Swapping skates leads to new Olympic journey for former hockey star
CTV
From a complete unknown in the speed skating world to a future shining star, Ryan Gibson, 23, is learning the ropes of the sport and aiming for an Olympic debut.
From a complete unknown in the speed skating world to a future shining star, Ryan Gibson, 23, is learning the ropes of the sport and aiming for an Olympic debut.
A former hockey player with the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Kingston Voyageurs, Gibson attended an RBC Training Ground event in 2019 where his athletic abilities caught the eye of David Morrison, manager of sport development for Speed Skating Canada. “Ryan’s an example of the gems we’re finding through this program. He would have been completely unknown to us, but these events can jumpstart their careers, giving them the extra support that they need to make it onto the national scene and into the program,” said Morrison.
RBC Training Ground first launched in 2016 and is a nation-wide talent identification and athlete funding program dedicated to finding Canada's future Olympians. It’s free to participate and is open to anyone aged 14 to 25, with in-person qualifying events being held across the country, as well as an at-home testing option. To date, over 1,300 high-potential athletes have been identified through RBC Training Ground, with seven of the program’s alumni medalling at the recent Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.
