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The Kelowna Speed Skating Club sent eight skaters to the BC Short Track Championship in Abbotsford last weekend. They returned with five medals. Three of the skaters were selected to skate for BC at the Canada West Short Track Championships in Saskatoon on March 18th to 19th. Those skaters are Dylan Baliski, Erik Haaheim and Kenzie Adams. Several skaters improved their personal best times and demonstrated that a year of training has paid off.
"A lot of work was done on their starts and sprinting technique since Christmas," said coach Nancy Goplen. "This paid off with better positioning after the first corner. Their long distances were strong so it was just a matter of refining some technical issues to be able to improve the sprints," she said.
Baliski (U15 boys), having missed part of the season due to injuries, set two new personals in the 200 m and 400 m and punched his ticket to Canada West by placing 7th overall. Jacob Rubuliak (U14 boys) also set two personals in the 200 m and 400 m and ranked third overall in the age category. Rubuliak qualified for Canada West but declined his position due to other commitments. Jack Graves (U 14) skated to 9th overall.
Erik Haaheim (U13 boys) also placed 3rd overall and earned his spot on the Canada West Team. He set new personal best times in the 200 m and 400 m, while Kenzie Adams (U 13 girls) continued with the trend by placing 3rd overall and set personal best times in the 200 m and 400 m. She will join Haaheim and Baliski in Saskatoon.
Meanwhile, Noah Rubuliak (U12) skated to another bronze medal in the overall ranking and also set new personals in the 200 m and 400 m. Calla Haaheim and Jacqueline Baliski, both nine years of age, made their debut at Provincials and proved that they will be skaters to watch in the future. Haaheim finished 4th overall in the U12 division and won a silver medal in the U10 division. She set new personals in the 1200 m, 200 m and 400 m. Baliski, coming fresh from a figure skating competition skated to personal bests in the 1200 m and the 400 m to finish 13th overall in the U12 division. Noah Rubuliak will be age eligible for Canada West next year, while Haaheim and Baliski will have to wait a few years.
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