A good sport

Murray Fraser with grandsons (and fellow skaters) Thomas and Edmund

Dad had always been a good casual skater, and biking and line dancing kept him healthy and fit. I've written previously about Dad's amazing feat (and feet) as a speedskating champion. He seemed very casual about it, and rather amused by his success. He made it look easy, and it surprised him to discover that he could readily break national records.

With a coach urging him on, Dad gave competitive speedskating his best effort.

Winnipeg Free Press, Sunday, January 24, 1993

Dad was modest, but proud of his records. His engineering mind studied the existing records, and calculated the pace he needed to challenge them. I like how he initialed the target time (at right, below) for the 3000m. Dad had a habit of initialing his work, a holdover from his Bristol days.

 

The calculations worked, and Dad bettered his target times. He cruised through one after the other, claiming the podium for several distances, on indoor rinks and the big outdoor oval.

Len Barsky was the man to beat, and that's just what Dad did.

Spot the champion. Hint: #250.

The St. James Speedskating Club welcomed Dad into their fold and were thrilled with his success. He was quite the inspiration for the younger set, I'm sure.

Celebration in the clubhouse. A family dynasty in the making? 

Certificates and trophies and medals, oh my!

The official record. Dad sweeps the Masters 5 Men at 400m, 800m and 1000m, March 1992.

It's true -- Dad left the 500m long-track record unchallenged, so that Albert Cohen could remain a champion.

Dad met Albert Cohen while they were both lacing up their skates in the change room at a St. James rink one day. As two oldtimers still enjoying the sport, they struck up a conversation. Mr. Cohen offered Dad a piece of his Oh Henry chocolate bar, and Dad felt that was so nice of him. Later, Dad was amused when we explained who Albert Cohen was. This industry giant could afford a lot of chocolate bars!

Albert Cohen was very proud of his speedskating, and was given a lifetime membership in the Manitoba Speedskating Association in 2006.  

The Wikipedia entry for Albert Cohen begins as follows:

Albert Diamond Cohen, OC (January 20, 1914 – November 21, 2011) was a Canadian entrepreneur, community builder, philanthropist, and Officer of the Order of Canada. He was Chairman, Co-President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Gendis Inc. (www.gendis.ca), a Toronto Stock Exchange listed Canadian real estate and investment company headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. At one time, Gendis held a 51% stake in Sony of Canada and owned the SAAN Stores retail chain. He was married to Irena Cohen from 1953 until his death, and they had three children: Anthony, James, and Anna-Lisa. He was the author of several books: The Entrepreneurs: The Story of Gendis Inc...The Triangle of Success: The Gendis/Saan Story...The Story of SAAN...and...I.D.E.A. His latest and last book, published in the fall of 2010, was titled Reminiscences of an Entrepreneur - How Sony came to Canada and then to the World in 1955. His interest and talent for writing stemmed out from his close personal friendship with the late British author Ian Fleming. He died peacefully at the age of 97 years, 10 months, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

 The Wikipedia article further notes that:

While Cohen has collected an array of awards for business achievements and community service during his life, he was particularly proud of the fact that he holds three Canadian speed skating records in Master 5 Class (over 70 age category), as per the Ottawa Amateur Speedskating Association.

Speedskating Champion Cindy Klassen, Premier Gary Doer, Albert Cohen in 2009

Now, we know that last paragraph should read held, but it was inevitable that Dad's records would be eclipsed, too.

At the oval in 1992-93, Dad admired 47-year-old James Whiddon, who was blowing away records in the Master 2 category. I suspect this serious international athlete will claim the Master 5 records as soon as he turns 70, in 2015. James is hot on the heels of Eugene Kurmey, who bettered Dad's Master 5 records in 2001.

If it's any consolation, James Whiddon is also a Bristol Aerospace employee, and he was delighted to meet Murray Fraser.