The Voice from the Pacific Northwest Newsletter
Feature
Interview..continued
Peter
Doucet's 10 year
effort has been instrumental to the growth of the Canadian inline
speed skating scene. His contribution to the sport has beared
many fruits. The list of Peter's leadership roles in skating
is endless. and he has inspired many of us to achieve higher
level of skating.
- Founder
and race director fot the Toronto International Inline Race
Weekend
- Head
Coach of the Toronto Inline Skating Club since 2000
- Roller
Sports Ontario Speed Points Series Founder
- Roller
Rampage race director
- Webmaster
of Peter's Inline Racing Web Page as well as 4 other skting
websites
- Race
& Roll Skating magazine managing editor and writer
- Coach
with the Scooters Indor Speed Club since 1997
- Roller
Sports Ontario Speed Points Series founder
- Board
member of the Toronto Inline Skating Club
- Active
Roller Sports Ontario speed committee member
Q. Peter, first and
foremost can you tell us what inspires you to keep your highly
ranked web site geocities.com/shaloheat so current. How much
time do you spend on it daily? Your energies are so positive.
Where do you draw from?
P. Haha, thanks for
the nice compliment about my web site. There are a lot of things
that keep me motivated in keeping the site up to date. I initially
started up my website because I’m a huge fan of the sport, so
the web site is my way of trying to keep up to date with what’s
going on in every single part of skating on earth. I figure
there are a few people out there who have the same passion that
I have, so why not share what I know with others?
After my site
got going, I noticed that it had a great deal of potential in
sharing news and promoting my projects. I recognize my website’s
strength in doing that. I’ll break a lot of the stories first
and many people recognize the immediacy and accuracy of my site.
In terms of the
number of hours I spend on my website, I can’t count them. When
I wake up, I am scouring the Internet for any new items, and
I keep doing that all day long. I’ve spent 12-hours on some
days while other day, it’s been less than half an hour. I try
to remain consistent and constant with the amount of items that
I report on.
Sometimes it is
super difficult to stay motivated. There’s been many days that
I wanted to pack everything in and just walk away, but then
I get a nice message from someone or there is a commitment that
I can’t back down on, so I keep on trucking. Despite the tough
times, the one thing that I cling to is my love for this sport
and my desire to share my love!
Q. You have so many
skate related projects on your hands, it seems to me your days
have more than 24hrs to deal with everything?
P. Eric Gee, one
of my closest friends, had a quote that went something like
‘Not enough hours in the day’. If there are not enough hours
in the day, then I have to combine some of the things that I
do. For example, if I’m writing a report or on the phone with
a friend from the federation, I’ll lift some weights at the
same time. I have always been super good with using my time
efficiently. I don’t waste time when I want to do something.
You know, I’ve done a lot in my life with skating, music, teaching,
schooling- and I still find time to chill out and go to the
movies or go to a pub with a friend or two- it’s all about balancing,
prioritizing, and having key people there when you need them.
Q. One of your newest
‘babies’ is the ‘Race & Roll’ magazine. Please tell us more
about the magazine. When can we expect the first issue? How
did the magazine come to fruition?
P. I was fortunate
to be invited into the project by Dan Archambault. He started
everything up and he’s assembled a strong team to develop this
skating publication. I believe that the people he has selected,
including Terry Holm, Kim Perkins, and I, will deliver a fantastic
product.
The first issue
is due in June and we’re working really hard at covering all
the bases- you know, getting advertisers, all the articles,
rounding up authors. Kim Perkins and I are working together
as Editors of the magazine, and she has amazing experience and
she is guiding me through my first run as an editor.
Like any new project,
right now it is a work in progress. I am excited about the magazine
and I am sure that the support is out there to get the magazine
off the ground. What’s cool too is that Dan started the NAIMS-
a marathon series that includes events across North America.
The magazine will report on the progress of the series.
Q. You are just about
to leave with the Canadian Team for the 2005 Pan American Championships
in Argentina. Considering all your responsibilities and the
wintery conditions in Toronto, how were you able to prepare
for the event? Do you feel ready?
P. Well you know
they switched the competition dates two times! The competition
was supposed to take place in early March. It worked out for
me because I was quite sick this winter. I have been able to
put in a 6-week block of training with 3 weeks of base, 2 weeks
of intervals, and 1 week of intervals and sprints, so I think
I can be as ready as possible.
