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35 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,June 13,2019 theifp.ca Madison Dempster was a little surprised when the email arrived from Cycling Canada. The announcement of the Canadian team for the world junior champion- ships wasn't supposed to be coming for another week. The 17-year-old had per- formed exceptionally well at the junior national cham- pionships, yet she didn't want to assume that was enough to earn her a spot on the team. She clicked on the email and read the two sentences. This was not about world juniors. This was better. It had been just over three years since the rural Milton resident began track cycling. Her parents were looking for an athletic outlet for their daughter to replace the 30 hours a week she had spent in the gym as a competitive gymnast. So when David and Heidi Dempster attended the cy- cling competition at the Pan Am Games at the new- ly constructed velodrome in Milton, they returned home and suggested their daughter might want to try it. She knew nothing about the sport, but gave it a shot anyway. She signed up for the beginners' class, went to a couple of race nights and was hooked. Her first official race was the provincial champi- onships, where she earned a gold medal. "Having that first pro- vincial medal gave me con- fidence," said the Grade 11 student at Acton High School. "When I started beating the people I was training with, I knew I could go places." Where Dempster is go- ing now is Switzerland. The email she received was tell- ing her she had been select- ed to attend the junior track training camp at the World Cycling Centre. Dempster will be the only Canadian at the five-week camp where she'll receive instruction from some of the top coach- es in the world. She'll follow that up by going to Frankfurt, Germa- ny for the world junior championships. Dempster is looking forward to chal- lenging herself against rid- ers from other countries. In Canada, she has more than established her cre- dentials. At junior nation- als in April, she set a new age-group pursuit record for the third straight year - each time with a different partner. Dempster also set a new junior mark (36.479 seconds) in the 500-metre time trial and added gold medals in the keirin and sprint challenge. Ontario high perfor- mance track coach Joe Ve- loce said Dempster follows her training plan to a T and dramatically improves each time she competes. And as her rapid rise would suggest, though still rela- tively new to the sport, it doesn't take her long to un- derstand cycling concepts. "You explain a tactic to her once and she goes out and executes it like she's been doing it her whole life," he said. Her strong work ethic off the track has also provided her with a physical edge. "She's very powerful," Veloce said. "We've done some testing on how much power an athlete puts into the pedals and her numbers are pretty incredible - not even just for her age, but even for a much older rid- er." What intrigues Demp- ster is how she'll stack up against the competition overseas, where the sport is much more popular and riders start competing at a younger age. She hopes the competi- tion at the training camp and junior worlds will push her to go even faster. "Cycling is not the big- gest sport in Canada, espe- cially for young female rid- ers. I have trouble even finding a partner for the pursuit," Dempster said. "Being fast in Canada is one thing, but Europe, they'll be very fast. It will be an eye opener, but it will be a great experience to see what's out there." COMMUNITY ACTON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT TO TAKE ON THE WORLD DEMPSTER NAMED TO CANADIAN WORLD JUNIOR CYCLING TEAM After setting two national age-group records and winning four gold medals at nationals, Madison Dempster has been named to the Canadian team for the world junior track cycling championships in Germany. She was also selected for an international training camp in Switzerland for young riders. Ivan Rupes HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com WHO DOES IT? Look for the RIGHTbusiness for the JOBWHO DOES IT?Professional Directory Deadline for Thursday's edition is Monday by 4pm THREE EASY WAYS TO SHOP. Floor and Home The One Store For Your Perfect Floor 26 Guelph St., Downtown Georgetown www.carpetone.ca http://carpetonegeorgetown.goldbook.ca 905-877-9896 CarPet, harDWooD, rUGs & tiLe 905-877-8990 VISIT OUR SHOWROOM! 118 Guelph St. (at Maple) ~ info@asghomecomfort.com SALES, SERVICE & INSTALLATION air, heatinG&FirePLaCe To advertise in this directory contact Kelli Kosonic 905-234-1018 or email kkosonic@theifp.ca bathroom renovations Cell: 416-989-7809 Dave LoDuca QUALITY BATHROOM RENOVATIONS C C T I L EE RAM I Gold 2018 Halton Hills CONTRACTOR - 7 years! Thanks for your support!