Started in 2021 and continued for this year, we are looking for a few indigenous young  adults, aged 18 and up, that are in search of a new challenge.  We're looking for people who have always wanted to swim, bike, or run but didn't know where to start as well as people who have been previously involved in one of those sports and want to pick up that passion again.  

  

TriFactor will provide the athletes with all necessary equipment to participate in the club’s training program.  This material includes bikes and bike trainers for indoor training, bike helmets for outdoor riding.  TriFactor will encourage athletes in the project to participate in our existing swim program and we'll provide coaching, mentorship, and support in the pool.  TriFactor will also seek to provide additional material to support training, if possible, such as running shoes, tri watches, swim goggles, and training-appropriate attire, through the project.  Finally, TriFactor will aim to partner with other existing TriManitoba youth and adult programs to take advantage of additional expertise, coaching, and mentorship.

 

The athletes will bear no cost at all.  TriFactor will supply membership, facility, and race entry fees. Athletes will, however, be expected to strive to attend nearly all scheduled training sessions as best they are able.  Athletes will be encouraged to enter a triathlon of any distance in the summer of 2023, but they will be under no commitment or obligation to do so.  

 

 

TriFactor believes that triathlon training builds a strong foundation for physical and mental health.  We also affirm that training and participation in sport develops important transferable skills, such as goal setting, accountability to ourselves and others, respect for others, determination, mental fortitude, and resiliency.  These attributes are at the core of Triathlon Canada’s values.  These skills, practiced and mentored, help to build strong new capable leaders.  Athletes can take these abilities forward to develop and grow additional athletes and leaders.  In this respect, triathlon training can exponentially enhance community building in multiple capacities. 

 

TriFactor aims to assist the development of future leaders by building a base of physical and mental health. While triathlon is an individual sport, it is also uniquely collaborative and strongly community-minded.  TriFactor seeks to mentor new young athletes in these respects.  

 

TriFactor also sees a strong potential for club invigoration with this project and looks forward to sharing enthusiasm with youth athletes.  We hope that this project provides a gateway to lifetime participation in the sport as well as in the community.

 

 

This project supports reconciliation in Canada.  Specifically, it aims to help meet recommendations in calls to action numbers 88 and 89 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission:

 

88. We call upon all levels of government to take action to ensure long-term Aboriginal athlete development and growth, and continued support for the North American Indigenous Games, including funding to host the games and for provincial and territorial team preparation and travel. 

 

89. We call upon the federal government to amend the Physical Activity and Sport Act to support reconciliation by ensuring that policies to promote physical activity as a fundamental element of health and well-being, reduce barriers to sports participation, increase the pursuit of excellence in sport, and build capacity in the Canadian sport system, are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples.