November 8, 2016, Charlottetown – Atlantic Canada’s competitive speed skating season kicks off at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown this weekend, as Speed Skate PEI plays host to the 25th annual Atlantic Cup Speed Skating Championships. The two-day event will see short track skaters from six provinces as well as a contingent from Nunavut take to the ice starting Saturday morning.
Matt Kozma (left), Thomas McQuaid (right) and New Brunswick’s Anthony Cormier-Losier will be in the field this weekend for the 25th annual Atlantic Cup Speed Skating Championships. Photo courtesy of Kristen Binns.
Speed Skate PEI says it will be the largest Atlantic Cup event in at least ten years, with more than 170 skaters from 14 clubs competing.
“We’re thrilled to be hosting the 25th annual Atlantic Cup this year and especially pleased with the large number of athletes, which is up about 40% over recent years,” said Speed Skate PEI President Jeff Wood. “With the huge success of the Canada East Short Track Championships in Charlottetown last March, it seems that quite a number of skaters put this event on their calendars. It’s very exciting for us as it presents a great chance for Islanders to see some great short-track racing up close and in-person.”
P.E.I. will be well represented at the weekend competition, with over 40 Islanders among the 170+ competitive skaters. Some of the newest skaters with the P.E.I. club will also participate in exhibition races during the weekend.
Atlantic Cup racing gets underway by 8:30 on both Saturday and Sunday mornings and continues all day. The public is welcome to attend and the event is free of charge. A live webcast will also be available from BellAliant TV1.
For more information about the event and Speed Skating programs on P.E.I., visit www.speedskatepei.com
