Continued improvement
Islanders earn medals, personal bests at recent competitions
Islanders grabbed five medals and numerous personal-best times in a pair of short track speed skating events during the weekend.
In Rimouski, Que., William Lyons of Rock Barra won a silver medal in group 2 at the second Quebec provincial circuit competition of the season. The Kings County skater, training in Sherbrooke, Que., this season, posted a seasonal-best time while skating to second place in the 500-metre A final, along with a seasonal-best time in the 1,500-metre distance.
Carter Bruce of Stratford made his Quebec circuit debut, skating in group 3. He won the 500-metre A final en route to eighth position overall, recovering from a penalty in the 1,500metre distance.
The Island pair were among 122 skaters from Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and P.E.I. competing in Rimouski.
Seven Islanders were also competing at the Harold Joyce Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Fredericton, N.B., where P.E.I. picked up four medals, including podium finishes in each of the top three divisions.
Rob Binns of Stratford earned the gold medal in division 1, as did fellow Stratford skater Addison Bruce in division 2. Binns, who will be a member of Canada’s short track contingent at the Winter World Masters Games in Innsbruck, Austria, in January, won three of four distances en route to the overall title.
Bruce notched personal best (PB) times in all three of his timed distances to help himself to the gold and his second medal of the season following a silvermedal performance in Halifax in October.
Jane Bruce earned a silver medal in division 3, while Alex Rogers took home bronze in division 2 to round out the Island medals. Both skaters were following up on their home-ice gold medals at the Atlantic Cup event in Charlottetown two weeks earlier.
Bruce grabbed a PB in the 400-metre distance, while Rogers had PBs in both the 400- and 1,500-metre distances.
Also competing for P.E.I. in Fredericton were Brendan Reynard in division 3, Saul Grant in division 4 and Nicole Reynard in division 8. Grant nabbed PB times in all four of his race distances, while Brendan and Nicole Reynard each posted a pair of PB times.
The Fredericton meet featured 109 skaters from 11 Atlantic clubs.
Speed Skate P.E.I. technical director Sarah Taylor said she was encouraged by what she saw.
“We had some really fast times and big PBs this weekend, as well as some great passing and strategic skating,” she said. “If we can keep building in the weeks and months ahead, I think that everyone is going to be very pleased with their performances this season.”