Short Track Speed Skating adds to Team BC’s medal total

It was a sister act plus one that earned Team BC one of their last medals of week one at the 2019 Canada Winter Games.

The team of Jane Green (Mission), Annabelle Green (Mission), Samantha Spencer (Burnaby), Ainsley Spencer (Burnaby) and Sherilyn Chung (Coquitlam) won bronze in the women’s 3000 metre relay.

“We knew we were kind of in over our heads in a way, but anything can happen in a relay — especially in short track. That is why they say ‘that’s short track for you’ because you never know who is going to go down, who is going to get impeded or who is going to make it,” said Jane. “We did our best and skated as clean as we possibly could.”

Skating in front of a standing room only crowd at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, the team competed against a stacked heat including Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. 

“Some of the girls had been on the podium for every race for individual distances and we haven’t. We have been working our way out of repechage and trying to get up there and get as much experience as we can. We didn’t know what was going to happen,” said Jane.

Team BC fell behind mid-race but continued to push to the end. The unofficial result at the end placed Ontario in the bronze medal position, but the race was under review. 

“We were waiting to hear if there was going to be a call or not. Then we heard it on the PA system and said ‘oh my gosh, are you kidding?’ First we thought it was us disqualified and then it was Team Ontario disqualified and we just ran to each other into this huge hug. It was so amazing,” said Jane.

Ontario had taken a penalty disqualifying them from the race, moving BC into the medal position. 

Ainsley Spencer raced in qualifications for BC (Annabelle Green did not) and played an important role in helping her team qualify for the race. All five of the team members stood together on the podium. 

Chung she was equally as shocked.

“I went wild when they made the Ontario call,” she said.

Quebec took the gold medal with a race time of 4:21.832 and Alberta won the silver medal with a time of 4:28.580.

Skating with one set of twin sisters (Spencer’s) and sister siblings (Green’s), Chung said she doesn’t feel left out at all. In fact, it is very much the opposite.

“I’m now part of the family,” she said with a laugh.