From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:
Skating is something Canadians are well known for, and some skaters have a need for speed! The first speedskating event is believed to have taken place in 1854 when three British army officers raced down the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City. These races would become regular winter events. In 1887 the Amateur Skating Association was formed as Canada’s first amateur sport governing body.
One local young man, Perry Giangualano, took up this sport. In 1987 at the age of 14, the young skater who was a member of the Sault Speed Skating Club finished in third place overall in the Juvenile Boy event at the North American Indoor Speed Skating Championships.
In 1988, the skater won the 500-metre race at the Olympic Style Championship and also set a provincial record in the 800-metre event, giving him a national rank of 44th.
In 1990 Perry moved to Calgary, Alberta to continue to train for speed skating but also to attend the Mount Royal College before going on to the University of Calgary to possibly pursue a career as an Electronic Technician. His career would continue into the 1990s.
He was selected to join Team Ontario in 1990 and competed at the Canadian Speedskating Championships and the North American Speedskating Championship in March later that year. By 1991 Perry was continuing to increase his standings with a third overall among the junior-age competitors at the Canadian Junior Long Track Championships in Regina.
In February of 1991, Perry finished second overall at the Canadian Junior Long Track Speedskating Championship ensuring a place at the World Championships. At the World Championships, he placed 21st in the 500-metre and 23rd in the 3000-metre race.
When he wasn’t speed skating Perry spent his time designing and constructing remote-controlled model boats. A July 1992 Sault Star article, recounted that the 19-year-old had designed and fabricated a four-foot model boat that could operate from 300 metres away and weighed about 42 pounds.
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