The city of lights, Las Vegas, NV was once again host to some of the most excellent skating in the USA. This year, Las Vegas was a stop on the USCup Tour instead of a USARS meet. This change meant that there would be no Champion's race with the coveted gold & diamond championship ring, but it also meant more in prize money and the exciting new NIRA short track. Trade-offs: isn't that what Las Vegas is all about?

Jono Gorman and the C Boys
Photo by Tish Gorman

The floor proved to be tight and fast. The Dash for Cash was an exciting way to open the tournament with fresh and properly cured roll-on providing the best environment for skating the 100m all out sprint. GT Speed's Jono Gorman, proved that his hard training is beginning to pay off. Jono started first for his age group and turned in the winning time for the Freshman boys. His stellar 11.580 time could not be matched by more that 20 freshman following him. This would give him the pole position for all his subsequent heats, a marvelous start to the weekend. When the dust settled, Jono had two firsts and two second place awards, giving him the overall Freshman boys title. Joey Mantia, Team Florida, submitted an outstanding time for the Sophomore men, turning in a one lap time from a dead start in the mid 10 second range. His time was not to be bettered until the Pro Men came out to play.

The rest of the racing was fast and got a little rough and tumbled, especially during some of the Pro races. For the most part, things were clean and the officials did a great job of recognizing the infractions and dealing with them. Several de-classifications occurred, a couple of disqualifications and the first ever USCup fine for un-sportsmanlike behavior. But, hey - it all made for exciting racing and a further learning experience for all involved.

One scary and unfortunate happening was a fall in the Elementary Girls short final where Mia Manganello tripped over a fallen skater and went head first into the wall. We were very concerned about her injuries, since the usually stoic Mia did not immediately get up. Although Mia did finally stand up and make her way off the floor under her own steam, we later learned that she probably fractured both wrists. We send our best wishes to Mia and hope for her speedy recovery.

Jilleanne Rookard and the Pro Ladies
Photo by Tish Gorman

The outdoor competition was held on the side track of the Las Vegas Speedway on a beautiful sunny and mildly warm day. An added bonus was that the Thunderbirds, the US AirForce jet fliers, were practicing their routines right above our heads. It was hard not to get distracted by the happenings above, but Bob Justice kept us informed and we were able to watch both events. The speedskating was as exciting as usual with very few surprises this time out. The Verducci ladies dominated, but our own Jilleanne Rookard logged a very respectable 6th place overall. Ryan Cox, who has been training with the Hyper team for several weeks in California, was strong, but his job was not to win at this tournament, but to help his teammates. Jono Gorman placed second overall in the C Boys division and Greg Gorman placed third overall in the B Boys division.

For those of you that missed Las Vegas this year, we had a great time and wished you were there. Make plans to take the trip next year. You get a chance to see skaters you will be competing against at Nationals, the schedule is not as demanding as other tournaments and the city is a fun place to forget the racing for awhile (and you have time to see it!) See you next year!