GUELPH, Ont. –
Talia Hoffman has given her Olympic dream a major boost.
Hoffman, 22, was
one of the 30 athletes nationwide who rose to the top of this year's RBC Training Ground talent search, earning RBC Future Olympian funding. More than 4,000 from across Canada tried out, 100 were selected for finals testing, and only 30 were selected for funding.
Hoffman, now a 5th-year environmental sciences student and member of the women's rugby team at the University of Guelph, has also played for the Stoney Creek Camels rugby club.
She was nominated for the talent search final by Rugby Canada.
Funding is administered by the participating National Sport Organization bringing the athlete into its system, and is used for things like coaching, transportation, travel, equipment, and nutrition.
"While some participants are looking to re-energize or boost an Olympic dream in a sport they are already pursuing, others participate with the hope of being discovered and directed toward an Olympic sport they may have never considered," said Evan MacInnis, Technical Director for RBC Training Ground. "But they all rely on raw athleticism and determination to attract the attention of our sport partners and are excited to see where this program can take them."
RBC Training Ground is a free nation-wide talent identification program dedicated to finding and funding Canada's future Olympians. Athletes between the ages of 14 and 24, from a wide range of sports, perform core speed, strength, power and endurance tests in front of Olympic talent scouts. The complete list of 30 RBC Future Olympians discovered in year 6 of the program are available at
RBCTrainingground.ca after being unveiled during a TSN documentary on January 7.
"Talia has been a stand out in the U SPORTS system, and her RBC Training Ground test results show she has the raw materials to be a national team player," said Kelly Russell, head coach of Rugby Canada's Maple Leaf Academy in Langford, BC. "Talia has been involved in age grade and university rugby. She has shown steady growth on depth chart capacities and has been targeted to join the Maple Leaf Academy.
Making the move to Langford in January 2022 we look forward to working with Talia in the centralized environment. We project a rapid acceleration of abilities and consistent positioning to contend for National Team Selection in the coming years." This marks the second consecutive year in which a member of the Guelph Gryphons women's rugby program has received funding through RBC Training Ground, after Talia's teammate,
Kendra Cousineau, was also identified through the national search a year ago.
Over the past six years RBC Training Ground has identified more than 1,400 athletes deemed to have Olympic potential (many in a sport they had never considered). At the recent Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, eight RBC Training Ground athletes competed and four won medals: Kelsey Mitchell (a varsity soccer player until discovered by RBC Training Ground in 2017, Gold, Sprint Track Cycling; Avalon Wasteneys, Gold, Rowing; Lauriane Genest, Bronze, Sprint Track Cycling; Jerome Blake, Bronze, 4x100 Athletics).
RBC Training Ground graduates emerging as Beijing 2022 hopefuls include World Cup gold medalist Marion Thénault (Freestyle Skiing - Aerials), Mike Evelyn (Bobsleigh), and Sara Villani (Bobsleigh).
The following National Sport Organization partners participate in RBC Training Ground to identify athletes: Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, Boxing Canada, Nordic Combined Canada, Ski Jumping Canada, Speed Skating Canada, Freestyle Ski Canada, Cycling Canada, Rowing Canada, Rugby Canada and Canoe Kayak Canada.
Registration for a new season of RBC Training Ground opens in January 2022. Visit
RBCTrainingGround.ca for program information, in-person testing sites and virtual format testing options.
