Provincial Development Program

2024/25 Provincial Development Program

VISION STATEMENT

To be a World Leader in Triathlon Development at all levels.

Unite – Motivate – Perform

MISSION STATEMENT

Deliver national and world leading programs and services for Triathlon outcomes today and tomorrow. Committed to a multifaceted approach involving:
1. Providing excellent athlete and coaching resources
2. Developing sustainable funding partnerships
3. Being recognized as innovative and collaborative leaders
4. Enhancing training environments with specialized support and resources

OVERVIEW

The Triathlon Ontario Provincial Development Program (“PDP”) consists of four main areas. The overriding objective of the Program is to support and prepare athletes and coaches for long term success in draft legal racing at the national and international levels.

The four areas the Program focusses on are as follows:

Racing Environment

Having a provincial series available for all demographics within the development pathway is critical for the development of tactical, technical and emotional skill sets necessary to be competitive in national and international racing. Ontario is one of three Provinces that has developed a provincial draft legal racing program. The ability to experience draft legal racing early and in “your own back yard” can not be over stated. Triathlon Ontario’s series is one of the most competitive and provides exceptional race experiences to developing athletes as young at 14.

The PDP oversees the running of and operations of the following relevant provincial competitions: Youth Cup Series, Junior Cup Series, Elite/U23 Series, Ontario Summer Games, Youth Club Championships, Draft Legal Provincial Championships and if applicable, Canada Summer Games.

Coach Education and Development

The Program actively supports and promotes the pursuit of professional certification and education through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). This is done by overseeing the execution and certification of the program in the province and assisting with accessing financial support through the Coaching Association of Ontario. As well as by working with individual coaches to offer mentoring opportunities and other professional development opportunities where possible.

Training Environment

There are two primary areas where the Program works to improve and enhance athlete’s opportunities for daily training environments.

1) Club Support – The Program has access to resources and services that not all current clubs do. The Program runs targeted, specific training and education opportunities that are open to any athlete and coach in the province to participate in at little to no financial cost. These opportunities include access to nutritional and mental strength seminars, experts in specific fields like swimming or running during camps or clinics, track certifications. The Program also provides training camps and training days throughout the Province that provide opportunities for athletes to train together in larger groups and be exposed to coaches with International coaching experience in multisport and single sport arenas.

2) Team Ontario – Team Ontario is a full service training program run by the province according to national and provincial training and development. Team Ontario operates within the Provincial Development Program to bring International Triathlon experienced coaching to athletes and mentor coaches across the province. Team Ontario provides a daily performance environment for athletes training out of it’s centres, in addition to providing programming support for athletes who do not have youth triathlon infrastructure in their community. The coaching staff is NCCP Competition Stream certified and provides planning, organizing and assessment of the camps and clinics operated through the PDP. These programs are based on the sports best practices and operated with support through our sport science partners.

Education and Event Support

The PDP is involved in a number of other areas that help supports athletes, parents and coaches. These areas include:

Developing resource materials and a resources library accessible to anyone in the province located on the website.
Oversee and standardize the draft legal certification process
Provide direction and support to understand the Triathlon Canada’s policies such as the SMARTABASE system, and athlete information and tracking.
Guide athletes on International racing accreditation including International Competition Card and Pre-Participation Exam. Both required by World Triathlon and Triathlon Canada to race outside Canada.
Allocate provincial grant/funding, if available.

In 2024, Triathlon Ontario received provincial funding under the Quest for Gold program to be used for development programming support. As a result, Triathlon Ontario created an objective event support matrix. Funding support is available to Elite, U23 and Junior athletes under the following matrix.

Worlds – Top 15 $1,000, Selection $500

World Cups – Top 15 $750, Selection $300

Continental Championships – Top 10 $500, Selection/Participation $250

Continental Cups – Top 5 $350

National Development Series Final Standings – Top 10 $300

Nationals – Top 3 $250

The Provincial Development Program (PDP) is built on an Athlete Development Model (ADM) based on analysis of the sport of triathlon along the full development pathway working with our partners to develop and implement a system that provides athlete’s with an understanding of the demands of the sport from community level to International level competition.

