Who is Metros Speedskating Club?
Metros Speedskating Club is a not-profit, Section 501(c)(3)
charity, dedicated to education, development and coaching of
the sport of short track speedskating. Metros was formed in 1969
by the late Rita and Joseph Crowe. Numerous Olympians and
National Champions have skated with Metros or on Metros ice.
Why join Metros?
The best reason is you can skate as fast as you like. Yes, we do
stress technique, endurance and turning left without falling
down, but no coach at Metros will ever slow you down. Ice
workouts are designed for those interested in competing at the
highest levels in the sport of speedskating
Any Metros' skaters to keep an eye on?
You bet!!! Metros is proud to have a hand in the development of
some of U.S.'s best speedskaters, including two-time Olympian
J.P. Kepka, world-junior medalist Patrick Meek, and National
champions Matt Plummer and Katherine Reutter. Katherine is
already off to a strong start in 2007-08. She is skating faster than
ever according to Jay, her father, in a recent email.
Metros Speedskating Club
About Us
Patrick Meek (left) wins a
bronze at the 2005 World
Juniors.
Kepka (top row, 2nd from
right) makes 2006 U.S. Short
Track World Cup Team
Alumni Accomplishments List:
Dan Carroll. 3-time Olympian, 1968, 1972, 1976. National and
World Long Track Champion. Skated for the now defunct
Clayton Speedskating Club as a youth. Coached Metros for
numerous years. USS Hall of Fame Member.
Jim Chapin Jr. 3-time Olympian, 1976, 1980, 1984, Skated for
the Gateway Speedskating Club as a youth. Joined Metros years
later.
Peggy Clarke, U.S. Short Track Team Member, 1976-1979,
numerous National and North American Championships, World
Short Track team member. Skated for the now defunct Clayton
Speedskating Club as a youth. USS Hall of Fame Member.
Liz Crowe, U.S. Short Track Team Member, 1976
Mike Crowe, Olympic Long-track Coach, 1984, 1988
Peggy Crowe, Olympian, 1972
Brendan Eppert, Olympian, 1994, U.S. Short Track Team
Member, 1990, numerous World and National Long Track
teams. 2005 National Long Track Champion. Skated for the
now defunct University City and Clayton Speedskating Clubs and
Gateway Speedskating Club as a youth. Skated with Metros and
coached upon returning to St. Louis after retiring from
competition.
Miranda Guiffrida. Category 1 skater. Numerous MSA
championships.
J.P. Kepka, 2-time Olympian, 2002, 2006. U.S. Short Track
Team Member, 2003-2005, 2006 Olympic bronze medalists,
National and North American champion.
Katy Kepka. North American Short Track Speedskaitng
Champion. Numerous MSA championships.
Tony Knickmeyer. Multiple U.S. Olympic Festival medalist.
Also skated for the Gateway Speedskating Club as a youth.
Mary Anne Layden-Cirks, National Champion while skating for
Metros.
Patrick Meek. 2005 World Junior Long-Track team member and
bronze medalist, 2003 National Champion. Also skated for the
Northbrook Speedskating Club as a youth.
Matt Plummer. National Champion. Category 1 skater. Matt
also skated with the Gateway as a youth. U.S. Junior Long Track
Champion, 2007.
Katherine Reutter. National and North American Champion.
Also skated for the Champiagn-Urbana Speedskating Club as a
youth. World Junior team member, 2006. Category 1 skater.
Represented the United States at the 2007 World University
Games.
Brad Soble. North American champion. Numerous MSA
Championships.
Bob Scherl. North American champion. Numerous MSA
Championships. Skated for the now defunct University City
Speedskaitng Club and Gateway as a youth.
Levi Sinak. Category 1 skater. Numerous MSA championships.
Misi Toth, National Champion and Category 1 Skater. Misi also
skated with Gateway as a youth.
Nikki Zieglemeyer. 1992 Olympic silver medalist, 1994 Olympic
bronze medalist, U.S. Short Track Team Member, 1992, 1993,
1997. A member of Gateway as a youth. Skated with Metros and
made 1997 U.S. Short Track Team. Competed in U.S. Olympic
Festivals.
History of Missouri
Speedskating Skating
The Missouri Skating Association was organized
in 1927 in St. Louis, MO by Joseph Forshaw, the
Association’s first President. Former past
presidents were:
Joseph Forshaw James Hawkins
Henry Kemper William Kelly
Ted Young Vernon Jacquin
Lamar Ottsen Thomas Jarrett
Bud Handlan Lester Serenco
Durward Hindle Rita Crowe
Dan O’Connor Mike Dudley
Ray Zuckerman James Chapin Sr.
