Speedskating can be a somewhat solitary sport, at least from the time the athletes step onto the ice, clear their minds and put forth a burst of energy.

For Peyton Stonehouse-Smith, 13, the test of physical strength and endurance the sport offers drew her to speedskating in the first place.

B次元官网网址淚 had gone through skating lessons, but I didnB次元官网网址檛 want to play hockey and I didnB次元官网网址檛 want to figure skate, so it just kind of fit and I fell in love with it,B次元官网网址� the View Royal resident says of her beginnings in the sport a little over four years ago.

Currently training to skate for the Zone 6 (Vancouver Island-Central Coast) team in two weeks at the B.C. Winter Games in Penticton, the Peninsula Speedskating Club member says even in the early days she knew sheB次元官网网址檇 found her athletic niche.

B次元官网网址淲hen I started, I really liked skating and I really liked also that there were always things you could improve on,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚 feel like IB次元官网网址檝e come a really long way and IB次元官网网址檓 skating the fastest IB次元官网网址檝e ever skated.B次元官网网址�

Peyton will skate in the 200- and 400-metre sprints, the 1,500 and a 3,000-metre relay event at the Games. She had a fourth-place finish at provincials two years ago, and has already qualified for the 2016 B.C.B次元官网网址檚 in Kamloops, which happen the weekend after the Games.

She looks forward to finding out where she stands against her peers, but also the chance to bond with fellow skaters.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 really excited because I get to go with a team and we get to represent a zone and work together,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淎 lot of skating is going out by yourself and skating your race and going for your individual time. This is definitely more of a team event, so itB次元官网网址檒l be fun.B次元官网网址�

The Island squad may well have an advantage when it comes to the relays, which Peyton will skate as a member of the under-14 team. Relays are not generally a part of regular meets, since skaters are individually focused on attaining qualifying times for such events as the provincials or the Winter Games.

B次元官网网址淵ou could waste half a day trying to get through a relay like that. They just generally donB次元官网网址檛 do it,B次元官网网址� says PeytonB次元官网网址檚 father, Dwayne Smith.

With that in mind, the Games team skaters, who hail from the IslandB次元官网网址檚 only two clubs, have been practising relays for the past seven weeks during their workouts at Archie Browning Sports Centre in Esquimalt.

B次元官网网址淚 think we have a good advantage,B次元官网网址� said Zone 6 coach Kurt Innes, a Langford resident and former Olympian who also coaches at the Esquimalt club. B次元官网网址淪hort-track relay is a very technical event, but I think weB次元官网网址檙e going to execute really well.B次元官网网址�

He says the Games experience should be a positive one for Peyton. B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 a really hard-working young athlete,B次元官网网址� he says, adding heB次元官网网址檚 enjoyed being able to see her growth as a skater.

editor@goldstreamgazette.com