2020 Banked Track and Road Championships and Team USA Trials
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
May 12 - 18, 2020USA Roller Sports Speed Members:
As Speed Skating faces some very challenging circumstances with the Coronavirus Pandemic, your Speed Committee is encouraged by everyone’s positive efforts to keep active, adjust to the current circumstances, and focus on ways to make our sport better than ever.
In the last few months, many in our sport have been effected by schedules, plans, and events falling victim to postponements and even cancellations. The Speed Committee has communicated regularly throughout and scheduled a special call last Thursday to discuss the latest data and how it may affect the Banked Track and Road Championships in Colorado currently scheduled in May. We are aware that our membership is having to weigh the risk of planning travel under the real possibility that the event could be drastically effected by USOPC closures, government restrictions and the individual effects we endure from government quarantine.
A recent survey conducted with the 2020 Summer Olympians showed the mass majority of the Olympians prefer to have the Games moved allowing them to properly train after the quarantine and before they must compete. Considering the above information this leads the Speed Committee to believe that our Championships in May must also be rescheduled. We are all in agreement on the importance of mitigating the chances of falling victim to the above unforeseeable actions while also affording the athletes the best opportunity to prepare for such an important qualifying event. The Track and Road Championships have been Postponed from the currently scheduled dates of May 12 - 18 in Colorado Springs. At this time the Location and Date are yet to be determined and will be based on your feedback as well as the situation with the Coronavirus Pandemic as it unfolds.
Our next steps will be to contact the coaches that have athletes that participate in the Track and Road Championships to discuss the options the committee has come up with and hear their opinions. The Speed Committee will then conduct an athlete survey to obtain their perspective on the items that would pertain to them more so than the coaches.
It is important to understand that there is no perfect fix, but your Speed Committee will make every effort to create the best possible Team USA Qualifier and Track / Road Championship under these unusual and challenging circumstances ahead.
Thank you for your continued support and we will get through this together. Keep Skating!
Your Speed Committee