Sixth place at a national meet would be a rather lofty result for any athlete coming from the North.

For Wren Acorn, it means she will get another chance to train with and compete against CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 best short-track speedskaters.

The 18-year-old from Yellowknife ended up nailing down her spot in the national team program with her result at the Canada Cup Final in Quebec City this past weekend. It wonSA国际影视传媒檛 be with the senior team but rather with the NextGen program, Speed Skating CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 high-performance development squad. She retained her spot by being the third-best finisher in her age category.

SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 exactly what I was targeting,SA国际影视传媒� said Acorn. SA国际影视传媒淚 went in knowing I would have to be at my best and my goal was to wear that maple leaf for another season and I got it.SA国际影视传媒�

Like most other national meets, each skater was awarded points based on where they finished in each of the races, with a cumulative total kept to determine the overall results. Each of the distances SA国际影视传媒� 500-metre, 1,000-metre and 1,500-metre SA国际影视传媒� was held twice. When everything was added together from all six races, Acorn ended up with a total of 11,384 points.

First up for Acorn on the ice was the 1,500-metre, her bread-and-butter distance. She put down a good marker in the first one, finishing fourth. The second 1,500-metre result was even better: third place and a bronze medal.

SA国际影视传媒淚t was real good to go out and get those results and good point totals in the early going,SA国际影视传媒� said Acorn. SA国际影视传媒淚t took the pressure off of having to look at the other races and try to make up points, had I not had those finishes. You end up putting yourself in a position where you start making errors in judgment when you try and push yourself later in the meet, so having two top-fours in my best distance was important.SA国际影视传媒�

The 500-metre races werenSA国际影视传媒檛 the best results Acorn has ever had as she ended up sixth in the first race and 12th in the second.

She said the reason for the spread in finishes came down to how skaters were seeded in each of those events.

SA国际影视传媒淔or the first one, they use your national ranking to determine which heat you start in, but for the second one, itSA国际影视传媒檚 your final placing from the first race,SA国际影视传媒� she explained. SA国际影视传媒淚 just got caught up in a bad draw after one of the skaters, Victoria Jean-Baptiste, ended up falling in the first race and it didnSA国际影视传媒檛 go as well as I would have liked. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 a race that ISA国际影视传媒檓 still trying to work on.SA国际影视传媒�

Acorn had similar finishes in the 1,000-metre: seventh in the first one and sixth in the second, and she said it remains a work in progress when it comes to being more competitive in that distance.

SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 still figuring out how to attack it,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 happy with those results but I know I still have more to learn in order to be more consistent.SA国际影视传媒�

For the next month, Acorn is back home in Yellowknife, where sheSA国际影视传媒檒l be resting before heading back to her home training base in Montreal at the end of April to start the process for next season.

SA国际影视传媒淚 missed home,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 good to be back and see my family and just enjoy a bit of down time after a very busy season. Everyone here (in Yellowknife) has been so supportive and ISA国际影视传媒檓 just so thankful to have that backing.SA国际影视传媒