HEADING OVERSEAS
Gabrielle Sanson and Verna Kergan, head coach for our club.
The 16-year-old speed skater for the Moose Jaw Kiwanis Speed Skating Club found on Monday that she been selected to represent Canada at the 2016 World Junior Speed Skating Championships in Changchun, China from March 11-13.
"I was shocked when they told me the news," Sanson said. "This is my first year competing at the junior level and the rest of the team are all 19-year-olds.
"For me, I'm just going to try and get as much experience as I can. This will be my first time competing outside of Canada so that might be a little bit overwhelming at times, but I'm excited to see what will happen."
Sanson earned one of the eight spots on the team as a result of her performance at the Canadian Junior Long Track Championships in Winnipeg on Feb. 5-7 in Winnipeg.
The Grade 11 student at Vanier finished fourth overall in the ladies division, which was anchored by a bronze medal in the 1,000 metre race.
"That was my best race of the entire season," Sanson said. "I went there wanting to do the best that I possibly could and everything happened to work out well in the results.
"I've made a major improvement with my performances in the straightaways this year and I think that helped me a lot in Winnipeg. I was able to get my timing down and it felt really good in all of the events."
Sanson will have a busy schedule in China. She will be racing in the 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m, 3,000m and sprint relay races.
"I really don't have any goals for myself of what I want to achieve with my finishes," Sanson said. "Being the youngest person on the team, I'm just hoping to do my best and see where I end up.
"I just want to learn as much as I can from the older skaters that are there. They've been to events like this already so I'll be able to get a good idea of what they do to prepare and I'll be sure to get as much advice as I can on what I can expect."
Sanson, who was training in Saskatoon this week due to the ice melting at the outdoor oval in Moose Jaw, will meet up with the rest of the team at the Olympic Oval in Calgary on March 2.
The team will then travel to China two days later to continue their training for the event.
"The Moose Jaw Times Herald"