Sports Academies

Scholar-Athlete Academies

UNISUS Scholar-Athletes

The UNISUS Scholar-Athlete program combines a world-class International Baccalaureate education with a holistic, focused approach to athletic development

The program is designed for students who aspire to reach high-performance or advanced levels in their athletic pursuits and successful academic achievements.

Research indicates that students who engage in competitive athletics at school develop crucial skills that have long-lasting positive effects.

UNISUS Scholar-Athletes develop essential skills such as resilience, heightened accountability, and unwavering dedication towards achieving their goals and objectives.

These skills not only benefit them in sports but they also have a profound impact on their overall personal growth and success.

Key Benefits of the Scholar Athlete Program

Academic Pathway

Pathways to graduation enables students to achieve their highest potential academically. Scholar-athletes can graduate with an IB and /or DP enriched B.C. High School Diploma.
The IB and B.C. High School Diplomas are globally recognized by top universities. Graduates are considered for early admissions and/or scholarships.
UNISUS graduates are confident, capable learners prepared to take on the challenges of post-secondary education.

Athletic Development

Holistic athlete development including physical strength and conditioning, mental wellbeing, nutrition, and injury prevention
Focused dry-land training to complement on ice/snow/track training led by qualified sports therapists
Individualized training plans and performance achievement reports supported by analytics and video
Post-secondary application and offer management with focused approach to athlete brand development

U9-U13 Scholar-Athlete Foundations Program

The ages of 8 to 13 are scientifically proven to be critical for athletic and academic development

The U9-U13 Foundations Program at UNISUS is a transformative initiative for young scholar-athletes, designed to build a strong foundation in athletic excellence, academic achievement, habits for a healthy mind and body, and essential 21st-century skills. This critical developmental phase, from ages 8 to 13, is characterized by rapid physical, cognitive, and emotional growth, making it the perfect time to nurture future leaders both on and off the ice.

Cash-In On The Golden Age

Science Shows That Early Skill Development Is The Key For Future Success in their sport. Yet there is a culture to chase the game in sports today.

From 8 to 13 years of age might be the most important period in a young athlete’s development. Dubbed “The Golden Age of Skill Acquisition,” a child’s body is far enough along in its growth, but brain development is still happening at a rapid pace.

Based on years of physical studies and research, at no other point are children better suited to acquire early core hockey skills that will prepare them for what lies ahead. What this means is that physically, cognitively, emotionally and mentally, athletes at this age are most receptive to building the base of skills that will set the stage for long-term success in hockey.

From a motor skill perspective, what takes 300 repetitions at this young age to learn correctly, will take 3,000-5,000 repetitions in later years to un-learn if learnt incorrectly in the formative years.

The UNISUS Scholar-Athlete Foundations is the Junior Academy which leads to the U15 onwards Academy Programs. We offer athletic skills development in the disciplines which either take advantage of unique strengths and infrastructure developed in our region.

Hockey - the southern Okanagan is a powerful mecca of hockey enabled by the Okanagan Hockey Association
Snowsports - one of the best hills for snowsports training in Western Canada - Apex Mountain Resort - is at our doorstep
Motorsports - we are blessed to have the only professional F4 racing track in Western Canada, together with the premium karting complex, at close proximity
Basketball - our exceptional athletic facilities and coaches allow us to build a strong foundation in competitive basketball

PROGRAM COMPONENTS:

1. Sports Specific Skill Mastery

Our program prioritizes foundational hockey skills with an emphasis on:

Technical precision through 2.5 hours of weekly skills training and twice weekly strength and conditioning.
Building muscle strength and memory to ensure proper technique and injury prevention.
Enhancing game intelligence and team-play or competition readiness.

2. Holistic Athlete Development

We go beyond physical training to develop well-rounded athletes by integrating:

A multi-sport approach to physical development, keeping sports development varied and fun.
Not only strength and conditioning, but a holistic motorskills program focused on speed, movement skill, strength, power, endurance, mobility, as well as injury prevention and recovery.
Our Perform Better Program - sleep, eat, think, move, live better program including mental focus and distraction management training.

3. Academic Excellence

To ensure a strong foundation for academic success, we focus on:

A Numeracy and Literacy Accelerator program provides tailored learning support to advance students at their own pace, with no grade imposed limit on progression.
Learning program which caters to the learners' individual style of learning and unique areas of strength and growth potential.
Individualized assistance to address areas of learning difficulty, ensuring a powerful academic foundation for middle and senior years.

4. 21st-Century Skill Development

With 80% of future job success tied to soft skills, our program emphasizes:

Developing self-awareness and proficiency in 12 key soft skills, including communication, critical thinking, courage, resilience, ethics and leadership.
Emotional intelligence and self-awareness, teamwork and conflict resolution, and goal-setting and self-discipline practice development.
Digital literacy and on-line profile management, for a healthy mind, and building an online profile which opens - not closes - doors.

Get started!!

At UNISUS, we recognize that private education is not affordable to everyone. We are interested in attracting the right students into the program, that have their eye on College or University AND national team level skiing, which requires a powerful foundation in both academics and as a player. This is why we offer customized scholarships to attract the right students and families while balancing affordability, opening up the Scholar-Athlete pathway to more students in the community.

$325,000 Scholarship Pool! To apply, sign up for a full trial day including ID skate and academic assessment

Evaluation Process:

Academic Assessment: (Core Literacy and Numeracy) to assess qualification for academic scholarship (on the trial day).
Ski Assessment: to assess qualification for athletic scholarship (on the trial day).
Affordability Index: Families complete a confidential financial evaluation through a trusted third party to determine affordability (post trial day).
Customized Offer: Families receive a UNISUS offer letter, and are provided 21 days to accept the offer (upon completion of steps 1-3).

Join us in building the next generation of scholar-athletes who will lead with skill, determination, and purpose.

inquire now about upcoming trial dates