There were two speedskaters representing Prince George at the 2020 Canadian Junior Long Track Championships in Calgary this past weekend.
One of them came back home with a national medal around his neck.
Eric Orlowsky of the Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club won a bronze medal in the men’s 5,000m final, crossing the finish line with a time of 6:55.52.
The 18-year-old was 1.13 seconds shy of the silver, claimed by Alberta’s Frank Roth at 6:54.39.
Gold-medalist Jack Deibert, also from Alberta, clocked in at 6:43.17 to reach the top of the podium.
Orlowsky cracked three top 10s in the four races he laced up during the Calgary event, ultimately finishing sixth in the men’s overall standings.
This included 11th place in 500m (37.29), eighth in 1,000m (1:12.90) and sixth in 1,500m (1:52.44).
Orlowsky has been training full-time at the University of Calgary Olympic Oval since 2018, according to spokesperson Lorelei St. Rose in an email to PrinceGeorgeMatters, now entering his third year of skill development at one of Canada’s top speedskating facilities.
Craig Miller also repped the Prince George Blizzard during the four-day competition, skating to a 13th spot overall out of the 43-men field.
He placed 16th in the 500m (37.67) and 1,000m races (1:14.54), 17th in the 1,500m (1:57.26) and 10th in the 5,000m (7:10.29), roughly 15 seconds out of Orlowsky’s medal position.
A notable Prince George Blizzard alumni was also in the mix at the Canadian Junior Long Track Championships this weekend.
Kieran Hanson, now with the Fort St. John Elks Speed Skating Club, just made the top 15, place ninth in 500m (37.15), 10th in 1,000m (1:13.46), 14th in 1,500m (1:56.32) and 29th in 5,000m (7:41.11).
Prince George was set to host the next leg of the BC Cup this weekend at the Outdoor Ice Oval, but it’s been cancelled according to the provincial speedskating website.
