A new direction

94 Forward initiated a new strategy on April 1, 2023. You are a part of our journey.

We are building a generation of Canadian sporting talent. Victoria, and its community, are central to that strategy. We are working directly with athletes and coaches. We are designing and delivering programming. We are bringing athletes and coaches from across Canada to Victoria.

This is Issue 3 of our newsletter keeping you in touch with what we are up to and what’s going on.

Triathlon - Continues to Build
Nov 12-19 / Athletes from BC and Alberta build on the blueprint from August Camp

20 Triathletes, ages 15-20, spent 7 days getting ready for 2024. 3 Guest coaches supported this camp: Lisa Mensink (OLY), Kris Hildebrand and Pat Waters. The camp was led coaches Kelly Guest and Pat Kelly.  

This camp included lots of baseline testing, setting athletes up for a winter of strong training. This will lead into many returning for a race season preparation camp in February.

Athletes were hosted by local families. The camp included a balance of social-community mixing and helping athletes develop transferable life skills. Highlights of this work were nutrition & cooking classes. Then a great bowling party where the triathletes mixed with local athletes from a whole range of sports.

“Thank you again for the opportunity. It truly showed me that there are people across Canada and specifically in Victoria working to grow our sport. I look forward to returning to Victoria in February and hopefully for many years to come.” - our favorite athlete quote

Diving Jumps Off

“That was the best day of my life.” - Maia, Grade1 - Northridge Elementary

Here’s what you need to know

Between April 2023 and March 2024 we will be delivering a range of pilot projects across multiple sports. These projects will be instrumental in helping us select a fixed number of sports we’ll work with until 2028 - culminating in the LA Olympic Games. 

🔥 Upcoming Projects

• 🧪 Sport Leadership - We recently completed a preliminary “Leadership Edge” exploration with Dr. Tim Jackson. This included an 8 person panel with executives, and sport leaders from: Eugene Liang OTP;  Kurt Innes (OLY) CSI; Jesse Korf EGM - Cycling Australia;  Paulo Saldanha PD World Tour Cycling IPT; Dr Veronica Planella MPC with Field Hockey International; Cameron Hope CEO of BC Hockey;  Pat Kelly Olympic Triathlon coach;  and Lindsay Jennerich (OLY) CSI. Dr Jackson will in Victoria in March to facilitate an in-person session, expanding the body of research in “Leadership Edge” within a sport context.

  
  

• 🥊 Boxing - Coach Dewith Frazer (OLY), along with boxers Ricardo Brown (OLY), and  Melinda Watpool were in town training with Island Boxing and enhancing our boxing community program in collaboration with School District 61. Our elite and youth intro to boxing programs will follow the similar structure to the one we’re setting up in diving. Up next the elite boxers head to the National Championships in Montreal this month.

👍 Getting involved with 94 Forward

• 📧 Send us a note if you’re interesting in joining any Team 94 Activity - use the ‘Contact Us’ button at the end of the newsletter.

  
  

• 🤗 Share with your friends. If you’re a Formidable or locally based athlete, share this email and what we are doing with your peers - we are keen to build our reach in the local community and engage with more athletes.

🏅 Buffy Williams, Hillary Stellingwerff, Bruce Deacon, Carolyn Murray and Ryan Cochrane Join A Growing List of Formidables!

These 5 Olympians spent more than two hours sharing their stories and athlete journeys with the 20 Triathletes at our most recent camp.

The Formidables are a group of past athletes who have represented Canada. They have strong ties to Victoria and the Legacy of the Commonwealth Games. They trained here, and attribute much of their success to the advantages provided by Victoria. They are affiliated with 94Forward because they are motivated to stay connected to sport and to share their insights with current and future athletes.

From top left. Buffy Williams is a 3 time Olympic rower with a bronze medal from the 2008 Games. Hillary Stellingwerf is a 2 time Olympic middle distance runner. Bruce Deacon competed in the marathon in 2 Olympic Games. Carolyn Murray is an Olympic Triathlete. Ryan Cochrane has a bronze and silver medal from 2 Olympic Games.