Speed skaters from Moncton, New Brunswick are heading to the Canada Winter Games next month in PEI.
Fifteen-year-old Allyson Lawson will compete in long track and 18-year-old Jayson Lawson in short track.
The sister and brother pair have been training in the sport since they were just two and three years old.
Jayson says the sport wasn’t his first choice but his dad talked him into it, “I’ve been skating since I was three years old, that’s 15 years of actually being in the sport, but I have competed since 2010. I originally wanted to play hockey, but my dad wanted me to try speed skating, and I just never left.”
Allyson says she first hit the ice when she was just two years old, ” I actually did Teddy bear ballet for a long time, but then they told me to try speed skating. It was also cool because my older brother was doing it. I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Jayson Lawson (Photo: submitted)
Allyson Lawson (Photo: submitted)
This is their first Canada Winter Games competition, and they say it’s pretty exciting, and something they’re looking forward to.
“It was a goal of ours,” Jayson says.
The siblings currently train in Fredericton under Coach Derrick Macleod, who will also be the Coach for the short-track sped skating team at the Canada Winter Games, but their first experience with the sport was in Dieppe.
The pair train about four times a week, along with two dryland or gym training session, but that varies depending on if they have competitions on the weekend.
Looking at a pair of skates for speed skating might be intimidating for some, but not the Lawsons.
“Once you get used to them, you start skating so much faster. That’s what really hooked me on the sport. The speed and the competitiveness,” Jayson adds.
Jayson Lawson (Photo: submitted)
Allyson Lawson (Photo: submitted)
The pair say there’s a lot of commitment that has gone into getting them to where they are now, along with a lot of support from others, “We’d like to say a big thank you to our mom and dad helping us get everything we need. Also, like to say thanks to our Coach Derrick Macleod for supplying us with amazing training. We would not be at the level we are at now without him.”
They also thanked Macdonald Buick GMC Cadillac for the support this season.
The Canada Winter Games will be held from February 18 to March 5, on Prince Edward Island.
