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 Trent University Named Official Talent Development Centre in Pond to Podium ProgramFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE As one of four Centres in Ontario, Trent will train and prepare elite young rowers to compete globally; Former Olympian Carol Love named head coach of Trent’s new Talent Development Centre Thursday, August 26, 2010, Peterborough After a highly competitive bidding process, Trent University has been designated one of four official Talent Development Centres (TDC) in Ontario as part of the new “Pond to Podium” program to identify, target and develop elite rowing athletes in the province for national and international competition. “This is indeed an exciting day for Trent University. Being named an official Talent Development Centre is incredibly important for our program and it adds credibility to our already state-of-the-art facilities,” said Bill Byrick, director of Athletics at Trent upon learning of the designation. “Not only is this great for Trent, but it is also great for the Peterborough Rowing Club, with whom we share a close 35-year partnership. The strength of our proposal was based on our ability to work together, which has resulted in this wonderful opportunity.” Leading the Centre at Trent will be newly appointed Talent Development Centre coach and former Olympian Carol Love. As the Centre’s coach, Ms. Love will work with top rowing athletes who have been identified and invited into the Centre. Coach Love was a member of the Canadian women's eight in the first appearance of women's rowing in the Olympics in Montreal in 1976 and in the World Championships in 1977. As Canada’s most heralded female coach, Coach Love has spent over 30 years coaching with Trent’s rowing program and the Peterborough Rowing Club and was named as head coach for Ontario’s team at the 2005 Canada Summer Games. She was awarded the 25 Year Service Pin by Rowing Canada and won the Ontario University Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2006 for men's and women's crews. At the 2010 Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) Coaches Conference in London, Ontario, she was honoured with the RCA Coaches Recognition Award. “Being selected as one of the regional centre coaches gives me the sole focus of working with young athletes who are training towards high performance. I feel lucky to have the chance to work with this calibre of athletes, and fortunate to do it in Peterborough,” said Coach Love. “Trent's new athletic facility, and their partnerships with Health In Motion and the Peterborough Rowing Club create an ideal training centre for elite athletes. The culture of the club and University program will provide the new Pond to Podium program with the stability that is needed for success.” The Pond to Podium High Performance Sport Program was established after the Olympic ‘Own the Podium’ committee ranked rowing as the number one targeted summer Olympic sport in Canada. This groundbreaking program, a partnership between Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA), ROWONTARIO (RO), Canadian Sport Centre Ontario (CSCO), and selected Ontario University and/or Club rowing programs, is aimed at cultivating a development pathway for future Olympian-level athletes and coaches in Ontario. Programming at the TDCs will include professional coaching, stage appropriate training and competitive opportunities, sport science and sport medicine support, quality equipment and quality training environments. The TDC at Trent University will officially open September 1, 2010. Athletes and coaches will take advantage of Trent’s new and established rowing facilities, including North America’s most advanced indoor rowing/paddling tank in the new Trent Community Sport & Recreation Centre, opening in September 2010, and direct access to the pristine rowing waters of the Otonabee River, which flows through the centre of the University’s Symons campus in Peterborough. “We are very excited to have Trent University and the Peterborough Rowing Club as host of the Central Region Talent Development Centre in our groundbreaking “Pond to Podium” program,” said Derek Ventnor, executive director of Row Ontario. “Through the TDC selection process, it was very clear that this facility would provide all the necessary infrastructure and support required to develop a very positive and effective high performance rowing environment for our up and coming elite athletes and we are very confident that this new partnership will be very successful, and will be an integral part of the success of the Pond to Podium program in the years ahead.” There are a total of four Talent Development Centres designated throughout Ontario. Queen’s University will serve as the eastern Ontario centre, The University of Western Ontario as the south-western centre, Brock University for the Niagara region and Trent as the central Ontario region centre. The selection process was based on several criteria, including: infrastructure, , ability to meet financial contribution requirements, sport performance culture for rowing, and ability to host regional development activities, among others. As the only athletics and recreation facility in the growing north end of the City of Peterborough, the new Trent Community Sport & Recreation Centre will provide vital wellness services to all residents, including seniors and older adults, children, youth-at-risk, persons with disabilities, and the local workforce. Unique and innovative features of the new Centre, which opens in September 2010, include: North America’s most advanced indoor combination rowing/paddling tank, an indoor climbing wall, 12,000 sq. ft. cardio loft and weight room, warm therapy pool, expanded therapy clinic, and a complete makeover of the pool. For more information about the Trent Community Sport & Recreation Centre, visit Sport, Recreation & Wellness for All Campaign website www.trentu.ca/athleticscampaign -30- For more information, please contact:
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