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Triathlon camps for kids coming

Organizers hope to boost young athletes
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More resources Eric Smith competes in the swimming portion of the 2014 Kids of Steel race. File photo submitted by John legg

The future of Whistler triathlon is already bright by virtue of being the Ironman Canada host.

The Whistler Triathlon Club (WTC) is looking to turn up the wattage further with a new set of kids' camps it will offer starting next month.

The spring session will run Saturdays from April 11 to June 27 while the summer session will double down, taking place Wednesdays and Saturdays from July 1 to Aug. 29.

Coach Karen Blaylock explained the program is a long time coming, as she and WTC president Christine Suter have been hopeful to get started, but conditions came together this year.

"We've been trying to get a program going for a number of years here in Whistler," she said. "Having Ironman, it's increased interest and it just happened that I had the time this year.

"We think it's important and something kids might enjoy."

The Resort Municipality of Whistler offers a kids' triathlon camp leading up to the Kids of Steel race in the spring, and Blaylock hopes to complement that work and allow kids to build their skills well into the summer.

"There are some kids who have been doing triathlon since before we started the kids' tri (race) and they are more interested in competing at a little higher level," she said. "We thought it was time we offered a little bit of a more comprehensive program."

The sessions are offered for athletes aged eight to 19. Blaylock noted the participants will be divided up with coaches giving them appropriate age level training. As well, the breadth of each session will vary from week to week.

"We'll split them up into groups, so we'll be training alongside each other as well as give them specific training for their age group," she said. "Some sessions will be only two sports and other sessions will be all three. Certainly, some of the sessions will focus on one of the three sports."

Blaylock is hoping to get 15 participants involved in the first go-around.

The spring session costs $100 while the summer session, moving to two sessions a week, is $150. For more information, visit www.whistlertriclub.ca.