Training Ground also a homecoming for Lay
Medicine Hat’s best and brightest young athletes swarmed the Family Leisure Centre on Saturday morning to showcase their potential in front of some of the country’s top sports organizations, and hometown Olympian Kirsti Lay was on hand to cheer them all on.
The Medicine Hat-born cyclist won bronze in team pursuit at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and brought her medal along to prove to those in attendance that Olympic dreams can become a reality.
“This is the first time I’ve been home since before the Olympics, so it’s special to share it with the town that supported me so much growing up,” said Lay, who moved to Calgary as a teenager and now lives in Quebec. “I have this town to thank for all of my sporting success.”
Lay added she is thrilled to represent RBC Training Ground and bring it to the Gas City in hopes of finding a new generation of Canadian Olympic talent. The event welcomed athletes from across the region to come out and test their athletic abilities and measure results across benchmarks set by a variety of national sports organizations. It’s something Lay says she wishes was around when she was starting her road to Rio.
“I was lucky enough that I had an opportunity come available to me but RBC Training Ground knows exactly what these kids need and these athletes are ready to go,” she said. “Hopefully we have our next great Olympian here.” Grade 9 Notre Dame Academy student Elic Ayomanor says he came out to test himself with outdoor track season just around the corner. While he doesn’t plan on taking a path to the Olympics, the rising football star says he feels the experience will benefit his athletic journey all the same.
“I do track and football and basketball, right now I’m in track season so I thought it would be a good idea to come out here and try this out... My hopes are to play Division 1 football and carry it on from there,” he said.
“It was pretty cool to see her medal. I’ve never seen one of those before.”
Lay pointed out that athletes in cities like Medicine Hat don’t always get the same level of athletic opportunities as those in larger cities.
“I’m just so excited that kids are getting the opportunity now to see what they have, especially in small towns where you’re not getting to the big city centers all the time,” she said. “There are national sport organizations that are interested in these kids and we have a hub of athletes here that are incredible. I’ve already seen so many today that are exceptional and I’m really excited for their future.”