A DeWinton resident is part of the next generation.
No, Cooper Hunter isn’t in some sort of bad Trekkie remake, he is part of a group hoping to compete for Canada’s Olympic speed skating team in the future.
“We’re part of the NextGen team,” Hunter said. “The generation right now is the Junio Gilmores, the Denny Morrisons and we are what they think will be the next generation.”
Hunter, a 2012 Holy Trinity Academy graduate, was one of 15 skaters selected to the Speed Skating Canada’s national development team, which was announced last week.
“I have been skating since I was eight,” the 21-year-old Hunter said. “It’s an honour to be training with the top skaters in the world.”
Hunter is a sprinter, at least in terms of speed skating, specializing in the 500m and 1,000m. He is a former member of the Canadian Junior National team, but three years ago, he came back from a head injury and had a bad year.
“No excuses, I just skated bad,” Hunter said. “It was one of the worst years of my career.”
A trip to one of the hotbeds of skating put Hunter on the road to recovery in the 2014-15 season.
“I went and trained in Holland — it is like the mother country of speed skating,” Hunter said. “I saw a lot of different techniques, philosophies that I incorporated. I had a breakthrough year.”
He almost had a breakdown after the season.
Hunter initially quit the sport the summer following his trip to Holland, but was coaxed back by Canadian coaches Michael Crowe and Arno Hoogveld.
“I was completely out of the sport and a couple of coaches called me and that meant everything to me,” he said. “Having their confidence and expectations made me a better skater.”
He started last season by chasing skaters who used to chase him. He ultimately made the World Cup trials in the 500m and 1,000m.
Hunter has made the World Cup standard in those distances with personal best times of 35.44 seconds in the 500m and 1:11.15 in the 1,000m.
He does have Olympic dreams.
“To make the (NextGen) you have to be considered medal-potential for 2022,” he said. “However, all of me is aiming for 2018.”
Hunter said sprinters usually peak in their late 20s and early 30s.
“I’m 21 and I’m happy with where I am at,” Hunter said. “But I don’t want to be complacent. I want to be the best. I can’t rest on this laurel…
“My goal this year is to make my first Senior World Cup team.”
He’s got to shave off about a half a second to be competitive on the global stage.
“A 34.9s is very competitive in a World Cup, and a I have done 35.44, so I am getting close at a young age.”
There is barely any time to rest.
Hunter is training as much as six hours a day. During the season, he is not only going to classes at the University of Calgary, he’s continues to train five to six hours a day at the nearby Olympic Oval.
“I go to class in my sweats sometimes and then get back to training,” he said with a laugh.
Being selected not only helps him train with the best young skaters in the world, it also helps financially for an athlete in speed skating.
“I’m a full-time athlete, full-time student, part time worker, a volunteer,” said Hunter, who is studying International Relations at the U of C.
“Last year, I got monthly funding from Sports Canada and money towards post-secondary.
“This year, they haven’t made the decision yet about money, but I am still considered a national team athlete.
