The Salmon Arm Ice Breakers Speed Skating Club is proving to be a force on the ice in the Interior, with four of its skaters earning the Interior Club Challenge titles for their divisions.
This is a new award for the Interior speed skating clubs and is designed to reward skaters for participation, improvement in their individual skills and race performance.
A formula awards points to each skater based on these categories, and winners were announced Sunday at the Vernon Funale meet.
In the age 6-7 girls group, Ila Isaac won the title, narrowly edging out a Kelowna skater and beating out 10 other competitors, while her teammate Callie Belway brought home the award in the girls 8-9 category.
In the boys 6-7 age grouping, club newcomer Corbin Coubrough took the challenge cup.
Jack Isaac, who stunned racers with his endurance to win the 2,000-metre points race against much more experienced racers at the event, and has consistently dropped his race times this season, was the Interior Cup Challenge winner in the boys 10-11 category.
The Salmon Arm Ice Breakers also made some stellar showings at the Vernon Funale, which is the final Interior meet of the season before the provincials.
Skaters each raced in four different distances during the day, and earned medals based on their overall group placings.
In Division 1A, Marissa Dollack earned a silver medal in her class, while Division 1B saw Ice Breakers sweep the podium with Lincoln Thurgood earning gold, Ila Isaac taking silver and Alexander Watkins taking bronze.
In Division 1C Mackenzie Keating raced to bronze, while Zachary Watkins earned the iron medal.
In his first-ever race day, Samuel Johnson won the silver medal in the 1D category, and displayed excellent sportsmanship towards his fellow competitors.
Keagan Isaac earned bronze despite succumbing to illness partway through the day and not completing his last race.
In Division 2B, provincially qualified skater Aila Norlin skated to bronze in a tough category against all older skaters.
Division 2D saw club members Phoenix Nash and Jack Isaac challenge each other, with both skaters earning an equal number of points to tie for the gold medals.
Nash took the sprint race wins, while Isaac continued to display his knack for the longer distances, winning both longer races. Devyn Hughes earned the iron medal in that class, but won applause from the crowd for getting up and finishing a race after a dramatic fall.
In Division 2F, which required a 1,200-m race, the longest official distance both Ice Breakers skaters had ever raced, Callie Belway earned silver and Jett Nash earned iron.
This was the final Interior race for the speed skating season, but a number of skaters have earned berths at the provincial meet in March, with a few others still chasing the chance to post qualifying times for the event.
