BROOKVALE, P.E.I. — Team P.E.I.’s snowboard cross squad for the 2019 Canada Games is not lacking athleticism despite only two or three years of experience in the sport.
Drew Trainor, a Grade 11 student at Charlottetown Rural High School, is a snowboard instructor and plays for the Central Storm midget AAA female hockey team. Quaid Costello, a Grade 11 student at Colonel Gray High School, plays midget A hockey and boxed competitively up until last year. Jesse Robertson, a Grade 11 student at Colonel Gray, runs track and field, plays baseball and was in the hunt for a place on the 2015 Canada Games Gymnastics team before injury prevented him from attending.
This athleticism, intense preparation and love for snowboarding heading into the 2019 Winter Games will serve the trio well at Canyon Ski Resort on Monday, Feb. 25.
“The athletes have been training extensively in preparation for Canada Games,” says Kelli Trainor, team manager. “They are doing regular dryland training, weekly training with their coach, Andrea George, at Brookvale, and they just get on their snowboards as much as possible. They love snowboarding, they love the thrill. They are super excited for Canada Games.”
Preparation for the team has involved more than training just at Brookvale and conditioning in the gym. It has involved a lot of travelling to different provinces.
They recently travelled to Bromont, Que., to compete at an event. They have also travelled to three separate events in Nova Scotia in the lead up to Canada Games. Their mainland stops will include Ski Wentworth on Feb. 9 and Ski Martock on Feb. 16 and 17. These events will get the athletes more prepared, mentally and physically, for the Canada Games competition at Canyon Ski Resort, which, at this point of the season, is very important.
Team P.E.I.’s snowboarding squad has certainly faced its challenges while preparing for Red Deer, Alta.
Genevieve Rainville, the squad’s head coach, works and lives in Quebec. Rainville, who has extensive experience in the sport and coaching at a provincial level, is a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) master coach developer for snowboarding and a snowboard official. She has been working hard to communicate extensively with the local coaches and athletes.
The squad recently travelled to Quebec to train with Rainville for a week and to compete at the Bromont competition. While this has presented some difficulties and challenges, the three athletes have benefitted greatly from working and communicating with Rainville.
The three athletes representing P.E.I. on their boards will not back down from any challenge presented. For all them, their first goal was to qualify for the Canada Games. With that accomplishment attained, their next goal is to compete well in the qualifying races and try to obtain personal bests.
With all that being said, no matter the result for the three athletes, Costello sums up their attitude well.
“I enjoy snowboarding because every time you go on the hill it’s like a brand-new adventure to discover and learn.”
For Costello, Robertson and Drew Trainor, this adventure to discover and learn will culminate with competing at the Canada Games, and each one of these athletes will relish that challenge.
For more information on Team P.E.I. and the 2019 Canada Games, stay tuned for our Countdown to the Games articles and be sure to follow Team P.E.I. on Facebook and Twitter.
#IsleBeReady.
Randy Byrne is the executive director of Baseball P.E.I. and a member of Team P.E.I.’s mission staff.
Roster
A look at Team P.E.I.’s snowboard cross squad for the Canada Games in Red Deer, Alta.
Drew Trainor
Jesse Paul Robertson
Quaid Costello
Manager Kelli Trainor
Technical support Neil Robertson
Coach Genevieve Rainville
