As a young athlete growing up in Kelowna, Keefer Joyce never once entertained the notion of careening down a snow-packed, ice covered track in a bobsleigh.
Fast forward to 2017 and the 23-year-old Joyce is in the midst of nurturing a whole new set of skills as a member of sa国际传媒檚 developmental team.
A track athlete with a passion for sprinting for as long as he can remember, Joyce said the shift to an entirely new sport has been an eye opener, to say the least.
sa国际传媒淗onestly, if you would have told me back then Isa国际传媒檇 be doing this now, I wouldnsa国际传媒檛 have believed you,sa国际传媒� said Joyce, a graduate of KSS. sa国际传媒淚t never crossed my mind to try (bobsleigh). Isa国际传媒檝e always been hyper-focused on track.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 weird to be getting another opportunity in sports, itsa国际传媒檚 overwhelming, exciting and scary all at the same time.sa国际传媒�
The opportunity began to take shape this summer when Joyce became involved with the RBC Training Ground, a program designed to identify potential national team and Olympic athletes. Following visits to camps in Victoria and Richmond and testing in Calgary where Joycesa国际传媒檚 speed was on display, it was apparent to national coaches that bobsleigh might be the Kelowna athletesa国际传媒檚 best option.
Now the brakeman for both the two-man and four-man developmental teams, Joyce has trained and competed this fall with his Canadian teammates in Whistler, Calgary and Park City, Utah.
Graham Richardson, the coach for Canadasa国际传媒檚 developmental bobsleigh athletes, said the Kelowna native brings plenty of potential to the sport.
sa国际传媒淜eefer has many attributes that have helped him transition from track to bobsleigh,sa国际传媒� said Richardson. sa国际传媒淗e is a great team player which is not always the case when athletes come from track. He intelligent and so picks things up quickly, working on the sleds and associated kit is a minefield, where everything has to be done in the correct manner.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淭he main attribute that has brought him to us is his speed,sa国际传媒� Richardson continued. sa国际传媒淚n order to progress to the highest level of the sport, Keefer needs to build explosive speed.
sa国际传媒淗e has already shown that he has some talent for pushing and has impressed the push coach with his easy transition to pushing and not just running.sa国际传媒�
On the track, Joyce was one of the provincesa国际传媒檚 top junior sprinters and has been to nationals at all levels of competition.
The highlight of his sprinting career came in 2011 when he competed at the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games on the Isle of Man.
Two years after graduating, Joyce attended College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California where he was exposed to a whole new level of competition.
sa国际传媒淚t opened my eyessa国际传媒ivision 1 is another big step up,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚t would have been nice to continue, but it was a good experience. Whatever I do in sports, Isa国际传媒檓 thankful for the experiences I had on the track. (Sprinting) was my first love.sa国际传媒�
Now, instead of approaching speeds of close to 30 km/h on a track, Joyce travels as fast as 145 km/h while riding in a 200 kilogram sled.
Joyce is well aware of the risks involved but isnsa国际传媒檛 about to be deterred by them.
sa国际传媒淲e had a crash already, so itsa国际传媒檚 good to get that out of the way early,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚t can be dangerous, you can get serious ice burns, guys have had surgery on their hands. Whiplash, ribs, back injuries, it can all happen.
sa国际传媒淏ut I know what Isa国际传媒檓 getting into. Isa国际传媒檓 just grateful for the opportunity. I want to stay in sports as long as I can, as long as my body will allow me to.sa国际传媒�
Joyce and his family currently cover all expenses for his travel and training. If anyone is interested in supporting or sponsoring Keefer, he can be contacted at masterkeefer@shaw.ca.
