CSI Pacific – Victoria, BC – For more than a decade, Olympic rower Lindsay Jennerich benefited from the backing of local organizations partnered with Canadian Sport Institute Pacific to assist her needs as a high performance athlete.

Devoted to the requirements to be one of the top competitors in her sport, Jennerich trained six days a week for the better part of 20 years. Rowing left no time for a full-time job, a reality faced by many Canadian athletes contending on the international stage.

As the training intensified, so did the need for support to keep her dream alive.

“Training for the Olympics is a huge commitment. For a rower, the job does not end after a four-hour day at the lake because when you are not physically training, you are putting all your focus into recovering and preparing for the next day,” explained Jennerich. “The support that comes from community partners becomes an imperative part of an athlete’s ability to achieve success.”

As the acting Athlete Services Lead at Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, Drew Todd oversees the Institute’s partnership initiatives and says what athletes are looking for would surprise many.

“It is a bit of a misconception that high performance athletes are well-paid and have all of their costs taken care of, which in most cases could not be further from the truth. Canada’s best athletes, competing and succeeding internationally, are constantly looking for support paying for some of your most basic cost of living needs: clothing, groceries and transportation.”

The Canadian Sport Institute Pacific has partnerships with more than 100 businesses across British Columbia who offer discounts, giveaways, and memberships to high performance athletes and coaches.

“Our partnerships in Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler have made a tremendous impact on the success of athletes and coaches living and training in these communities,” said Todd. “By giving athletes and coaches access to affordable products and services close to home, they are able to focus their time and energy on training and competing, rather than financial obstacles.”

Now retired from rowing and working with Athlete Coach Services at Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, Jennerich is now on the other side of the partnerships she once benefited from – helping to educate athletes and coaches about the opportunities available to them – and she believes it would be nearly impossible to have the career she had in today’s world without support from the business community.

“Canadian Sport Institute Pacific was a major part of my Olympic journey. The partnerships they have established gave me the means to be at my best without having to make sacrifices because I could not afford something,” said Jennerich. “It felt special to be supported like that by my own community.”

Organizations interested in partnering with Canadian Sport Institute Pacific are encouraged to check out Partnerships in Action for more information or contact acting Athlete Services Lead Drew Todd at 250-220-2537.

• View our list of current community partners
• View our list of current GymWorks™ partners
• View our list of current FoodStuff™ partners
• Interested in supporting BC’s high performance athletes? Read more here

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About CSI Pacific: Powering Performance. Inspiring Excellence.

Offering world-class Olympic and Paralympic training environments in Vancouver, Whistler and Victoria, CSI Pacific (www.csipacific.ca) is committed to Powering Performance. Inspiring Excellence. Working with national sport organizations and fueled by our national and provincial partners such as Sport Canada, viaSport, Own the Podium, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Coaches Association of Canada, we are driven by our mantra to Collaborate. Serve. Innovate. Our team of sport science, sport medicine, coaching & life services experts provide leading-edge programs and services to athletes and coaches to ensure they have every advantage to win medals for Canada.

For more information, please contact:

Noah Wheelock

Manager, Communications

CSI Pacific

250.220.2534

nwheelock@csipacific.ca