Skyler Goudswaard, a track cyclist from Grimsby, has been awarded funding and an accelerated path to the Olympics after impressing scouts at the RBC Training Ground national final.
Goudswaard was one of more than 2,500 athletes (aged 14-25) to participate in this year’s RBC Training Ground, an annual cross-country talent search run in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and regional Canadian Sport Institutes. Only 100 athletes were invited to the final, held in Halifax on November 2. Only 30 of the finalists were selected for funding.
The 25-year-old was introduced to cycling two years ago through the program, and also made the national final in 2022.
“It’s a great program – even just the sport-specific testing you get to do if one of the sports is interested in you makes things very accessible,” said Goudswaard, who is a former rower. “I was able to get on the track at the velodrome and have access to a bike which I wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise. And now I’m a funded RBC Future Olympian which will really help my development in the sport.”
RBC Training Ground sees athletes from a wide range of sports perform core speed, strength, power and endurance tests in front of Olympic talent scouts from thirteen different Olympic sports to find the sport for which they are most suited. An athlete’s anthropomorphic measurements (height, wingspan, etc), sport-specific testing (conducted following the qualifier stage) and competitive sport history also play a role in who is selected for funding.
The complete list of 30 athletes selected for funding is available at RBCTrainingGround.ca
“Some of the athletes who participate in RBC Training Ground are looking to reenergize or boost an Olympic dream in a sport they are already participating in,” said Evan MacInnis, Technical Director, RBC Training Ground. “Others participate with the hope of being discovered and directed toward an Olympic sport they may have never considered. But they all rely on raw athleticism to impress our sport partners and compete for funding.”
Funding is administered by the participating National Sport Organization bringing the athlete into its system, and is used for things like coaching, transportation, travel, equipment, and nutrition.
NSO partners include Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton; Canoe Kayak Canada; Climbing Escalade Canada; Cycling Canada Cyclisme; Freestyle Canada, Luge Canada; Rowing Canada Aviron, Rugby Canada; Speed Skating Canada; Volleyball Canada, Flag Football Canada; Squash Canada; and Wrestling Canada.
Wrapping up its 9th year, RBC Training Ground is a nation-wide talent identification and athlete-funding program dedicated to finding and supporting the next generation of Canadian Olympians. Since its inception in 2016, the program has tested 16,000 athletes at free local events across Canada, while also offering flexible virtual opportunities to participants unable to attend qualifiers in person. Since its inception, more than 3,000 have been identified by NSO partners as having Olympic potential.
Twenty one RBC Training Ground alumni have competed at three Olympic Games, and together they’ve brought home a collective fourteen medals – including seven at the recent Paris 2024 Summer Games. Program alumni Krissy Scurfield and Avalon Wasteneys are among the most recent medal winners, bringing home silver for Team Canada. Program alumni Kelsey Mitchell (track cycling) and Marion Thénault (freestyle ski) are also among the medal winners, both of whom had never tried their Olympic sport before showing up at an RBC Training Ground event.
A new season of RBC Training Ground will be launching in January 2025. Visit RBCTrainingGround.ca for a complete schedule and details.
Photo by Kevin Light, from the 2024 RBC Training Ground National Final in Halifax, November 2
