Next generation of Canadian Olympians competing at Legion Youth Track and Field Championships in Foothills park

The next generation of Canadian Olympic track stars are in Calgary this weekend, competing at the 46^th Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships.

Around 1,000 athletes from across the country are in town competing in U16 and U18 events for provincial teams and individually, according to event director Kim Cousins.

But it’s pretty clear the Legion track championships are a box that more than a few gold medallists from Canada have checked off.

“Camryn Rogers, gold medallist, hammer throw,” Cousins said. “Ethan Katzberg, gold medallist, hammer throw? They went through the Legion.

“On Canada's Olympic team, I’d say at least 20 athletes there that have gone through the Legion camps when they were younger and developed through this (event),” Cousins said.

And it's not only athletes who get valuable competitive exposure this weekend: the event is also excellent for coaching staffs from across the country, who are gaining valuable experience and swapping stories with other coaches about how to develop and grow high-performance athletes who can compete on the world stage.

Aiming for 2028

That trajectory would suit hurdler Gabby Paterson, just fine. Paterson, from St. Albert, is competing in her third Legion Track Championships.

The first year she competed in the pentathlon, the second year in the heptathlon and this year, she’s competing in a number of hurdling events.

“First year I came first,” Paterson said, “second year I came first, and this year I haven’t finished an event yet, so we’ll see.”

Paterson, who competes for the St. Albert Mustangs, hopes to run track at a Division 1 school in the U.S. and hopefully compete for a Canadian Olympic team one day – maybe even at the 2028 event, which will be held in Los Angeles.

As far as this weekend goes, she said she’s competing in the 400 hurdles -- among several events -- which she hasn’t done too much before so she’s just hoping to run a personal best.

As far as spending a weekend with a thousand people who share a lot of your dreams, she said that’s cool.

“Everybody that does track is very nice and welcoming,” she said. “We all have the same goals, so it’s nice to meet people that have a common life and common lifestyle, like training-wise and just goals in general.”

The event is taking place at Foothills Athletic Park, at 2431 Crowchild Trail N.W. through Aug. 11.

For more information, go here.

With files from Tyler Barrow