Provincial Development Program

2025/26 Provincial Development Program

VISION STATEMENT

To be a World Leader in Triathlon Development at all levels.

Unite – Motivate – Perform

MISSION STATEMENT

Deliver national and world leading programs and services for Triathlon outcomes today and tomorrow. Committed to a multifaceted approach involving:
1. Providing excellent athlete and coaching resources
2. Developing sustainable funding partnerships
3. Being recognized as innovative and collaborative leaders
4. Enhancing training environments with specialized support and resources

OVERVIEW

The Triathlon Ontario Provincial Development Program (“PDP”) consists of four main areas. The overriding objective of the Program is to support and prepare athletes and coaches for long term success in draft legal racing at the national and international levels.

The four areas the Program focusses on are as follows:

Racing Environment

Having a provincial series available for all demographics within the development pathway is critical for the development of tactical, technical and emotional skill sets necessary to be competitive in national and international racing. Ontario is one of three Provinces that has developed a provincial draft legal racing program. The ability to experience draft legal racing early and in “your own back yard” can not be over stated. Triathlon Ontario’s series is one of the most competitive and provides exceptional race experiences to developing athletes as young at 14.

The PDP oversees the running of and operations of the following relevant provincial competitions: Youth Cup Series, Junior Cup Series, Elite/U23 Series, Ontario Summer Games, Youth Club Championships, Draft Legal Provincial Championships and if applicable, Canada Summer Games.

Coach Education and Development

The Program actively supports and promotes the pursuit of professional certification and education through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). This is done by overseeing the execution and certification of the program in the province and assisting with accessing financial support through the Coaching Association of Ontario. As well as by working with individual coaches to offer mentoring opportunities and other professional development opportunities where possible.

Training Environment

There are two primary areas where the Program works to improve and enhance athlete’s opportunities for daily training environments.

1) Club Support – The Program has access to resources and services that not all current clubs do. The Program runs targeted, specific training and education opportunities that are open to any athlete and coach in the province to participate in at little to no financial cost. These opportunities include access to nutritional and mental strength seminars, experts in specific fields like swimming or running during camps or clinics, track certifications. The Program also provides training camps and training days throughout the Province that provide opportunities for athletes to train together in larger groups and be exposed to coaches with International coaching experience in multisport and single sport arenas.

2) Team Ontario – Team Ontario is a full service training program run by the province according to national and provincial training and development. Team Ontario operates within the Provincial Development Program to bring International Triathlon experienced coaching to athletes and mentor coaches across the province. Team Ontario provides a daily performance environment for athletes training out of it’s centres, in addition to providing programming support for athletes who do not have youth triathlon infrastructure in their community. The coaching staff is NCCP Competition Stream certified and provides planning, organizing and assessment of the camps and clinics operated through the PDP. These programs are based on the sports best practices and operated with support through our sport science partners.

Education and Event Support

The PDP is involved in a number of other areas that help supports athletes, parents and coaches. These areas include:

Developing resource materials and a resources library accessible to anyone in the province located on the website.
Oversee and standardize the draft legal certification process
Provide direction and support to understand the Triathlon Canada’s policies such as the SMARTABASE system, and athlete information and tracking.
Guide athletes on International racing accreditation including International Competition Card and Pre-Participation Exam. Both required by World Triathlon and Triathlon Canada to race outside Canada.
Allocate provincial grant/funding, if available.

In 2025, Triathlon Ontario received provincial funding under the Quest for Gold program to be used for development programming support. As a result, Triathlon Ontario created an objective event support matrix. Funding support is available to Elite, U23 and Junior athletes under the following matrix.

Worlds – Top 15 $1,000, Selection $500

World Cups – Top 15 $750, Selection $300

Continental Championships – Top 10 $650, Selection/Participation $300

Continental Cups – Top 5 $500

Junior Pan Am Games – Top 10 $500, Selection $300

National Development Series Final Standings – Top 10 $300

Nationals – Top 3 in either Junior or U23 Categories or Overall if a Senior $250

The Provincial Development Program (PDP) is built on an Athlete Development Model (ADM) based on analysis of the sport of triathlon along the full development pathway working with our partners to develop and implement a system that provides athlete’s with an understanding of the demands of the sport from community level to International level competition.

Since 2014, Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Coach has worked closely with Triathlon Canada in many ways to ensure that Ontario athletes and Triathlon Ontario’s mandate is heard at the National level. The Provincial coach also sits on TC committees that are developing training and assessment policies for national programs and athlete development, currently he is leading the development of an Athlete Skills Matrix for Triathlon Canada’s updated Long Term Athlete Development Model. As one of only three Master Coach Developers in the country, he has certified numerous Provincial coaches through the National Coaching Certification Program.

Since 2009, Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Coach has had over 25 International Coaching assignments through Triathlon Canada and Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) including World Championships, Pan AM Games and Regional Championships, World Cups and WTCS events. This experience has provided an exceptional understanding of the how the sport has evolved and how the technical, tactical and physical demands of the sport at the top levels of the sport do not always align with our Provincial level competition. It is this insight that guides the programs structure and delivery.

Athletes need to be prepared and to execute in one to two hour events in what has become an global sport, with the need to travel to three or four different parts of the world. Successful athletes need to be problem solvers and independent learners and need to be able to make informed choices in training as well as in life. For over 20 years Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Coach has specialized in developing Youth/Junior and U23 programs with a single focus on the draft legal pathway, working with athletes who have stood on the podium at Provincial and National Championships, World Cups and World Championships.

2025/2026 Programming

Online Seminar Series

November 27th – Strength Training for Endurance Sports – This seminar will discuss the importance of strength training for triathlon. From injury prevention to improving technique and power output, strength training is often the missing link for endurance athletes. Learn how to choose the right exercises and incorporate them into your training program.

January 8th – Mental Performance Training for Sport Performance

January 29th – Strength Training for Endurance Sports – Sets, reps, rest, recovery, speed, and periodization are all critical factors in designing a strength program. Learn how to combine these elements to create the outcomes you desire, whether it is strength, speed, power, or sport-specific performance.

February 26th – Mental Performance Training for Sport Performance

March 26th – Strength Training for Endurance Sports

April 23rd – Mental Performance Training for Sport Performance

Provincial Training Days

December 13th

Swim Session 11:30am – 1:00pm
Technical / strength : Maintaining rhythm and timing when increasing stroke rate, building swim specific strength and a pull dominant stroke bands, paddles, pull bouys and resisted swim tools.

Run Session : (indoor track) 1:30-2:30pm

Form drills to enhance and support proper run form and stability. Foot work drills, improve power production and reduce ground contact time.

January 17th

February 7th

February 21st

March 7th

Holiday Swim/Run Camp

December 27–29, 2025
Location: Carleton University (Swim + Indoor Track) & PEAK Centre for Human Performance
Total Training Volume: 12+ hours
Includes: Sport-specific training, metabolic fitness testing, strength assessments, optional VISBODY 3D analysis

Saturday – December 27

1. Swim Session Training Focus: Front-End Speed, Increasing stroke rate while maintaining timing, Increasing propulsion phase of each stroke

2. Indoor Track Run Session Training Focus: Footwork & agility, Single-leg strength, Negative-split pacing, Timed run assessment

3. Swim Session (VO? Max Focus) Training Focus: VO? max development, High-output aerobic power swimming

Sunday – December 28

1. Swim Session Training Focus: Front-End Speed, Increasing stroke rate and maintaining timing, Propulsion development

2. Indoor Track Run Session Training Focus: Footwork & agility, Single-leg strength, Maximum sprinting speed

3. Swim Session Training Focus: Front-End Speed, Maximum sprinting speed

Monday – December 29

1. Swim Session Training Focus: Open Water Skills, Sighting, Pack swimming, Navigating buoys, Race starts & open-water positioning

2. Run, Strength & Metabolic Testing Includes: Video gait analysis: stride rate, stride length, power per stride, hip stability, posture, foot-strike evaluation Strength & metabolic assessments

3. VISBODY 3D Body Scan (optional)

2025-26 Team Ontario

Team Ontario is a full service training program run by the province according to national and provincial training and development. Team Ontario operates within the Provincial Development Program to bring international triathlon experienced coaching to athletes and mentor coaches across the province. Team Ontario provides a daily performance environment for athletes training out of it’s centres, in addition to providing programming support for athletes who do not have youth triathlon infrastructure in their community.

The coaching staff is NCCP Competition stream certified and provides planning, organizing and assessment of the camps and clinics operated through the PDP. These programs are based on the sports best practices and operated with support through our sport science partners.

The PDP is built on an Athlete Development Model (ADM) based on analysis of the sport of triathlon along the full development pathway. We have worked with our partners to develop and implement a system that provides athletes with an understanding of the demands of the sport, from community level to international level competition. The ADM is in final revisions and will be ready for publication in late 2024/early 2025 for all to use and incorporate into their daily training environments.

Since 2014, Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Coach has worked closely with Triathlon Canada in many ways to ensure that Ontario athletes and Triathlon Ontario’s mandate is heard at the national level. The Provincial Coach also sits on Triathlon Canada committees that are developing training and assessment policies for national programs and athlete development. Currently he is leading the development of an Athlete Skills Matrix for Triathlon Canada’s updated Long Term Athlete Development Model. As one of only a few Master Coach Developers in the country, he has certified numerous Provincial Coaches through the National Coaching Certification Program.

Since 2009, Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Coach has had over 25 international coaching assignments through Triathlon Canada and the Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) including World Championships, Pan AM Games and Regional Championships, World Cups and WTCS events. This experience has provided an exceptional understanding of the how the sport has evolved and how the technical, tactical and physical demands of the sport at the top levels of the sport do not always align with our provincial level competition. It is this insight that guides the program’s structure and delivery.

Provincial Development Coach Profile