Athlete Development Pathway
Developmental Programs
Pearlgate athletes move through three developmental levels based on birth year. Ages for the 2025-2026 membership season will be calculated on December 31, 2026.
Pearlgate's Run Jump Throw Wheel (u11) and Junior Development (u14) Programs will introduce athletes to all events and focus on building the foundations of athleticism and proper technique.
The first opportunity for athletes to begin specializing in events will be at the Developmental Level (14+) which includes an Endurance stream and a Power Speed stream.
Developmental Programs:
- Run - Jump - Throw - Wheel (u11 / born 2020-2016)
- Junior Development (u14 / born 2015-2013)
- Developmental Power Speed (14+ / born 2012 and older)
- Developmental Endurance (14+ / born 2012 and older)
Athletes move up the developmental programs based on their birth year. The exception are athletes in Junior Development (u14) who are able to move up early to either Developmental Power Speed (14+) or Developmental Endurance (14+) if the athlete has met certain criteria.
Performance Programs
Pearlgate athletes (14+) with significant training experience are eligible to specialize in an Event-Specific Performance-Level program. These programs are for athletes who are competitive for provincial team opportunities such as Legion Youth Nationals, Canada Games, and Indoor Nationals and Outdoor Nationals u16, u18, and u20 standards.
Entry into these programs are by invitation only from the Lead Coach of each program and are based on core competencies covered in the developmental programs.
All athletes coming from the Junior Development (u14) program, or who are new to the sport at the 14+ age, must begin at the Developmental Endurance (14+) or Developmental Power Speed (14+) program, and cannot directly entre a Performance Level (14+) program.
Once in the Developmental (14+) programs, athletes can be invited to advance to a Performance Level program at any time. To facilitate this, all Developmental (14+) programs will have one practice a week with the Performance Programs, built into their schedule, to give coaches and athletes the chance to understand where athletes are in their development.
The goal of this is to ensure all athletes entering the Performance Level program have the required competencies, independence, maturity, and training and competition experience.
Performance Programs:
Performance Endurance (14+ / born 2012 or older):
- Middle-Distance
- Cross-Country
- Steeplechase
Performance Power Speed (14+ / born 2012 or older):
- Jumps
- Sprints
- Hurdles
- Throws
- Multi Event
- Combined Events
Certified Coaches
All Pearlgate coaches are experienced, trained, and certified through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP).
All coaches and chaperones have up-to-date NCCP Safe Sport Training (Direct-Athlete Contact), Understanding the Rule of 2 training, and a criminal record and vulnerable sector check.