NCSA, first established as Golden Gate Speed Skaters on March 13, 1988, was in existence prior to the days of email, websites. To advertise our first session, we printer this poster on a dot matrix graphics printer and asked all of the rink managers to post it in their box offices.
At this time, the sport was just beginning to transition from a fixed blade leather skate to the current composite / adjustable blade design.
Our early 1990s sessions were in a shopping mall called Fashion Island in Foster City. We always had crowds watching us while we skated. Also since the rink was next to the food court, we could go get donuts after our Sunday morning training sessions!!
Three of the skaters in the following shot are still skating. Speedskating is a sport for life.
Here is an early skating clinic with the one of our first NCSA Coaches, Pferde Schaffer, and legendary Olympic Medalist, Olympic Coach Diane Holum. Diane’s most famous athlete was 5 time Gold Medalist, Eric Heiden
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Speaking of Eric Heiden, while he was a medical student at Stanford in the early 90s, we had the opportunity to train with him several times.
In those days before email, we wrote and mailed newsletters to all the members, to notify them of upcoming races and events, and to give everyone their recent race times.
One of our skaters who attended Stanford hosted the world’s FIRST WEB PAGE for a speedskating club.
The following images are the Archive of newsletters mailed to norcal skaters: