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Barrie’s Cameron Chadwick, a member of Volleyball Canada’s Next Gen national team for beach, has been awarded funding and an accelerated path to the Olympics after impressing scouts at the RBC Training Ground national final.
Chadwick, a recent University of Guelph grad who also played volleyball at Georgian College and St. Peter’s high school, was one of more than 2,500 athletes (aged 14 to 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 Nov. 2. Only 30 of the finalists were selected for funding.
“The funding support is huge,” said Chadwick, who, at six-foot-five, was also a competitive swimmer as a teen. “To compete at the next level in beach volleyball we are expected to travel internationally mostly on our own dime, and not going can really limit your progress.”
According to Kerry MacDonald, beach high-performance manager at Volleyball Canada, Chadwick’s strong results at the RBC Training Ground trials is just another chapter in what has been an amazing season.
“This summer, Cam played in his first senior FIVB event, where he qualified for the main draw and eventually finished fifth,” said MacDonald. “He also helped his indoor team at Guelph University earn a spot at national championships last season. He’s got a lot of potential so we’re glad he did so well in the testing.”
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 re-energize 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 (NSO) 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 ninth year, RBC Training Ground is a nationwide 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 14 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.
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