There’s still time left for local athletes to apply for the Athlete Enhancement Program.

The program is offered by the Alberta Sport Development Centre – Central, and is geared towards athletes who are looking to take the next step in their athletic careers.

“This athlete support program is aimed at providing high quality, sport sciences to emerging high performance athletes in Red Deer and Central Alberta,” said Mike Klass, executive director of the centre.

“We are simply looking to support the best athletes, no matter the sport, to help them get to the next level.”

The program, known locally as AEP, is open to all team or individual athletes who have competed at the provincial or national level of competition, or are approaching that level, and provides athletes with access to programs including performance testing, strength and conditioning, nutrition, mental training/sport psychology, biomechanical analysis, and sport medicine/therapy support.

Local athletes who have recently moved on from the program to post-secondary education or successful sporting careers include curler Whitney More (Scottie’s Tournament of Hearts), speed skater Gabrielle Waddell (Short Track National team), swimmer Joel Greenshields (2008 Summer Olympics), volleyballer Julie Young (National Women’s team), and cyclist Nick Friesen (French DN2 cycling team).

Many others have gone on to compete at provincial and national level competitions.

“This is a great opportunity for emerging athletes from Red Deer and Central Alberta to experience applied sport science in order to improve in their sport,” added Program Coordinator Danielle Black-Fortin.

Applications for the free program must be submitted no later than September 17 and forms can be picked up at the ASDC office at Red Deer College, or they are available online at www.asdccentral.ca.

For more information on the program, you can contact Klass at 403-342-3231.

sports@big105.fm