At 13 years old, Benjamin Konwicki is a force to be reckoned with on the ice.
The Prince George athlete’s talent and skills were shown around the speedskating oval at the 2020 B.C. Winter Games, winning four medals, including one gold, two silver and one bronze, which added to an already impressive resume.
His time in Fort St. John was capped off with an unexpected surprise during the closing ceremonies on Sunday (Feb. 23), receiving a $2,500 bursary to go towards either school or his athletic career.
“I ended up being overcome with joy, tears of joy, I was overswept with emotion because, for me, this will help a lot for my dream, which is to go to Calgary and start elite training there in the next three to four years,” explained Konwicki in an interview with PrinceGeorgeMatters.
“When they started to read it out [the award], I realized that this sounded a lot like me, and that was pretty cool. I was awestruck and in shock because out of 1,600 people, it was me. [...] I wasn’t expecting it, but after thinking about it, I thought I was very deserving and it couldn’t have been better.”
The honour Konwicki received was the W.R. Bennett Award.
Established in 2008, it recognizes an athlete from the B.C. Winter Games for their outstanding achievements in sport and dedication to a community.
Prince George speedskater Benjamin Konwicki was overwhelmed with emotion after being named the recipient of the William R. Bennett Award at the 2020 B.C. Winter Games. (via Glacier Media)Konwicki has skated around the long- and short-track ovals for six years and has dedicated himself to building Prince George’s program, claiming there’s room for improvement and participation.
“We do have a bigger club, but I always think that we can get more people into this sport,” he said, encouraging other young athletes to come and try skating around the oval.
“A lot of people don’t know the fun and experience of this sport. This very strategic and technical, but it’s also very fun. The training and how you almost have to have perfect body movement is what gets me on the ice every day. Nobody comes out of it perfect, but there’s room for improvement.”
The Kelly Road Secondary student laced up his first pair of speedskates after watching northern B.C.’s Denny Morrison compete at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
He says he’s even been coached by Morrison, who attended his hometown games in Fort St. John this past weekend.
“It was real fun and just a great experience,” Konwicki said with a smile.
“Some of the skaters had not skated long track before, so he [Denny] came and graciously explained to the short-track skaters what long track was, how to compete with it; he was one of the medal presenters, so that was very cool.”
Konwicki won medals in the following speedskating events at the B.C. Winter Games:
- Gold, Boys' seven-lap mass start
- Silver, Boys’ 400-metre short-track
- Silver, Boys’ 2,000-metre point race short-track
- Bronze, Boys’ 500-metre Olympic-style long-track
February has truly been a golden month for Konwicki as he crossed the finish line in first four times in four different races in his age group at the 2020 Canada Youth Long Track Championships earlier this month.
He credits his recent success to his parents and coaches in being there for moral support.
“They’ve supported me [...] They’ve been able to take me to these kinds of competitions, which of course takes lots of money like other sports. They’re willing to take risks for me and I’m proud of that. My current coach, Taryn Vansickle, has coached me for five to six years and she’s done an amazing job. She’s always been there.”
Konwicki and his Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club teammates are now preparing for the B.C. championships, taking place in Abbotsford from March 14 and 15.
Though his eyes are set on a provincial-podium placement, Konwicki has bigger goals in mind in hoping to eventually qualify for the 2023 Canada Winter Games on Prince Edward Island.
“I’m not going to lie, [B.C. Winter Games] was really big, but I believe there’s more in store for me.”
