ASDC - Calgary Region Teams up with Alberta Slalom Canoe/Kayak

NEWS RELEASE

Alberta Sport Development Centre – Calgary Region teams up with Alberta Slalom Canoe / Kayak

(CALGARY – Feb. 17, 2010) The Alberta Sport Development Centre (ASDC) – Calgary Region has recently signed a partnership agreement with Alberta Slalom Canoe / Kayak (ASCK).

ASDC - Calgary Region has developed an Athlete and Coach Enhancement Program to provide additional sport science and sport medicine services to provincial level athletes. The partnership compliments the services athletes receive from ASCK in an effort to help improve sport performance.

The one-year partnership, which may be renewed in the future, will support five athletes with physiological assessments and sport psychology sessions. Physiological assessments will consist of VO2 max and lactate acid threshold testing. The VO2 max test will measure the athletes’ maximum capacity to transport and utilize oxygen during exercise. The analysis of blood lactate will determine the athletes’ anaerobic threshold which is the point where lactate acid begins to accumulate and the effects of fatigue are intensified. 

“Exercise physiology is at the core of every successful athlete. An athlete who is committed to training must use his or her time and energy as efficiently as possible. To do so, the repeated assessment of VO2 max and anaerobic threshold will be beneficial to allow the coach and athlete to monitor the effectiveness of a training program, and to motivate the athlete to tap into their highest physical potential.” says Heather Ray, assistant professor at Mount Royal University.

Although having a high VO2 max is a prerequisite for successful performance in endurance events, a high lactate acid threshold is a stronger predictor of overall performance outcomes. As a result, these assessments complement each other to create a physical profile of the athletes, highlighting their strengths and weakness and acting as a benchmark upon which suitable goals and training programs can be developed.

“This partnership between ASDC – Calgary Region and ASCK benefits me because it gives me more opportunities to help develop my skills as an athlete, mentally and physiologically,” says AJ Cole, one of the participating athletes. “The testing, sport psychology and other sport science support will help me grow as an athlete and into the person I was meant to be. I believe that this will not only help athletes individually, but as a collective whole within the sport.”

Canoe / Kayak Junior National Team member Hayden Daniels is also seeing results in the water because of the partnership.

“ASDC – Calgary Region and ASCK’s partnership has enabled me to improve as an athlete and to grow in my sport,” Hayden says. “As we get better it gets harder to shave time off our runs, and we need the edge to be serious competitors. Testing, sport psychology and new sport enhancement technology is the edge we need. Thanks to the funding from ASDC – Calgary Region and ASCK all of that is made available to me.”

The athletes aren’t the only ones who are benefitting from the services provided through collaboration between the ASDC – Calgary Region and ASCK. Coaches are also provided with tremendous resources and services.

“The introduction of the ASDC Calgary Region has filled a gap in the overall system that existed in Calgary. This center helps with the continuous development of athletes from the grassroots to the podium,” adds Holroyd. “The more the provincial organizations can work together to reduce duplication and improve services to sports, the faster we can move athletes from the provincial level to the national and international stages.”

As a High Performance Coach, Holroyd will also receive support from sport science and sport medicine service providers to develop a more comprehensive yearly training program. This will ensure that athletes incorporate more mental and psychological training into their daily routine, with the goal of increasing their athletic performance.

“In its first few months ASDC – Calgary Region has already been a great benefit to our canoe / kayak athletes by helping to bring more scientific tests and sport psychology services to the team,” says High Performance Coach, Mike Holroyd from ASCK.

For more information visit www.asdccalgary.ca.

About Alberta Sport Development Centre - Calgary Region

The Alberta Sport Development Centre (ASDC) - Calgary Region is a partnership between the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks, Wildlife Foundation and Mount Royal University to coordinate and enhance sport science and sport medicine services to Alberta’s emerging athletes and coaches. The ASDC - Calgary Region offers a fully integrated sport science environment allowing rural and urban area athletes to develop and train at a high level without leaving home. The ASDC - Calgary Region office is located within Mount Royal’s Department of Physical Education and Recreation Studies.

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Media contact:

Reid Bilben
Alberta Sport Development Centre - Calgary & Region
Mount Royal University
Office: 403.440.8668
Cell: 403.700.6574
rbilben@mtroyal.ca

Creating exceptional learning experiences for a world of possibilities 

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Mount Royal University, 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW, Calgary, Alberta T3E 6K6