Speed skating was on display to an enthusiastic crowd of spectators at the Gibsons and area community centre last Saturday.
For the first time, the local Pacific Blades Speed Skating Club hosted their own competition, and by all accounts, the event was a huge success.
"We're really happy with how the event went," said club spokesperson Peter Maseja. "We didn't want to have a large competition to start and only had about 50 skaters, but logistically everything ran very smoothly and all the competitors, both from our club and from off-Coast, really enjoyed the event."
More than 50 skaters from the Lower Mainland, Washington and the local club competed at the Spirit of B.C. Pacific Blades Challenge, racing in five different events with competitors ranging in age from five to 60.
According to Maseja, many skaters used this competition to improve their personal best times to qualify for the B.C. speed skating championship scheduled next month in Kamloops.
Participating local racers held their own. The youngest skater, Jaden Fodchuck, won a silver medal in cradle division, and Spencer Kitson won a silver medal in the peewee division.
Isabella Roeleveld, Ondra Maseja and Samantha Illes-Hinghton all had good meets, finishing just outside the medals but with some personal best times. Willie Daigneault had to withdraw due to injury, and the final local racer, Nicole Maseja, had to withdraw due to illness.
"This was an officially-sanctioned event by the B.C. Speed Skating Association with time keepers and judges. Volunteers and the public finally got a chance to see an actual meet," said Maesja. "We had a lot of positive feedback. Some people were introduced to the sport for the first time. We even had a couple of people who expressed an interest in joining the local club."
Maseja said the positive growth of the sport can only get bigger with the 2010 Winter Olympics looming. "Next year we'll try to move the date a bit and hopefully attract a more competitive field," he said.
