Four young speed skaters from the Saanich Peninsula are off to the BC Winter Games in Kamloops this week, following a busy season on the ice here B次元官网网址� and further afield.
The Games start on Feb. 22 and the Peninsula Speed Skating Club is sending athletes Kieran and Kyle Brown, Peyton Stonehouse-Smith and Tori Kalyniuk. Local coach Kelly Ball will accompany them, along with a pair of skaters from the Esquimalt club, Finn Fairburn and Colin Mathews.
The B次元官网网址 Review caught up with one of the skaters, Tori Kalyniuk, at a recent practice. She has been doing well on the short track this season and added to her repertoire this season when she and Stonehouse-Smith went to long-time coach and former national athlete Brenda Hennigar to learn the long track discipline.
Shortly before this weekendB次元官网网址檚 Games, Kaliniuk traveled to Quebec City to participate in the national age class championships.
B次元官网网址淭eam BC was a good team this year and it was a new experience,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 just started skating long track this year B次元官网网址� IB次元官网网址檝e never been at that level for skating before and I think it went really well.B次元官网网址�
Kalyniuk competed in the 500 metre, 1500m, 3000m mass start and a 300m mass start, as well as a team pursuit event.
B次元官网网址淚 came in there as probably one of the newest skaters, if not the newest to long track,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚t was amazing to see how I did.B次元官网网址�
While she didnB次元官网网址檛 reach the podium at the age class nationals, Kalyniuk and her coach both said her progress has been exceptional and Kalyniuk plans to stick with skating and hopes to improve.
This weekend, itB次元官网网址檚 the short track events in Kamloops at the Winter Games. Kalyniuk and her teammates have been working hard in that discipline and are hoping to do well and represent the Island among their B.C. counterparts.
Following the Games, Kalyniuk said theyB次元官网网址檒l all be off to the B.C. Short Track Provincial championship.
Her work doesnB次元官网网址檛 quite end there. Kalyniuk also competes in high-level cycling in the Greater Victoria area.
editor@peninsulanewsreview.com
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In FridayB次元官网网址檚 edition:
Sidney wheelchair basketball athlete Desiree Young talks about her first BC Winter Games, coming up Feb. 22.
