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Logan City Inline Speed Skating Club Interview with Coach Kurt

Chris Bowling
Mar 16
6 min read

Updated: Mar 19

For those that don’t know Coach Kurt, he’s a 41yr old father of two who started skating at the age of 10 in 1994.

He raced at his first State & National Championships at the age of 11 in 1995.

His first World Championships was at the age of 14 in 1997.

He was 5th in the World at age 16 in 1999.

Kurt has been away from speed skating for some time, but speed skating has never left his DNA.

Returning late 2024 as a competitive skater, he stamped his skates hard on the 100m sprint at State & National Championships (+ 200m indoor TT).

Our newest Logan City Speed Coach is not only a coach he is a skater, and very passionate about the next generation skatersand the growth of the sport.

We look forward to many years of working with Kurt.

Picture Credit – Speed Zone & Bernadine Geary

Interview:

Q:Kurt, you’ve been involved in speed skating formany many many years.

From your early years to representing Australia at the World Championships in the late 1990s, could you share some of your most unforgettable moments from back then?

I sure can, I’ll give you my top 6.

1. 1995 was my first competitive year, at State Championships I took 5 gold & 2 silver out of 7 races.

2. 1996 I was disappointed with the year before, so I worked hard to take home every gold medal at State Championships and multiple medals at Nationals.

3. 1997 at the age of 14, I was given the opportunity to represent Australia at the Junior Pacific Championships (Oceanias) and World Championships (10th 5km).

4. 1998 NZ National Championships, I brought home every gold!

I was selected for Junior Pacific team and finally took home golds at Nationals!

5. 1999 was big year, I chose to only race 300m, 500m, 1000m for selection.

With a new focus I took 3x International gold medals and 2x silver from the Junior Pacific Championships.

At Nationals on the road I took gold in those races and the cherry on top the 21km Marathon.

My best placing at the World Championships that year was 5th in the 500m.

6. 2024/25 I received my new the 110mm inlinesSeptember 2024 and turned up at States October 2024 and took gold in the 100m and National gold in the 100m and 200m TT!!

Picture Credit – Bernadine Geary

Q: Competing at that level takes incredible dedication.

What did it take for you to reach the World Championships and what was your training like?

Firstly it really does take great dedication, not only from you as the skater but your parents/carers (or supporters).

I was extremely lucky because my parents were huge supporters both with their time and finances, to this day it is still greatly appreciated.

Secondly from 11yrs old I was training 4-5 times per week.

This would consist of 2 flat track nights, 1 banked track night and 2 road mornings.

This progressed quickly into 7 days per week, 5 nights between road / track and 2 mornings road.

From 1998: Off skate training

Age 15-16 Mon/Wed/Fri (Morning)

4x 2 minute sets (Sit ups 100-120/set & Push ups 150-170/set)

10-15x 100m beach sprints

Mon-Fri (Morning/Afternoon)

2x 7km ride, attempting 1 minute kilometres.

Friday (Night, Summer)

Criterium cycling racing

Saturday (Morning)

70-100km ride (When not skate training)

Skate training (9x Per week)

Mon/Wed/Fri (Nights) Road Training

Tues/Thu (Morning) Road Training / (Night) Banked Track

Sat (Morning) Road Training

Sun (Morning) Road Training

Picture Credit – Bernadine Geary

Q: After a long break from the sport, what inspired you to make a comeback?

Very good question.

My wife asked Santa to bring my daughter Olivia & son Jack skates for Christmas 2023, he agreed they were good that year and delivered.

They both progressed quicker than we expected, so we ended up at the incredible Skate Paradise most weekends through the start of 2024.

Julian Hansen approached me one Saturday afternoon and said we should join in, mentioning our head coach is the Australian Team coach.

I then saw Edward Dimmack, we shock hands said our hellos and I said we’ll be back next week…. The rest is history.

Skating with my kids and LCS has brought back my love for skating, I always knew how much I missed it but being able to skate with my little ones and all the LCS skaters makes the week brighter.

Being humbled and embarrassed by Raiden Dolder brought back the fire though!

Q:Now that you're back, what do you enjoy most about being part of Logan City Speed?

The people make the club, the club is truly full of great and passionate skaters, members and parents!

The support that everyone gives to the club is incredible.

I’m proud to be a part of the club and look forward to being a part of LCS into the future.

Q:Since your return, what differences have you noticed in the sport compared to when you last competed?

My first observation is that there a lot less contact and I’m undecided if that’s good or bad… There is a lot of contact at worlds.

The comradery is higher than I remember, but what I do love is that it hasn’t affected the competitiveness.

I am really enjoying how passionate everyone is, and that goes a long way for the growth of the sport! The equipment….. I came from low frames on 5x 80mm wheels and now skating on 110mm wheels I’m still learning and as a competitive person it is frustrating.But we have an amazing coaching team in LCS with Rob/Nathan/Ed and I’m following their advice to be on my skates more.

Q:You’ve now stepped into a coaching role, what does being a coach mean to you?

Another great question, I had never considered being a speed skating coach.

But whilst Coach Ed was away with Australian Team at Worlds 2024 I assisted on some sessions and loved it.

I’m loving the coaching role and feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity.

Being able to give back to the sport and be a part of the exceptional LCS Coaching Team and passing on myknowledge & learnings to the next generations means the world.

Q:Coaching skaters from beginners to up-and-coming talent must be a rewarding experience. How do you approach working with different skill levels?

Part of my role in my company is to run courses for adults with very varied skill levels.

I always do my best to bring my understanding of individuals into the training sessions.

Blending the activities at training together to keep everyone engaged and managing the tempo of the session to give everyone an opportunity to join in.

Over the last few months, the Saturday & Sunday groups have grown which is fantastic so adapting is key.

Q:What excites you most about the future of the club and the skaters coming through the ranks?

I’m excited about the group of Nationals skaters, the cadet to primary group. There are some exceptional skaters coming through, I look forward to working and skating with them.

I love how strong the bond is between them all, the sportsmanship they all show and the bravery they all have.

The next group to progress behind them also looks strong & fast, so I’m looking forward to helping and seeing them progress.

Q:Finally, as a coach and a new Australian Team Coach, what advice do you have for young skaters who dream of reaching the elite level?

Dream the impossible.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from or what you think the future holds.

Speed skating is about right now, it’s about how hard you work.

Because how hard you work is how easy you make it on race day.

Natural talent & ability only go so far, you need to work hard and regularly.

To be elite, you will have to sacrifice your social life, you will have to dedicate yourself, you also have to want it.

Skate everyday if you can and skate everywhere, most importantly enjoy it!