The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary attract athletes from elsewhere in Canada

What's next? The question comes to mind quickly after an athlete performs at the Olympic Games. Rudi Swiegers, Figure Skater and Olympian, decided to take a year off after skating in the Sochi Olympics in 2014. He wanted time to evaluate what was next after achieving one of his lifetime goals – performing at the Olympic Games.

The athlete who finished 14th in pairs at the Olympics went back to his hometown in Virden, Manitoba where he found a job with an Internet service provider as a technician. Rudi notes that playing with a computer was always a hobby for him. He likes building and fixing computers so the job seemed perfect. Initially Rudi said that it was fantastic to feel like a normal human being and just go to work everyday. After a conversation with his mother, he realized that he missed the lifestyle and the challenges that go with being a high level athlete.

Annabelle Langlois, head coach for the Skate Canada program in Calgary, convinced Rudi to come visit the CSIC in Dec. 2014. He was impressed with the facility and the direction of the program and these factors influenced his decision to challenge himself again to compete at the highest level. Skate Canada started working with CSIC in September 2014 to build a national performance centre here in Calgary with a focus on pairs skating at the national and development levels. Annabelle is a former Olympic figure skater charged with creating development opportunities for her skaters.

This is the first time Skate Canada has partnered with a Canadian Sport Institute. In mid-February, Rudi made the move to Calgary from Virden. The Skate Canada partnership with CSI Calgary gives Rudi a support staff to help his comeback. His CSI support team includes Kelly Quipp, Exercise Physiologist who oversees his off- ice training plan, Chris Osmond who works with him 2-3 times a week on his strength and conditioning and nutritionist Kelly Drager.

Rudi is proud and excited to be part of the first joint program between Skate Canada and the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary. The Integrated Support Team not only supports Rudi but also the upcoming development skaters with the long term focus of building a strong Canadian team for the future.

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary

Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto