Callie Swan doesn't need to be reminded what's at stake this weekend on the short track speed skating ice at Kin 1.
Either she makes it into the top five at this weekend's B.C. team selection meet or she can forget about competing in the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
That's the harsh reality for all skaters vying for spots on the provincial team at the two-day meet, which starts Saturday.
For Swan, a 16-year-old member of the Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club ranked third in the province, and the rest of the provincial qualifiers, the slate will be wiped clean and those rankings will mean nothing once the qualifying 1,000-metre time trials begin Saturday at 8:15 a.m.
"I've been thinking about this weekend for a whole year now," said Swan. "I'm not going in there thinking I have a spot locked in or anything but I'm definitely going in optimistic, just hoping to skate the races clean and ahead of everyone to get a spot on the team.
"This is the first big trials I've ever had to do, Canada Games would definitely be the biggest competition I've even been to, so it's exciting and nervewracking at the same time. You don't want to be overconfident but you want to go in there feeling like you can do this and you can make the team because you're fast enough."
The time trials will determine the 16 skaters in each gender who will compete in the selection meet. Those who don't make the cut will race in the Central Interior Challenge, also held at Kin 1 this weekend, while the younger skaters will compete for medals in the Nanguz Cup, named after the 2015 Canada Winter Games mascot.
The two skaters ranked ahead of Swan -- top-ranked Carolina Hiller and No. 2 Allison Desmarais -- both train with her as members of the Blizzard club. Also in the mix this weekend is Blizzard member Madison Pilling of Fort Simpson, N.W.T. Hiller's 17-year-old twin brother Nico will compete for a spot on the B.C. men's team.
"It's really helpful when you always have someone faster to skate with because you have to always stay with them," said Swan. "It's helpful when you're not always the fastest the one in front and the fastest because then you might not get any faster. If you skate with faster people you get faster times."
Swan said she prefers longer events -- the 1,500 m and 3,000 m distances. Having so many jackrabbits in close proximity for practice sessions has paid off in a big way for Swan. She's improved on her times in all distances in a series of regional training centre mini-meets this fall at the Olympic Oval in Calgary and achieved a personal best time of 48.7 seconds in a 500-metre race a couple weekends ago at the Octoberfest meet in Calgary. Her best 1,500 m time at Octoberfest was comparable to her fastest time at the peak of last season.
"Usually you get faster towards the end of the season because you've been skating for months but trials are in November this year, so we had to prepare a bit faster and start peaking earlier," Swan said.
The selection meet is the sanctioned test event for the Canada Winter Games. Swan last raced at Kin 1 in March, shortly after the facility opened, when Prince George hosted the Canadian age class championships. She said she loves her home rink and rates the ice as almost as fast as that of Calgary's.
After the time trial Saturday, the selection team skaters will compete in two 1,500 m events and one 500 m heat. The 500 m semifinals and finals are set for Sunday morning, followed by two 1,000 m events and 3,000 m points race. The 27-lap points race is a spectator friendly event in which skaters are notified by bells during the race every seven laps to encourage them to sprint for points.
