Learn to Skate

Annual Report 2022/2023

The Olympic Oval's Annual Report for the 2022-2023 Season.

35 Years of Excellence
Mark Messer

A Message from Mark Messer — Director of the Olympic Oval

The 2022/2023 season was our first complete post-pandemic season, and we delivered an exceptional year. We grew our community and international presence with multiple public events and back-to-back World Cups in December 2022. We had near-record public skating admissions, and our retail outlets produced record sales and doubled our season memberships. Operationally, we worked on further modifications for the building to continue ensuring the Oval’s longevity. Additionally, the former Organizing Committee Calgary donated $100,000 to our Athlete Bursary – the largest single donation in the bursary’s history, ensuring increased and much-appreciated funding for our program athletes.  

In 2023/2024, we will continue to build upon our post-pandemic success with increased community presence and engagement. We will continue building relationships locally and internationally to ensure the Oval remains a leading high-performance sport facility. We are expanding our tech innovations, providing our expertise and skillsets to other venues while expanding our competition capacity. Additionally, the Oval continues to significantly contribute to the overall success of the Faculty of Kinesiology and the University of Calgary.

Challenges remain, including securing sustainable funding that will take us past 2030, and coping with rising costs. We are actively working with the University of Calgary and others to ensure an influx of capital for the building. Furthermore, the Oval continues to develop Safe Sport and an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment.

I want to thank every Oval staff member for working under challenging conditions during this recovery year. It was difficult, but our staff worked exceptionally hard to bring the building back to pre-pandemic levels and service. Our success is because of our staff.

Additionally, I want to thank our partners for their continued support – these partnerships help drive the success of this building.

Finally, I want to thank Calgarians and the international community for their continued support, participation, and engagement with the Oval. Together we are making a difference in the community and high-performance sport.

Key Dates During the 2022/2023 Season

April 1, 2022

Ice-Out Season Begins
The ice-out season is a time for major non-ice events, maintenance and repair.

May 7, 2022

Driven Car Show
The Driven Aftermarket Car Show is a staple Oval event featuring over 450 cars.

Learn more

July 23, 2022

Ice-In
The first day of ice and the beginning of the 2022/2023 competition season.

Aug. 20, 2022

Mountain Classic - Short Track
Aug. 20-21, 2022
The Mountain Classic is the first short track competition on the Olympic Oval calendar. It is a two-day event where skaters put their summer training to the test. It is also the second of back-to-back summer competitions in Salt Lake City and Calgary. 

Aug. 26, 2022

Summer Classic - Long Track
Aug. 26-28, 2022
The Classic Series utilizes a point system to award the winners of each event and the top 3 overall from the best-combined results from the four events in the Classic Series. 

Aug. 31, 2022

Pride Skate
Aug. 31, 2022
The Pride Skate is an annual public skating event at the Olympic Oval celebrating our LGBTQ+/LGBTQ2S+ community during Pride week in Calgary. 

Sept. 4, 2022

Campus Skate
Sep. 4, 2022
The Campus Skate is an annual public skating event welcoming back UCalgary students.

Sept. 17, 2022

Single Distance Series #1 - Short Track
Sep. 17, 2022
The Short Track Single Distance Series’ primary racing development goal targets Junior 16-18 and Neo Senior skaters in the Short Track Elite Pathway. The secondary goal is to provide racing opportunities for developing Junior 14-15 skaters transitioning to the 111m track and Juniors striving to achieve Olympic Oval Elite Athlete Pathway time standards.

Sept. 27, 2022

Olympic Oval 35th Anniversary
Sep. 27, 2022
The Olympic Oval celebrated its 35th anniversary with a public skate, butlered luncheon, and special event with speeches from UCalgary President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ed McCauley and Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

Sept. 23, 2022

Fall Classic - Long Track
Sep. 23-25, 2022
The Classic Series utilizes a point system to award the winners of each event and the top 3 overall from the best-combined results from the four events in the Classic Series. 

Oct. 1, 2022

Skate-Tec Western Elite Circuit # 1 - Short Track
Oct. 1-2, 2022
The Skate-Tec Western Elite Circuit is a short track competition circuit focused on developing young speed skaters. It provides challenging opportunities for skaters to develop their tactical awareness and execution of learned skills. 

