Two local athletes have been chosen to receive a grant from Petro Canada to aid them in their goal of participating in the Olympics.
Archer Amelia Gagné and her coach Jess Ashton were selected this year for the Petro-Canada FACE (Fuelling Athlete and Coaching Excellence) grant in the archery division.
According to a press release sent out last week, the duo were chosen in a group of 55 up-and-coming athletes in different divisions and are hopeful to represent Canada at the Olympics.
Ashton has been coaching Gagné since 2023 but the pair have been shooting together for over 10 years. Ashton explained that the grant process was through the National Sport Organization (NSO), Archery Canada.
“Every year they (NSO) get to nominate athlete and coach pairs for the grant. This year, Archery Canada was able to nominate two athlete and coach pairs, and we were one of the pairs selected. From the application process, not much was in our (myself and Amelia’s) control. Our NSO had to submit documentation to show Amelia’s progression in the sport, and where she’s headed. I had to submit my coaching licenses and such. However, we don’t get to submit a story or reasons why we should be selected.”
Petro Canada then reviewed all the applications from across all Olympic style sports and hand selected 55 pairs of coaches and athletes which were just announced last week,.
Gagné said that she has had a love for archery since she was 7 years old but first started the sport when she was 9.
“From when I was around 7 I wanted to try archery, however I didn’t know what it was called, so I’d refer to it as “bow and arrow”. When I was nine, my dad took me to the local indoor club at the time, Saugeen Shafts, where he knew one of the guys that was working there. I tried it and liked it so much, it just stuck with me.”
Now, a university student, she is competing on the world stage representing Canada and working towards her goal of becoming an Olympic athlete with the help of Ashton.
Gagné said, “At the beginning of my career in archery, I was aware that it was in the Olympics, but I didn’t really make the realization that it was a possibility for me until I joined the Canadian National Developmental Team led by Joan McDonald in 2020. Since then, the dream of it has been growing into an actual goal.”
The FACE grant is for $10,000 to be split evenly between coach and athlete. The money will be used to buy equipment, for travel expense, and tournament costs.
Ashton said, “This grant truly means a lot to us. Many people don’t realize how under-funded high performance sports are. Many people don’t understand that Amelia needs thousands of dollars in equipment each year, every tournament we attend costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Even when she is on our national teams, there is no funding. She has to pay for everything, including the jerseys. This grant means so much to us, because it’s helping us with some heavy costs we face in high performance sports, allowing us to take more time off work/school to get to these events. It is allowing us to attend more events, to improve her skills and help us both grow. I’m able to get some equipment that will help me better support Amelia.”
Gagné also said, “Due to the demands of competing and training, as well as being a university student, it does not afford me the time for a job. I have been very fortunate to have the support of family and friends, but with this grant money, I am able to contribute to the financial load. Unfortunately, archery is not a very prominent sport, so we do not get a lot of funding, if any, to travel for competition. In a high level sport like archery, there is always so many things you need to think about when planning out finances for the year/season: tournament fees, travel/luggage costs, hotels, exchange rates, equipment costs, physical therapy/massage fees, mental training, jersey/clothing costs, gym/training fees, training equipment, coaching fees, and club memberships; in addition to basic student fees such as books, tuition, meals, housing, etcetera.”
To reach her goal of playing in the Olympics, Gagné will be training mentally and physically over the next four years. She said that she will be focusing on nutrition and endurance/strength training, increasing the consistency and effectiveness of her form and technique, and honing her visualization and mindfulness techniques. This will include doing as many competitions as she can and represent Canada when possible to help prepare her for the Olympics.
