Nearing the finish line: Skating siblings soon calling it a career
Allyson and Jayson Lawson have spent much of their lives on skates, but that's about to change.
After a life-long skating commitment, the Riverview, N.B., teens will make their Canada Games debut next month, a career moment for both.
Eighteen-year-old Jayson took after his dad and started speed skating when he was three.
Fifteen-year-old Allyson began her career at age two.
The teens train in Fredericton four times a week and spend almost every weekend away at races.
On Friday, the Lawson family will make the eight-hour drive to Trois-Rivières, Quebec for a competition.
It's a demanding schedule that cuts into their school and social lives, but the passion for the sport has kept them going.
"I love the speed and the competitiveness where you can go from first to last in a half a second or vice-versa," said Jayson.
Allyson agrees.
"Yeah, I love the speed and the community," she said. "You never know what's going to happen in a competition or a race. Like Jay said, with any little mess up the race can just absolutely change."
Jayson took after his dad and started speed skating when he was three and Allyson began her career at age two.(Courtesy: Christine Lawson)
In January 2013, CTV News introduced the skating Lawsons to Maritimers with a story about the young skaters.
Allyson and Jayson were more than a bit surprised to see the footage from 10 years ago when they were five and eight-years-old.
"That was the start of the career," said Allyson after watching the story. "That was my first year. I was competing and starting to get into the sport. That was my first coach when I was competitive. It was quite cool to see that."
Seeing the story again for the first time in years was an emotional moment for mother Christine Lawson.
"Watching the kids grow up through the sport, watching them participate in it and seeing Coach Stan [Barnett] who was with them for many years. Unfortunately he passed away three or four years ago, but he holds a great piece of our hearts."
The upcoming Canada Games will be bittersweet. Both will retire from competitive skating shortly after the games.
"It's very sad to look at the fact that I am leaving after 15 years," said Jayson. "I'm definitely going to have to find a new hobby to fill in my time."
Allyson said it feels strange to be so close to the end.
"But I still imagine we'll get out there a couple of times and just have fun with it," said Allyson.
For now, they're still both focused on representing New Brunswick.
"I mean, it's exciting in one sense that they get to do their career goals and end it up on a high and do exactly what they want," said Christine. "It's hard for us because now it's going to be like, 'What do we do now?'"
Jayson will participate in short track on Prince Edward Island and Allyson will compete in long track in Halifax.
However you look at it, they'll be nearing the finish line soon.
Before they get there, they took a moment to thank everyone who helped them over the years.
Jayson thanked his mother and father Mark for their support, their coach Derrick McLeod and MacDonald Buick for their sponsorship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.