ALPINE ONTARIO STAFF

PATRICK BIGGS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Email: pbiggs@alpineontario.ca
Phone: (437)-245-6217

Patrick (Pat) joined AOA in the Spring of 2022. He has a long history with the sport having competed with the Ontario Ski Team and eventually the World Cup circuit (with top 10 results in slalom) and two Olympic Winter Games (Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010). Following his retirement from racing in 2012, Pat kept his deep connection to the sport alive, joining the Camp Fortune Ski Club as a Coach, and later, as President, then Program Director. Pat has 3 sons and enjoys multiple outdoor activities with his family along with raising chickens in his backyard.

AOA Duties: Reports to the Board of Directors and has overall strategic and operational responsibility for all staff, programs and the execution of the AOA mission statement “To provide leadership and structure for high quality, sustainable and affordable programming.”

ANGELA HOBBS
ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Email: accounting@alpineontario.ca
Phone: 705-444-5111 ext 125

Angela joined AOA in 2014 after working for 10 years in corporate tax, personal tax and bookkeeping. Angela is originally from Montreal but studied in London, ON before moving to Collingwood where she is very busy with three young children.

AOA Duties: Angela reports to the Executive Director and manages the budget, accounting, human resources and office management.

SUKI CHAPMAN
AOA PROGRAM MANAGER AND MEMBER SERVICES MANAGER

Email: memberservices@alpineontario.ca
Phone: (705) 444-5111 ext 133

Suki has been in the ski industry since 1989 when she joined SOD/Alpine Ontario South (AOS)/AOA until 2003. She then joined the team at Devil’s Glen Country Club as the Program Coordinator for 11 years before joining the team at Osler Bluff Ski Club as the Race Events Coordinator.  Prior to her ‘ski’ career, Suki was with the Ontario Cycling Association and on a part-time basis worked as the head coach at Mont St. Louis Moonstone and Horseshoe Valley.  Suki is a Level 3 CSIA, Level 1 CSCF & Level 3 AOA Official.

AOA Duties:  Suki reports to the AOA Executive Director and is responsible for all administrative support, including member registration, race calendar, program guidelines and coach/officials.

MARIA BURTON
DIRECTOR MARKETING AND PARTNERSHIPS

Email: mburton@alpineontario.ca
Phone: (705) 539-0679

Maria grew up skiing, racing, and coaching in Southern Ontario. Over the next 15 years in Tahoe, California, Maria coaches simultaneous to evolving her marketing and partnership management career in Silicon Valley. As a professional Adventure Racer, Maria competed in multiple World Championships and elite-level multi-sport competitions worldwide. At the Vancouver Olympics (2010) she continued to expand her global expertise in corporate and sports marketing & program initiatives. Concurrently, Maria forged strategic business partnerships with national and international brands. Maria, her husband, and two children actively ski at Caledon Ski Club.

AOA Duties: Maria reports to the Executive Director and is responsible for marketing, communications, and partnership management.

TORI JOHNSTON
COMPETITION & PROGRAM MANAGER

Tori brings a wealth of experience, from coaching at Alpine Ski Club to serving as a U14 Alpine Ontario Athletic Committee representative.

AOA Duties: Tori reports to AOA ED, she’ll lead key programs and events, including:
•Overseeing the OCUP series
•Managing the U16 Athletic Development Program
•Coordinating Team Ontario’s participation in U16 Easterns, CanAms, and the Whistler Cup
•Support the SCUP series and Southern Ontario programs throughout the winter.

Email: tjohnston@alpineontario.ca
Phone:  705-888-7479

SARAH EDWARDS
MANAGER, COACH EDUCATION AND DELIVERY

Performance Level Certified Ski Coach, Level III CSIA, Level III AOA Official & 25 years of experience coaching.
sedwards@alpineontario.ca

Sarah has been the Entry Level and Development Level coaching course coordinator for Alpine Ontario since 2005. Sarah will continue on with her EL course responsibilities and assume additional administrative duties for the Development and Performance Level (DL/PL) coaching courses (formerly coordinated by Alpine Canada). Sarah is also working towards some exciting opportunities for AOA’s coaching community that will include professional development events, workshops for age-specific coaches, course preparation training and improved communication tools. Sarah has two young ski racers of her own aged 8 and 10 and is committed to educating kids and parents on the importance of physical literacy and keeping the fun factor in sport for life!

KIP HARRINGTON
VP, High Performance

Email: kipharrington@alpineontario.ca

Kip returned to AOA in 2017 after spending eight years with the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and two years leading the British Ski Academy. Prior to this, he worked with the Ontario Ski Team from 2000 to 2007. Kip is a Performance Level (PL) certified coach and also sits on the AOA Athletic Committee as the Chair. He lives in Sault Ste. Marie.
AOA Duties: Kip reports to the Executive Director.  Kip leads the creation and implementation of the organizations long term High-Performance plan and vision from U16 to the Canadian Alpine Ski Team (CAST).  He oversees the HP staff and programs including Ontario Ski Team, SOD Ski Team, U16 HPP and Para-Alpine.

MARTIN WILSON
MEN’S ONTARIO SKI TEAM
HEAD COACH

Email: mwilson@alpineontario.ca

Above and beyond his on-hill work as a coach, Martin spends his free time taking a deep dive conducting open, honest conversations with some of the biggest names in ski racing with his podcast “The Next Turn”.  Along with his two co-hosts Jeff Vibert and Cara Williams, they are on a pursuit of “better “ —  better coaches, better athletes, better parents, better supporters, better advocates and better fans.  Learn more and take a listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts:  https://www.thenextturnpodcast.com/podcast 

Now for the hard facts — A native to Thunderbay, Ontario, Martin now spends his free time at home with his family in the Green Mountains of Vermont.  He lists his ski hero as Swiss legend Pirmin Zurbriggen.  If he was to describe the best skier in the world, he would paint a canvas with 1 part Bode Miller, 1 part Stenmark, 1 part Shiffrin and a dash of Hirscher.  In describing his best day ever on snow, he says it has to be the first day on the chair with his 3 kids. 

henry yeigh
Ontario development
ski Team 
Head CoacH

Email: hyeigh@alpineontario.ca

Henry brings with him a depth of experience leading FIS programming at the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, and most recently as the assistant coach with the Canadian Alpine Ski Team Men’s World Cip Tech Team.

Having grown up racing in Ontario and starting my journey as a coach at the Caledon ski club over 10 years ago.

Recently, my partner Calynn and I moved to Meaford and are enjoying first-home ownership. I am excited to be returning to the Ontario race scene, reconnecting with my ski racing roots.

TOBIAS PORTER
ONTARIO Development
SKI TEAM 
ASSISTANT COACH

MELISSA LACROIX
SPORTS PHYSIOLOGIST, CANADIAN SPORT INSTITUTE OF ONTARIO (CSIO)

Melissa works with the U19 High-Performance Program and Ontario Ski Team athletes at the CSIO. She holds a BSc. degree in Athletic Therapy and a MSc in Exercise Science from Mercyhurst University. During her time at Mercyhurst University, she also played on the women’s ice hockey team.

Prior to joining the CSIO team, Melissa worked as a sports physiologist and lab manager for 6 years at the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific. Through her role at CSI Pacific, she has worked predominantly as the lead physiologist and innovation & research lead for Wheelchair Rugby Canada. She has also provided physiological testing support for numerous provincial and national Olympic and Paralympic athletes along with strength and conditioning support for Softball Canada for the past two years.