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Competitors battle it out at 2019 Canada Games short track speed skating test event

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The cream of the short track speed skating crop in Western Canada hit the ice this weekend at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.

Fifty-five athletes from Alberta, B.C., Manitoba and Yukon were in town for a 2019 Canada Winter Games short track speed skating test event.

Athletes, coaches and parents marveled at the new facility and local club members said it will make things easier when the games arrive five months from now.

“Things have gone very smoothly,” said Andrew Jenkins, the Red Deer Lions Speed Skating Club president.

“This facility at the college is gorgeous and it’s got the space and the facilities that are really going to make running the Winter Games quite easily we believe. The skaters and the coaches really like the facility.”

The meet also served as qualifying for the games for Team Alberta and B.C.

Jenkins, who is also a sport lead for the 2019 Canada Winter Games short track speed skating said having those qualifiers in Red Deer this weekend ramped up the competitive nature of the event.

“In order to run the test event, the Alberta Speed Skating Association was kind enough to step in and put together and host this,” Jenkins said.

“They are using it as a test event for their team. B.C. had their selection event canceled on them, so they’ve come to use this as a selection event as well. We’ve got the best skaters from Alberta and B.C. here…We were impressed.”

Although the event did not include any of the local Red Deer Lions Speed Skating Club skaters, it did provide for them a glimpse into the future.

“We have a lot of younger skaters in our club. Our skaters of this calibre have transitioned out,” said Red Deer Lions Speed Skating Club registar Alison Wigelsworth.

“Maddison Pearman, skates in Calgary, she is aiming for the Olympics now. For our younger skaters, we have a large group of 11-14-year-olds– this is inspirational to them because they can see what it looks like when they are aiming for this four to six years down the road.”

The Red Deer Lions Speed Skating Club with host their own short track meet on Nov. 3 at the Kinex.



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Byron Hackett

About the Author: Byron Hackett

Byron has been the sports reporter at the advocate since December of 2016. He likes to spend his time in cold hockey arenas accompanied by luke warm, watered down coffee.
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