Last season, your support of Path to the Podium helped AOA invest in coaching and mentorship, and the results showed.
Join us at Path to the Podium on Saturday, November 21 at Georgian Peaks TiCKETS HERE
Jasper Williams climbed to #1 in Canada in slalom for his age and #19 in the world. Emma James finished #4 in Canada for her age in super-G and #5 in GS. Ontario Ski Team alum Kyle Blandford placed 4th and 5th at the Nor-Am races in Beaver Creek, and Ontario Para Alpine Ski Team racer James Budrow progressed to the Canadian National Prospect group.
Much of that progress came from coaching. Path to the Podium funding supported the hiring of Candace Crawford and Mattia Casson, and brought in supplementary camp coaches like world championship bronze medalist Mike Janyk, who joined the Ontario Ski Team’s December camp for return-to-snow and slalom prep. Funds also supported a CAST-D team contribution for an AOA athlete and an extended western camp for the Ontario Para Alpine Ski Team.
This season, we’ve committed to more:
- A larger cohort of athletes on the Ontario Ski Team
- A return-to-snow coach, Leslie Firstbrook, for the Chile training camp
- Project Excel: an additional Alpine Canada training camp at Panorama alongside CAST-D and other provincial team athletes
- SkiCam, a video capture system that automatically tags runs by athlete, discipline and time, and integrates with timing systems
- A team inventory of Dainese airbags, the newly required safety equipment
We’re also planning a Nor-Am support coach for when the Ontario Ski Team needs to split venues, and a Canada Winter Games prep camp for the Ontario Para Alpine Ski Team. Beyond that, there’s more we’d like to do, from portable fatigue and recovery testing equipment to a physio for camps and prep blocks.
Together, we can build stronger pathways and programs for Ontario ski racers.