Winter 2016 Vol. 10, No. 2
ONE FOR ALL
The value of a team By Mike Janyk
GOLDEN GIRL
Marielle Thompson is back on top of ski cross
UNDERDOG
NO MORE The world has taken notice of Cassie Sharpe
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editor’s note
Mastering the art of teamwork
Individual, schmindividual. Those in the snowsports trenches know that an athlete trying to reach the top of any podium based solely on individual performance has as much chance as a snowball in H-E-double hockey sticks.
team performance – how the two are intertwined in a complex and incredible web that could never be repeated in sequence. There must be some sort of cosmic balance in all the forces at play within the relationships that form a team dynamic.
Clichés aside, dreams of Olympic and World Cup success are mere figments of imaginative minds without the backing of equally passionate, enthusiastic and committed people.
In Canadian snowsports history, this translates into a “wave phenomenon” of success. There are so many examples. Recently, we have Alex Bilodeau and Mikael Kingsbury achieving ... how shall I say it? Complete and utter dominance. My words are extreme, but it really is spectacular to go from one “greatest ever” to the next in such short time. Then there’s the Crazy Canucks, a five-headed monster that challenged and scared the European teams throughout the 1970s and ‘80s. And the Boyd, Stemmle, Podivinsky and Mullen era that brought glory back to the Canadian speed team. Podivinsky and Mullen finished 1-2 at Saalbach, Austria, in 1994 (with teammate Ralf Socher in fifth). And now, we are in one of the best periods of Canadian cross-country team racing with Alex Harvey on the precipice of a superior season after many others (Devon Kershaw, Beckie Scott, Chandra Crawford, Ivan Babikov) helped pave the golden path.
Ask any athlete who “made it” about the secret to their success. Or think of any person you hold in high regard – athletic, musical, business or any other successful overachiever. How many would say their success was due solely to their own hard work and dedication? Maybe some, but I’d bet most had an entourage (aka teammates and coaches) behind them – or, more importantly, beside them – that pushed them to their limits and beyond.
Cover: Cassie Sharpe at the Dew Tour in Breckenride, Colo., Dec 10, 2015. Photo by Graeme Meiklejohn.
Take Michael Janyk, for example. While he was carving out a terrific “individual” career on the World Cup stage, he was also paving a path for his Canadian team brethren (which now includes the sisterhood of the surging women’s team), who benefitted from his success as much as he benefitted from theirs. In One for All (page 6), Mike offers an articulate portrayal of the symbiotic relationship between individual success and
One thing’s for sure: These incredible athletes don’t do it alone. — Gordie Bowles, Editor
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Subscribe to the Weekly Wrap at: snowsportsculture.com/newsletter EDITOR Gordie Bowles ART DIRECTOR Holger Meiche COPY EDITOR Christina Newberry
SNOWSPORTS MEDIA INCORPORATED PRESIDENT Chris Robinson, chris@s-media.ca VICE PRESIDENT Mark Kristofic, mark@s-media.ca CONTROLLER Lisa Crowley, lisa@s-media.ca
ADVERTISING Ashley Herod Tait CONTRIBUTORS Gordie Bowles, Max Gartner, Michael Janyk, Graeme Meiklejohn, Christina Newberry.
S-Magazine is an independent publication of Snowsports Media Inc., 82 Hume Street Collingwood, Ont., L9Y 1V4. Phone: 416-840-6615. E-mail: info@s-media.ca | www.snowsportsculture.com LETTERS: All letters to the editor should be addressed to editor@s-media.ca with subject header “MailBag Letter.”
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snowsports gallery
Flags of all colours were waving during the Lake Louise World Cup events in December 2015. Photo: Michel Painchaud.
World Cup alpine racer Manuel Osborne-Paradis at the World Cup downhill at Lake Louise. Photo: Michel Painchaud.
Canadian team skier Yuki Tsubota at the 2015 Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colorado. Photo: Topher Baldwin / Dew Tour.
Canadian alpine skier Broderick Thompson comes to a stop during the men’s downhill at Lake Louise, Alberta. Photo: Michel Painchaud.
