March 15th, 2017, Charlottetown – Charlottetown short track speed skaters Andrew McQuaid, Peter McQuaid and Carly Connell will be representing P.E.I. in competition at the Canadian Junior Open Selections #2 competition in Trois-Rivières, QC, this week.
Andrew McQuaid (left), Carly Connell and Peter McQuaid (right) will compete for P.E.I. at the Canadian Junior Open Selections #2 competition in Trois-Rivières, QC this week. Photo courtesy of Kristen Binns.
The McQuaids will be among 60 of the country’s top junior men, while Connell will compete in a field of 53 of Canada’s top female skaters between the ages of 14 and 19. Connell is making her third trip to the selections event, while the McQuaid siblings will both make their second appearance.
The McQuaid brothers have had their best season to date, recently finishing first and second in a regional event in Halifax, along with several successful competitions in Quebec and in the Maritimes earlier this season. Peter McQuaid recently set a new provincial record for Intermediate men in the 1,000 metre distance, toppling Scott Beamish’s 2010 record.
Connell, a multi-sport athlete and rookie member of the UPEI women’s soccer team last season, has been rounding into skating form, posting some of her fastest times of the last two seasons in Lévis, QC last month.
Racing gets underway Thursday morning, with the 1,500 metre and 500 metre distances, which continue through the first three days. The 1,000m event will go on Sunday, along with a second 1,500m event for the top 16 ranked skaters after the first three distances.
Competitors at the Trois-Rivières event will earn points toward rankings on the Canadian Junior ranking list, which will help to qualify them for further national level events next season.
For more information on the event, visit www.speedskating.ca.