Oct. 21, 2022

Oktoberfest Classic - Long Track
Oct. 21-23, 2022
The Classic Series utilizes a point system to award the winners of each event and the top 3 overall from the best-combined results from the four events in the Classic Series. 

Oct. 26, 2022

Oval After Dark
Oct. 26, 2022
The Olympic Oval held its 2nd annual Oval After Dark — with a haunted house and late-night public skate in the dark. 

Nov. 12, 2022

14-15 Jr. Canadian Open - Short Track
Nov. 12-13, 2022
 

Nov. 12, 2022

16-18 Jr. Canadian Open - Short Track
Nov. 12-13, 2022
 

Nov. 18, 2022

Can-Am International - Long Track
Nov. 18-20, 2022
The CanAm International has been on the calendar for over 20 years. It dates back to the early 1990s. Competitors from Canada and the United States of America, plus athletes from around the World, compete in this event.

Nov. 27, 2022

United Way Skate
Nov. 27, 2022
Every year, the Olympic Oval hosts a United Way Skate as part of the University of Calgary's fundraising initiatives for the United way in Calgary. 

Dec. 3, 2022

Skate with Santa
Dec. 3, 2022
The Olympic Oval and UCalgary Alumni partnered for the Skate with Santa — an annual event inviting Alumni and the public for a skate with Santa, holiday games, activities, treats, music, and so much more.

Dec. 5, 2022

World Skating Day
Dec. 5, 2022
The Oval hosted its very first World Skating Day event — an international day dedicated to celebrating Ice Skating worldwide in the form of a global festival. Rinks from around the world joined in on the festivities. 

Dec. 9, 2022

World Cup #3 - Long Track
Dec. 9-10, 2022
The Olympic Oval welcomed the world's fastest long track speed skaters for two consecutive ISU World Cup Speed Skating competitions, from December 9-11 and December 16-18. 

Dec. 16, 2022

World Cup #4 - Long Track
Dec. 16-18, 2022
The Olympic Oval welcomed the world's fastest long track speed skaters for two consecutive ISU World Cup Speed Skating competitions, from December 9-11 and December 16-18. 

Jan. 7, 2023

Alberta Open - Long Track
Jan. 7-8, 2023
Hosted by the Calgary Speed Skating Association
 

Jan. 16, 2023

Blue Monday Skate
Jan. 16, 2022
The Oval hosted its 2nd annual Blue Monday Skate. Blue Monday is statistically the most depressing day of the year — except the Oval took everyone's blues away with an afternoon of recreational public skating and music provided by DJ Phenom.

Jan. 21, 2023

Masters International Sprint Games - Long Track
Jan. 21-22, 2023
The 14th Masters' International Sprint Games 2023 was held at the Oval. It's an opportunity for retired skaters to compete with other skaters in a full competition format.

Feb. 3, 2023

Winter Classic - Long Track
Feb. 3-5, 2023
The Classic Series utilizes a point system to award the winners of each event and the top 3 overall from the best-combined results from the four events in the Classic Series.

Feb. 11, 2023

Skate-Tec Western Elite Circuit #2 - Short Track
Feb. 11-12, 2023
The Skate-Tec Western Elite Circuit is a short track competition circuit focused on developing young speed skaters. It provides challenging opportunities for skaters to develop their tactical awareness and execution of learned skills. 

Feb. 20, 2022

Family Day Skate
Feb. 2, 2022
The Olympic Oval hosted its annual Family Day Skate, welcoming Albertans to the ice for recreational public skating on The Fastest Ice in the World™.

Feb. 25, 2023

RU Fast - Short Track
Feb. 25-26, 2023
Hosted by the Calgary Speed Skating Association

March 10, 2023

Grand Prix Canada Cup # 4 - Long Track
Mar. 10-12, 2023
The Grand Prix is a primer competition for the Oval Finale. It has grown in participant size over the years as many athletes arrive in Calgary well in advance of the Oval Finale to set themselves up for an excellent finish to their season. This year, Canada Cup 4 ran simultaneously for Canadian athletes looking to qualify for the National Team and NextGen Team.

