WAVERLEY: A canoeist from Cheema Aquatic Club has been selected as one of the 25 young Canadian athletes as part of RBC’s Training Ground.
As part of the RBC Training Ground, a partnership between RBC, the Canadian Olympic Foundation (COF), Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), and CBC Sports, the 25 will now receive ongoing support through the program. RBC Training Ground is an innovative program designed to test and link undiscovered athletes with a sport that could excel them onto the podium.
“We believe when we invest in youth, great things happen,” said Matt McGlynn, vice president, brand marketing, RBC, in a release. “RBC Training Ground provides young Canadian athletes with the opportunity to challenge themselves against National Sport Organizations performance standards, and these 25 athletes rose to the occasion.
“We are proud to have helped uncover their talent and provide the necessary support they’ll need to accelerate their Olympic dream.”
Tom Hall from Dartmouth, who trains at Waverley-based Cheema is among the six canoe/kayak athletes named. The others are: Marc Tarling in Canoe from Pointe-Claire, Que.; Liam O’Brien of Dartmouth in kayak; Scott Braddon (canoe) of Ottawa, Ont.; Oakville, Ont. product Alanna Bray Loughheed in kayak; and Madison Mackenzie of Chelsea, Que. in kayak.
RBC Training Ground is a series of free regional events where select local athletes between the ages of 14 and 25 participate in workouts measuring speed, power, strength and endurance. Performing in front of coaches and officials from a variety of national and provincial sport organizations, results are measured against performance benchmarks to determine an athlete’s capacity for sport at its highest level.
“Our nation is filled with talented athletes and we know that Olympic dreams don’t always follow the same path,” said Executive Director of Sport, COC, Eric Myles. “By creating a stage where our sport federations can find new talent, and then providing financial support to the athletes who show the most promise, RBC is filling a gap in our high performance sport model and making a very real and positive contribution to our nation’s Olympic future.”
The support is administered through the National Sport Organization (NSO) the athlete agrees to work with. National sport governing bodies who participated in RBC Training Ground included Athletics Canada; Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton; Canoe Kayak Canada; Cycling Canada; Rowing Canada; and Rugby Canada.
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