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Rapids skaters speedy in Prince George

The Whitehorse Rapids Speed Skating Club was represented by just two skaters at the Central Interior Challenge Interclub over the weekend in Prince George, B.C.
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The Whitehorse Rapids Speed Skating Club was represented by just two skaters at the Central Interior Challenge Interclub over the weekend in Prince George, B.C.

But both made their mark on the competition by reaching numerous A finals.

Rapids’ Micah Taggart-Cox, 10, skating in his first Outside competition, made three A finals in the Learn to Train division for skaters 10-11.

“He’s a keen little skater,” said Rapids head coach Phil Hoffman. “He’s been skating with the older skaters since last year and he’s doing quite well.”

Competing against 15 other skaters in his division, Taggart-Cox placed second in the 200-metre A final (after placing first in the heat), third in the 400-metre A final and third in the 2,000-metre A points final.

Shea Hoffman, the other Rapids skater in Prince George, finished the event with his best result, taking fifth in the 3,000-metre A final out of 13 skaters in Junior B.

The 17-year-old also took sixth in the 1,500-metre A final, after qualifying but taking a spill in the race.

“He had a good, solid performance,” said Phil. “He had a couple falls in a couple races, but that happens in this sport. I think he moved up a couple places from where he was seeded at the start of the competition, so that was good.”

Shea also raced to fourth in the 500-metre B final (eighth overall) and second in the 1,000-metre B final (sixth overall).

Shea placed fifth overall out of 13 skaters in the junior A mixed division of the Medicine Hat Short Track Ability Meet at the end of October.

His best result in Medicine Hat was second in the 500-metre event against skaters from Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Lloydminster and Canmore.

Shea has competed in the last three Arctic Winter Games for Team Yukon, winning a bronze in 2008. He also represented the Yukon at the 2011 Canada Winter Games and won three silver at the Yukon Speed Skating Championships in April.

In the off-season Shea trades his skates for wheels and cycled for Team Yukon at the 2011 Western Canada Summer Games in Kamloops, B.C., and took first for youth men in the Tour of Juneau this past August.

Contact Tom Patrick at

tomp@yukon-news.com