“Sam is the first British junior ever to have qualified for this week’s Viking race,, external which is the unofficial European Championships of speed skating,” says Groot, explaining why Airey is special. The teenager is, his says his father, among the top 40 in the world for his age.
Groot continues: “He was selected by the district of South Holland which, in Holland, is quite difficult. It’s a big region and he is in the top 5% of skaters.
“It’s actually quite something that a foreigner has made it into their selection.”
There are other aspirant British long trackers: Phil Brojaka, a veteran who for many years was practically the lone Briton in the sport, may yet be tempted to return. Two young women in the United States are eligible to skate for Britain and posting encouraging results. Scott Anderson, who has spent a five-figure sum to train at an elite academy in Germany, is approaching international level.
But without a rink, the sport cannot foster long-term ambitions in the UK.
Sir Steve Redgrave first proposed a 400m long track rink, external for Britain during Vancouver 2010. While his idea is not dead, Redgrave and others have found supportive local councils hard to come by.
However, the Dutch company behind a recent sports complex in the Netherlands, external has expressed interest in replicating its idea in the UK. One or two other, similar projects are also being tentatively developed. “It could happen before the next Olympics,” insists Groot.
In the meantime, the fledgling British team has an arrangement to train in the Netherlands – and the Dutch are happy to see a new nation in ‘their’ sport.
“They like it,” says Airey. “They don’t really mind it as much as I thought they would. They just find it really cool to have a British person skating with the Dutch team.”