Five Banff/Canmore Speed Skating Club athletes proved that pound-for-pound, the Bow Valley has some of the top frozen track athletes in Alberta, bringing home a truckload of medals in March.
At the Canada-West Short Track Speed Skating Championship in Lethbridge, four Bow Valley skaters distinguished themselves against the best in the West.
The event attracts the top 11-14 year old skaters, and Canmore/Banff athletes were well seeded thanks to stellar seasons.
Connor Howe entered the two-day event as the top-ranked 13-year-old in the province and left with three medals. He earned a bronze medal in the 1,500 metre, followed up with a seventh-place finish in the 200 m and 10th in the 400 m. He won silver in the 3,000-m points race, and was a member of the Alberta Junior 1 Relay team to end the weekend in fifth place overall.
Teammate Sam Hendry also had a strong weekend for the local club. He won gold in the 1,500 m, silver in the team relay and was in good position in the 3,000 m when a fall knocked him out of contention. He then grabbed a 10th-place finish in the 200 m and ninth in the 400 m – both personal best performances. The strong results left him seventh overall at his second CanWest competition.
Cassidy Peterson was ranked number two heading into the 14-year-old girls division and was able to hold onto her position over the weekend. She won gold in the 1,500 m, silver in the 200 m and 400 m, fourth in the 3,000 m and was a member of the gold medal winning Junior 1 relay team.
Alison Gourlay finished third overall in the Girls 12 year old division, thanks to three bronze medal performances in the 400-m, 1,500-m and 3,000-m points race. The competition was a marked improvement for Gourlay, who finished sixth last year at the Canada-West competition.
Siobhan Mellors had her best nationals to date, when she finished 14th overall out of a field of 27 Junior B skaters at the Canada Age Class Short Track Championship in Prince George, British Columbia. She cracked the top 10 in the 1,000-m race and had a 16th in the 500 m – another personal best result.
The club will finish its season on April 11 with a year-end party.
