Several local skaters posted podium performances and personal bests at a Banff Canmore Speed Skating Club home meet on Saturday (Dec. 15) as the club continues to develop young skaters.
Joshua Holthuis, Hee-Won Son, Emma Hendry, Magnus Ellis, Anna Roberts, Troy Flood and Abbey Young all won multiple gold medals at the meet, while several other skaters had podium finishes, such as Alexander de Boer, Alison Gourlay, Cadence McDonald, Cassidy McDonald, Cassidy Peterson, Connor Howe, Isobel Hendry, Marcus de Boer, Sam Hendry, Sandra Mergler, Sebastien Parent and Xavier McKeever.
The meet attracted 130 skaters coming from as far away as Grande Prairie for the popular event.
Coach Ian Mellors said the skaters showed a lot of improvement and posted several personal best times, which can be more important than medals.
“We’re seeing a lot of progress. The skaters come when they’re five, six, seven years old, they give it their best, and some decide to skate well. Some are skating technically well. That’s what will carry them on,” Mellors said.
The club’s top skater, Chloe Howe, also attended as an official. Fresh off a trip to the Canadian junior nationals, she’s now preparing to compete in England this week at an open meet.
“(Junior nationals) was a great experience for me. I wasn’t ranked very high going in. To skate with high-calibre athletes was exciting. It was intimidating going in, but it was encouraging to see I wasn’t miles behind everyone.”
She had few expectations going in and even surprised herself with a 25th place finish in the 500 metre.
“Anything I do in this competition is a bonus. When I got there and saw I wasn’t too far away, I just wanted to move up one spot,” Howe said.
Howe began skating with the local club five years ago and has progressed significantly in that time. A strong swimmer growing up, her progress on the frozen oval has been remarkable.
“When I started, I could hardly skate. You would see the seven-year-olds buzzing by while I was falling on my butt,” Howe said.
She attributed her progress to coaches with the local club who provided a fun learning environment and technical expertise. While there was pressure for her to train in Calgary, she preferred to stay in Canmore because of the environment.
Next year though, she’ll attend university and hopes to join the oval program in Calgary. It’s the next step in achieving her ultimate goal of making the Olympics. She’s inspired by Great Britain speed skater Elise Christie, who is now one of the best in the world.
“I hope to improve my technique and fitness. I have no problems getting the times, but the training, I’ll have to improve,” Howe said.
In England, she’ll get a chance to skate against the best junior skaters in Europe.
“It’s almost like junior nationals, but there are so few clubs in England it will also bring people from around Europe. My grandparents will get to see me skate, which is good, since they’ve never had that chance,” Howe said.
Mellors said the meet had a positive atmosphere. The next Canmore meet is on Feb. 2.
