March 17, 2012 Dear Honourable Mayor Mandel and City Councilors, My name is Kinley Gibson; I am a grade 11 student

at Jasper Place High School and a member of both the Juventus Cycling Club and Edmonton Triathlon Academy. There is a great deal of excitement in Edmontons cycling community with regards to the possible construction of an indoor velodrome facility. As a youth cyclist and triathlete in Edmonton, an indoor cycling centre could open doors for me that nothing else could. Edmonton is an amazing city, but as an athlete training in sports that are either outdoors or raced on a velodrome, winter training is long and tedious. Staying committed involves long hours on a stationary bike or trainer, and having to stare at a wall during an intense workout is hard to cope with when it stretches on for months. It also means that the fun and the strategies of racing are non-existent. I recently qualified for the Canadian National Jr. Team that will compete at the Jr. Pan-Am Track Cycling Championships in Guatemala. In order to do this I had to develop and maintain the skills required. I made numerous trips out to Burnaby, BC to take advantage of the indoor velodrome located there to gain training and racing experience. This limited track and racing experience isnt enough to allow me to be successful at a more international level. In order to compete with the top juniors in the world, I need access to the same facilities that they have. Hard work has gotten me a long way, but without year round experience I cannot learn the tactical and technical skills necessary to be successful. Track racing involves an incredible amount of strategy, and its subtleties can only be learned through racing and group riding. I am not the only person dependent on an indoor facility. There is a large community of cyclists and triathletes in Edmonton, and along with them a group of extremely talented coaches. Like many other youth riders, I depend on coaching expertise. I think the development of youth cycling in Edmonton is far below what it could be, and I worry that the coaches others and I work with may decide to take their talents elsewhere somewhere that supports young athletes and is willing to provide them with the resources they need. Edmonton doesnt just lose valuable coaches when this happens they lose gifted athletes as well. Not only will an indoor velodrome keep these coaches in Edmonton, it will also attract top coaches and athletes from across the country and North America. The opportunity to train and race year round benefits everyone from beginners to national and international level cyclists. The two indoor velodromes in Canada are mediocre facilities at best. A world-class facility in Edmonton would enable the Canadian team to train at home in Canada (not Los Angeles), and would inspire a new generation of young cyclists to take part in the sport. I originally became involved in cycling by joining LAMP the Lori-Ann Muenzer Program, a

cycling program that works to encourage a love of sport and cycling in youth. When I joined, the Argyll Indoor Velodrome project was about to become a reality. Believing I would have a chance to grow and develop as an athlete in connection to this facility was exciting, and was what pushed me to join the program in the first place. The building of an indoor velodrome will motivate youth across Edmonton and Alberta to become involved in a life long sport. Edmonton strives to become a world-class city and we need to proceed enthusiastically with a project that will lead to national and international attention as well as benefit one of the most important groups in our city: Youth. This is more than an investment in the cycling community; it is an investment in the growth of young people and sport, and an investment in Edmonton. Sincerely, Kinley Gibson