140 years of roller skating in Winnipeg Part 5 - The people

© 2022, Christian Cassidy

Part 1: Pre-1900
Part 2: The early 1900s
Part 3: The Depression and post-war years
Part 4: A 1970s explosion
Part 5: The people

In putting together this blog series, dozens of interesting characters presented themselves. Here are just a few:

 A Champion in the Making

The Popular Science Monthly, November 1895

Though most of the exhibition skaters that came through town were from other cities, there was one local skater who made a mark and would go on to be a celebrated athlete.

Jack McCulloch was a great all-around athlete who even in his early teens was making a name for himself in cycling, gymnastics, and speed skating. In the winter of 1883-84, age 15, he tried out for the provincial speed skating championship but was defeated.

With roller skating all the rage, the following summer he took to the wheels. He competed in some of the races put on by the rinks and was sometimes pared up against visiting speed and trick skaters. In April 1885, he won the five-mile race at the Grand Roller Rink. he also beat both O'Rourke and Allison when they came to town in May 1885. In a September exhibition at the Grand he was put on a bike to do a three-mile race against two speedskaters.

The following decade, McCulloch would go on to become what many consider one of Winnipeg's greatest athletes. He won numerous provincial, national, and even American speed skating titles and was part of the Winnipeg Victorias hockey team. (For more about his athletic prowess, see his Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame entry.)

The above photos are from an article in the November 1895 edition of The Popular Science Monthly called "The Anatomy of Speed Skating". It studied in detail the bodies and movements of a trio of championship skaters in action.

Another of Winnipeg's greatest-ever athletes, possibly THE greatest, was Donald Bain. He was also a regular on the roller skating scene but in the 19-teens and 1920s.


Speed Champ

October 28, 1912, Winnipeg Tribune

Guy Varnes splashed onto the roller skating scene in 1911 - 1912. It culminated in him winning a 26-mile roller skating marathon at the Arena Rink in October 1912. He won in a time of one hour and 30 minutes and about a mile over his nearest competitor.

Though the Tribune predicted Varnes "no doubt will be heard from later in the roller skating world", he faded from the sports pages. He worked as an electrician for the CPR for ten years before running Varnes Electric Co. on Graham Street until his retirement.


Marathon Champ

Thor Sigurdson won a gruelling 3,000 mile roller marathon at River Park in 1941.

From Monday, August 21 to the following Saturday, entrants skated from 8 pm to midnight in 45-minute blocks with a 15-minute rest break in between. Their mileage was tracked and the winner that night received a cash prize. The cumulative winner got a silver cup courtesy of McKinney's Jewellers and a free trip to the New York Worlds' Fair from Greyhound bus lines.

There were 31 entrants to begin. That was whittled down to 12 by the half-way point due to lack of fitness or injuries. In the end, only eight completed the derby. The top three were Thor Sigurdson (3042.5 miles), Bill Lindop (3006.5), and Violet McBeth with 2725.

Violet McBeth was a long-time women's roller skating championship winning year-end races in 1934 and 1937.


Lost in War

November 2, 1944, Winnipeg Free Press

As might be expected, a number of young men associated with Winnipeg's roller skating scene were killed in the World Wars.

Flight Sargent Robert H. Armstrong, 21, as an instructor at the Civic Auditorium Roller Rink before he enlisted. He, along with six crew mates, were killed on October 23, 1944 when their Lancaster bomber crashed in the U.K..


International Reps

November 2, 1963, Winnipeg Free Press

Greta Goodman and Grant Wilson were a well-known local skating duo. They represented Canada at an international competition in 1963.


The Shaw Family

December 8, 1962, Winnipeg Free Press

Syd Shaw did so much to establish roller skating in the city through his management of the Winnipeg Roller Rink from the 1930s to 1960s. It was, however, a family affair.

Florence Eva Shaw, his wife, was an accomplished skater, instructor, and coach. Above she is seen with their daughter Jean who was eight years old at the time.

It seems no biographical article was ever written about Shaw who had varied interests.

In 1954, a lady wrote a letter to the editor thanking Shaw for his work on devising a brace for crippled children to make it easier for them to walk. She suggested he be named "man of the year".

An article in the Swan Lake paper in 1959 notes that he and Florence offered invaluable advice in the run-up to the reopening of the Rollerdrome there. The couple even donated 100 pairs of skates to the cause.


The Winnipeg Roller Skating Club

April 1, 1941, Winnipeg Free Press

Established around 1935, the Winnipeg Roller Skating club held a year-end carnival most years. In 1947, President George Shore told the Tribune that after 12 years the club boasted a membership of 9,500 which might have been the largest organization of its kind in North America.