The Ridge Meadows Racers speed skating club hosted their annual meet, the Jingle Bell Challenge, earlier this month after several years of canceled meets due to pandemic restrictions.
Speed skaters from across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island were in attendance. Some members of the Racers set personal bests in the hope of qualifying for other meets, and many skated in their first-ever meet.
Finley Ludeman was the fastest skater at the meet, winning three of five distances in the top division. His times were good enough to place him in the top 16 skaters in the province. He is now vying for a spot in the Canada Winter Games at the BC Cup, held at the Richmond Oval later this month.
Cameron Liu showed his skills in his first meet, coming out with two first-place and two second-place finishes.
New skaters Aila Bears and Ron He competed in their first competitions, after only starting in the sport a short time ago, setting standards to beat in future competitions. Similarly, siblings Flora-May and Cooper Lawrence also skated in their first meets.
Dominic Boyer, who only started speed skating in the spring, skated in his third meet and set personal bests in all distances.
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The skaters are led by coaches Julian and Eden Green, both former Olympians. The club has regular practices at Planet Ice in Maple Ridge, and is always looking for new skaters, offering two free sessions to get them hooked. For more information, check out their website at ridgemeadowsracers.org.
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