniger's Antique Car Auctions. To see this huge venue filled with history and car enthusiasts gave the venue a different feel." - Chuck Young, 57, Calgary (2005)

2000

 "My first skate with my husband on our first date 12 years ago." -Helen Louie, Calgary (2000)

1998

"When I watched Shimizu set a world record in the 500. The whole place was on its feet in the first 100 and cheered him the whole way."- Mitch, 50, Calgary (1998)

"Jeremy Kozubak and I met in the 'back stretch' of the Oval in September 1998. We look like children in this picture. I was just turning 19, and Jer 21. Ha!." -Brigitta Botyanski, Hungarian Short Track National Team Athlete & Oval Program Short Track Athlete Alumni and Jeremy Kozubak, Oval Program Short Track Athlete Alumni & SSC Massage Therapist (Follow up to this Oval Mmmm . . . Jeremy and Brigitta are now married and have two beautiful children of their own.) (1998)

"The first day I worked at the Oval, Sept 1, 1998. It was the biggest step on my journey as a professional coach." -Debby Fisher, Calgary (Sept 1998)

"Watching and timing Gianne Romme demolish the 10,000m World Record in 1998. I thought the roof was going to come off! The crowd was so excited. He dropped his time with every lap and I have never seen that since." -Gladys Serafino (1998)

"Meeting my wife Krisy Myers at the Oval." - Terry Masikewich, Oval Staff (January 1998)

1996

"My very first time skating on the Olympic Oval!" - Justin Warsylewicz, Long Track Athlete & 2006 Winter Olympics Team Pursuit, Canadian Silver Medalist (January 1996)

1993

"I can think of two possibilities:

Back when I first took up speed skating, which was after the 88 Olympics, they used to have this race called the Stride and Glide. It was a 10 km run followed by a 10 km skate. At the time I was an okay runner but one of the few in the race that was somewhat proficient in both disciplines so I ended up in about 5th or 6th place. It's the only time I've ever finished in the top 10 of an aerobic event and it was a lot of fun so they should bring it back!

One of my most vivid memories was from the Oval Finale in (I believe) '93. I had just set a PB in the 500m that put me about 1 1/2 seconds off the World record (which was a lot but at the time I was pleased with my progress). A few hours later Dan Jansen knocked almost half a second off the World record and put me further away than when the day began. I happened upon Dan cooling down on a stationary bike a short time later so I gave him my perspective. He smiled and apologized - it was funny. I got the feeling he never thought of himself as being better or more important than anyone else. That was the only time I ever spoke to him but he left an impression on me." (1993)

- Duff Gibson, Husband, Dad, Coach, Fire Fighter, World & Olympic Skeleton Champion and Olympic Oval Program Alumni (1989-1994). (Gibson's family has been active in national and international competition for much of Gibson's life: his father was a Canadian lightweight judo champion and his uncle represented Canada in rowing at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. As a youth Gibson pursued several activities, playing hockey, wrestling, and ultimately taking up rowing at the University of Western Ontario before pursuing speed skating at the Olympic Oval while attending the U of C. After brief stints with both bobsled and luge racing, Gibson began elite skeleton racing at age 33. In 2006 Duff became the oldest individual gold medalist in the history of the Winter Games when he won Canada's first ever Gold medal in the sport of skeleton. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/duff-gibson)

1992

"Arriving at the Oval to start the short track program in Sept 1992. Meeting our full time coach and seeing all the ice we had access to, locker room, bikes etc. Was such an incredible feeling. - Shawn Holman, 38, Associate Director of High Performance Sport (August 1992)

1988

"During the 1988 Olympics, I was standing on the landing of the North bleachers and was asked to return to my seat by security. I idolized Gaetan Boucher and refused to move until after his race." - Al McIlveen, 35, Oval Program Short Track Coach (February 1988)

"Watching Gaetan Boucher skate in 1988. I was in elementary school at the time." -Paul Rickard, Calgary (1988)

"At the 1988 Olympics my future husband and I watched as one Olympic record fell after another. We became fans for life, but wouldn't watch live speed skating again for many years, when our son started skating in 2002 and then our daughter in 2004. Now we have many memorable moments at the Oval!." -Gail McLeod, 52, Oval volunteer (1988)

"My most memorable moment at the Olympic Oval is: during the 1988 Olympics I met a lot of athletes, coaches, and officials from other countries. Between competitions I volunteered to take some officials for a sight-seeing trip in Nakiska and Canmore - a starter from West Germany, a starter from East Germany, and a referee from Norway. It was a great day and they enjoyed the trip. I am still in contact with most of them. I am an On-Ice Official and still volunteer with the Organizing Committee Calgary." -Werner Meyer, Organizing Committee Calgary volunteer (1988)

1987

"Mine would be the second day on indoor ice in August of 1987, when I skated my first lap ever under 30 seconds, albeit at the very back of a large group. Haven't gone that fast since. That's when I knew I'd be better off coaching!" - Arno Hoogveld, Oval Program Coach Long Track (August 1987)

Other Stories

"I was asked to place judge and my first race I called was between Bonnie Blair and Susan Auch and it ended up being a dead heat - so much stress! Like my timing job much better." -Jo Ann Stimpson, 65, Calgary

To submit your memory go to the Mmmm submissions page.