After taking on some of the top dogs of long track speed skating in the climate-controlled conditions of the Olympic Oval at Canada Cup races in Calgary, Eric Orlowsky got back to Prince George just in time to battle the outdoor elements Saturday at the Prince George Blizzard interclub meet.
With a steady breeze blowing and the mercury hovering near -20 C, it was teeth-chattering weather for 70 athletes and a crew of volunteers huddled around the 400-metre oval at Exhibition Park but the 16-year-old Orlowsky didn't seem to mind the cold.
The Blizzard club member was in fine form competing in the Division 2 (junior men's) class on his home track, picking up where he left off at the four-day Canada Cup meet, which wrapped up Thursday.
In Calgary, Orlowsky knocked eight seconds off his best time in the 1,500-metre event with a 1:58.7 clocking. Conditions Saturday were considerably slower but he still managed to win the Division 2 boys 1,500m race in 2:17.26.
"It's my first day back in Prince George so I was a little tired but I think I raced them as well as I could," said Orlowsky. "My times felt good.
"The wind was painful for the 3K but everything else wasn't too bad."
Orlowsky was second to Morgan Bennison of Fort St. James in the 3,000m event, finishing less than a second after Bennison stopped the clock in 4:53.83. Orlowsky also raced the 500m event.
Like most Prince George skaters, Orlowsky started out carving his blades in arena ice as a short tracker and he's been doing that for seven seasons. He's in his fifth season on the ovals and plans to focus more on long track racing. He has two more national long track events on his calendar, the Canadian junior championships in Saskatoon, Jan 27-29, and Canada Cup races in Calgary, March 16-19.
"Long track is really relaxing and it's a great atmosphere - all the athletes are really nice," said Orlowsky, a Grade 10 student at Duchess Park secondary. "Short track is aggressive and it's great if you like that kind of aggressive sport. Long track is a bit more relaxed and on the ice it's all about you.
"I was very ecstatic about my time in the 1,500 in Calgary. It has some of the fastest ice in the world and they have great coaches and you really pick up a lot. You learn a lot about your technique and what you can do to improve and how to actually race the races."
Friday night and Saturday morning snow buried the ice in about 10 centimetres of the white stuff and volunteer crews were out early in the morning with shovels, brooms and heavy equipment to get the ice ready for the races.
"The ice was really fast, we had some good times for outdoor ice," said Orlowsky. "It's great we have a nice change room for staying warm and we have the big Zamboni garage to get the ice prepared. The hot water works great and the volunteers are amazing."
Jack Hanson is only 11 but he's already into his sixth season of racing with the Blizzard club. He won both of his 400m races, two 200m races and an 800m event to claim the Division 5 boys title. Hanson's best time in the 400m distance was 53.06 seconds and he clocked 29.14 in the 200m event.
Saturday's races were the first on the Prince George oval since the 2015 Canada Winter Games and it's somewhat of a novelty for some of the younger skaters to be racing outside. The races featured Olympic style (crossing over lanes with each lap) and mass start events. For Hanson, it was a chance to race his friend from Vanderhoof, 10-year-old Nolan Baumann.
"It's pretty cold and the ice is rough outside, but it's fun," said Hanson, who attends Grade 6 classes at Southridge elementary. "There's a bunch of people here I know. My first 400m race was the best one for me. When I was going into the corner when I was finished, the person who came second was just crossing the line."
Hanson says he prefers short track racing but knows it's beneficial to compete in both disciplines. Like Orlowsky, he plans to compete in the long track provincial championships in two weeks in Dawson Creek and also at the B.C. short track provincials in Abbotsford in March.
"It's going to be cold in Dawson Creek," he said. "I didn't do so great last year (at long track provincials) but I didn't have clap skates last year. You can push farther so you go faster.
"I want to be a short tracker but my dad's six-foot-five. You can't be a tall short tracker, it's just too hard. I may be tall and I may not be - I'm only average now."
