Canadian Sport Institute Calgary Awes Alberta’s Future Stars

"Motivating," "Amazing," and "Why I want to stay in sports," were among the positive reactions from the Alberta Sport Development Centre's athletes after touring the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary on August 27. During the second annual tour, the young athletes were educated on the programs and facilities put into place by the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary at WinSport's Canada Olympic Park.

The Alberta Sport Development Centre's leaders brought the province's most promising future athletic prospects from Red Deer, Medicine Hat, and Brooks to spend the day learning what life as a high performance athlete will be like if they join the Canadian Sport Institute. The athletes specialize in a variety of sports including swimming, cross-country skiing, curling, and soccer.

The jam-packed day was filled with visiting the high performance laboratory, a mental performance seminar from Frank van den Berg, a motivational speech from the world's top ranked wrestler Erica Wiebe, a performance analysis demonstration, and a strength and conditioning session in the expansive weight room. Of course, the athletes deserved a break and were supplied with a healthy lunch from the Canadian Sport Institute's Fuel for Gold program. They dined on organic sandwiches, fruits, and vegetables while watching the country's current best athletes maximize their time in the training facility.

Athletes' favorite tour moments were varied, depending on where they vision their athletic careers taking them. Many were inspired while learning about Wiebe's success, while some were excited to have been in the world-renowned ice house, the indoor facility where the sliding athletes practice their starts, for the first time. A popular highlight was the day's unplanned stop, when two-time bobsleigh Olympic medallist Lascelles Brown stopped his training session to engage the group with a motivational talk detailing how he has achieved his high level of success.

Evanne Anderson, an up and coming soccer star, especially appreciated seeing some of her sports heroes training at a facility that she has access to. Saying it was inspiring "knowing that we can get to that level," Anderson envisions herself becoming a part of the Canadian Sport Institute programs in two years, once she has finished high school.

Brooklin Bellavance, a soccer player taking the tour for the second time, admitted to feeling particularly connected to Erica Wiebe's message. Ironically, it was not the sport of wrestling that she related to, but the ability to achieve excellence in both academics and sport while training at the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary. An aspiring kinesiology major, Bellavance felt it was an eye opener to hear that Wiebe "got a kinesiology degree and is training for the Olympics, so it's cool to know that I could do the same thing."

The facilities at Canada Olympic Park are designed to impress, and it is evident that the tour conducted for the Alberta Sport Development Centre did just that. Upon finishing the day's events, one hundred percent of the teenage athletes indicated that they wanted to continue pursing high performance sport, hoping to become a part of the Canadian Sport Institute. Suffice it to say, Alberta's future sports heroes are motivated, and the programs are set to facilitate their success.

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Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Writer Brittany Schussler: @bschussler