Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton Strengthens Search for New Olympians

—National team athletes assist in second round of recruitment camps—

CALGARY—Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton and its team of medal-winning athletes are readying themselves to blanket the country one more time this summer in search of Canada’s next generation of Olympic champions. 

Due to popular demand, the national body will slide into major cities across the country including – Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver – in search of hard-working motivated athletes with strength, speed and power.

“Our sports, especially bobsleigh, tend to be picked up by athletes in their late teens or early twenties – athletes who have enjoyed success on other playing fields,” said Chris Le Bihan, high-performance director, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. “We have worked with our provincial association partners to locate some of the hotbeds of multisport activity, and scheduled recruitment camps to allow those athletes to test themselves against our standards, and hopefully entice our next generation of champions to the sport.” 

For a nominal $20 fee, athletes in the targeted cities can be assessed against the recruitment standards, which include speed testing for 15- and 30-metre starts, along with various strength and lifting requirements.

“We are looking for serious athletes who demonstrate explosive strength, power, and speed,” said Le Bihan. “There’s also a huge need for our athletes to have a team mentality.” 

Recruitment camp schedule:

August 22 - Winnipeg

Frank Kennedy Centre – University of Manitoba

Arrival: 12:30 p.m.

August 29 – Calgary

Olympic Oval – University of Calgary

Arrival: 1:30 p.m.

August 30 – Vancouver 

Richmond Oval

Arrival: 10:30 a.m.

September 5 – Halifax

Canada Games Centre

Arrival: 10:30 a.m.

September 12 - Montreal

McGill University Field House

Arrival: 1:30 p.m.

September 13 – Ottawa

Louis Riel Dome

1659 Bearbrook

Arrival: 4:30 p.m.

September 19 – Hamilton

McMaster University

Arrival: 10:30 a.m.

Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton is a non-profit organization and the national governing body for the sports of bobsleigh and skeleton in Canada. With the support of its valued corporate partners – BMW Canada, The Globe and Mail, along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, and SAIT Polytechnic. Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton develops Olympic and world champions. Please visit us at www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca.