Nineteen athletes have been named to the 2017 – 2018 cohort of Synchro Canada’s Regional Training Centre – Ontario (RTC). The Centre, a new model in high performance development, opened in September 2015 at the Toronto Pan Am Sport Centre (TPASC) pool and now begins its third year of operations. Eight athletes who began in 2015 are now in their third year at RTC, and four more are in their second year, returning from the 2016-2017 squad. They are joined by 7 more ‘next-gen’ athletes who will form the 19-member 2017-2018 cohort.
Leading the coaching team for a third year is Head Coach is Jennifer Koptie. She is joined by Technical Specialist Manny Wu and Manager Kristin McCoy. Koptie is excited to see the continued progression of the athletes training at the Centre. “Now in our third year, we can really see how everyone is working together, our coaching team supported by our world class Integrated Support Team (IST), have helped our athletes develop and refine their skills. We’ve already had tremendous national and international success, and can’t wait to see what is in store for this year’s squad.”
A collaborative effort between Synchro Canada, Synchro Swim Ontario (SSO) and the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO), the RTC is managed by an oversight team that includes Sheilagh Croxon, High Performance Expert, and James Cunningham, the HP Athlete Development Advisor for the CSIO. RTC-Ontario provides athletes with a high-performance coaching team, world class facilities, as well as an enhanced daily training environment including access to IST services provided by sport scientists and sport medical experts. The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, which provides funds for the Ontario High Performance Sport Initiative (OHPSI) and the Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO), which provides salary support through Quest for Gold, are also important partners of the program.
“This partnership has been a model of the impact and synergy of bringing together talented young ‘next-gen’ athletes at a critical stage of their development,’’ said Julie Healy, Chief Sport Officer, Synchro Canada. “Their progress, surrounded by superb coaching, facilities and support services has already been evident, as we seek to develop world-class athletes to step directly onto our national team and represent Canada. This is the type of partnership and alignment we hope to develop right across the country with our provincial partners.”
The 2017-2018 athletes are:
| NAME | YEAR | CLUB |
| * ARMSTRONG, Emily | 3rd | Variety Village Synchro |
| * BARRETT, Catherine | 3rd | St-John’s (NL) Sea Stars |
| * BELLANTONE, Laura | 2nd | Variety Village Synchro |
| * BLAINEY, Eva | 2nd | Granite Synchro |
| DAVIS, Delaney | 1st | Variety Village Synchro |
| FINN, Scarlett | 1st | Granite Synchro |
| GOSSLING, Flynne | 1st | Granite Synchro |
| * GURNEY, Teghyn | 3rd | Variety Village Synchro |
| HARGREAVES, Alana | 1st | Saskatoon Aqualenes |
| * JENSEN-LARGE, Olivia | 3rd | Montreal Synchro |
| * LEUNG, Faustine | 3rd | Granite Synchro |
| * MCLEAN, Maura | 3rd | Variety Village Synchro |
| MOUNT, Barbara | 1st | GO Capital Synchro |
| * ORMOND, Sion | 3rd | Variety Village Synchro |
| * REIGNER, Jaiden | 2nd | Fredericton Synchro |
| SPOTT, Emma | 1st | Variety Village Synchro |
| * STERLING, Leah | 2nd | Waterloo Synchro |
| * STREMLAW, Kristin | 3rd | Nepean Synchro |
| WHITTEN, Madeline | 1st | Variety Village Synchro |
*Returning member from 2017 RTC-Ontario
Already in competitive form, an eight-member team representing RTC-Ontario returned from their most recent competition, the 2017 Synchro America Open, winning gold in the Free Combination Event.