Maple Ridge’s McLennan brothers of the Ridge Meadows Racers speed skating club showed why they are off to the Canada Games this month as they led the pack in junior action at the Sardis Fliers club meet last month in Chilliwack.
William McLennan took first in two 500-metre races while Thomas McLennan took first in the 1,500-metre and a second 500-metre contest. Teammate Steven Timotius had a strong meet with a first and second place skates, while Yijun Shi flew to a first and a third and Ian Cross notched a second and two third-place finishes.
In Division 2 action, youngest McLennan brother, Robert, had his strongest meet of the year and skated hard to win his 400-metre and 500-metre races. Annie Russell was the top female skater and skated to a first and two second-place finishes while teammate Justin Cross notched two second-place finishes and a third-place result. Micheal Warkentin grabbed first and second in a pair of races, while Payton Dendys set a personal best by 10 seconds, earning first- and second-place results.
Ashley Kelsey skated to a first in her 500-metre race despite recovering from a knee injury, while teammate Laura Byers took a first in her 300-metre race with a time of 44.18. Jennifer Byers, Meagan Dendys and Cassandra Suchodolski had a good inter-team rivalry going on the day with Byers taking a couple of firsts, Dendys steady with three seconds, and newcomer Suchodolski looking strong and pushing for three thirds.
In Division 3 action, Liam Foster took a first place in the 200-metre race before hitting the wall with an injury, while Brianna Utas notched a first- and two second-place results. Janie Green skated to a personal best in her 200-metre race, while Tristan Kelsey added a first- and second-place finish. Shivani Bahadur also posted a personal best and took home a first- and second-place finish.
Annabelle Green shaved a second off her personal best and flew to a first-place results, as well as two third-place finishes, while brother Sammy Green smashed his personal best in his 200-metre race, finishing second twice, and third once.