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Toronto’s Phil Brown charging the men’s giant slalom at Beaver Creek, Colorado, in early December. Photo: ACA/Pentaphoto
Canadians Chris Delbosco (left) and Brady Leman (2nd from right) take charge of the men’s final at Montafon, Austria, on Dec. 5, 2015, with Frenchman Jean Frederic and Slovenian Filip Flisar in chase. Photo: ACA/Pentaphoto.
Injured World Cup skier Jan Hudec spending time with fans during the Lake Louise event. Photo: Michel Painchaud.
MikaĂŤl Kingsbury (right) became the all-time leader in mogul skiing history with his win in Ruka, Finland. Photo: Teemu Moisio/PTB-Creative.
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Mike Janyk (centre) flanked by his team at Ushuaia, Argentina in 2006. From left back row: Dave Terlicher, Kurt Kotbauer, Paul Stutz, JP Roy, Ryan Semple, Marc Gagnon, Mika Gustaffson. Front row from left: Johnny Crichton, Pat Biggs, Janyk, Scott Barrett, Thomas Grandi.
ONE FOR ALL LIFE LESSONS AND SENSE OF BELONGING TO A TEAM VAULT SKI RACER TO PLACES HE’D ONLY DREAMED OF By Michael Janyk
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t times in my ski racing career, I felt like the entirety of my success hinged on my next push from the start gate. In these moments, my confidence was like a tarp flapping in the wind rather than a full sail. I’d stand in the start gate tight, scared and unwilling to take risks, just hoping that by some magic I would have a great run. That magic never came when I wanted it the most; rather, it came when I least expected it, getting me back on track to show me what was possible. Growing up in Whistler, I was constantly surrounded by phenomenal talent, starting with my mom, who taught me how to ski. My own natural talent and love for the sport grew as I chased her and my older sister down the mountain. When I moved into an organized
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program at the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, the talent level went up and the pool I was in deepened. This filled me with both excitement and frustration. It was intimidating at first to be around such amazing talent, but once I grew more familiar with my teammates and became more sure of who I was, the extraordinary became the norm. The chance to go beyond myself was intoxicating, and my teammates’ performances became my inspiration. For example, at 13, I watched a teammate ripping the first half of the GS training course only to peel out halfway down and hit a jump at full speed. He aired a nice laid-out backflip, landed, turned back towards the course and finished the last few gates. It put “just skiing the training course” into a different perspective.
Moments like these gave me the fuel I needed to commit to the time and hard work I knew were necessary for the success I craved. In these waves of inspiration, the choice to take on more runs, an extra dryland session, a faster pace or higher intensity were easy to make and felt effortless and fun. I continued to be surrounded by talent when I moved onto the B.C. ski team. It was electrifying to find myself among the province’s best racers. I knew most of them, either from my home club or from racing against them and watching them stand on top of the podium. In such a rich environment, my drive found an endless source of fuel, igniting my skiing and taking it to a whole new level. The next two seasons were an absolute dream. In 2000, I was launched onto the national ski team along with five peers from the west. We joined with the best ski racers of our age from the east to make up the national development team. If B.C. was a talent hotbed, then Quebec was on fire! Led by the likes of Erik Guay on the men’s side, they came from a movement that brought Canada its best skiers of this generation. Where the B.C. team felt electrifying, this felt like I had joined my first ski club all over again. It was too big to comprehend and too intimidating to be inspiring – I was swallowed up in their greatness. How could I relate to their talent if I couldn’t see myself as being anywhere near them? In that first year, the work went back to feeling like a grind and my dream of becoming a World Cup skier fogged over. The following year, in January 2001, the team and I were in the middle of a European swing, competing in some mid-level FIS and European Cup races. On this particular day, we were in Chamonix, France, racing against some of the best the French had to offer. The top of the field was older than us, which meant the race had great points, but the depth of competition was shallower than at the Europa Cup, giving us the chance to start with bib numbers in the 30s rather than near 100. It was a great opportunity to make a big splash in a European race. I stood in the start gate more wishful than confident about my potential performance. It was more like throwing mud against a wall to see what would stick than setting out to paint a masterpiece. With this mindset, it was little surprise that my hopes didn’t materialize and my race ended with a straddle in the second run. Sliding over to the sidelines, I sulked over my poles and watched the rest of the race unfold. Most of my teammates raced in similar fashion, with three of them joining me in the DNF circle and another finishing 16th. The last Canadian to come down was Ryan Semple, and after a great first run, he lit it up again and finished in second place. This was his best result of the season and the second-best of his career to that date. Our spirits were lifted from watching our friend and teammate put it on the line to stand with the top racers of the day. We came together in the finish corral and
enjoyed the moment of victory with some high fives and celebratory hugs. As I skied away, though, lapping back around to the start to collect my gear, the joy I felt faded and the disappointment of my own result set in. Back at the hotel an hour later, our coach, Mark Gagnon, stopped us as we crossed the lobby to our rooms. “Guys,” he said, “this was an awesome day for Ryan and for everyone here. It shows me what all of you are capable of and that the hard work is paying off. It’s Ryan today and it could be any one of you tomorrow.” A response of “Yeah, whatever!” rattled through my head. As much as I wanted to believe him, his words fell flat. Any positivity that could have been gained from
Ski van antics in Chile.