March 16, 2022

Oval Finale / Canada Cup # 5 - Long Track
Mar. 16-19, 2023
The Oval Finale is the last competition of the season! It is a culmination of a season’s hard work where athletes put their training to the test as they chase goals, dreams, and personal bests. Canada Cup 5 runs simultaneously as athletes look to qualify for the National Team and NextGen Team. 

UToday Story

Read the UToday story by Scott Cruikshank covering the history and legacy of the Olympic Oval over the last 35 years. 

Read the story

Video Message from George Chahal

Member of Parliament George Chahal congratulates the Olympic Oval on its 35th Anniversary.

Watch the video

80's Skate

Fans of neon, big hair, skating and '80s pop joined the Oval on Sept. 27 as the Olympic Oval turned back the clocks to celebrate its first 35 years.

Read the story

Calgary's Olympic Legacy

35 years later, Calgary's Winter Olympics legacy lives on but starting to show its age. Calgary at crossroads when it comes to future of elite winter sports in city, Olympians say.

Read the story

Canada's Performance at the Back-to-Back World Cups

Canada performed exceptionally well, garnering ten medals over back-to-back World Cups in December, 2022. Over 3,000 spectators convened in Calgary to enjoy World Cups 3 and 4 on The Fastest Ice in the World™.

Dec. 9, 2022

SILVER
Team Pursuit Division A — 3:36.48
Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu, Connor Howe, Hayden Mayeur

Dec. 10, 2022

GOLD
500m Men Division A — 34.01
Laurent Dubreuil

Dec. 10, 2022

GOLD
Team Pursuit Women Division A — 2:54.49
Ivanie Blondin, Valerie Maltais, Isabelle Weidemann

Dec. 16, 2022

GOLD
5000m Women Division A — 6:54.81
Ivanie Blondin

Dec. 16, 2022

BRONZE
Team Sprint Men Division A — 1:19.40
Cristopher Fiola, Laurent Dubreuil, Antoine Gélinas-Beaulieu

Dec. 17, 2022

BRONZE
500m Men Division A — 34.10
Laurent Dubreuil

Dec. 17, 2022

SILVER
Team Sprint Women Division A — 1:25.73
Carolina Hiller, Brooklyn McDougall, Ivanie Blondin

Dec. 18, 2022

SILVER
Mass Start Final Women — 8:09.37
Ivanie Blondin

Dec. 18, 2022

SILVER
Mass Start Final Men — 7:33.40
Connor Howe

BRONZE
Mass Start Final Men — 7:33.54
Hayden Mayeur

What is an ISU Centre of Excellence?

An ISU CoE is an ISU-recognized skating entity that provides an overall environment of high-quality facilities, skating services, coaching and training activities, research and innovation, servicing high performance and long-term development of Skaters, Coaches, Officials, and experts while engaging with multiple ISU Members.

Pilot Phase

After a two-year pilot, the Olympic Oval received its designation. 

Watch more

Olympic Oval selected as a Centre of Excellence

The new designation brings new business, grows the sport for new athletes here and abroad.

Read more

Gregg Planert, International Sport Expert

Gregg Planert was designated as an international sport expert, further solidifying the Olympic Oval as an International Skating Union Centre of Excellence.

Read more

Centre of Excellence Stats

After one full year as an ISU Center of Excellence, the Olympic Oval increased its Elite Athlete Pathway enrollment by 18%.

Learn about each department in the Olympic Oval during the 2022/2023 season - Operations, Partner Development and Guest Relations, High-Performance Programs, Innovation, and Competitions and Sales.

Operations

Operations was able to work on several maintenance projects throughout the year including a significant compressor replacement project. 

Compressor Replacement Project

The Compressor Replacement Project was completed in 2022. A total of five reciprocating and two screw type compressors were completed. The total cost of the project was $950,000. Both types can have sophisticated controls allowing for remote operations and allowing for multiple compressors to work seamlessly together. 

North Patio Project

The north patio was replaced in 2022. The project took over six weeks to complete repairing the original patio installed back in 1987. The total cost of the project was $500,000.

