Local athletes compete among province’s best at B.C. long track speed skating championships

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Fort St. John speed skaters took on some of the province’s best in their own backyard this weekend.

The BC Long Track Championships took place at the Pomeroy Sport Centre oval on January 17th and 18th with 25 skaters competing in either neo-junior (age 14-15), junior (16-18) and youth (12-13) competitions.

Fort St. John Speed Skating Club head coach Richard Stickel said this year’s team was “strong” and performed “really well” in racing competitors from around the province.

“There are certain things we would like the kids to be able to do and certain improvements we wanted to see,” said Stickel. “I think everybody really met what we were hoping to see out of them.

“We are really happy with [their performances].”

Though most skaters performed at a high level, finishing in the top 20 in their respective races, it was two future stars that stood apart from the crowd representing Fort St. John.

Both Tara Ashrafi and Austin MacGregor had outstanding races. MacGregor scored the top time in the boys’ 500 metres on the first day, and had both a second and third place showing in the 1,500 metres and the mass race, respectively.

Meanwhile, Ashrafi had a fourth-place showing in the girls’ 500 metres, followed up with a fifth place in the 1,500. She finished her races with a third in the 1,000 metres.

While the event was a success, Stickel said this – and many competitions – couldn’t happen without the tireless efforts of the club’s volunteers, running everything from timing to public address announcements. 

“All the volunteers just do amazing,” said Stickel. “We have had a lot of big meets over the years. [Clubs] in Quebec or Calgary, there is a whole paid staff that looks after all of it.

“[Here] it is all just volunteers. It’s pretty impressive.”

The B.C. long track speed skating championships took place at the Pomeroy Sport Centre in Fort St. John on Saturday, January 17th and Sunday, January 18th.