Concurrent High Performance/Academic Pathway to launch at University of Toronto for Alpine Skiers
(Collingwood, ON) – May 3rd, 2018 — After months of discussions and planning Alpine Ontario Alpin (AOA) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the University of Toronto (U of T) for alpine skiers at the U19 level. The new partnership is in an effort to provide better opportunities to make ski racing more desirable and accessible for athletes and families. The plan will consist of two main pillars. The first pillar is an off-season program providing support specifically for the Southern Ontario Divisions (SOD) Ski Team (ST) by way of physical conditioning, mental training, and nutritional awareness, as well as post-secondary academic preparation. The program commenced on Sunday, May 6th with an Alpine Skiing Strength & Conditioning Education day. The SODST program and resources are now available specifically at U of T on a weekly basis through the spring and summer, as well as satellite options for families outside of the Toronto area.
The second pillar, while still being finalized, will consist of a broader high-performance relationship between AOA and U of T, specifically designed for athletes who have graduated high school and would like to continue to ski race while pursuing a post-secondary degree.
Beth Ali, Executive Director of Athletics and Physical Activity at the University of Toronto, applauds the vision of Alpine Ontario. “Here at U of T, we have a high performance mandate that supports Ontario’s elite athletes and coaches to reach their athletic potential. We are very excited to have Alpine Ontario take advantage of our high performance programming which provides expertise in the critical areas of sport science.”
AOA Executive Director, Scott Barrett adds, “This is a huge win for alpine skiers at the FIS age level in Ontario. The long-term vision offers athletes a chance at academic success at one of Canada’s best Universities, while the short-term vision will allow for greater focus on strength and conditioning and off-season preparation for the SODST.”
AOA and the SODST would like to thank Carolyn and Ted Temertzoglou who both work in the field of Health and Physical Education nationally and internationally and are from the Georgian Peaks Ski Club. They have been instrumental in bringing the SOD Ski Team coaches, AOA Executive Director and SOD Program Director together with the University to design this new pathway.
About the University of Toronto High Performance Sport Mandate
The Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Toronto contributes significantly to the high-performance sport system within Ontario and Canada through our High-Performance Mandate. For athletes, this contribution includes access to enhanced strength and conditioning programs and coaches, training facilities, sport medicine, and assistance in admissions and academic support within the University. Provincial and national sport organizations can access facilities and services that support the training and development of provincial and national high-performance athletes. Services include facility rentals, sport science athlete testing, strength and conditioning program creation and implementation, and sport medicine. https://kpe.utoronto.ca/about/high-performance-sport-mandate
About Alpine Ontario Alpin (AOA)
AOA is the provincial governing body for the sport of alpine ski racing in Ontario. Alpine Ontario’s newly refined mission is to provide leadership and structure for high quality, sustainable and affordable programming and to communicate the competitive, recreational and lifestyle benefits of ski racing to the community. AOA represents four divisions, 44-member clubs and over 30,000 active athletes, coaches and officials (volunteers). AOA coordinates several successful programs across the province and continues to foster the development of “state of the art” ski-racing programs from the grass roots level to the elite level.