Lethbridge speed skaters top Western Elite Circuit
The Western Elite Circuit competition #3 occurred at the Olympic Oval in Calgary recently and three skaters from Lethbridge participated in the event. Skaters competed in two 500-meter races, two 1000-meter races, and one 1500-meter race each day, accumulating points for their performance in each race.
In the Women’s Division, Mikka Eaves recorded 96,290 points out of a possible 100,000 points to secure the top spot overall. Eaves finished first in every race but two throughout the weekend, helping her secure the title as the Western Elite Circuit overall winner for women, earning her a new set of Skate Tec speed skating blades.
In the Men’s Division, Zakhary Adelman finished eleventh overall and seventh among junior skaters, placing first in two races. He set new personal bests in the 500-meter event of 43.2 seconds and the 1500-meter event of 2:20.4.
Gavin Ogilvie also competed in the Men’s Division. He finished first in six of the ten races he participated in and finished thirteenth overall. He set new personal best times in the 1000-meter of 1:32.1 and the 1500-meter of 2:19.2. His performance earned him the top spot among neo junior men in the competition. Thus, Lethbridge skaters accounted for two of the four overall winners at the competition in the neo junior and junior categories.
While the older skaters were competing in Calgary, two younger members of the Lethbridge Speed Skating Club were competing at the Fish Bowl Short Track Speed Skating Meet in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Caelyn Wolfe skated in qualifying and final races for the 200-meter, 300-meter, and 400-meter events and a 1000-meter superfinal. She finished in the top three in three of the races and earned a bronze medal for her performance.
Theo Hazendonk competed in three 400-meter races, one 800-meter race, two 1000-meter races and a 1500-meter superfinal. He set huge personal bests in the longer distance races of over thirty seconds and finished in the top three in five of the seven races he competed in. This earned him a silver medal for the event.