Speedskaters Wren Acorn and Hannah Clark had fine weekends on the ice at the Canadian Open National Qualifier in Calgary last weekend.
But was it good enough to get them into bigger and better things? The numbers indicate a yes, but nothing has been made official yet.
NNSL file photo
Clark had the best result of the pair, finishing ninth overall and scoring 8,456 points from her three races: 500 metre, 1,000 metre and 1,500 metre.
Shane Clark, Hannah's dad and coach, said his daughter had a great weekend with revenge on her mind.
“Last year, she ended up 17th, which meant she just missed out by one spot,” he said. “The top 16 usually end up getting in so she should be in good shape to move on.”
If Clark moves on, she will compete at the Canadian Senior Team Selection Meet in January in Sherbrooke, Que.
Clark's best result was a fifth-place finish in the 1,000-metre A final, which got her 4,096 points. She followed that up with a win in the 1,500-metre B final, which meant seventh place overall and 2,949 points, and 14th in the 500-metre, good enough for 1,411 points.
“She narrowly missed making the A finals in the other two events,” said coach Clark. “She's up against some of the best skaters in the country and that's where she wants to be.”
In normal years, skating at the national selection meet would give a skater a chance to make the national team and compete at the last two World Cup events of the season, as well as a chance to qualify for the World Short Track Championship team. This is an Olympic year, though, and the national team was determined earlier in the season so as to give them enough time to be in peak condition for the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea in February.
Coach Clark said if his daughter has a goal, it's a top-15 finish, because that has financial implications.
“This meet will most likely establish the national and development teams for next season and so the hope is to finish as high as possible,” he said. “A top-15 finish means some extra funding and that's always a big help for an athlete.”
As for Acorn, her 30th place finish overall was a wonderful result, said coach Clark.
Acorn finished with 735 points in her three events. That included 125 points in the 500 metre, 212 points in the 1,000 metre and 398 points in the 1,500 metre, her best finish of the weekend.
The 1,500-metre race is where Clark and Acorn decided to go with a different strategy than in the past. Instead of waiting to make a move from the middle of the pack, Clark said he wanted Acorn to set the pace.
“It's not a typical strategy when you're up against someone from Quebec, because of their dominance,” he said. “She did that most of the weekend, though, and it seemed to work.”
Acorn's result should be good enough to get her into the Canadian Junior Short Track Championships in Saguenay, Quebec next month, which could have happened last year but she wasn't eligible to compete because she was only 13.
She's eligible this time around and all signs point to her qualifying to go.
“She was enjoying herself out there,” Clark said. “She was coming off the ice smiling, she was happy and looked like she was having a great time. That's the best feeling for a coach when you see your athletes soaking it in.”
Clark and Acorn are expected to find out if they qualified early next week.