BC NextGen Performance Centre – Athletes

The BC NextGen Performance Centre operates on the understanding that an extended exposure to an enhanced training environment increases an athlete’s likelihood of Olympic and Paralympic success. This may include U17, U19, U21, U23 and SR athletes.

Engagement with the BC NextGen Performance Centre is an athlete-driven process. If you have an interest, but are not sure if being a Centralized member or Regional member is the best fit for you, have a conversation with one of the NextGen Performance Coaches and/or the coach from your home club/school program to determine what is best for your individualized training.

If you imagine yourself one day on a World Championship, Olympic or Paralympic podium, the BC NextGen Performance Centre can be part of your pathway. An extended exposure to an enhanced training environment increases an athlete’s likelihood of Olympic and Paralympic success. That enhanced training environment is what the BC NextGen Performance Centre provides by using leading sport science, sport medicine and certified coaches to achieve sport specific skill development at each stage of the Athlete Development Pathway.

The centre creates a highly competitive daily training environment (DTE) that emulates RCA’s National Training Centre’s (NTC) DTE and prepares athletes to transition to the NTC.  The centre will provide appropriate opportunities for athletes to gain physical, technical and mental competencies ahead of selection events and competitions.

Across the country, Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) is moving to a model utilizing partnerships with Provincial Rowing Associations to build and support the training centres that will ensure athletes with Olympic and Paralympic podium potential receive the support they need ahead of being ready to join a National Team Training Centre. This model is intended to provide the highest possible quality in the daily training environment, sufficient training volume, and a multitude of integrated supports to create the best possible training built for the needs of each individual athlete. The Centre will also focus on recruiting new talent and talent transfer from other sports.

There are three types of members who will train at the BC NextGen Performance Centre:

Centralized Member

A CENTRALIZED member is an athlete that utilizes the BC NextGen Performance Centre as their DTE. While a centralized member is expected to be in the centre for 8 or more months of the year, they remain eligible to train and compete with their club or school program as defined in their annual IAPP.  Centralized Members will be provided external, pre-selection, high quality competition opportunities through appropriate regional, national and international regattas.  Although athletes are able to enter the BC NextGen Performance Centre at any point throughout the year, and as outlined in their IAPP, the centre will begin offering fulltime training for athletes on the Tuesday following Labour Day each year.

Regional Member

A REGIONAL member is an athlete that utilizes a club or school program for their DTE, with established expectations on when they will train and compete with the NextGen Performance Centre.  Prior to acceptance, Regional Members are required to participate in the creation of a well-defined annual IAPP in partnership with NextGen Performance Coaches and program coaches.  Regional Members are expected to maintain targeted training loads, attend monitoring practices and identified camps set out in their IAPP.  Regional Members will begin training at the BC NextGen Performance Centre as planned in their IAPP, most typically in April for university students, and June for high school students and university students attending American schools.

Seasonal Member

An athlete who does not participate in the BC NextGen Performance Centre becomes a SEASONAL member once they have been selected to a Provincial or National team.  Once selected, a Seasonal Member will be directed to the appropriate NextGen Performance Centre.  Seasonal Members can return to their club or school DTE once the team term is finished.

Members receive the following benefits alongside their training:

The BC NextGen Performance Centre is committed to providing NextGen Athletes with a highly competitive training environment, as well as access to external high quality competition (HQC) opportunities.

This is a list of possible post-selection competition opportunities:

• Can-Am-Mex Regatta (U17/U19)
• Junior World Rowing Championships (U19)
• Canada Summer Games (U21)
• Trans-Tasman Rowing Regatta (U21) or another equitable international U21 HQC
• U23 World Championships (U23)
• World Cup Regatta(s) (Open)
• Senior World Championships (Open)
• Paralympic Summer Games (Open)
• Olympic Summer Games (Open)

General Training at the BC NextGen Performance Centre will include:

• highly competitive daily training environment (DTE) that emulates RCA’s National Training Centre’s (NTC) DTE
• low coach to athlete ratios
• top quality equipment
• Sport Science and Medicine support
• Strength and Conditioning
• Biomechanics tracking
• Video analysis

To be a Centralized Member of the BC NextGen Performance Centre an athlete must:

1. Be in Good Standing with RCA, Rowing BC and be registered at a BC-based club in WebReg;
2. Meet at least one PD2, PD1 or CanDev performance criteria;
3. Apply to be a member of the BC NextGen Performance Centre;
4. Create an IAPP with NextGen Performance Coaches;
5. Be enrolled in the BC Medical Services Plan (MSP); and
6. Complete the required steps to be fully enrolled in the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (CSIP).

To be a Regional Member of a BC NextGen Performance Centre an athlete must:

• Complete Steps 1 – 6 listed above;
• Provide the name and contact information of the program or school primary coach;
• Submit an (individual or program) yearly training plan (YTP); and
• Participate in and report on all athlete IAPP monitoring and testing activities.

Performance criteria are outlined in detail in the BC NextGen Performance Centre plan HERE.

For all information regarding the BC NextGen Performance Centre please contact Terry Paul, Rowing BC’s Director of Performance.