The Vernon Vortex Speed Skating Club went into competition with the entire province in Kamloops at the provincial short track championships and performed admirably.
The Vernon club is one of the smaller clubs in the province and ended up placing fifth overall and being the top-ranked Interior club.
The Vortex team entered 36 individual events and the skaters combined for an impressive 30 personal best times.
Laura Hall dominated the long distances to finish third overall and earn a spot on the B.C. team representing the province at the Canadian Western Championships in Edmonton March 19.
The breakout performance of the competition came from Lauryn Eddy, who was able to win three out of four of her events to take the gold medal for the Vortex.
Competing in just her second provincial championships, Eddy surprised everyone except her coaches by the dominance of her performance.
Eddy has begun the process of setting herself up for a good run at the next B.C. Winter Games and with some off-season work will have a good chance at a repeat victory next year. In the Learn to Train divisions, Ethan and Andrew Blackmore were competing in their first provincial championship and finished 11th and 16th overall, a fantastic showing in their first year of competition.
Declan Fitzpatrick finished sixth overall in just his second year of competing at the B.C.s, setting three personal best times and making two A finals. Nate Benn earned a bronze medal in the age division in the 200m event.
Daniel Hall finished second in his age division with an impressive margin of victory in the 1,200m and 2,000m events, establishing himself as a long distance specialist to watch for.
The Train to Train divisions had Tadhg Boyle finishing the competition in 11th place overall making his way into two B finals. Doyle is now well-positioned for a run at the A finals with a good summer of training ahead of him.
Mattias Isobe also finished 11th overall in his age division with an entry into a B final, He impressed the field with his starts and has a good opportunity to build on that during the off season.
Skating in the anchor position for the club was Trevor Rassmussen, making a return to competition after a prolonged absence to help with coaching the club. Rasmussen finished second overall in the performance division, putting on a virtual clinic on the finer points of setting up passes.
The Vortex team performed beyond the expectations of most from outside the club, beating much larger clubs from Kamloops and Kelowna.
The Vortex would like to express thanks to its sponsors, Interior Savings Credit Union and Mackenzie Financial, for making progress possible.
For information on how to join this vibrant group of athletes, and learn how to skate fast and compete to your maximum potential, e-mail the club at vernonvortex@gmail.com.