Since 2014, Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Coach has worked closely with Triathlon Canada in many ways to ensure that Ontario athletes and Triathlon Ontario’s mandate is heard at the National level. The Provincial coach also sits on TC committees that are developing training and assessment policies for national programs and athlete development, currently he is leading the development of an Athlete Skills Matrix for Triathlon Canada’s updated Long Term Athlete Development Model. As one of only three Master Coach Developers in the country, he has certified numerous Provincial coaches through the National Coaching Certification Program.

Since 2009, Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Coach has had over 25 International Coaching assignments through Triathlon Canada and Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) including World Championships, Pan AM Games and Regional Championships, World Cups and WTCS events. This experience has provided an exceptional understanding of the how the sport has evolved and how the technical, tactical and physical demands of the sport at the top levels of the sport do not always align with our Provincial level competition. It is this insight that guides the programs structure and delivery.

Athletes need to be prepared and to execute in one to two hour events in what has become an global sport, with the need to travel to three or four different parts of the world. Successful athletes need to be problem solvers and independent learners and need to be able to make informed choices in training as well as in life. For over 20 years Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Coach has specialized in developing Youth/Junior and U23 programs with a single focus on the draft legal pathway, working with athletes who have stood on the podium at Provincial and National Championships, World Cups and World Championships.

2024/2025 Programming

September 29th Video Swim Analysis (TPASC)

Hosting a video swim analysis session with swim bio-mechanist specialist Amber Hutchinson.
The program will include an in-pool video analysis, classroom discussion on swim stroke and body position and an in-pool corrective swim session.
Each athlete will be provided an Individual Performance Plan (IPP) based on their video analysis that will include corrective drills and swim set suggestions to support triathlon specific swim efficiency and performance.

October 26th Provincial Training Day (TPASC)

Technical run session on the track 12pm-12:45pm – Focusing on hip mobility and strength through foot strike and speed work.
Swim session 1pm-2:30pm – Focusing on body position, establishing a quick catch and VO2 max work.
CSIO seminar 3pm-4pm – Mental Performance, featuring Fiona Meikle, discussing Distraction Control.

October 27th British Triathlon Coach Russ Barber Seminar

This coaching seminar will include: Training and coaching methods used to get cross over athletes swimming competitively, training the technical elements and GAPS, training focus VO2max vs Threshold, training structures, coach and athlete welfare, mental health and chronic fatigue
After coaching swimmers to four Olympic Games, coach Barber transitioned from Aquatics GB to British Triathlon where he took the position as a swim specialist. He has worked with triathlon Olympic medalists such as Georgia Taylor Brown, Jess Learmonth and Alex Yee.

November 21st – Online Nutrition Seminar “Fueling Your Performance”

This 1 hour seminar is stacked with education and will serve as your introduction to sport nutrition. Participants will be introduced to the goals of nutrition for sport, with a focus on the fundamentals of athlete fueling for performance and recovery. Learn about macro and micro nutrients and where to find them, energy pathways related to exercise science and nutrition, planning the athlete’s balanced plate, and nutrient timing principles. Participants will also leave with practical guidelines and ideas for pre, post and intra workout fueling.

December 19th – Online Exercise Physiology Seminar “Training Intensities and Adaptation”

Whether your triathlon training is for general fitness, recreational or for elite performance; every training minute counts. This seminar will go over lab testing protocols that eliminate the guesswork when designing a training program. The focus will be on understanding the data and how accurate training zones can be used to individualize training plans.

