(Toronto, Ont.) A selection of Canada’s top junior wheelchair basketball athletes will train at the Wheelchair Basketball Canada National Academy in Toronto, Ont. from August 5-10, 2014 for the annual U23 talent identification camp.

The camp will take place at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus and features on-court training, strength and conditioning testing, and information sessions designed to help the athletes take the next step in their development.

The list of athletes attending camp includes current Team Canada players Vincent Dallaire, Arinn Young and Erica Gavel, as well as Canadian junior national team alumni Helaina Cyr, Liam Hickey, Jack Kosterman and Eric Voss.

The U23 camp is designed for targeted male and female athletes 17-22 years old who demonstrate the potential to join the National Academy in the near future. Attendance at this camp is by invitation only. It is designed for athletes in the Train to Train (phase 2) and the Train to Compete stages of the Wheelchair Basketball Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model.

Athletes attending the identification camp will have the opportunity to train and receive elite instruction from the National Academy staff, including Mike Frogley, the Academy Director, and other national team program coaches. Athletes will have three on court sessions on most days, with additional instruction in other areas such as nutrition and sports psychology.

About the National Academy

The Wheelchair Basketball Canada National Academy is the world’s first full-time, year-round, daily training environment for high performance wheelchair basketball athletes. It is a groundbreaking initiative that will ensure Canada’s ongoing podium success at future World Championships and Paralympic Games. The National Academy is a homegrown solution designed to broaden the national team talent pool and accelerate the development of elite Canadian athletes in their pursuit of gold.