Atlantic Cup Championships Were held

Nov. 6 & 7, 2010

Speed Skate PEI hosted the Atlantic Cup Speed Skating Championships on Nov. 6 and 7, 2010. Our Club's Atlantic Cup Meet was enjoyed by 112 skaters and their families and friends from throughout Atlantic Canada. Final results are available HERE. The press release for the meet follows:

Island Skaters take home Gold at Atlantic Cup

November 11th, 2010, Charlottetown – Island skaters took home 13 medals, including four gold at last weekend’s 2010 Atlantic Cup Speed Skating Championships in Charlottetown.

The field of 115 short-track speed skaters spanned eight Divisions, with Fredericton skaters Evan Brideau, Jeffrey Retallick and Devin Patterson taking the top Division 1 gold through bronze medals respectively. Jesse Francis of Stratford recorded the fastest times of all PEI skaters and placed 4th overall in Division 1.

In Division 2, Nathan Cudmore of Prince Edward Island grabbed a silver medal behind Pierre Dumouchel of Saint John, an early reward following a busy training schedule during the off-season.

Bringing home gold for Prince Edward Island were Adrian Monthony for Division 3 Male, 2009/10 Canadian Midget age class champion Carly Connell for Division 4 Female, Kristen Binns for Division 7 Female and Michaela MacLean in Division 8 Female..

“This year’s 20th anniversary edition of the Atlantic Cup was a huge success for skaters, parents and organizers” says Wendy Francis, President, Speed Skate PEI. “I’d like extend our appreciation to meet coordinator Tom Cullen and the many volunteers, officials and coaches from PEI and from across our region who worked so hard to deliver a first class event.”

PEI’s skaters and the powerful Fredericton club tied for top spot during the two day event, with 13 medals each. Saint John skaters took home nine medals, while Dartmouth, Restigouche, North Sydney, Dieppe, Humber Valley and Hampton clubs also earned medals. Eleven short-track clubs from across Atlantic Canada participated in the meet, which kicks off a busy Speed Skating season in the region.

Also earning medals for PEI were Morgan McGinn, Niall Burnett, Korrina LeClair, Megan Campbell, and Isabel Wagner (silver) and Jack Connell, Magen Francis and Victoria Trotter (bronze).

In addition to medals, a total of eleven new personal best times were set by seven PEI skaters. “It was a strong start to the season for all PEI skaters” said PEI head coach Phil Byrne. “With skaters from across the region attempting to qualify for February’s Canada Games in Halifax, the intensity of competition was very high for this stage of the season.”

PEI skaters are now preparing to attend their next meet in Campbellton, New Brunswick on November 20 and 21.

Speed Skate PEI operates several programs at the Charlottetown Civic Centre from October to March and still has openings in some groups for 2010/11. More information about speed skating on PEI and full results from the Atlantic Cup can be found at www.speedskatepei.com.