Team Alberta’s Thomasina Payne is one of five incredibly talented speed skaters that will represent the province at the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games, but she is definitely not just a speed skater.

This will be Thomasina’s fourth Nationals Games, so her experience will be pivotal when she hits the ice in Thunder Bay.

While this is Thomasina’s first Nationals appearance as a speed skater, she has represented Alberta before in athletics in 2010 and curling in 2008 and 2012.

One of her greatest attributes is clearly her versatility as an athlete and the passion she brings to every sport she plays.

“I do Special Olympics because it’s fun and I enjoy competition,” says Thomasina.

Thomasina has even competed at Worlds as a member of Team Canada in 2011, traveling to Athens for athletics.

She is an incredible competitor and added two medals while for her amazing run in Greece.

Her list of accomplishments is incredibly impressive, especially when you consider she is only 28-years-old.

Even though Thomasina has only been speed skating for four years, she is already building chemistry with her teammates, some of which she even looks up to.

“My inspiration for speed skating is people like Catriona Le May Doan,” says Thomasina. “My heroes are my coach Shawna Pearman and teammate Katie Saunders because they know all about speed skating and have been to Nationals and International events before.”

To have that same success Thomasina has had before in other sports, she has been training hard in Red Deer.

She trains at the Red Deer Central Lions Speed Skating Club out of the Kinex Arena for short track, while also training out of the Setters Place outdoor oval in Great Chief Park for long track.

There are a few things Thomasina’s coaches are getting her to work on, including her cross over and arm swing for the impending Nationals.

There she is also working on improving her stamina by running every day, while also doing dryland training and skating two times a week.

Outside of physical training, Thomasina is doing everything she can to keep her health in top shape for Nationals.

“I try to get good night sleep and eat right I am trying new recipes and making healthy food choices.”

Some goals Thomasina has for Nationals are to get as many medals as she can and hopefully one day make Worlds for speed skating.

But most importantly she wants to set new personal bests and to represent Albert to the best of her ability.

Overall, Thomasina is excited to represent Team Alberta once again and is ready for the challenges of competing at a new sport this time around.

“It is a great honour to represent Alberta for speed skating and I hope that I can do my best at the games.”

Join us in wishing Thomasina good luck at Nationals in Thunder Bay!

Visit https://www.specialolympics.ca/2020-team-alberta to stay up-to-date with all things Team Alberta 2020.

Friends and family should follow this link to find out how they can attend games and cheer on Team Alberta!

Join the pack and support the team through fundraising initiatives like Draft an Athlete or Personal Best.

Also, be sure to check out http://specialolympics2020.com/ for all the latest news updates regarding the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Thunder Bay from February 25 – 29.