Caretaking Equipment

A new scrubber and two sweepers were purchased for the caretaking team. A scrubber scrubs, washes and cleans floors while sweepers pick up large sections of flooring typically used in large hallways and event floors. 

Mechanical Updates

Every year, the Oval requires updates to the mechanical components of the plant with 2022/2023. This past year included updates to actuators which included modernization from pneumatic to digital controls. 

By the Numbers

A by-the-numbers look at the Partner Development & Guest Relations season. For the 2022/2023 season, it was the first complete season outside the pandemic with business as usual.

Communications

During the 2022/2023 season and including the 2022 Olympic news cycle, media outlets wrote over 61 articles about the Olympic Oval, speed skating, our athletes, recreational public skating, World Cups, and events held during the season. It was a fantastic year for news coverage. 

Events

Over 1,000 UCalgary students attended our 2nd annual Halloween event — Oval After Dark.

In December, the Oval partnered with UCalgary Alumni for Skate with Santa. Over 1,250 Calgarians attended this event. 

In February, the Oval hosted Family Day with over 500 guests in attendance.

Sponsorship

Servus Credit Union, Best Western Village Park Inn, Nick's Steakhouse and Pizza, Village Ice Cream and lululemon continued their partnerships with the Olympic Oval. All organizations have contributed considerably to the Oval, its services, and the athletes who train here. 

Guest Relations

Over 33,000 guests joined us for recreational public skating and running during the 2022/2023 season. 

Marketing Numbers

The Olympic Oval continues developing and improving its web and social media presence and YouTube streaming content. The 2022/2023 season increased viewership on all fronts. The Oval works alongside the Faculty of Kinesiology, Active Living, and the Outdoor Centre to enhance its social media content, subscriptions, and website engagement. 

  • 551,710 page views (an increase of 40% from 2022)
  • 134,387 new users
  • 55% of users are male and 45% female
  • 20% of visitors are between 25-34 years old
  • 67% view our website with their mobile devices
  • 29% view our website with their desktop
  • 88% of our users are located in Canada
  • The average website visit is just under two minutes
  • Sunday, March 5, 2023, was our most trafficked day, with 2,330 visits
  • Google search sits at 40% with referrals sitting at 30%
  • The most clicked section is recreational public skating at 15%
  • 2,527 followers (an increase of 377)
  • The most active time is 12 noon and 3:00 p.m.
  • The most liked post was WE ARE HIRING on August 8, 2022.
  • The top story was on August 23, 2022 >> Summer Classic
Follow us on Instagram
  • 3,031 followers
  • Top Tweet, March 1, 2023 — Special Olympics Announcement with 630 impressions
  • Most Engaged Tweet, March 31, 2023 — Carolina Hiller article with 468 impressions
Follow us on Twitter
  • 3,900 followers (150 increase)
  • The post with the most reach (6,842) — March 16, 2023 — Day 1 of Finale
Like us on Facebook
  • 3,350 subscribers (an increase of 430)
  • The most streamed video was Fall Classic Day 1, with 3,614 views and 18,207 impressions.
Watch us on YouTube
  • 61 online news articles about the Olympic Oval
  • Three Kinesiology news stories about the Olympic Oval
  • Six UToday stories

The record for recreational public skating admissions was during the 2010/2011 season with nearly 35,000 admissions. We came with a close 2nd this year with 32,050 admissions. 

The record for recreational public running admissions was during the 2017/2018 season with 868 admissions. The Oval still managed to sell a new record of 1,133 new admissions over the year. 

Over 924 athletes trained at the Olympic Oval including 223 from local track & field clubs. 

  • 272 Season skating passes sold (doubling our previous record)
  • 12,349 Skate Rentals

The Oval entered its first semi-post-pandemic event with the 2022 Driven Aftermarket car show. Over 4,000 people attended, checking out over 450 aftermarket cars and automotive displays. The Driven Car Show has been at the Olympic Oval since 2007.

Recreational Public Skating

The season saw an increase of 31% in recreational public skating admissions. Total skating admissions were 32,050. 

