HUNTSVILLE KAYAKER IMPRESSES SCOUTS WITH OLYMPIC POTENTIAL

HUNTSVILLE — The goal of an Olympic water course got a little easier for Tyler Gevaert.

The 16-year-old slalom kayaker from Huntsville has been awarded funding and an accelerated path to the Olympics after impressing scouts at the RBC Training Ground national final.

He was one of more than 2,500 athletes (aged 14-25) to participate in RBC Training Ground this year, 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.

Tyler Gevaert gets encouragement during strength testing Nov. 2 in Halifax where he was one of 30 selected to join the National Sport Organization’s Olympic training program and receive funding. Photo RBC Kevin Light
He will receive funding administered by the participating National Sport Organization, which brings athletes into its system, and is used for things like coaching, transportation, travel, equipment, and nutrition. Photo Tyler Gevaert

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 13 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

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.

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.

A new season of RBC Training Ground will be launching in January 2025. Visit RBCTrainingGround.ca for a complete schedule and details.