Mike Dudley Marge Amoletti
Watson Gadd Russell Owen (current)
Charles Brown Joe Gier
Greg Youngstrom
The first St. Louis Silver Skates Carnival was held
on January 10, 1926 on the Grand Basin in front
of the Art Museum in Forest Park, it was held
there for 1927, 1928, & 1930. Various size tracks
were used depending on ice conditions. Due to
the number of times the Silver Skates Carnival
had to be rescheduled because of the lack of ice
on the Grand Basin the Meet was moved to the
Winter Garden Skate Rink on DeBaliviere Ave.
and on February 17, 1931, the 6th Annual Silver
Skates was held at this Rink. The 1929 National
Championship was held at the Winter Garden
Rink. (The building that housed the Winter
Garden Ice Rink was originally built for the Jai Alai
Games of 1904 Worlds Fair/Summer Olympics.
This building was torn down about 1957; the
wrecking crew had a very difficult job of removing
the rebound wall because it was solid stone and
several feet thick.)
In 1932, the St. Louis Silver Skates was moved
again, to the Arena, 5700 Oakland Ave., It was
held there from 1932 to 1974 (except for 1959,
when a tornado tore off the Arena roof a month
earlier and the Meet had to be held at the new
Steinberg Rink in Forest Park). The Silver Skates
was later known as the South West Open/Silver
Skates. This South West Open title was no longer
used after 1981.
In 1975, the Silver Skates was held at the
Greensfelder Rink in Queeny Park, St. Louis
County, MO, as was the 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979,
1980, 1982, & 1986 Silver Skates.
The South County Recreation Complex Ice Rink,
6050 Wells Rd., housed the Silver Skates for the
years of 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988,
1989, 1990 and every year thereafter.
The Missouri State Championships, prior to 1965,
were run in conjunction with the South West Open
Championships (St. Louis Silver Skates). Missouri
champions were determined only if a skater
scored or qualified for a final in this meet except
for the Senior Division. Missouri seniors were
timed and judged separately from the out of town
skaters in these races, sometimes skating with
the South West Open finalists (as in longer races)
and sometimes having a separate race
depending on the circumstances. Starting in 1965
the Missouri Championships were run as a State
Meet separate from any other Meet. Until 1997,
this meet was held at Steinberg Ice Rink. In 1997,
this meet was moved to Webster Groves Ice Rink.
Prior to 1962, there were no Skating Clubs in
Missouri, at that time the Clayton Speed Skating
Club was formed and was located at the Clayton-
Shaw Park Rink in Clayton, MO. This Club ceased
operations in the 1990s.
In 1963, the Gateway Speed Skating Club was
organized, they skated at a variety of rinks from
1963 to 1968, then they obtained ice at the
Granite City Rink in Granite City, IL. In 1973 they
moved to the Kirkwood Rink in Kirkwood, MO
where they continue to the present.
In 1969, the St. Louis Metropolitan Speed Skating
Club, known as Metros, was formed, they started
workouts at the Winterland Skate Rink for a few
years then moved to one of their present rinks at
Queeny Park, St. Louis County, MO. Metros has
organized workouts at numerous rinks including
North County, Steinberg, Brentwood, East Alton,
Wentzville, St. Peters ice rinks. Today, in addition
to Queeny, Metros skates at Webster Groves ice
rink, the Summit, Chersterfield, and the Mills,
Hazelwood.
The Jefferson City Speed Skating Club was
started in 1971 in Jefferson City, MO, it continues
today. Annually, in December, it holds a skating
meet, which historically marks the start of short
track competition season in Missouri.
The University City Speed Skating Club started in
1974; their workouts were at the University City
Rink, University City, MO, it continued until
around 1980.
Three International Skating Union events have
been held in St. Louis since the world champion
era in Short Track Speedskating began in the
1980s. In Jan. 1988, the Missouri Skating
Association hosted the World Short Speed
Skating Championships, Queeny Park. Metros
Speedskating Club hosted two ISU
Championships in the 1990s: the World Junior
(Jan. 1998) and World Team (Mar. 1999) Short
Track Championships at the U.S. Ice Sports
Complex, now knows as the Summit, Chesterfield,
MO.
Skaters from Missouri have made every Winter
Olympic team since 1968: Dan Carroll, 1968,
1972, 1976; Peggy Crowe, 1972, Jim Chapin Jr.,
1976, 1980, 1984; Dave Pavlacic, 1988; Nikki
Zieglemyer, 1992 1994; Brendan Eppert, 1994;
Tom O'Hare, 1998; J.P. Kepka, 2002, 2006. Also,
Louis (Sonny) Ruprecht made the 1948 team.
Harry Kemper (1936), Lamar Ottsen (1952), Jim
Hawkins (1972) and Mike Crowe, (1984, 1988)
were Olympic coaches/managers. Zieglemeyer
won a silver medal (1992) and a bronze medal
(1994) and Kepka won a bronze medal (2006) at
the Olympics.
Thanks goes to the following for their
documentation of infomation contained herein:
Clifford VanMill (prior to 1960); Bud & Lee Doyle
and Mary Jacquin (prior to 1991), Harlan Kwiatek
(since 1991).
