Strathmore local Connor Kautz has been selected as one of thirty athletes who will receive funding as part of the RBC Training Ground.
Kautz participated with 200 athletes (ages 14-25) in the RBC Training Ground, an annual cross-country talent search run in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Sports Institutes.
Only 100 athletes were invited to the finals (2 December) and only the top 30 finalists were selected for funding and “RBC Future Olympian” status.
Kautz grew up playing hockey, but caught the attention of scouts at a Luge Canada event last March.
“Connor showed very good physical test results, so we invited him to a camp where he could try out our sport and where we could see if that raw ability could translate to Luge,” said Mike Lane, Luge Canada's national junior coach.
“We were excited to see how well he learned all the sled skills. He also had the fastest time of all the new athletes in the ice room and won all the head-to-head rowing events.”
Making it to the RBC Training Ground national final was amazing, explained Kautz, who also competes in track, badminton and volleyball at Strathmore High School.
“Traveling to Toronto, meeting all the other athletes, was a great experience and I’m excited to start this journey in the snowshoes.”
Now in its eighth year, RBC Training Ground is a national talent identification and athlete financing program dedicated to finding and supporting the next generation of Canadian athletes. Since its inception in 2016, the program has tested 14,000 athletes in free local events across Canada, and more than 2,000 athletes have been identified by NSO partners as having elite potential.
The new RBC Training Ground season, with events across Canada, begins in February 2024. Visit RBCTrainingGround.ca For schedule and details.
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