CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Speed Skate P.E.I. will play host to the 26th annual Atlantic Cup Speed Skating Championships this weekend at Charlottetown’s Eastlink Centre.
With nearly 150 young competitors expected, the skaters will have some extra motivation to be at their best, as one of Canada’s top female short track skaters, Jamie MacDonald, will be paying a visit.
MacDonald is returning to Canada this week from the final World Cup Short Track Speed Skating event of the season, which was held in Seoul, South Korea. After earning second place overall at the Canadian Olympic selection event in August, MacDonald was provisionally selected as one of five women to represent Canada in short track at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics. She’ll be coming to the Island with a pair of new medals she earned as a key member of the Canadian women’s relay teams in the fall World Cups. MacDonald is also coming off a strong sixth-place finish in the individual 1,000-metre event at the Seoul World Cup on Sunday.
Speed Skate P.E.I. president Jenn Nickerson says it promises to be a great weekend for the athletes and spectators alike.
“The racing is always exciting and with Jamie MacDonald here on Saturday, it will be a great day to check out the racing and to meet one of our Canadian team members so close to the 2018 Olympics,” Nickerson said.
Short track speed skaters from five provinces as well as from the United States will take to the ice starting Saturday morning. With 14 clubs competing, this year’s Atlantic Cup will be one of the largest in the last decade.
P.E.I. will be well represented at the weekend event, with nearly 40 Islanders racing in the competition. 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 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and continues all day. The public is welcome to attend and admission is free.