Training in pea soup in Finland.
The team during training at Schladming in 2006.
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IT WAS ELECTRIFYING TO FIND MYSELF AMONG THE PROVINCE’S BEST RACERS. I KNEW MOST OF THEM, EITHER FROM MY HOME CLUB OR FROM RACING AGAINST THEM AND WATCHING THEM STAND ON TOP OF THE PODIUM.
Coach Marc Gagnon.
the day was engulfed by my own frustrations. Before letting us go, Mark told us there would be an awards ceremony in town later that afternoon. He encouraged us to join him and Ryan, but ultimately left the choice to us. With travel planned for the next day, most of the team’s attention was on packing our gear to move to the next hotel rather than the ceremony. I was in this camp and wanted to stay behind. Why should I go? What good is it for me? Aren’t I better off staying behind to get some rest? I can fit in a good dryland session for recovery! This was the argument I was having with myself back in my room. But Mark’s words hung in my mind. I could also hear my mom saying something like “It’s more important to be a good sportsman than a champion” followed by my old B.C. team coach telling me in his Slovenian accent, “We are a team, dammit! We all go to the awards!” The feeling that I should go and support Ryan sat like a stubborn rock that would not move. Whether it was this or my own superstition that I would be upsetting the ski gods, I decided to join Mark and Ryan for the awards ceremony. As we walked into the gymnasium of the small elementary school in town, I started to feel my mood lighten. Ryan’s excitement and happiness were contagious, and I had enjoyed joking around with him on the
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ride down. We settled into a light conversation with some French racers. Well, more accurately, Ryan did, and I hung on the edge of the circle trying to keep up by smiling and nodding along with the laughter. Even though I only understood about 30 per cent of what was being said, it was awesome! I felt part of the bigger ski racing circuit and was enjoying the international culture. Maybe Mark was right – this was a day for all of us to celebrate. The organizers started to gather near the stage, signalling the awards were about to begin. Ryan casually made his way toward them, and my attention moved with him until I saw Jean-Pierre Vidal standing beside the podium. JP was still a year away from winning his slalom gold medal at the Salt Lake Olympic Games, but he was already a local hero and World Cup star who had come back to race and speak at the event. I remained in the middle of the room with Mark listening to the speakers and watching Ryan stand with the other winners preparing their skis for that allimportant podium sponsor shot. With this scene in front of me, I was unexpectedly hit with a wave of sadness and pointless questions. Why couldn’t it be me up there? Why couldn’t I perform like Ryan did? I want it more than he does! What more do I have to do so it’s me up there? I instantly went from feeling like I had won a medal too to feeling like my dreams would never be. I can see why part of me didn’t want to come to the awards – it was making me face the reality of my own fears. Nothing good was happening while I was lost in my mind, so thankfully the announcer’s voice over the microphone pulled me back into the room. “Et en deuxième position, Ryan Semple!” The noise in my head quieted as I watched my teammate climb onto the podium, remove his hat and receive his medal plus a kiss on each cheek. He stood with a proud smile, and I stood watching in complete silence. As the winners lifted their skis high in celebration, applause from the crowd of 50 or so parents, coaches, teammates and volunteers filled the room. Amid the cheers, my sadness, questions and doubts finally melted away. My teammate, training partner, roommate and friend had done it! I stood in this room with him, joked with him, raced and had successes and failures with him. He was one of us, and we were one with him. In the light of Ryan’s success, I could once again see what was possible, and I started to believe again in my own dreams.
