The Regina Speedskating Club has concerns over the condition of its speedskating oval in Mount Pleasant Park.
The club has been practicing on the outdoor oval for the over 20 years, but the quality of the oval is deteriorating.
“It’s just the quality of ice. We really need a base underneath the ice so we don’t have so many cracks and the ground moving underneath it and we need a (ice resurfacing machine) in order to smooth it out,” Regina Speedskating Club head coach Brad Hudey.
He said there isn’t a risk to the younger skaters, but it can be dangerous for the older skaters.
“You get a 16, 17, 18-year-old male out there, they’re going to break through,” Hudey said. “And if they catch their foot in a rut, it could be a career-ending injury.”
An evaluation of the oval in the city’s recreation master plan said not changes will be made to improve the speedskating facility.
“What we want to do is bring attention to the fact that status quo for our skaters and for the development of the sport would not be sufficient for the city long-term,” speedskating club manager Suzanne Gorman said.
The speedskating club said in the long term it would like to be in a more central location to encourage the use of the oval. In the short term, it would like to partner with the city to purchase an ice resurfacing machine.
In a statement, the city said it is unable to accommodate the request for an ice resurfacing machine, but it has reached out to the Regina Speedskating Club to arrange a meeting to plan for the future.
