Four speed skaters and a coach took to the Takhini Arena ice for their second training session of the season last night.

The smaller ice surface is less than ideal for training, as is the lack of crash mats lining the boards.

But members of the Whitehorse Rapids Speed Skating Club are making the best of a bad situation after a June 24 fire at the Canada Games Centre claimed the Yukon Amateur Speed Skating Association's crash mats.

Without crash mats, speed skaters are forced to skate more slowly than usual and work on the technical side of the sport.

"That's the kind of stuff that we have to work on. But we can make it work,” Whitehorse Rapids coach Phil Hoffman said.

The cost to replace the mats was originally set at $100,000. In five weeks, the group had raised $66,000, after the Yukon Amateur Hockey Association put out a challenge to other sport governing bodies to help raise enough to return speed skaters to the ice.

The generosity of Yukoners pitching in money to replace the mats is "incredible,” Hoffman said.

"To have that response that quickly – I had no idea we'd get donations rolling in that quickly,” he said.

The sum raised for the mats is nearing the $100,000 needed, Hoffman said.

Even with the full amount raised, however, speed skaters will be unable to train at full capacity until the ATCO Olympic ice is re-opened.

That's scheduled for November.

"I don't anticipate having full-speed practices until then,” Hoffman said.

In the meantime, speed skaters will continue working on technique and conditioning to prepare for the 2012 Arctic Winter Games, which will be held in Whitehorse in March.

As disappointing as having training impeded is being unable to attend high-profile races in the fall, including an event Thanksgiving weekend in Calgary.

"I think we'll have to can that because we won't have any speed work before then,” Hoffman said.

There are two age groups for the Arctic Winter Games: juvenile (ages 11-13) and juniors (ages 14-19). Eight skaters – four boys, four girls – would make a full team.

Hoffman anticipates having too few numbers to make a full roster.

"We're short. One thing we're kind of hoping is the publicity we've gotten from the bad news will turn into some good news and get a few more kids interested in trying speed skating,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman was told the Northwestel Arena ice (NHL) at the Canada Games Centre would be available in October.

But officials at the Games Centre are awaiting word on the status of the Northwestel rink, and release the expected re-open date today after the Star's deadline.

The implication of there being one ice available is where to store the speed skating mats, Hoffman said.

"I'm hoping we can have some of our mats in there.”

Prior to the opening of the Canada Games Centre for the 2007 Canada Winter Games, speed skaters used to use the Takhini Arena ice.

Since then, they have gotten used to the larger dimensions of the ATCO ice.

"It's been a while since we speed skated in here, but it's fine. We got used to Olympic-sized ice.”

The bulk of speed skaters will be back from last year, with the exception of Heather Clarke, who is going to school in Calgary and enrolled in the Olympic Oval program there.

She'll be back for the Arctic Games, however.