Sigrid Ziegler has been burning up the track on her wheels for the last three summers, setting records in the process; however, she and her sport inexplicably remain virtually unknown on or off campus. Time to give her the recognition she deserves.
Ziegler is a member of the national inline speed skating team and a part of Team Lion Canada, a group of professional skaters who race against the fastest pavement phenoms in the world. The fourth-year U of T student admits that inline speed skating (ISS) has not caught on quickly in Canada, but notes that the sport is taking off in other parts of the world.
“Unfortunately, for the moment this sport is pretty small in Canada, but inline speed skating is huge in South America,” said Ziegler. It is also big in Europe, and this sport has taken off like crazy in China and South Korea, with many pro teams coming from these countries.”
The speedstress is currently the Ontario champion and the Ontario record holder in the 200m race. She recently finished first in several events at the Outdoor Provincial Championships.
ISS races can either take the form of a time trial, in which competitors try to beat the best time posted, or can feature dozens of competitors on a single track or road duking it out for a medal.
Currently there are ISS world championships, international and national events, and the Pan Am Games and World Games also include ISS matches. This year the World Championship is being held in China and Ziegler will be there to show the world what she can do.
“This is my first trip to the World Championships. I will be racing all events there in the hopes of gaining lots of world-class racing experience,” said Ziegler. “I am expecting personal best times in the sprints and to be a part of the 10km points and 10km, 15km, and 20km elimination finals. I hope this experience will bring me one step closer to winning a medal at the Pan Am Games in 2007 in Rio de Janeiro and the World Championships in 2007 in Bogota, Colombia.
Ziegler is currently seeking funding and sponsorship for the World Championships, which start on the first of September. Send an email to [email protected] if you would like more information on how to aid Sigrid in her quest for global domination, and read The Varsity in September for more on ISS and Sigrid Ziegler.
