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 乌鸦传媒檚 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.
乌鸦传媒淗onestly, if you would have told me back then I乌鸦传媒檇 be doing this now, I wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 have believed you,乌鸦传媒� said Joyce, a graduate of KSS. 乌鸦传媒淚t never crossed my mind to try (bobsleigh). I乌鸦传媒檝e always been hyper-focused on track.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 weird to be getting another opportunity in sports, it乌鸦传媒檚 overwhelming, exciting and scary all at the same time.乌鸦传媒�
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 Joyce乌鸦传媒檚 speed was on display, it was apparent to national coaches that bobsleigh might be the Kelowna athlete乌鸦传媒檚 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 Canada乌鸦传媒檚 developmental bobsleigh athletes, said the Kelowna native brings plenty of potential to the sport.
乌鸦传媒淜eefer has many attributes that have helped him transition from track to bobsleigh,乌鸦传媒� said Richardson. 乌鸦传媒淗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.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭he main attribute that has brought him to us is his speed,乌鸦传媒� Richardson continued. 乌鸦传媒淚n order to progress to the highest level of the sport, Keefer needs to build explosive speed.
乌鸦传媒淗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.乌鸦传媒�
On the track, Joyce was one of the province乌鸦传媒檚 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.
乌鸦传媒淚t opened my eyes乌鸦传媒ivision 1 is another big step up,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚t would have been nice to continue, but it was a good experience. Whatever I do in sports, I乌鸦传媒檓 thankful for the experiences I had on the track. (Sprinting) was my first love.乌鸦传媒�
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 isn乌鸦传媒檛 about to be deterred by them.
乌鸦传媒淲e had a crash already, so it乌鸦传媒檚 good to get that out of the way early,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚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.
乌鸦传媒淏ut I know what I乌鸦传媒檓 getting into. I乌鸦传媒檓 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.乌鸦传媒�
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.
