It was a weekend of setting bests and making new marks for members of the Salmon Arm Ice Breakers Speed Skating Club at the Kelowna Invitational event.
Held Saturday at the Capital News Centre, seven team members competed in various distances with all the young racers logging personal best times.
Aila Norlin, who was racing up a division, scored a personal best in the 1,200-metre endurance event, as well as posting personal top times in the 200- and 400-m events. Joining her in division 3 competition, Bradley Hlina established his benchmark time with his first 1,200-m race, while he also notched personal bests in the 200- and 400-m. Hlina and Norlin also competed in a 2,000-m points race for the first time, following their 1,200-m stints. The points race has skaters earning points for placings on the seventh, 14th and final laps.
Jack Verdurmen earned best times in his 1,200-m, 200-m, 300-m and 400-m races, while Shan Chhokar earned a personal best in the 200-m, only to beat that time in his second 200-m race. Chhokar also established benchmark times in the 300-m and 600-m, but had an unfortunate fall in his 400-m race.
In division one, Daniel Hlina and Devyn Hughes continue to improve, as both skaters earned personal best times in all four of their races, as well as earning top placings in the bucket race and the pairs races, where skaters push another racer for a lap before switching places to finish the two lap challenge.
Masters level skater Alex Seal competed with the 15- to 19-year- old-group and raced distances of 500 m, 1,000 m, 1,500 m and 3,000 m. He took first in all distances except the 500-m, where he placed second.
Skaters are always welcome to try the speed skate program. For more information, go to www.salmonarmspeedskating.com.
