Team BC men and women skated in the A Final of the relay event this afternoon at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, where they’d race in front of a crowd with standing room only.
Team BC was represented in the women's relay A Final by Sherilyn Chung (Coquitlam), Jane Green (Mission), Annabelle Green (Mission) and Samantha Spencer (Burnaby). They competed against a stacked heat of teams from Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.
"We knew we were kind of in over our heads in a way, but anything can happen in a relay — especially in short track. That is why they say 'that's short track for you' because you never know who is going to go down, who is going to get impeded or who is going to make it," said Jane Green. "We did our best and skated as clean as we possibly could."
BC fell behind mid-race to their competitors, but the heat had spectators on the edge of their seats. At race end, it was announced that the unofficial result included Ontario as the bronze medal team, but that the race was under review. After only a few minutes, it was announced that Team Ontario had taken a penalty disqualifying them from the race and BC would move up as the bronze medalists of the event.
Ainsley Spencer raced in qualifications for BC (Annabelle Green did not), and played an important role in helping her team qualify for the race. All five Team BC women would take the step onto the podium later that afternoon.
On the men’s side, BC was represented by Marshall Shupe (Maple Ridge), Keanan St. Rose (Prince George), Lukas MacDonald (Vancouver), and Noah Hyun (Port Coquitlam) in the A Final.
Craig Miller (Prince George) helped the team qualify for the event earlier this week, racing for BC in the qualification rounds.
The team got off to a great start, but Quebec and Alberta broke away early in the race, swapping first and second place throughout the race. BC held a consistent third place in the race, but would later find out that their time had been disqualified due to a penalty and the bronze medal would go to New Brunswick.
The men’s team showed great sportsmanship while the race was under review, shaking the hands of their New Brunswick competitors on the ice, while awaiting the decision that eventually led to the news of their disqualification.
BC Skaters also raced in the 3000 m Points Race today, with Chung achieving a 10th place finish in the standings. On the men’s side, the best result was from St. Rose who would finish 19th in the final standings.
Results – 3000 m points race
Sherilyn Chung – Raced in B Final – 10th in the standings
C Final
Jane Green – 19th in final standings
Ainsley Spencer – 21st in final standings
Samantha Spencer – 22nd in Final Standings
Annabelle Green – D Final - 26th in Final Standings
C Final
Keanan St. Rose – 19th in Final Standings
Lukas MacDonald – 21st in Final Standings
Marshall Shupe – 23rd in Final Standings
Noah Hyun – 24th in Final Standings
D Final
Craig Miller – DSQ