Recreational Public Running

The season saw an increase of 31% in recreational public running admissions. Total running admissions were 1,133.

Season Passes

The season saw a 100% increase in season passes doubling last year's sales. Total season passes were 274.

Skate Rentals

The season saw an increase of 70% in skate rentals. Total skate rentals were 10,226.

Elite Athlete Pathway

This season, the Oval's Elite Athlete Pathway featured 61 long track athletes and 29 short track athletes for a total of 90 athletes.

Elite Athlete Pathway

Elite Athlete Pathway Coaches

Our Elite Athlete Pathway coaches include; Short Track; Maggie Qi and Elizabeth Ward, Long Track Stage 2 Allround; Phil Riopel and Heather McLean (part time), Stage 2-3 Mid and Long Distance; Cristina Lazarescu, Stage 2-3 Sprint and Mid Distance; Kevin Crockett, Stage 3 Mid and Long Distance; Todd McClements, and Stage 3 Sprint and Mid Distance; Mike Ireland.

Oval Bursary

Since its inception in 2005, the Oval Athlete Bursary Fund has supported over 150 athletes with over $300,000 supporting their quest for excellence. The following Elite Oval Athlete Pathway skaters are the recipients of the 2022/2023 Olympic Oval Bursary; Carolina Hiller, Josh Hathaway, Marc-Andre Doyon, Alison Desmarais, Annabelle Green, Ben Ward, Matthew Medlicott, Anna Bourgeois and Andrea Scarpelli.

Learn more

Summer Camps

The Olympic Oval hosted two summer camps — the Masters Speed and Summer Speed during the summer of 2022. There were 24 Masters athletes and 52 Summer Speed athletes attending these camps.

These summer camps are an opportunity for kids and adults who want to experience high performance in a world-class facility to further their speed skating skills goals.

Learn more about Masters Speed 2023.

Learn more about Summer Speed 2023.

Elite Athlete Pathway

The Elite Athlete Pathway at the Olympic Oval has been operating since 1989. It was previously called the Oval Program, but the name evolved to fit the Pathway model. For the 2022/2023 season, the Elite Athlete Pathway had 90 full-time athletes, of which 29 were short track athletes, and 61 were long track athletes. Our athletes come from all across Canada to train at the Olympic Oval. In addition, we had eight international athletes from Norway, the Netherlands, China, USA, Chinese Taipei, Great Britain, Japan, and Russia.

Short Track Athletes 2022/2023

Andria Scarpelli, Annabelle Green, Aaralyn McGill, Sherise Gratton, David Seal, Benjamin Ward, Braeden Picek, Alex Giannotti, Cody James Miller, Erik Haaheim, Connor Waters, Owen Currie, Jenna Larter, Charlotte Sernoski, Sam Green, Darby Beeson, Mikka Eaves, Max Poulin, Ahmed Sbeiti, Barnett Liu, Ryan St. Rose, Matthias Daniels, Calla Haaheim, Prabhnoor Grewal, Luke Dizon, Elise Prpich, Ryan Bolton, and Jack Van den Berg.  

Long Track Athletes 2022/2023

Robyn Salie, Rachel Mallard, Camille Alford, Tatiana de Vlieg, Brielle Durham, Daria Vogt, Kendra Hawkins, Andre Erasmus, Matthew Medlicott, Ben Routledge, Brock Gilbert, Cameron Thomas, Sarah Murray, Brooke Braun, Isabelle Champagne, Nate Benn, Maya Lueders, Victoria Goplen, Kierstan Hagen, Claire Mallard, Alexa Annecca, Emma Langstrom, Rachel Freitag, Bon Lowe, Denis Belianin, Keagan Waddington, Jared Farquharson, Carolina Hiller, Hayleigh Bell, Caitlin Pelkey, Zoe Lueders, Molly Johnson, Kaeden Witkowski, Kieran Hanson, Sebastian Champagne, Nick Guliov, Logan Toblan, Kaleb Jacobsen, Ryan Kulbacki, Jack Deibert, Joshua Hathaway, Max Halyk, Joel Simpson, Eric Orlowsky, Daniel Pauli, Emil Hodzic-Santor, Matt Laxton, Anders Johnson, Paul Coderre, Josh Telizyn, Ryan Gibson, Marc-Andre Doyon, Hobbes Holzer, Mathias Bathe, Zach Lacroix, Yankun Zhao, and Chris Holmstead.    

