Submitted Photo

Brianne Tutt will be adding a few more stamps to her passport next week as she travels to Hamar, Norway, to participate in an international speedskating competition. She will race in the 3,000-metre and team pursuit along with Kali Christ and Cindy Klassen.

view all photos (-count-)

Local speedskater jumps to national squad for international meet

With a promotion to Canada’s senior national team, speedskater Brianne Tutt is hoping to make an impression next week in Norway.

The 19-year-old Airdronian will travel to Hamar and compete in this year’s World Cup, Feb. 11-12, in the 3,000-metre event and the team pursuit. She missed qualifying to race in the 1,500-metre by .01 seconds at Calgary’s Olympic Oval, Jan. 28-29.

“We had Winter World Cup trials and basically it was the top five girls in each distance that get to go,” she said. Tutt qualified fifth for the 3,000-metre with a time of 4:15. She will also skate with Cindy Klassen and Kali Christ in the 12-kilometre team pursuit.

“It was kind of unexpected to me because there’s a lot of top girls,” she said of her qualifying time. “I kind of went in as the underdog and also the youngest competitor. I just went to skate my best and luckily my best was able to beat out a couple of veterans on the team.”

Although her chances of medalling in Hamar are “really slim,” the teenager is looking forward to the experience nonetheless.

Tutt is an alternate for an event in the Netherlands following Hamar and could possibly find herself on the team for a meet in Russia in a month’s time, depending on the team injury problems.

Tutt has been a member of Canada’s junior team since age 16 and said the training is very general in comparison to the seniors.

“When you’re turning out as a junior, you train for every distance,” she said. “When you become a senior, you specialize. You get more experienced coaches as a senior.”

Results of the international competition will be in the Feb. 17 edition of the Airdrie City View.