Benj Potstra had to work hard for that “free” t-shirt.
The 23-year-old from Niagara-on-the-Lake was one of more than 100 young athletes who turned out for the RBC Training Ground event at the Walker Family Sports and Abilities Centre at Canada Games Park in Thorold on Saturday.
“I just thought it'd be fun to try. I see the ads when the Olympics are on – and you get a free shirt,” he said with a smile despite being physically spent after completing a tough 'beep run'. The run is one of several events designed to test the young athletes in areas such as power, strength, speed and endurance.
For the 'beep run', Potstra had to run back and forth between pylons placed 20 metres apart for as long as possible.
“I wanted to make it to the 10th stage,” Potstra said. "I made it to the 11th. That was tough.”
Potstra, who played volleyball and soccer in high school, continues to play the former recreationally today. While he’d entertain the thought of working to become a future Olympian if selected, he came out on Saturday simply for the challenge.
“It's good to push yourself,” he said.
Mia Friesen of St. Catharines was present at Saturday's events to show her support for the young athletes. She knows what they were going through as she participated in Brampton in 2023.
“The experience was, honestly, phenomenal,” she said. "I met so many cool people there. I went because wrestling Canada was a part of it, and as an uncarded athlete, being on the national team is financially hard.”
She attended a second event that was wrestling specific in the summer of 2023 and was later selected as one of the top 100 athletes who qualified for the national finals where she wound up as one of 35 athletes to receive funding and resources.
“It was incredible. I was so, so excited,” Friesen said. “I was getting ready for a world championships, and then I got that email.”
Through RBC Training Ground, Friesen was able to attend the Paris Olympics.
“I was an alternate for 2024," she said. “With the funding that I get, it has allowed me to travel the world and train with top teams. I've gotten to go to Japan. I gotten to compete at the U-23 PanAms. I've been to Spain.”
And she said that while she appreciated what competitors were going through on Saturday, they should savour it.
“This is a nerve wracking experience, but it's changed my life,” she said.
Jamie Sorensen, program manager for the Canadian Olympic Committee for the RBC Training Program said the event in Thorold was one of 20 being held across the country, giving potential future Olympians plenty of opportunities to try out.
“As long as it's convenient for them, they can come anywhere they want,” she said.
The events are open to all athletes ages 14-25 regardless of sports experience, she added.
“Some athletes come, and they've done track their whole lives, and some have come with no sports experience,” she said.
In all, 15 sports are a part of the Training Ground program for 2025, Sorenson said. Those include Biathlon Canada, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, Canoe Kayak Canada, Climbing Escalade Canada, Cycling Canada Cyclisme, Field Hockey Canada, Football Canada, Freestyle Canada, Luge Canada Rowing Canada Aviron, Rugby Canada, Speed Skating Canada, Ski Jumping Canada, Volleyball Canada and Wrestling Canada.
“On Tuesday or Wednesday, I'll send the results to the sports,” Sorenson said. “They'll look at all their sport history and backgrounds, as well as how the results are today and then they'll start inviting athletes.”
Those athletes will then be encouraged to attend training facilities for the sports to try them out, Sorenson said.
“They'll do that sports specific testing and then from there, we'll have the national final,” she said. “At the end of the summer, the sports will send me their nominations, and the top 100 who tried out this year will come to the national final in the fall.”
From that 100, 35 will be selected as future Olympians, as was the case for Friesen two years ago.
Since the RBC Training Ground program started in 2016, 21 program alumni have competed in the Olympics, 12 of whom have won a total of 14 medals. Of the 21 athletes, seven have come from Ontario.