As a young athlete growing up in Kelowna, Keefer Joyce never once entertained the notion of careening down a snow-packed, ice covered track in a bobsleigh.
Fast forward to 2017 and the 23-year-old Joyce is in the midst of nurturing a whole new set of skills as a member of 香蕉视频直播檚 developmental team.
A track athlete with a passion for sprinting for as long as he can remember, Joyce said the shift to an entirely new sport has been an eye opener, to say the least.
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The opportunity began to take shape this summer when Joyce became involved with the RBC Training Ground, a program designed to identify potential national team and Olympic athletes. Following visits to camps in Victoria and Richmond and testing in Calgary where Joyce香蕉视频直播檚 speed was on display, it was apparent to national coaches that bobsleigh might be the Kelowna athlete香蕉视频直播檚 best option.
Now the brakeman for both the two-man and four-man developmental teams, Joyce has trained and competed this fall with his Canadian teammates in Whistler, Calgary and Park City, Utah.
Graham Richardson, the coach for Canada香蕉视频直播檚 developmental bobsleigh athletes, said the Kelowna native brings plenty of potential to the sport.
香蕉视频直播淜eefer has many attributes that have helped him transition from track to bobsleigh,香蕉视频直播� said Richardson. 香蕉视频直播淗e is a great team player which is not always the case when athletes come from track. He intelligent and so picks things up quickly, working on the sleds and associated kit is a minefield, where everything has to be done in the correct manner.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淭he main attribute that has brought him to us is his speed,香蕉视频直播� Richardson continued. 香蕉视频直播淚n order to progress to the highest level of the sport, Keefer needs to build explosive speed.
香蕉视频直播淗e has already shown that he has some talent for pushing and has impressed the push coach with his easy transition to pushing and not just running.香蕉视频直播�
On the track, Joyce was one of the province香蕉视频直播檚 top junior sprinters and has been to nationals at all levels of competition.
The highlight of his sprinting career came in 2011 when he competed at the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games on the Isle of Man.
Two years after graduating, Joyce attended College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California where he was exposed to a whole new level of competition.
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Now, instead of approaching speeds of close to 30 km/h on a track, Joyce travels as fast as 145 km/h while riding in a 200 kilogram sled.
Joyce is well aware of the risks involved but isn香蕉视频直播檛 about to be deterred by them.
香蕉视频直播淲e had a crash already, so it香蕉视频直播檚 good to get that out of the way early,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淚t can be dangerous, you can get serious ice burns, guys have had surgery on their hands. Whiplash, ribs, back injuries, it can all happen.
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Joyce and his family currently cover all expenses for his travel and training. If anyone is interested in supporting or sponsoring Keefer, he can be contacted at masterkeefer@shaw.ca.
