Unprecedented Partnership with Wesmen Wrestling

Published On: August 27, 2015

Winnipeg, MB — The Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba (CSCM) and the University of Winnipeg are excited to announce a partnership that will see CSCM provide sport science resources in support of the Wesmen Wrestling program, beginning with their 2015-16 campaign. Through this partnership, CSCM will provide the strength and conditioning, physiology, sport nutrition and sport psychology services that will enhance the technical support wrestling athletes receive through their regular program.

The partnership is the first of its kind in Canada between a Canadian Sport Centre and a Canadian Inter-university Sport (CIS) program and one that both sides expect will continue to expand as performance dictates. The goal is to create a high performance training environment that will help put Wesmen wrestlers on CIS podiums and ultimately allow them to compete and represent Canada at international competitions.

In order to start off with the necessary momentum required for a successful competitive season, CSCM and Wesmen Wrestling have worked throughout the off-season to formalize the program. The program will launch with the 2015-2016 campaign and an orientation session scheduled for September 1 and 2, consisting of physical assessments and presentations on each of the four sport science disciplines of focus.

“At CSCM, we believe that true high performance is not possible solely through the efforts of a quality coach and dedicated athletes, although those are certainly prerequisites. It is only through the intentional and disciplined addition of sport science that these athletes will realize their fullest potential. The impact our involvement will be greatest when the athletes have years to take advantage of them and they are compounded over multiple seasons of training. That is how we build Olympians,” said CSCM’s General Manager, Jeff Powell.

The Winnipeg Wesmen Wrestling program was created in 2011 and has won 23 medals at the Canada West Conference Championships. It has also won seven medals at the CIS National Championships, including four gold medals over last four years.

“We are pleased and excited for this tremendous opportunity for the Wesmen Wrestling program. Our partnership with the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba is an exclusive opportunity for our current varsity roster of 11 female and 17 male athletes, which will help take them to the next level in their training and development,” said University of Winnipeg Athletic Director, Dave Crook.

Quotes
“Our new partnership with the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba will allow our athletes access to some of the top sport science professionals in the country. CSCM’s support will enable us to create an environment in which to develop high performance athletes and undertake research opportunities that will contribute to the success of the Wesmen Wrestling program at a national level. Establishing such a relationship with CSCM is unprecedented in our sport and we are very grateful to be the first to have such a privilege,” said Adrian Bruce, Head Coach Wesmen Wrestling Program

“This partnership is especially exciting because of the fact that my team and I will be working directly with CSCM integrated support team (IST), which I believe is going to significantly help us improve our overall development and performance,” said Rachel Alder, Winnipeg Wesmen Women’s Wrestling Program

“I am extremely excited for our program to be entering into this partnership with the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba. It will provide Wesmen Wrestling with the expertise and the resources it needs to succeed at the highest level,” said Finn Higgins, Winnipeg Wesmen Men’s Wrestling Program

-30-

About Wesmen Wrestling 
The Wesmen Wrestling program was officially created in 2011 as part of the University of Winnipeg’s Wesmen Athletics department. Wesmen Wrestling is headed by coach Adrian Bruce, who oversees the men, women and Junior Wesmen varsity and club programs. In its short four years of existence, Wesmen Wrestling has hosted a number of significant events, including the 2012 Canadian Olympic Wrestling Trials, as well as the annual Wesmen Open Wrestling Tournament, attracting teams from both Canada and the United States every November. This season, it will be hosting the 2016 Canada West Championships in February 12 and 13, 2016.

About CSCM
The Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba (CSCM) was created as one of the many legacies of the 1999 Pan American Games held in Winnipeg. CSCM is recognized as the home of Olympic and Paralympic athletes training and developing in Manitoba. CSCM is a proud member of the Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network, which works to provide a world-class, multi-sport daily training environment for athletes and coaches through integrated services and programs (in the fields of physiology, strength and conditioning, nutrition, psychology and support services) to enhance the training environment for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches throughout the province. We use creativity and innovation to push the perceived barriers of human potential and the results are incredible athletic performances.
  
For more information please contact:
Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba  
Jeff Powell, General Manager
Direct Line: 204.474.7148
Email: media@cscm.ca  

University of Winnipeg Wesmen
Sheldon Appelle, Sport Information Coordinator
Direct Line: 204.786.9823
Email: s.appelle@uwinnipeg.ca