Athlete Representatives

Victoria Goplen and Anders Johnson were the 2 athletes rep for their 2nd season. The purpose of the Olympic Oval athlete rep is to facilitate communication between the athletes and the leadership team of the Oval. They can raise some concerns and bring forward some ideas to help improve the overall experience from the athlete perspective in our facility.

Short Track Season Highlights

The short track season proved to be exceptional. Here are a few highlights:

Aaralyn McGill qualified for the 2023-2024 Next Gen Team and had placed 7th at the National Junior Championships

Max Poulin finished 5th at LT Junior Championships in overall standing, with a bronze medal in 1000m.

Darby Beeson finshed 2nd at LT Junior Championships in overall standing, with a Gold in 1500m and Silver in 3000m.

Max Poulin and Darby Beeson qualified and raced LT Junior World Cup and World Championships.

Max raced all distances including both Team events at the World Junior Championships: finished 13th in overall ranking; 6th in the Team Pursuit Event and 4th in the Team Sprint Event at the World Junior Championships; he skated with his teammates to National Junior Record in Team Sprint at both international events.

Darby raced all individual distances and finished 13th in overall ranking and 7th in the Team Pursuit Event at the Junior World Championships.

Oval ST Program had 2 skaters race in LT and 16 in ST, representing Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories and Ontario.

Medallists:

Aaralyn McGill: Silver 1500m; Bronze 3000m;

Max Poulin – Bronze 1000m; Silver 1500m;

Ontario Female Relay Team won Gold – Aaralyn McGill, Sherise Gratton, Andria Scarpelli

Alberta Men Relay Team won Bronze – Max Poulin, Cody Miller, Ryan St.Rose

Long Track Season Highlights

The long track season also provided exceptional results for long track athletes. Here are a few highlights:

 

Based on the performances achieved in the 2022-23 season, the following athletes were named to the NextGen Team:

Carolina Hiller, Anders Johnson, Yankun Zhao, Joshua Telizyn

Maya Lueders and Yankun Zhao qualified and raced LT Junior World Cup and World Championships

Yankun placed 4th in 1000m and 5th in 500m at the Junior World Cup; placed 8th in 500m and 6th in 1000m at World Junior Championships; and skated with his teammates to a 4th place and a National Junior Record in the Team Sprint Event at both international competitions

Carolina Hiller won Gold at Canadian Championships in 500m; Finished 15th in 500m World Cup Standings; Finished 12th in 500m at World Championships and was crowned World Champion in Team Sprint Event.

Max Halyk qualified and raced at Four Continents Championships in 5000m (11th place) and won a Silver medal in the Team Pursuit Event.

Joshua Telizyn qualified and raced at FISU Games in 1000m (8th place); 1500m (9th place); Bronze in the Team Pursuit Event;

Anders Johnson qualified and raced in 500m at World Cup #3 (11th Group B); #5 (7th Group B) and #6 (7th Group B); and won Gold in the Team Sprint event at World Cup #6.

Yankun Zhao won the National Junior Title in Overall Standing; with 1st place in 1000m and 2nd place in 500m and 1500m.

Maya Lueders placed 4th at National Junior Championships in overall standing, with silver in 500m, bronze in 1500m and 1000m.

Rachel Mallard won bronze in 3000m at the National Junior Championships.

