Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton Launches New National Recruitment Drive #Tracking2022 #ALLIN
CALGARY—Driven by a goal to continue a tradition of excellence that has witnessed Canada’s bobsleigh and skeleton athletes on the Olympic and World Championship podium over the last six decades, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton will embark on an extensive nation-wide search to build its talent pool of athletes leading into Beijing 2022.
Coined #Tracking2022, the national body’s recruitment staff will team up with coaches and Olympic bobsleigh and skeleton athletes, who will serve as ambassadors, in search of the next generation of talent who are #ALLIn – a key theme that guides the current national team athletes each day in their pursuit of excellence.
“Bobsleigh and skeleton are recognized as second-generation sports so it is our goal to quickly increase our pool of athletes by identifying Canadians, 18 years of age and older, who have demonstrated athletic ability in other sports in an effort to adapt their high-performance foundation to the development of a successful career in one of the two sliding sports,” said Morgan Alexander, high-performance manager, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. “We are going to work with other national and provincial sport organizations, clubs, teams and Canadian universities to directly identify athletes who poses the athletic attributes we are looking for that typically excel in the sports of bobsleigh and/or skeleton.”
Some of Canada’s best bobsleigh and skeleton athletes, who have combined to win 13 Olympic medals in the sport’s history, have been recruited from football, track and field, rugby, lacrosse, mountain sports, skiing, volleyball, cycling and rowing.
“The fact bobsleigh is a called a late entry sport, can’t be overstated. For me, attending one of these recruitment camps was one of the best decisions of my life. It sparked the opportunity I needed to chase my Olympic dreams that I realized was no longer a reality for me in track and field,” said Cynthia Appiah, who was a shot put and hammer throw athlete at York University before developing into one of the best bobsleigh brakemen in the world.
“Meeting incredible people who have pushed me to challenge myself every day in training and enjoy the thrill of competition at major international events while also getting a taste of the Olympic Winter Games in Korea, bobsleigh has taken me around the world and provided me with life changing opportunities.”
Now in the driver’s seat, Appiah is part of a new generation of Canadian athletes pushing sleds onto the World Championship and World Cup podiums around the world, who were introduced to the sport through recruitment camps thanks to Canada hosting the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
“I really encourage anyone with athletic dreams who is looking for a sport that includes giving yourself a personal challenge, problem solving, speed and adrenaline rushes, to go #ALLIn and head to one of these camps. You have nothing to lose by coming out to a recruitment camp, and if you are like me, a world to gain,” said North Vancouver’s Jane Channell, a varsity track and basketball athlete who is a legacy baby from the 2010 Games in the sport of skeleton.
“These camps test your speed, power and explosiveness to see if you have what it takes. The true test is getting to go down the track to see how you mentally handle that pressure. If you show you can handle it, your pathway could take you on a career that has you travelling the world with the maple leaf on your back that I see as a true privilege.”
Channell, Appiah and many of their Canadian teammates will be guest ambassadors at camps in their hometowns, beginning June 8 in Toronto, where athletes will be evaluated on a series of athletic testing protocols including short sprints, and explosive power tests.
The following is a list of recruitment camps scheduled at this time. More dates and locations will be added throughout the summer months:
June 8 – Toronto
University of Toronto Athletic Centre - 55 Harbord St.
Warm Up at 12 Noon, Testing at 1 p.m.
June 9 – Ottawa
Louis Riel Dome - 1659 Bearbrook Rd.
Warm Up at 10 a.m., Testing at 11 a.m.
June 15 – Saskatoon
Saskatoon Fieldhouse - 2020 College Dr.
Warm Up at 10 a.m., Testing starts at 11 a.m.
June 16 – Winnipeg
Max Bell Centre - 109 Sidney Smith St.
Warm Up at 12 Noon, Testing starts at 1 p.m.
June 23 – Halifax
Canada Games Centre - 26 Thomas Raddall Dr.
Warm Up at 10 a.m., Testing starts at 11 a.m.
July 7 – Montreal
McGill University, Tomlinson Fieldhouse - 475 Pine Ave W
Warm Up at 10 a.m., Testing starts at 11 a.m.
July 14 – Calgary
Olympic Oval -288 Collegiate Blvd NW
Warm Up 12 Noon, Testing starts at 1 p.m.
July 27 – Edmonton
Kinsmen Sports Centre - 9100 Walterdale Hill
Warm Up at 11 a.m., Testing starts at 12 Noon
July 28 – Vancouver
Richmond Olympic Oval - 6111 River Rd
Warm Up at 12 Noon, Testing starts at 1 p.m
Athletes attending the camp will have the opportunity to be invited to a national development camp in Calgary and put themselves in the running to potentially be selected for a spot on the national team.
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, Conceptum Sport Logistics and Joe Rocket Canada – 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. ;