“Sadie performed very well on the physical tests and then demonstrated the ability to pick up luge-specific skills very quickly,” said Mike Lane, Luge Canada National Junior Head Coach. “She won a head-to-head paddling challenge and she looked like a three-year veteran of the junior national team. »

West was identified during a custom testing event held specifically for Team Alberta 2023 North American Indigenous Games athletes. His vertical jump score (power measurement) was among the best recorded nationally .

“I’m really looking forward to competing against the best athletes in the country, seeing how I stack up and seeing where this could take us,” West said. “Competing in basketball at the JAAN Games this summer was probably the biggest moment I’ve had as an athlete thus far, but I’m certainly open to the possibilities.

This year, 2,200 athletes (aged 14-25) from a wide range of sports competed in free local qualifying events across the country, performing tests of speed, strength, power and endurance in front of Olympic talent scouts to find the sport for which they are selected. most suitable, or obtain an increase in funding in their existing sport based on their raw physical abilities.

The top 100 players considered to have high Olympic potential will now compete in the RBC Training Camp national finals on December 2 in Toronto. Thirty athletes from the finals will earn funding, a spot on Team Canada with one of twelve partner national sport organizations, and an accelerated path to the Olympic Games.

During the RBC Training Ground National Finals tests, athletes’ speed, power, strength and endurance will be retested against sport-specific high performance criteria, under the supervision of the RBC’s sport partners. program. Officials say an athlete’s anthropomorphic measurements (height, wingspan, etc.), sport-specific testing (conducted after the qualification stage), and competitive athletic history also play a role in funding selection.

“The RBC Training Ground is designed to help fill and fund Canada’s Olympic sports talent pipeline,” said Evan MacInnis, Technical Director of the RBC Training Ground. “Some of the athletes attending RBC Training Camp are looking to reinvigorate or spark an Olympic dream in a sport they already participate in. Others participate in the hopes of being discovered and directed toward an Olympic sport they may never have considered. But they all rely on raw athleticism to impress our sporting partners and compete for funding. »

The finalists, whose transportation, hotel and food will be covered by RBC, will be joined at the final by RBC Training Ground alumni and Olympic medalists.

The 30 athletes selected for funding will be announced in early 2024. Funding is administered by the participating national sport body who integrates the athlete into their system and is used for things like training, transportation, travel , equipment and nutrition. NSO partners include Boxing Canada; Canoe Kayak Canada; Climbing Climbing Canada; Cycling Canada Cycling; Freestyle Canada, Luge Canada; Rowing Canada Rowing, Rugby Canada; Speed ​​Skating Canada; Triathlon Canada; Volleyball Canada, Boxing Canada; Climbing in Canada; Triathlon Canada; and Wrestling Canada.

The full list of 100 finalists is available at RBCTrainingground.ca in the community/news section.

Now in his 8^th Each year, RBC Training Ground is a national talent identification and athlete funding program dedicated to finding and supporting the next generation of Canadian Olympic athletes. Since its inception in 2016, the program has tested 13,000 athletes at free local events across Canada, nearly 2,000 of whom have been identified by partner NSOs as having Olympic potential.

Officials say 13 RBC Training Ground athletes have competed in two Olympic Games and together won seven collective medals. Program alumni Kelsey Mitchell and Marion Thénault were among the medalists, both of whom had never tried their Olympic sport before attending an RBC Training Ground event.

A new season of RBC Training Camp will launch in early 2024.

Visit RBCTrainingGround.ca for more details.