Oval LT Program had 17 skaters representing the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan

Medalists:

Isabelle Champagne: Gold in 1500m and 3000m, Bronze in Mass Start and Team Pursuit for Team Alberta

Maya Lueders: Silver in 500m, Bronze in 1000m and Team Pursuit for Team Alberta

Yankun Zhao: Silver in 500m and 1000m, Bronze in Team Pursuit for Team Alberta

Bon Lowe: Silver in 5000m and in Team Pursuit for Team Saskatchewan

Rachel Mallard: Silver in 3000m

Robyn Salie: Silver in Team Pursuit for Team Manitoba

Daniel Pauli: Silver in Team Pursuit for Team Saskatchewan

Zoe Lueders, Tatiana DeVlieg and Andre Erasmus: Bronze in Team Pursuit for Team Alberta

Canada Cup #1

Joshua Telizyn – 1st in both 500m; 3rd in 1000m(1); 2nd in 1000m(2)
Max Halyk – 2nd in 1500m, 5000m and Mass Start
Mac-Andre Doyon – 3rd in 1500m
Eric Orlowsky – 1st in 5000m, 3rd in Mass Start
Claire Mallard – 3rd in 3000m and Mass Start

Canada Cup #2:

Anders Johnson – 1st in both 500m and 1000m(2), 3rd in 1000m(1);
Joshua Telizyn – 2nd in 500m(2)
Carolina Hiller – 2nd in 1000m

Canada Cup #3:

Joshua Telizyn – 1st in 1000m(1); 2nd in 500m and in 1000m(2)
Joel Simpson – 2nd in 5000m
Joshua Hathaway – 3rd in 5000m
Ryan Gibson – 3rd in 500m

Canada Cup #4:

Anders Johnson – 1st in 500m (1)
Marc-Andre Doyon – 2nd in 1500m and 1000m(2); 3rd in 1000m(1)
Yankin Zhao – 2nd in 1000m(1); 1st in 500m(2)
Claire Mallard – 3rd in Mass Start

Canada Cup #5:

Yankun Zhao – 3rd place in 500m(2)
Claire Mallard – 2nd Mass Start
Joshua Hathaway – 1st Mass Start

Canadian Ranking List (based on Canada Cup points)

Anders Johnson – 1st in 500m
Joshua Telizyn – 3rd in 500m
Claire Mallard – 2nd in Mass Start

Innovation

Several new advancements were implemented at the Oval including;

  • Competition, in-house and webcast enhancements
  • Tunnel event lighting
  • Competition communication software
  • Implemented training technology at the Montreal Short Track National Training Centre

Competitions

The Oval hosted 25 competitions during the 2022/2023 season. These competitions included six short track (two national, three international, and one regional), ten long track competitions (two World Cups, two Canada Cups and six international), the International Masters Sprint Games and seven time trials.

Skate Shop

The 2022/2023 season generated the highest-ever gross retail sales for the Skate Shop. 4,285 skates were sharpened and 12,349 pairs of skates were rented. 

Volunteers

Volunteers continue to be the heart of Oval competitions. Nearly 80 volunteers contributed 3,809 hours, commitment and energy to the season. 

Our volunteers are the heart of the Oval — without their support and volunteer hours, we would be unable to run competitions.

26 Competitions

The Oval hosted 26 competitions during the 2022/2023 season including back-to-back World Cups, a Master's International Sprint Games and 23 regional and National events.

ISU World Cups 3 and 4

The Olympic Oval was chosen as the host venue for ISU World Cups 3 and 4 on December 9-10, and 16-18, 2022.

The ISU Speed Skating World Cup is a series of international speed skating competitions organized annually by the International Skating Union. Skaters can earn points at each competition, and the skater who has the most points on a given distance at the end of the series is the winner. The World Cup circuit has become increasingly popular, and the creation of the World Single Distance Championships has helped solidify the World Cup as a major sporting event. The results of the separate distances in the World Cup ranking are the main qualifying method for the World Single Distance Championships.

Classic Series

The Olympic Oval Classic Series is designed to create fun and meaningful racing opportunities across multiple age categories throughout an entire competition season. The Classic Series utilizes a point system to award the winners of each event and the top 3 overall from the best-combined results from the four events in the Classic Series. A leaderboard of each category and distance will be updated throughout the season. All 4 of these events are listed on the ISU Calendar.

Skate-Tec Western Elite Circuit

The Skate-Tec Western Elite Circuit is a short track competition circuit focused on developing young speed skaters. It provides challenging opportunities for skaters to develop tactical awareness and execute learned skills. The circuit offers a fun racing atmosphere and is an introduction for most skaters to the high-performance competition stream.

