By Tyler Sutherland
Manitoba’s speed skating athletes were announced Tuesday for the 2011 Canada Winter Games.
The Manitoba Speed Skating Association is sending 18 athletes to the games, being held in Halifax from February 11 to 27. Nine female and nine male athletes, split between the short track and long track speed skating disciplines, compose the 18-member team.
The 10-member short track team is composed of Taryn Dyer (Rivers), Raelene Sawatzky-Dyck (Brandon), Karine Martel (St. Pierre), and Devon Borus, Nicholas Couture, Jess Neufeld, Christopher Prendergast, Thomas Struthers, Hannah Martin, and Michelle Daeninck, all from Winnipeg.
The 8-member long track is composed of Winnipggers Elise MacDonald, Heather McLean, Grace Boyd, Kelsey Reilly, Milo Delbigio and Christopher Daeninck, with Brett Appleyard from Stonewall and Hewson Elliott from Brandon.
The skaters were selected to represent Manitoba based on their results at the Manitoba Short Track Trials in Souris and the Manitoba Long Track Trials in Calgary, both held in November.
The Long Track Team will be preparing for the Games by competing at the 2011 Canadian Junior Championships at the Cindy Klassen Community Centre from January 28 to 30.
The entire team departs Winnipeg on February 10 to compete during the first week of the Games.
