127 KM/H.Head First.The journey is just beginning.

For Ethan Phillips, skeleton began with an opportunity he never expected. In spring 2025, the then-14-year-old athlete from Kingsville, Ontario, attended an RBC Training Ground Regional Qualifier in Windsor, curious to see where his athletic abilities might lead him. Skeleton was not a sport he had ever imagined pursuing. His results changed that. On May 12, 2025, Coach Kevin Boyer contacted Ethan on behalf of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton and the National Skeleton Program, inviting him to attend the program's Summer Skeleton Push Camps based on his RBC Training Ground performance. The invitation also identified Ethan as age-eligible for the pathway toward the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games. What began with one testing day quickly became a new sporting journey. Ethan spent the following months learning the fundamentals of skeleton: sprint mechanics, explosive pushing, sled handling and eventually sliding. His first experience at Whistler Sliding Centre transformed curiosity into commitment. The speed, precision and challenge of skeleton appealed to him, and as his experience grew, so did his ambition. Later in 2025, Ethan was named an RBC Training Ground Top 100 National Finalist. On November 18, he reached another important milestone when he was formally selected to Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton's National Skeleton Program — NextGen Program, Men U20. His first season became a year of accelerated learning. In March 2026, Ethan competed at the Canadian Championships at Whistler Sliding Centre, finishing 11th of 13 men and as the top-performing first-year recruit at the race. His first competition run reached 127.22 km/h, his fastest verified race speed to date. The progress continued through the off-season. At an August 2026 push competition in Calgary, Ethan recorded a personal best of 4.83 seconds, improving enough to move below the National Skeleton Program's 4.85-second U23 push benchmark. Now entering his second season in skeleton, Ethan is preparing for the next significant stage of his development: his first planned international racing season. His 2026–27 pathway includes preliminary opportunities to compete in Canada and Europe, giving him exposure to new tracks, international fields and the racing experience required to continue progressing in the sport. Race allocations remain subject to program requirements, competitive readiness and final selection. One longer-term possibility sits on the horizon: the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Ethan has not yet qualified for or been selected to represent Canada at the Games. That opportunity must be earned through continued development, international competition and future selection. For Ethan and the people supporting him, that uncertainty is part of the journey. In less than two years, a teenager from Kingsville has gone from discovering skeleton through RBC Training Ground to competing within Canada's national development pathway and preparing for international competition. The next chapter will be written one push, one track and one race at a time — supported by the family, coaches, community and partners helping give Ethan the opportunity to see how far he can go.