Brian Blackley of Eagle River won two Gold Ulus in Junior Mens' Speed Skating this week - the first ever golds since Alaska started sending speed skaters to Arctic Winter Games in 1996.  See below for story and photos.

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This has been a huge week for Alaska Speed Skaters.  Brandon Blackley won Gold Ulus in the Junior Mens' 777m and 1500m Indivual Races.  Blackley is a Junior at Eagle River High School, where he skis with their Cross Country Ski Team.  According to his coach Peter Haeussler, "At his first Arctic Winter Games, Brandon was  almost last in his races, but he got really psyched about speed skating, which was the beginning of the road that let him to where he is today."  Now he has trained 4-6 weeks each of the last three summers in Salt Lake City on rinks built for the 2006 Olympics.

Thanks to the Arctic Winter Games, Alaska's Speed Skaters have developed strong bonds with the Team Yukon Speed Skaters and travel two times per year for training camps hosted by the local club in Whitehorse.

Skating in the Juvenile Male Division, Cole Abarr also had some top finishes this week taking the Bronze Tuesday in the 500m and Silver in the 666m.  Alaska's Junior Female Team won the Silver Ulu in the 3000m Relay Friday.

# 5 Hallie Whitmore of Anchorage on the startline in a preliminary heat
of the Juvenile Female 666m Idividual Speed Skating Event.

Alaska Speed Skaters #97 Sam Solberg and #73
Adam Blackley wait and get psyched for their Speed
Skating race.

Sam Solberg and the starting line up for a preliminary heat in the
Juvenile Mens' 666m race