Speed skating sisters rep B.C. at Canada Winter Games
Speed runs in the Green family.
Sisters Jane and Annabelle Green are following in their parents' skate tracks as they take to the ice for Team B.C. at the 2019 Canada Winter Games this month.
The girls' parents were both Olympic speed skaters in the 1980s.
Now, the Mission, B.C., siblings are carrying on the family business as part of Team B.C.'s women's short track speed skating team at games in Red Deer, Alta.
Jane said she's proud to have family in the sport.
"We get to demonstrate what we are doing and what our family has been doing for years and spend more time together doing what we all love," she told CBC's On The Coast.
It's a family thing
Jane and Annabelle's parents met at a speed skating competition before going on to compete for their respective countries at the 1988 Calgary Winter Games.
Their mother, Eden Donatelli Green, won silver and bronze medals in Calgary. Father Julian Green represented Great Britain before Eden convinced him to move to Canada.
The girls' grandfather is also a former speed skating coach.
Listen to the full interview with Jane and Annabelle Green:
Healthy competition
The family skates together for fun at least once a week, but the sisters don't shy away from competing against one another once the buzzer sounds.
Annabelle said skating competitively against her sister is "nice."
"I'm a lot more aggressive when I race with her. I practice with her and I'm used to it and know what she's going to do. It's fun," Annabelle said.
The Greens are not the only sisters on the six-woman team. Twins Ainsley and Samantha Spencer are also representing B.C. as short track skaters this year.
Team B.C. landed four medals on Family Day: two gold and two bronze. Quebec lead the rankings with 23 medals by the end of the day.
The Canada Winter Games run until March 3, 2019.