To prepare for
the event and for this year as well, I’ve changed my training
program. I used to run, cycle, skate, do weights, dry land,
stretch, and even swim. Now I’ve cut it down to skating and
weights. It works better now because I don’t feel overwhelmed
by a daunting training program. It is simple and well designed.
I spent the last few winters reading books on elite level bicycle
racing and reading up on training ideas on message boards, and
I feel that I can apply the concepts to myself.
I’m as ready as
I can be!
Q. What are your
expectations of yourself and the rest of the Canadian Team at
the Championships?
P. I expect that
this will be our strongest Pan American Championships showing
ever. Aaron Arndt earned a bronze medal in 1997- now I don’t
know if we’ll medal, and I’ll be surprised and very pleased
if we do in fact medal, but I think that we’re in a good position
to post top-10 results. I think the junior guys- Dean Arndt
and Jordan Belchos- will gain a lot of confidence at this championship.
Both are fit, better experienced, and fearless.
Q. After the PanAm
Games, where will we be seeing you next? Are you planning to
skate the Worlds in China at the end of August, beginning of
September?
P. Well the following
week, I’ll be in Disney. Other than that, I’ll be supporting
the Roller Sports Ontario Speed Points Series as well as the
National Capital Marathon, the 24-Hour Inline Montreal, Duluth,
the Festival de La Sante, and the New York 100k. And of course,
we can’t forget the Toronto International Inline Race Weekend-
my baby.
Q. What is your focus
in skating this year? The North American Inline Marathon Series
– NAIMS?
P. I’m one of those
people who buys into a series like NAIMS quite easily. I plan
on having a well-balanced year and be competitive all season.
I am not racing as much as I did in the last few years because
I experienced burn out. This year, I am more concentrated on
training properly. My peak targets are Ottawa in late May and
World’s and Duluth in early September.
Q. Another major
project coming up is the Toronto International Inline Race Weekend.
Are the dates, which are scheduled for August 6 & 7 this
year, confirmed yet? The event is growing every year, what do
you contribute this success to?
P. The dates are
to be confirmed for August 6th and 7th. As of today, they are
not confirmed. What I mean by that is that I don’t have the
papers in my hands saying that the venue is mine. For all intents
and purposes though, I am confident that I will have the venues
on those days.
I think the reason
for the success of the race is building positive and realistic
relationships. What I mean is that from the start, I have had
a good relationships with the permits department from the City
of Mississauga and the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
I have dealt with the same persons for the last few years, so
they know what I want, and I know what they want. From there,
I have good relationships with the participants. I am grateful
that all these people come out and spend their time and dollars
in my project. I really appreciate that, and I try my best to
convey my appreciation.
The people who
support the race organization- especially during the race are
critical. I convey a realism that this race is growing and that
they are part of this growth. I try to keep the race real, you
know what I mean? If someone asks why there are certain costs,
I will explain the budget. If someone suggests something, I
will gladly listen and consider what they are saying.
Q. On a different
note. What kind of frame/wheel set-up are you skating on this
year. Have you figured out what works best for you? 84s, 88s,
90s or 100s? Do you have any feedback for us?
P. I’ve been on the
5x84 for 3 years or so and they worked well. I am switching
over to 4x100 right now and I like them so far. I haven’t raced
on them yet and I have no times. I’m skating on the 4x100 K2
frame right now with recreational boots, so I can’t really give
an accurate assessment of how they perform.
I think we’re
in a tough position because there are so many choices for set
ups, and they are quite expensive. If you find something that
works well, you don’t need to be in a rush to change. I think
that if a 5 second improvement matter in a marathon, then I
guess you’ll need to invest your money and test the possible
equipment, or simply borrow a friend’s stuff!
Q. To conclude, is
there anything you want to put out there that is close to your
heart?
P. There are so many
things that are close to my heart. People would have to read
pages and pages of stuff. We all have that. Sometimes I’ll feel
extremely overwhelmed, but just one word will make things very
easy to bear!
I think we all
need to support races as well as each other. We also need to
be leaders and initiators. I got all my projects going one part
at a time. We all have that power, and we all come to a time
where we can chose to use the power or ignore it. I also think
the power to be a leader and an initiator is relative. I would
never expect races to start popping up all over the place. Rather,
I think it starts with educating yourself about the sport- everything
else will fall into place. It might be that someone needs to
support a race, or that they can run a practice.
Thanks Peter! Have
a fantastic 2005 Skate Season! Conny
You’re welcome!
You too!
Visit
Peter's web site to
get the most recent news and updates
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