What age categories does Speed Skating Canada use, and how is my child's racing age worked out?

Question

Accepted Answer

SSC recognizes these age categories (racing age is the skater's age before July 1 prior to the competitive season):

Club Skater: ages 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Youth: ages 11 and 12, and age 13 (Youth C1).
Neo-Junior: age 14 (C2) and age 15 (B1).
Junior: ages 16 (B2), 17 (A1) and 18 (A2).
Neo-Senior: ages 19 (B1), 20 (B2), 21 (A1) and 22 (A2).
Senior: 23 and over, plus Masters categories from 30+ in five-year steps.

Where there are no significant developmental differences, Club and Youth skaters can be grouped together across gender categories. In any one competition that uses age categories, a skater is limited to the events of a single age category, but may compete in a different category if it is developmentally appropriate under SSC's age reclassification guidelines.

To enter sanctioned competitions, skaters must be registered with SSC as a Club, Provincial/Territorial, National or SSC Team (invitation only) Athlete, and must have authorization from their provincial or territorial member.

Source: SSC Procedures and Regulations (Red Book), updated July 16, 2026, B1 and B3.