As a veteran of the B.C. Winter Games in his hometown of Vernon last February, Aidan Oliphant has some sage advice for his fellow competitors at the Summer Games, July 19-22, in Surrey.
“Bring a Therm-a-Rest because the mats there aren’t very good,” grinned the 13-year-old Oliphant, a multi-sport athlete who will compete in triathlon on the coast. He raced in nordic skiing in the Winter Games.
Oliphant, who is entering Grade 9 at Seaton Secondary, has competed in triathlon since age five, entering Kids of Steel events around the Okanagan. He says nordic and triathlon really compliment one another as they offer year-round cross-training.
His parents – Verena Von Bremen and Jonathan Oliphant – helped spark his interest in the triathlon.
“My dad did Ironman a while ago and they’ve been encouraging me to do triathlon,” said Oliphant, who turns 14 the week after Summer Games. “I really like it because I like running and biking.”
An avid reader, Oliphant has found a unique way to keep his reflexes sharp.
“I do lots of circus stuff, like riding unicycles and juggling,” said Oliphant, who lists Olympic-distance triathlete Simon Whitfield of Victoria and Canadian nordic skier George Grey of Rossland as role models.
Oliphant says he made some good friends at Winter Games, one of them being Rossland’s Tayla Koerber, who competed for the Kootenays Zone 1 squad in girls nordic skiing. Koerber will also be racing triathlon in Surrey.
