Photo via Andrew Snucins (TRU WolfPack)
The Kamloops Sports Legacy Fund (KSLF) has given the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack its largest-ever donation.
The $500,000 donation announced Wednesday will see $375,000 going towards equipment at the new high-performance athletics centre at the TRU gym and $125,000 going to student awards and scholarships.
“This contribution from the Kamloops Sports Legacy Fund will help TRU student-athletes develop on and off the field of play to reach their full potential,” TRU Athletics Director, Curtis Atkinson, said.
“This facility will also make it easier to recruit top athletes to the WolfPack and take our athletics program to a new level.”
$500,000 to a new high performance athletics centre for TRU Athletes. For those unaware, the Legacy Fund was created with the 2007 sale of the Kamloops Blazers. Through asset management, it has become the gift that keeps on giving to the #Kamloops sports community. https://t.co/Is2yKdTBWY
— Jon Keen (@JonKeenNLSports) March 15, 2023
Since 2011, the fund – which was created following the sale of the Kamloops Blazers in 2007 – has supported the WolfPack to the tune of $250,000.
“A major goal of the society is to strengthen sport organizational capacities. The grant represents a true legacy for the WolfPack, the university as a whole and the City of Kamloops and region. It is a most worthy investment at an opportune time,” KSLF executive director Bob Smillie said.
Replacing the former squash courts in the gym building, TRU’s high-performance athletics training centre is expected to be completed by this summer.
The university has invested $1.3 million in the renovations and hired a full-time strength and conditioning head coach for the space. They say the donation will outfit the 156-square-metre space with lifting stations, speed-work tracks, and other equipment.
TRU athletes use the gym as well as the nearby Tournament Capital Centre and Hillside Stadium for training and competition. This new centre will expand the training opportunities for student-athletes and help push performance to a new level.
