SASKATOON — Luca Veeman got past the pandemic thanks to his teammates and other training group members. When COVID happened, all competitions and tournaments were cancelled, and he used cycling as part of his training for speed skating.
“The pandemic was a bit of a shocker. I had a long time without any competition. I am lucky to have a good training group in Saskatoon with [my] teammates doing both cycling and speed skating,” said Veeman in a media briefing on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
“We are good friends, and we regularly compete against each other. So, while the structured competitions may not go throughout the pandemic, there is always that aspect of competition for my teammates and me, like a sprint on the bike or who can do the fastest lap.”
The 17-year-old speed skater is currently competing for Team Canada in the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships in Inzell, Germany, and will join the 317-strong provincial delegation as the official flag bearer for the 2023 Canadian Winter Games.
Prince Edward Island will host over 3,600 athletes, coaches and officials when the country’s quadrennial winter sporting event kicks off its 16 days of competition in 20 featured sports on Feb. 18. The Winter Games end on March 5.
Veeman added that transitioning from the COVID restrictions and competing again was relatively easy for him and his teammates, instead adjusting to the level of the tournament they joined before they competed at the provincial and national levels to qualify for world championships.
“The one challenging aspect, I would say, is the [two-year] gap of COVID. I feel I missed out a lot. It was a jump from the smaller competitions. There are some national championships for the youth and then coming out of COVID right into the bigger competitions,” said Veeman. “Like the [Canada] junior national championships and road cycling nationals, then the junior worlds and the Canada Games. On paper, I missed that feeling of competition, but just having a great training group allowed me to transition back smoothly.”
Veeman said their team also took on the mental side of dealing with the pandemic, from the lockdown and restrictions to the time tournaments and other competitions returned.
“It was not a shock or anything. I also had the [chance] to meet with mental trainers and other staff, which helped me get through. Especially now, the coming into these bigger competitions,” he said. “Meeting with mental trainers helped me ensure I am staying on top of the mental game going into the bigger meets.”
Veeman was in southern Germany after qualifying for the World Junior Championships and has competed in the Junior World Cup finale since January. He is expected to arrive at PEI on Feb. 16 as the next day is scheduled for training before the opening on Feb. 18.
Despite coming from the world juniors, Veeman expects to face stiff competition in the Canada Games as he will again face off with the best speed skaters in the nation.
“I am lucky enough that most of my teammates here are going to the [Canada] Winter Games. So, I get to psych myself up against them while I m here [Germany]. There are a lot of strong skaters who are going to be there [PEI]. It will be a hard race, and it should be a good and challenging competition.”
