Integrated Support Team IST

2025 Canada Summer Games

Integrated Support Team

An Integrated Support Team (IST) works to support coaches, athletes and teams and includes sport sciences, sport medicine and other team management professionals. Their goal is to ensure that Alberta athletes are healthy, fit and psychologically ready for optimal performance at the Canada Summer Games.

Team Alberta offers Mental Performance and Performance Nutrition supports for teams attending the 2025 Canada Summer Games. If you are interested in accessing the services please contact your Provincial Sport Organization Sport Coordinator.

Mental Performance

Athlete wellness and mental performance are integral components of the high performance formula for Team Alberta’s athletes. In preparation for the Games, Mental Performance Consultants, Erin Brennan and Perri Ford, will be supporting athletes and teams in the development of their mental toolkits.

They will each work with assigned sports to help everyone reach their goals at the games in variety of ways (virtual and in person).

Perri Ford is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant® (CMPC), a professional member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA) and owner of Bell Lap MP. She supports clients and teams competing at the provincial, national and international level. Perri works with student-athletes and teams at the National Sport School and the Canadian Sport Institute Alberta. Perri was a member of Team Alberta’s Integrated Support Team at the 2022 Canada Summer Games in the Niagara Region. 

Performance Nutrition

Performance nutrition is more than guidelines and grams of this and that. Performance nutrition is the strategic approach that aligns nutrition with training, competition, and sport science to unlock an athlete’s full potential.

Team Alberta’s Performance Dietitians offer several opportunities tailored to the individual athletes and their sports, to elevate the team's performance nutrition. 

A few key components include:

The combination of these components not only addresses physical health and performance but also plays a crucial role in cognitive function and mental health. With this knowledge, athletes can cultivate sustainable habits that promote long-term health, reduce the risk of injuries, and enable them to consistently perform at their peak. Beyond the individual elements of performance nutrition, it also can foster a positive team dynamic. With these healthy nutrition strategies and habits, a team culture centered around collective well-being and progression is reinforced.

Lauren Hundseth is a registered dietitian working at the Canadian Sport Institute Alberta, dedicated to empowering athletes at the developmental level. She offers practical nutrition education to sport teams and individual athletes, while also engaging in coach conversations to ensure understanding of the nuances of each sport. She advocates for the importance of developing a healthy relationship with food and building positive habits that contribute to overall health and body confidence.

Stefan Waples moved to Calgary to follow his passion for speed skating, where he spent 8 years on the national team. Nutrition was always a big focus for him as an athlete, and he felt it made a major contribution to his performance. He obtained his BSc in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Alberta, and still coaches speed skating.

If you are interested in having your team work with the members of the Team Alberta Integrated Support team Please contact your Provincial Sport Association Sport Coordinator.

If you have any additional questions please contact 2025 Canada Summer Games Chef de Mission Cam Berwald [email protected]