Brampton’s Aaron Arndt has crossed the ocean for the 2008 season and is competing throughout Europe. Arndt is competing in the World Inline Cup, Swiss Inline Cup, German Inline Cup, and other very competitive races.

This past weekend, his team- Subaru X-Tech– placed 3rd in the 10km team time-trial in Wilhelmshaven with a time of 12 minutes 19 seconds. The following day, Aaron Arndt placed 12th overall in the 42km marathon. The race included some steep climbs and intense head-winds. [marathon results]

Aaron Arndt- 2nd from the right- coming in with the bunch sprint at the Wilhelmshaven Skate Days

Meanwhile back here in Canada, skaters from Quebec and Ontario took place in this season’s first outdoor race- the Minto Run For Reach. [results] You can find pictures, videos, and reports here.

Start of the Minto Run For Reach- photo from Peter Doucet

Roller Sports Ontario held its fourth and final race of its 2008 Indoor Speed Series. Dean Arndt and Sarah Hopkins were the top finishers for stage #4. [View photos] [RSO Speed Series website] [Candy Wong’s site with videos]

Morgan Williams leads Travis Shaw, Jesse Pauley, and Dean Arndt in group A’s 1000-meter

The 2008 Coupe Quebec Roller dates were recently announced. All the races will take place on Sundays in Longueuil, Quebec- site of the 2006 RSC Speed Championships. Stage #1 will take place on May 25th, #2 on June 22nd, #3 on July 6th, and #4 on August 3rd.

Toronto’s Sarah Hopkins and Greenfield Park’s Martine Charbonneau and a number of skaters from Toronto and Ottawa traveled to race in Mexico’s  Copa Mexicanidad Chiapaneca.

Sarah Hopkins, who skates with the Scooter’s Indoor Speed Club & TISC, finished 2nd in the 300-meter sprint and 2nd in the 5km points race.

Martine Charbonneau, who lived in Quebec City this year competing in long track ice speed skating, took a few medals in the longer distance races- namely the gold in the 5km points race.

Ottawa’s JF Messier took home the silver medal in the 300-meter time trial with a time slightly over 27-seconds.

You can find some results here and read a Road Rash Chronicles report here.

Bob Tysen, the 2003 Canadian Masters Inline Champion, was recently named as one of seven new inductees into the Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall is recognizing Bob for his outstanding marathon achievements at the provincial and North America levels (both Canada and USA) in speedskating and cycling.

Bob Tysen

Bob now lives in Lake Placid N.Y. after having spent more than twenty years in Kingston, Ontario. A dual United States/Canadian citizen, Bob has competed competitively throughout North America since the early 1980’s. Following on a solid foundation of almost twenty years of Ice Speedskating Marathons, Bob took to roller speed skating in 2002. In 2003 at age 47, he finished 3rd overall in the Canada Inline Cup and had eight top-10 Roller Marathon finishes. That year, he became the Canadian National Master Inline Marathon Champion.

Bob Tysen (#198) at the start of the 2003 Toronto International Inline Marathon

Bob will be officially welcomed into the Sports Hall of Fame family at the 13th Annual Induction Ceremonial Dinner on Friday May 2nd, 2008, at the Ambassador Conference Resort, 1550 Princess Street in Kingston. Cocktails are available at 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $40.00 each and must be purchased in advance. Tables of ten (10) may be reserved on a first come first serve basis.

Bob Tysen flanked by roller & ice greats Eddy Matzger (left), Aaron Arndt (right), and Olivier Jean