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 SOD Coach & Parent Support

Resources and Guidelines

This page includes information on LTAD, team scoring, course setting, race guidelines, and LTAD-related resources. Feel free to browse the rest of the Alpine Ontario Website as well.
We look forward to an exciting and rewarding season ahead!

SOD Resources
Important Reference Websites

• AlpinePoints.ca Event Results
• Live-Timing.com  *UNOFFICIAL*
• AlpineCanada.org ACA Alpine Canada Alpin
• LTAD.AlpineCanada.org ACA-CSC Canadian Ski Coaches

Important Reference Documents

• LTAD & SOD Race Calendar Development
• SOD Team Scoring

Athlete Reference Documents

• Membership Fees
• Gear Guide
• Parent Handbook
• Fitness Combine (ACA)
• Safe Sport

Coach

• Coaching Pathway for U18 Racers
• Coaching Pathway (ACA)

Rules

• 2425_PCR Provincial Competition Rules
• 2425_PCR Course Setting Extract
• 2425 _SOD Program Guidelines

 

Important Reference Documents

LTAD & Race Calendar Development
Building the Pathway from U12 to U16| U18 LTAD

Both U14 and U16| U18 are designed to provide athletes with age-appropriate competition and development opportunities. By maintaining alignment with Alpine Canada’s LTAD framework, we ensure that athletes continue to grow, adapt, and thrive as they advance through the racing pathway. Whether their journey takes them to SCUP regional racing, OCUP provincial racing, or beyond, U16/U18 athletes are well-prepared for future success.

Ski Clubs in Southern Ontario (SOD) Racing Calendar: Why It Matters for LTAD

We are excited to introduce a diverse and well-structured racing calendar for the 2024-2025 season, designed to provide meaningful, developmental opportunities for all athletes while aligning with the principles of Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD). This calendar is a collaborative effort by Alpine Ontario (AOA) and Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA), aimed at fostering both the technical and tactical growth of athletes at every stage of their development.

Here’s why this calendar was developed and how it benefits parents, coaches, athletes, and club administrators.

  1. Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Principles

The LTAD model emphasizes a holistic, athlete-centered approach to development, where racing and training are tailored to the age, physical capacity, and experience of each athlete. By integrating a variety of race formats throughout the season, we are aligning with the core LTAD principles, which include:

  • Early Specialization vs. Late Specialization: We aim to provide athletes with a broad base of experience before they focus on a particular sport. Early exposure to different sports formats supports well-rounded skill development, better athleticism, and injury prevention.  We follow this principle when scheduling races for the SCUP by offering diverse disciplines to help create balanced ski race athlete
  • Progressive Development: The racing calendar builds progressively, so athletes are exposed to a range of challenges that match their current physical, technical, and psychological stage of development.
  • Engagement & Fun: Varied race formats encourage excitement and engagement at all levels, helping athletes maintain their passion for the sport and ensuring they continue their journey toward elite competition.  This focus also includes managing races for the safety, health, and well-being of growing athletes.
Key Components of the Racing Calendar

A Holistic Approach to Ski Racing

The 2024-2025 racing calendar is designed with the athlete’s development in mind. The inclusion of a diverse range of race formats not only adheres to LTAD principles but also ensures that every athlete has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive in the sport. Whether your athlete is just beginning their ski racing journey or progressing toward more advanced levels, this calendar provides the variety needed for continued development, skill acquisition, and personal growth.

The 2024-2025 racing calendar includes a mix of race formats and disciplines in U12, U14, and U16, each chosen to develop essential skills at appropriate stages of the athlete’s progression. This diversity helps build both technical proficiency and tactical intelligence across different types of races. Race formats athletes may compete in include:

  • Panelled Slalom (SL): This race format allows athletes to experience Slalom in a controlled yet challenging environment. The paneled slalom introduces athletes to tighter gates and quicker, more technical turns, emphasizing agility and quick reflexes. It’s a critical skill-building event for young racers and a good introduction to slalom racing.
  • Giant Slalom (GS): Giant Slalom is an important discipline for all levels, teaching athletes to make precise, dynamic turns while maintaining speed. For athletes in the development phase (U14-U16), this race format provides a crucial balance of technical skills and speed. It also serves as an excellent stepping stone toward more advanced racing.
  • Terrain Race: Terrain races offer athletes the opportunity to race in more natural, varied conditions. By integrating gates with terrain features such as bumps or cross features these races teach athletes to adapt to unpredictable conditions and refine their ability to manage the mountain environment. This is particularly important for developing tactical awareness and handling various snow and weather conditions.
  • Full Gate Slalom (SL): Full gate slalom races help athletes develop the ability to handle a full field of gates, pushing their technical slalom abilities to the next level. These events are more demanding, encouraging athletes to master their turns and focus on rhythm, control, and endurance. This is a key developmental stage for athletes moving into higher levels of competition.

Why Variety is Crucial for Development

The varied race calendar helps athletes develop well-rounded skills. Different formats expose them to a broader spectrum of the sport, and each event provides an opportunity to build confidence and resilience. The variety supports athletes in:

  • Adapting to Different Course Setups: By racing in various conditions (slalom, GS, terrain), athletes learn to read and adapt to different course layouts and terrain features. This prepares them for more complex race courses as they progress in their careers.
  • Building Tactical Intelligence: Exposure to different race formats allows athletes to practice various strategic approaches, helping them develop race tactics and decision-making skills essential at more advanced levels.
  • Physical and Mental Development: Different race formats place various demands on the body and mind. Slalom focuses on quick reflexes and technical precision, while GS and terrain races demand more power, control, and endurance. This variety ensures that athletes develop their physical capacities in a balanced way.

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Team Scoring

The Mackenzie Investments Cup will take place during all U12 Development and U14 and U16 SCUP races.

2025 SCORING SYSTEM
  • All racers will be assigned a point value on the finish results using a point system (80-1). 1st place 80 points, 2nd 79 points…
  • The top 10 team point results of each club will be used toward the club’s total
  • The team with the highest total point score will be the team race winner
  • All teams will be announced at awards, starting with the last to the first
  • Athletes that score points for their team must be made up of at least 2 of the opposite gender (8 female and 2 male or 8 male and 2 female)
  • The team can have up to 24 members on a team, but only the 10 ten athletes, using the breakdown above, will have their scores counted

OVERALL WINNERS

  • A team’s point score from each race will be added towards their overall Mackenzie Cup Score
  • The team with the highest score at the end of the season will be awarded the Mackenzie Cup!
  • Winning teams will receive a Mackenzie ball cap with a special label denoting the Mackenzie Cup winner.

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Coach

COACHING PATHWAYS FOR U18 SOD RACERS

As racers age out of racing and decide they would like to work with the next generation of ski racers, Alpine Canada has created an easy-to-follow coaching certification pathway. Supported by Club Head Coaches and Resorts, these three-day Entry Level Courses take place throughout the entire season and teach the basic understanding of technique, development, and managing a group of kids on the hill. Included are some NCCP modules that enhance their knowledge and ability to work productively and confidently with the young racers.

Find more information on the Coaching Pathway here on the Alpine Ontario Website

or on the Alpine Canada Website – Coaching Pathway (ACA)

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