Oval Finale Canada Cup 5

The Oval Finale is the last competition of the season. It is the culmination of the season where athletes put their training to the test as they compete for rankings and personal bests.

Canada Cup 5 runs simultaneously as athletes look to qualify for the National Team and NextGen Team. The combination of these events is a weekend full of outstanding speed skating.

The 2022/2023 Season

Skate Rentals

The Skate Shop rented 12, 349 pairs of skates.

Skate Sharpening

The Skate Shop sharpened 4,285 pairs of skates.

Shipping

The online Skate Shop shipped to 11 countries.

Athlete and Team Support

The Skate Shop provided Athlete and Team Support; equipment tech support of Olympic Oval Program Athletes and skate sharpening services for the Dinos Women's Hockey Team.

The 2022/2023 Season

Volunteer Hours

Olympic Oval volunteers catalogued 3809 hours or nearly 159 days.

Volunteer Numbers

In order to run 26 competitions, the Oval had 79 volunteers this season. 

100 Hours

11 Volunteers catalogued over 100 volunteer hours this season.

Top Volunteer

One very special volunteer contributed 182 hours to our competition season.

The 2022/2023 Season

The Dinos made headlines throughout the 2022/2023 season. Have a look below at some select stories.

Dinos Football

Dinos continue to shine on national stage
Calgary Dinos assistant coach Nathan Mollard was named the special teams coach of the West Team during May's annual East-West Bowl at Ron Joyce Stadium.

Learn more

Dinos Track & Field

Dinos close out 2023 season at nationals
The Calgary Dinos men's 4x400m relay just missed another medal and finished fourth in the nation to headline the final day of action at the 2023 U SPORTS Championships, hosted by Saskatchewan inside the Saskatoon Field House.

Learn more

Dinos Women's Volleyball

Olsen named to CW All-Rookie Team
Daisy Olsen of the University of Calgary Dinos women's volleyball team was named to the Canada West All-Rookie Team, back in February, 2023.

Learn more

Dinos Women's Hockey

Mercier named CW Rookie of the Year
Calgary's Sydney Mercier was named the Canada West Rookie of the Year back in March, 2023.

Learn more

Olympic Oval Staff List 2022/2023

  • Mark Messer, Director, Olympic Oval (Jan. 2023 —)
  • Peter McCrory, Director, Olympic Oval (— Jun. 2022)
  • Kerry Dankers, Business Operations Manager
  • Catriona Hill, Manager, Partner Development & Guest Relations (— May 2022)
  • Robert Porter, Manager, Partner Development & Guest Relations (Oct. 2022 —)
  • Sean Ireland, Manager, Innovation, Comp & Sales
  • Jonathan Guilmette, Manager, High-Performance Sport
  • Luke Janetzki, Manager Operations (Feb. 2023 —)
  • Mark Messer, Interim Director, Olympic Oval (Jun. 2022 - Dec. 2023)
  • Luke Janetzki, Interim Manager Operations (Jun. 2022 - Feb. 2023)
  • Robert Porter, Interim Manager, Partner Development & Guest Relations (May 2022 - Sep. 2022)

Contact Us

We want to hear from you!

Mailing Address

Olympic Oval
University of Calgary
2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB
T2N 1N4

Courier Address
288 Collegiate Blvd. NW

Telephone and Email

Main: (403) 220-7954
Email: oval@ucalgary.ca

Skate Shop: (403) 220-7917
Email: ovalshop@ucalgary.ca

Email us

Social Media

Facebook @theolympicoval
Instagram @theolympicoval
Twitter @theolympicoval
YouTube.com/theolympicoval

Are you Alumni?

For the last 35 years, the Oval has been home to many of Canada's elite skating athletes. All of them we are proud to call a part of our Oval Family! We are compiling a database of Olympic Oval Alumni. If you are interested in being added to this database please fill in this form.

Submit

The 2022-2023 season was another excellent season for our athletes, staff, volunteers and guests. Competitions, events, recreational public skating, running and day-to-day operations returned for the first complete season post-pandemic. We are very excited for 2023/2024 and can't wait to see it unfold.

Mark Messer

Director, Olympic Oval