The large, dramatic posters of Olympians Ryan Cochrane, Simon Whitfield, Paula Findlay, David Calder, Riley McCormick and other Canadian athletes that greet visitors as they enter the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence speak of its past success.
But the five-year anniversary open-house celebrations Saturday — at which kids and adults alike mingled with athletes while engaging in activities such as riding an Olympic-training bobsled on wheels — was pointed to the future.
PISE, situated on the Camosun College Interurban campus, is not through growing yet.
The latest addition to the centre, which caters to duffers on up to Olympians, was unveiled during the anniversary celebrations.
A new 400-metre, four-lane training track will encircle the existing turf field, and bleacher seating for 500 will be added for fans to watch soccer and rugby.
The synthetic track, to be used for cross-training by athletes in various sports, will be open to the public for walking or running at no charge when programming is not scheduled.
It adds to the burgeoning PISE site, which offers one-stop shopping for athletes.
“I love the sense of all the national teams being here — the Canadian mogul team was training right beside us here last week,” said Megan Gibbs, who was staffing the Rugby Canada table Saturday with fellow national-team player Mandy Marchak.
“This is where the magic happens, leading to results in competition.”
Athletes can go from the weight room or gym to the recovery room and have all the medical/physio support they need under one roof. National team athletes are even fed at PISE under the Gold Medal Meals program.
Pro cyclist Annie Ewart of Victoria, whose father, Colin Ewart, is the new chairman of the PISE board, is one of the many athletes training at the institute in a quadrennial they hope will lead to the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, 2015 Toronto Pan American Games en route to the ultimate destination of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
“From strength training and conditioning to recovery and massage and all lab testing, having everything all in one place just makes it easier, so you can focus on what you have to do as an athlete,” said 20-year-old Ewart, world junior top-10 in the time trial, who has recovered from a horrific crash in a race in St. Louis that cost her all of last season.
The new track is considered an important addition to PISE because most athletes, regardless of sport, have running/sprinting drills built into their training.
The track addition, which includes the seating and also a covered outdoor training area, will cost $1 million, with $100,000 secured to date.
Target for project funding and completion is 2015. Colin Ewart said the board hopes to break ground on Aug. 23 when PISE hosts the 20th anniversary celebrations of the 1994 Commonwealth Games.
The national team athletes at PISE are an important part of the mix, but only a part of it. PISE continues its approach of vertical integration with community members using the facility alongside Olympians and Paralympians.
Two new programs were announced Saturday.
The Victoria Foundation, in partnership with the True Sports Foundation and Community Foundations of Canada, announced grants of $22,000 to deliver 20 train-the-trainer workshops to youth service organizations across Greater Victoria and $17,250 to KidSport Victoria to deliver after-school sports and physical activity programs at PISE to 80 at-risk primary school children.
“We believe grassroots physical literacy leads to happier healthier communities,” said PISE CEO Rob Bettauer, speaking to those assembled at the fifth-year anniversary event.
