Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton Strengthens Search for New Olympians

Recruitment camps to be held in major cities from Halifax to Vancouver

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

The national body will slide into major cities across the country including – Hamilton, Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Vancouver and Calgary – 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 20s – 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 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.”

National Recruitment Camp schedule:

May 12 – Hamilton

David Braley Centre - McMaster University

Arrival: 11 a.m.

 

May 13 – Toronto

Toronto PanAm Centre

Arrival: 12 Noon

 

June 9 - Halifax

Canada Games Centre

Arrival: 10 a.m.

 

June 16 - Ottawa

Louis Riel Dome

Arrival: 9 a.m.

 

June 17 – Montreal

Tomlinson Fieldhouse - McGill University

Arrival – 10 a.m.

 

July 28 – Winnipeg

Max Bell Centre

Arrival: 10 a.m.

 

August 11 - Edmonton

Kinsmen Fieldhouse

Arrival: 12 noon

 

Dates, times and locations for Calgary, Vancouver and Saskatoon camps will be announced shortly.

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 – Karbon, Driving Force, Calgary Stampede and Conceptum Sport Logistics – along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium and the Canadian Olympic Committee. Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton develops Olympic and world champions. Please visit us at www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca