RBC Training Ground returns, searching for Canada’s top athletes
Posted Jan 27, 2019 9:51 am.
Last Updated Jan 27, 2019 12:37 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Entering its fourth season, RBC Training Ground continues hunting for Canada’s future Olympians.
The program travels coast-to-coast to identify athletes between the ages of 14-25, with 5,500 participants since 2016. Of that number, 600 have been found to be high-potential athletes.
RBC Olympian Kirsti Lay says Training Ground allows athletes to transfer some of the skills they already have to other sports and disciplines.
“They can use everything that they’ve had and built over the years, and maybe they’ve never even thought or considered this sport, and then they end up falling in love with it,” she explained.
Lay herself is a multi-discipline athlete, starting as a speed skater and later winning an Olympic medal in track cycling.
READ MORE: Canadian women win bronze medal in cycling event
“I started speed skating when I was 10,” she recalled. “I competed until I was 24, and I was on the national team for eight years. I got an injury and based on my testing results, the cycling program recruited me. That’s very similar to RBC Training Ground.”
FULL INTERVIEW: 660’s Sandra Prusina talks to be Kirsti Lay about RBC Training Ground
Since its inception, athletes identified by Training Ground have participated in more than 200 national and international competitions, earning over 75 podium finishes.
National Sport Organizations taking part this year include Athletics Canada, Freestyle Canada, Canada Snowboard, Speed Skating Canada, Cycling Canada, Rowing Canada, Rugby Canada, and Canoe Kayak Canada.
“The RBC Training Ground initiative has provided aid in two important ways for rugby,” Adam Kleeberger, Lead Development Strength and Conditioning Coach, Rugby Canada stated. “Firstly, through the extensive cross-Canada qualifiers, we are able to connect with young athletes from all walks of life, and provide opportunities for them to engage with a new sport either recreationally, or possibly as a pathway to international competition. Secondly, the funding support available to targeted athletes allows us to ensure we can provide support to our aspiring national team members, further enhancing the number of athletes competing for selection to major events.”
RELATED: Olympians put Alberta on the map in Rio
The first-ever national final will take place in September in Calgary. There will also be a regional final in our city May 12.
To register or find out more information, visit RBCTrainingGround.ca.
To date, $1.3 million in funding has been awarded to 87 athletes, with 30 funded every year.
