RBC Training Ground Goes Virtual to Find Canada’s Next Olympians

30 Oct RBC Training Ground Goes Virtual to Find Canada’s Next Olympians

What is RBC Training Ground?

RBC Training Ground is a talent identification and athlete funding program designed to find young athletes with Olympic potential, and provide them with the resources they need to achieve their podium dreams.

With the belief that high performance sports should be accessible to all athletes that are talented, qualified and have the will to compete, RBC Training Ground used to travel the country searching for athletes between the ages of 14 and 25 that will fuel the Canadian Olympic pipeline. With COVID-19 they have gone digital.

Athletes are assessed using basic tests that indicate speed, strength, power and endurance capabilities. National Sport Organizations (NSO’s) use combinations of these test results to identify skills that may translate to strong potential in their respective sport. Each sport requires different physical abilities and skills, and therefore performance benchmarks vary by NSO. Field based assessment results must be viewed within the context of the requirements of the sport, the characteristics of the athlete, and the stage of their development.

How Does It Work?

RBC Training Ground is completely free for athletes and only requires about 45 minutes of their time. All athletes aged 14-25 are eligible to submit an application by December 1, 2020 and all they need is a video camera or capable phone as well as a few measuring tools.

Athletes can submit a digital qualifying video to showcase their speed, strength, power and endurance and catch the eye of one of our National Sports Organization partners to vie for RBC ‘Future Olympian’ funding. The exercises are not sport specific; they test for athletic benchmarks that could lend themselves well to an Olympic sport. Through the results of the digital qualifying process, athletes have the potential to move onto a regional event which is more focused on individual spot and then ultimately, the national final where the top 30 athletes from across Canada receive funding.​

Success Story

Several athletes who were discovered and supported by RBC Training Ground over the last few years are expected to compete at their first ever Olympic Games – some of whom will be representing Team Canada in a sport they had never even tried prior to participating at an RBC Training Ground event.​

One example is Kelsey Mitchell. Kelsey was a varsity soccer player with great strength and endurance who participated in RBC Training Ground in 2017—she’s now a metal threat in the 2021 Olympic Games with Cycling Canada. Although, she didn’t continue playing soccer after university her athleticism and competitive spirit leant itself to the sport of cycling.

To sign up for free and participate virtually head to www.RBCTrainingGround.ca, register and submit your application by December 1st, 2020.