Canada Summer Games Camp blog by Charlotte Farrant

Triathlon Alberta and the Canada Summer Games (CSG) Team hosted a Hopefuls Camp December 4 for all interested athletes looking to secure a spot on Alberta’s 2022 CSG Triathlon Team. It was the first of several upcoming opportunities for prospective candidates to meet and test themselves after a long hiatus that halted group activities due to COVID 19. The camp was the first of two, during which a time trial will help identify athletes with potential to be invited to future out-of-province camps leading into final selections this summer. 

 Team Alberta Sport Psychologist Perri Ford gave a presentation and led a team building activity ahead of the track session in which athletes laid it all out in a 1500m time trial. It was the first time for many of 25 athletes in attendance to compete against their peers on the track. Following the time trial, Corrado Cultrerra conducted individual run skills analysis, providing each athlete with personalized feedback on their run form and technique.

Triathlon Alberta generously hosted a group dinner and evening of bowling, giving athletes a relaxed environment to continue to get to know each other and share in their successes from the day. The team building and fun activities set things up nicely for a hard fought, friendly competition at the Kronos Splash n Dash the next day, where an impressive turnout of youth and senior athletes swam in an open water style format, then ran on the track to complete an aquathlon.

There were many great performances at the Splash n Dash, confirming for the CSG coaching team that going into the selection races this summer, it's anyone’s game! They also saw a few battles played out on the track, revealing some healthy competition amongst athletes vying for the three female and three males CSG team spots. But, as triathlon is the great equalizer, being a multisport, things could shift by January 21 at the second camp in Edmonton when a 400m swim time trial will test athletes in the pool.

The biggest takeaway from the weekend is – triathlon is back! The high attendance numbers showed us that a pandemic couldn’t keep these kids down, and we are so excited to see them get back to doing what they love!