March 13th, 2019, Charlottetown – Short track speed skaters Jenna Larter, Peter McQuaid and Andrew Binns will be representing P.E.I. at the Canadian Junior Selections competition in Sherbrooke, Que. this week.
Peter McQuaid (centre) will be competing at the Canadian Junior Selections in Sherbrooke, Que. this week. Photo courtesy of Yi Kay.
McQuaid and Binns will be among 60 of the country’s top junior men, while Larter will compete with 60 of Canada’s top female skaters between the ages of 14 and 19. McQuaid is making his fourth appearance at the event, while Larter is making her second trip. Binns will be making his debut at the national competition.
Larter claimed the title of P.E.I.’s fastest ever female on the short track with her performances at the Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alta. last month. The Brookfield speedster had three top-15 finishes in the 46 skater women’s field at the Games and placed 13th in the overall standings. The Sherbrooke meet will be her fourth national level appearance this season.
McQuaid, from Charlottetown, will look to finish his junior career on a high note, after leading the P.E.I. men’s relay team to a strong fifth place finish in Red Deer. McQuaid also posted three top-twenty individual finishes in Alberta and will be looking for similarly strong finishes in Sherbrooke.
Binns qualified for the Sherbrooke event on the strength of his performances in Red Deer, which included three new individual provincial records in the junior men’s (14-15 years) age group and a top-20 finish in the 1000 metre distance. The Stratford native will be one of the youngest competitors in the men’s field in Sherbrooke.
Racing gets underway Friday morning with 1,500 metre racing, followed by the 500 metre event on Saturday and the 1,000 metre event on Sunday. The Sherbrooke event will determine Canadian Junior rankings for the 2018-19 season.
For more information on the event, visit www.speedskating.ca.
