Just two years after competing at Junior World Championships, Craig Spence is already on his way to making some waves on the senior team. He’s been working extensively with coaches Jan Kruk and Laszlo (Csom) Latorovszki since being identified as a NextGen Atlantic athlete.

“It’s a lot more support and has just been really positive,” Spence remarked. He’s gearing up for the first set of National Team Trials in Georgia at the start of May where he hopes to make the World Cup Tour Team. While he’s got his eyes fixed on Europe in the short term, he feels with the NextGen training group in place the cut between making the team and not will be less hardline this year.

“After trials, if I’m not part of the senior tour, with the NextGen training group I at least know I’m going to be training hard in a focused group and making gains while the others are away,” explained Spence. “Before it was very much ‘you’re in or you’re out’ but this is going to make a big difference for those NextGen athletes on the edge.”

In addition to working with his coaches on technique on the ergometer over the winter, the NextGen training group has enabled Spence to take advantage of a lot more sport science resources. Sports psychology, nutrition and specific weight training are just a few of the services Spence has been able to access to enhance his training. While at home he trains at the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic daily and in Florida camp he’s also had access to leading-edge sport science professionals. He sees having more than one opinion on training as a big advantage as he reaches toward his long-term goals.