TORONTO, Ont. (U SPORTS) - The pandemic is tough on athletes, but the silver lining for Guelph Gryphon Kendra Cousineau is that it has resulted in an unexpected funding boost.
 
Cousineau is a 5-foot-4 scrum half who led the Guelph Gryphons in her rookie season last fall to the U SPORTS women's rugby semifinal against the eventual champion Laval Rouge et Or. The Port Colborne, Ont., native was named as the Gryphons' Nike Top Performer in the game, capping off a season that saw her record a pair of tries and three converts in a combined nine games in the OUA regular season, playoffs and U SPORTS Championship.
 
She is also an elite prospect in Rugby Canada's development academy, having earned her spot with an outstanding performance in the Canadian Olympic Committee's Olympic talent search, called RBC Training Ground.
 
RBC Training Ground provides Canadian athletes between the ages of 14-25 – no matter what sport or activity they are involved in – the chance to test their strength, speed, power and endurance in front of officials from National Sport Organizations looking to identify new talent. Each year, the program selects up to 30 athletes for funding and a potential spot on a Canadian National Team. 
 
Because of the pandemic, half of this season's RBC Training Ground events were cancelled. But instead of saving the funds it would have spent on a new crop of prospects, RBC decided instead to give the money (in grants ranging between $10,000 and $30,000) directly to the nine sports involved in the program, to help some of the most promising athletes already discovered and now tracking towards the Olympics. Cousineau was one of the four rugby athletes who this unexpected funding will focus on.
 
As a result, Cousineau will be benefitting from improvements to her daily training environment, including access to new strength equipment that she can use at home to help her follow the custom strength and conditioning program Rugby Canada built for her (foam rollers, lacrosse balls (rolling out), exercise tubing, dumbbells). It also includes access to seminars (and customized plans) from professional dieticians, and, when the time comes, travel and tournament registration fees for select tournaments.
 
Previously, Cousineau competed at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, where Team Canada finished just off the podium in fourth.
 
"Kendra is tracking towards Paris 2024 and a key member of our NextGen program," said Kristy Maartin Hale, Manager of Women's Rugby at Rugby Canada. "She is continually making developmental progress and tracking towards National Team participation."
 
"Due to the global pandemic, we've had to pause on identifying new athletes with Olympic potential through RBC Training Ground events, but what's not on pause is our investment in Canada's Olympic future," said Mary DePaoli, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. "This is most certainly a unique year, but we know it's more important than ever to help ensure RBC Future Olympians and Next Generation athletes under the care of our NSO partners continue to receive the funding support that will further their athletic development."
 
Other NSOs receiving grants include Cycling Canada, Canoe Kayak Canada, Rowing Canada, Freestyle Canada, Speed Skating Canada, Ski Jumping Canada, Nordic Combined Ski Canada and Boxing Canada.
 
"This RBC commitment comes at an especially critical time for our National Sport Organization partners, who are under financial pressure," said David Shoemaker, Chief Executive Officer, COC. "These funds will help reduce the financial burden on emerging athletes and help ensure their journey to the podium stays on track. Working together with Canadian Olympic Foundation, RBC Training Ground has been an incredible funding program for the high-performance community and we greatly appreciate the support."
 
Since 2016, RBC Training Ground has tested 8,500 young elite athletes at more than 100 free local events across the country, identifying over 800 high-potential athletes. More than $1.7M in funding has been provided to 117 RBC Future Olympians to help support their Olympic dreams. One of these athletes, Kelsey Mitchell, is a world record holder in track cycling, Mitchell, was a fourth-year University of Alberta Pandas soccer player when she attended an RBC Training Ground event in 2017.
 
Upcoming RBC Training Ground events, typically held on Canadian University campuses, can be found at RBCTrainingground.ca
 

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