Madison Speedskating Club is the March Feature Club

March’s Feature Club of the Month is the Madison Speedskating Club, which is located in Madison, Wisconsin. The club was founded way back in 1936, making it one of the oldest speed skating clubs in the country!

Wisconsin has long been a hotspot for developing speed skaters. With a combination of Wisconsin natives and those who have moved to Wisconsin from across the United States to train, the state has had at least one skater on each U.S. Olympic Speed Skating team, since 1932! When a club has been around for that long, one can only imagine the history that makes up the Madison Club. Olympians such as Eric Heiden, Sugar Todd, and Casey FitzRandolph have been a part of the Madison Speedskating Club community and have added their names to Wisconsin’s history. 

One of Madison's more recent accomplishments is their Monthly Meet Series. This series is held within normal practice hours. This racing series was created prior to COVID-19 and was designed to emulate the AmCup racing series. Over the course of the year, the meet series has evolved into a cherished tradition that every athlete looks forward to. “We are also using Photo Finish Software to provide better accuracy to finish times,” said Daniel Greene, who is a Volunteer Coach for Madison. At the end of the racing series, there will be six overall Madison Speedskating Club Meet Series point winners, who will be announced in the beginning of March. With this series, skaters can track their progress in a year with little competition. 

Tracking progression is even more essential for young skaters. This past year Madison have added “16 new skaters that want to compete next year for a total of 30 competitive skaters - in 2019 we had 15 total!” A lot of those new skaters are Junior E, D, and C who have already made large strides in the six months that they have been on ice. Additionally, Madison is growing their Masters Team who have transitioned from other sports like inlining, flat track derby, hockey, long distance running, and figure skating. The club also has a lot of skaters making their way through the AM-Cup Series with the goal of competing at US Championships. 

As the Madison Speedskating Club continues to grow, we can not wait to meet the next generation of Olympians!

To learn more about the Madison Speedskating Club, click here!