December 27-29th Swim Camp (Carlton University, Ottawa)

Dec. 27th – 2pm – 4pm – Technical swim session – developing an early catch and increasing the propulsion phase of the stroke through shoulder stability and mobility drills.
Dec. 28th – 8am – 9:30am – Speed session – Speed control and efficient sprinting. This session will focus on swimming fast and efficient through a series processes to improve breathing, balance and rotation, extending the propulsion phase of the stroke proper hand position at the backend of the stroke.
Dec. 28th – 4pm – 5:30pm – 200m and 400m Time Trials. These will be valid for TriCan’s ratified times process and will provide athletes with a foundation to set training objectives for the next few months.
Dec. 29th – 7am – 8:30am – Camp Swim Meet – athletes will be broken into teams to compete for the overall team championship of the camp. Swim meet will include individual, duo and team events.

January 23rd – Online Nutrition Seminar “Energy Availability: Assessing Needs and Intake in Performance Athletes”

This seminar is not to be missed. Endurance athletes, especially triathletes have a lot of cumulative volume day to day and week to week. Expenditures are very high and intake is often insufficient; putting you at risk for Relative Energy Deficiency or Low Energy Availability. This can happen with or without disordered eating. This seminar will explain the various challenges athletes face with eating ENOUGH food, the signs and symptoms of REDS, the long and short term risks of being in this state, how to assess your calorie needs and current intake, and some practical tips for increasing energy availability through nutrition practices.

January 25th Provincial Training Day (TPASC)

Swim session 11am-1:30pm
Track session 2pm- 2:45pm
CSIO seminar 2:45 – 4:pm

February 8th – Provincial Training Day (TPASC)

February 20th – Online Exercise Physiology Seminar “Strength Training for Triathletes”

March 20th – Online Nutrition Seminar “The Importance of Protein, Hydration and Recovery Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, and Intra Workout/Race Day Tips”

With a better understanding of energy needs, and sport nutrition fundamentals, this seminar will take a deeper dive into the role of protein as a key nutrient for endurance athletes. Learn about where to find protein, it’s benefits, how much you need and practical ways to get it in. This will segue into a more in-depth look at the importance and key elements of recovery nutrition, how to plan for this, what it should look like for a stacked day of training sessions and some easy to implement snack suggestions. We will end with some key tips for long workouts and race day considerations.

March 22nd Provincial Training Day (TPASC)

April 10th – Online Exercise Physiology Seminar – TBD

April 12th Provincial Training Day (TPASC)

May 3rd Provincial Training Day (TPASC)

2024-25 Team Ontario

Team Ontario is a full service training program run by the province according to national and provincial training and development. Team Ontario operates within the Provincial Development Program to bring international triathlon experienced coaching to athletes and mentor coaches across the province. Team Ontario provides a daily performance environment for athletes training out of it’s centres, in addition to providing programming support for athletes who do not have youth triathlon infrastructure in their community.

The coaching staff is NCCP Competition stream certified and provides planning, organizing and assessment of the camps and clinics operated through the PDP. These programs are based on the sports best practices and operated with support through our sport science partners.

The PDP is built on an Athlete Development Model (ADM) based on analysis of the sport of triathlon along the full development pathway. We have worked with our partners to develop and implement a system that provides athletes with an understanding of the demands of the sport, from community level to international level competition. The ADM is in final revisions and will be ready for publication in late 2024/early 2025 for all to use and incorporate into their daily training environments.

Since 2014, Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Coach has worked closely with Triathlon Canada in many ways to ensure that Ontario athletes and Triathlon Ontario’s mandate is heard at the national level. The Provincial Coach also sits on Triathlon Canada committees that are developing training and assessment policies for national programs and athlete development. Currently he is leading the development of an Athlete Skills Matrix for Triathlon Canada’s updated Long Term Athlete Development Model. As one of only a few Master Coach Developers in the country, he has certified numerous Provincial Coaches through the National Coaching Certification Program.

Since 2009, Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Coach has had over 25 international coaching assignments through Triathlon Canada and the Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) including World Championships, Pan AM Games and Regional Championships, World Cups and WTCS events. This experience has provided an exceptional understanding of the how the sport has evolved and how the technical, tactical and physical demands of the sport at the top levels of the sport do not always align with our provincial level competition. It is this insight that guides the program’s structure and delivery.

Provincial Development Coach Profile