The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary’s (CSIC) Athlete Development Project achieved its first international success on November 8 when Kirsti Lay won a silver medal at World Cup #1 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Lay joined the 2014 World Championship silver medalists to start off the season after being a competitive track cyclist for only two years.

Lay, a former speed skater, was forced to retire from skating in 2012 due to injury problems. Knowing that speed skaters have a long history of moving successfully to the velodrome, CSIC Athlete Development Manager Paula Jardine approached her about transferring her skills to the bike through the Athlete Development Project. The program is an initiative of the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary whose objective is to identify and fast track the development of targeted athletes into national team programs.

Lay is grateful for the opportunity to accelerate her progression as an elite athlete in another sport, saying, “Being a part of the CSIC’s development program really gave me the first step into track cycling and allowed me to see my potential in this sport. Under the guidance of Dr. David Smith, Director of Sport Science, coach Phil Abbott, and the entire sport science lab, I had a successful transition from speed skating. They identified my cycling weaknesses and continually tested and monitored my training to give me the best chance of performance. Without them, I would never have tried cycling."

CSIC is pleased to have more representation on the medal winning cycling team than their Athlete Development Project athlete. Lay joinedanother CSIC rider, Allison Beveridge, to team up with veteran track team members Stephanie Roorda and Jasmin Glaesser.

Despite being just 21-years-old, Beveridge has been a CSIC athlete for five years and has both World Cup and World Championship medals to her credit. She knows how fortunate she is to have grown up in a city where she has the opportunity to work with the Canadian Sport Institute, saying the “CSI has helped me over the past five years to provide me with a training environment in Calgary, a city that is not always ideal for riding. The services they offer have helped me make the jump onto the elite national team and continue to help me develop as a rider and athlete. Recently I have started training with a strength coach out of the CSIC that has helped me become a more balanced athlete both on and off the bike.”

The team’s next stop is World Cup #2 in London, England at the beginning of December, while their major focus for the season is on winning another medal at the World Championships in Paris in February.

To find out more on the Athlete Development Project please contact Paula Jardine, Athlete Development Manager, at (403) 819-1960.

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Writer Brittany Schussler: @bschussler
Photo Credit: Dave Holland @csicalgaryphoto
Kirsti Lay: @layk88
Allison Beveridge: @Not_Alli_Bev

Le projet de perfectionnement des athlètes de l'Institut canadien du sport de Calgary (CSIC) a connu son premier succès international le 8 novembre. Kirsti Lay a en effet remporté une médaille d'argent à la première manche de la Coupe du monde à Guadalajara au Mexique. Lay s'est jointe aux médaillées d'argent des Championnats du monde de 2014 pour amorcer la saison après être devenue cycliste sur piste de compétition depuis seulement deux ans.

Ancienne patineuse de vitesse, Lay a été forcée à la retraite en 2012 à cause de blessures. Sachant que les patineuses de vitesse passent souvent aisément au vélodrome avec succès, Paula Jardine, directrice du perfectionnement des athlètes de l'ICSC, a suggéré à Lay de transférer ses aptitudes du patinage au vélo grâce au projet de perfectionnement des athlètes. Le programme, initiative de l'Institut canadien du sport de Calgary, vise à dénicher des athlètes ayant le profil approprié et à en accélérer le perfectionnement au sein des programmes des équipes nationales.