Team BC Long Track Speed Skaters took to the ice for the first day of competition on Saturday February 16. The lone competition distance of the day was the 1500m (both men & women). The venue operations team fought tough weather and a lot of snow, but they were able to get the ice set for the races which began at 9:30 am with the male competitors.
“It was a very cold day, with lots of wind as well, so we had some additional challenges on the backstretch with some extra wind in the face, but overall I thought our kids did really well,” said Head Coach Adam Ingle (Surrey) about the team performance. “They met or exceeded expectations, so I am really pleased and really proud of them today.”
The severely low temperatures were a challenge for the athletes, but they all remained in good spirits. In addition to skating, most of the Team BC athletes braved the cold and came outside to cheer on their teammates.
On the men’s side, Team BC athletes all finished in the top 15 with the top finisher from British Columbia, Kieran Hanson (Prince George), earning 11th place with a time of 2:07.42. On the Women’s side, Team BC athletes finished 7, 12, 16 and 20th place respectively. Finishing 7th on the women’s side was Amanda Mitchell (Fort St. John) with a time of 2:21.44.
Full Results:
Men’s 1500m
- 11th Place – Kieran Hanson (Prince George) - 2:07.42
- 12th Place – Jacob Rubuliak (Kelowna) – 2:07.77
- 14th Place – Josh Telizyn (Fort St. John) – 2:08.58
- 15th Place – Eric Orlowsky (Prince George) – 2:08.65
Women’s 1500m
- 7th Place – Amanda Mitchell (Fort St. John) – 2:21.44
- 12th Place – Laura Hall (Salmon Arm) – 2:29.54
- 16th Place – Brooke Braun (Fort St. John) – 2:34.79
- 20th Place – Yuna Lovell (Fort St. John) – 2:41.92
Upcoming Competition:
Sunday Feb. 17th
- Women’s 500m Race #1 & #2 (medals) [9:00-9:30 am & 11:00 - 11:30 am]
- Men’s 500m Race #1 & #2 (medals) [10:00 - 10:30 am & 12:00 - 12:30 pm]
- Women’s Team Pursuit Final (medals) [2:00 - 2:30 pm]
- Men’s Team Pursuit Final (medals) [2:30 - 3:00 pm]