A RBC Training Ground Olympic talent search event was held at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus on Feb. 29.
Around 150 amateur athletes tested their speed, strength, power and endurance in front of talent scouts from the Canadian Olympic Committee and several national sport organizations.
From sailing to hockey, all athletes were welcomed to test their skills.
Okanagan Mission Secondary’s 15-year-old equestrian rider Madalyn MacCormack was a standout.
She posted the fastest sprint times (1.8 seconds in the 10m and 4.49 seconds in the 30m) among all females at the event.
Another Okanagan Mission Secondary eye-catching athlete was 17-year-old Kaelen Berg. The six-foot-five-inch football player had great all-around testing scores.
“Kaelen’s height, arm span, strength and speed are all above average,” said Kurt Innes, a former Olympic cyclist and RBC Training Ground’s Technical Director.
Not to be outdone by the younger athletes, 24-year-old Kristian Matis had a strong testing day.
Matis, who is basketball player and bodybuilder, posted the fastest 30m sprint time (3.94 seconds) and the top isometric mid-thigh pull (241 kg) among all the male participants at the event.
Twenty-two-year-old UBC Okanagan student Amy Vander Wyk soared above the competition. She had the highest vertical jump score (60.6 cm) among female athletes.
Top performers at the Olympic talent search will begin further testing with specific sport coaches.
They will potentially be invited to the RBC Training Ground National Final, which will bring together the top 100 athletes discovered at various qualifiers across the country.
In the past four years, RBC Training Ground has tested more than 8,000 athletes, and 10 per cent of them were identified as having high Olympic potential.
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