As Raymond Andrews headed home from hockey practice, another ice activity caught his eye.
Well, a little more than that.
“I fell in love with the sport (right away),” recalls the local youth, of seeing speed skating for the first time at age seven.
Raymond would soon find himself part of his hometown speed skating club – with a promising grasp on the fundamentals quickly following suit.
“Perfectly the technique takes time and effort,” said the Campbellville teen, who recently left the hockey scene to commit fully to his top on-ice passion.
With ample endurance and determination to boot, he made a promising competitive debut during the 2018-19 provincials, and has made steady progress ever since.
Earlier this month Raymond reached another competitive milestone in Fort St. John, B.C., where he secured his first podium finish on the national stage.
Serving as the early lead and eventual anchor with his four-member team pursuit squad, he helped capture silver at the Canada Youth Long Track Championships.
The foursome eclipsed their average target time by three seconds, just a half-second behind the gold medalists.
Said Raymond, “For me, this shows you can push your own limits.”
More of a long-distance specialist, he finished 10th in the 7-Lap Mass Start, 13th in the 1,000m, 14th in the 300m and 16th in the 500m.
Crediting his recent improvements to a more explosive start and continued development in his technique, Raymond is on the ice two or three times a week.
His speed and stamina are further honed with plenty of dryland training, including regular visits to the local velodrome, where as a recreational track cyclist he works many of the same muscles needed to shine in the sport he fondly describes as “track and field on ice.”
Up next are provincial-level events in Barrie and Sudbury, with hopes of making Team Ontario for March’s short track nationals in New Brunswick.