GOLDEN GIRL MARIELLE THOMPSON HAS STORMED BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PODIUM By Christina Newberry
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or Marielle Thompson, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in women’s ski cross, sport is a family affair. Her brother, Broderick – recently named to the Canadian men’s alpine ski team – likes to claim some responsibility for his sister’s success. (“Probably quite accurate,” she says. “He was always that younger brother giving me the push I needed. We’re close for sure.”) Little sister Tess skied competitively until age 13, and parents Rod and Pam are both former ski instructors who now ski “just for fun” with their kids. Rod recently retired from Whistler Secondary School, where he oversaw a program that allowed student athletes to maintain their rigorous training schedules, and he’s volunteered at the Nakiska start gate the last few years. It’s all natural for a family based in Whistler, B.C., the mountain town that’s produced both of Canada’s women’s ski cross gold medalists. “It’s a very active community, and everyone’s really supportive of sport,” Thompson said. “It makes for good athletes.” Thompson was in grade 12 when she watched fellow Whistler Mountain Ski Club member Ashleigh McIvor win Olympic ski cross gold in 2010. “I’ve known Ashley since I was little, so it was really inspiring to know that someone coming out of Whistler can win an Olympic gold medal,” Thompson said. “I was thinking it would be so cool if I could do that, but I didn’t think it would be realistic in four years’ time.” Pam, though, always knew her daughter was destined for great things. “When people ask her if she expected her child to win the Olympics, she’s like, ‘Well, yeah!’” Thompson said. The 23-year-old says she has a reputation for being serious, but the truth is she’s sometimes anything but. “When I’m ski racing, I guess I don’t show a lot of emotion on my face, so people think I’m always mad. I give the impression that I’m not happy, but I’m usually
RETURNING FROM A SEASON-ENDING MENISCUS INJURY IN FEBRUARY 2015, THOMPSON SAYS SHE’S READY TO COMPETE. just in the zone when I’m skiing.” She gets in that zone by listening to Taylor Swift or Katy Perry songs, “pump-up jams” she chooses because they’re positive and easy to sing along to. Off the hill, Thomson loves any music she can belt out, from oldies like Marvin Gaye to the “old-school rap” she’s picked up from the guys on her team. She spends her off-mountain winter hours skating and playing shinny, and her summers hiking, swimming and paddleboarding – plus playing slo-pitch on a team that includes all five members of the Thompson clan. Returning from a season-ending meniscus injury in February 2015, Thompson says she’s ready to compete. “I feel really good,” she said. “I think I can be back where I was.” Thompson’s last full season (2013–14) ended with her second crystal globe, making where she was a pretty ambitious place to reach. She’s off to a promising start, reaching the top of the podium in her first event of the season. You can bet at least four other people’s expectations are equally high: Broderick, Tess, and Mom and Dad.
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Presented by Mackenzie Investments
ATHLETE FEATURE: CASSIE SHARPE
UNDERDOG NO MORE THE WORLD HAS TAKEN NOTICE: CASSIE SHARPE HAS HALFPIPE ALL FIGURED OUT By Gordie Bowles
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Photo: Graeme Meikeljohn
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o longer a rookie and no longer an underdog, Cassie Sharpe, likely Canada’s best halfpipe skier since the late Sarah Burke, has used creativity – and an ability to push the envelope – for a rapid ascent up the freestyle ranks. The 23-year-old, whose outstanding rookie season in 2015 included a World Cup victory and a silver at the world championships in Kreischberg, Austria, has caught the attention of many in the freestyle world. Sharpe’s family moved from Calgary, Alta., to Comox, B.C., when she was young, and she quickly found a path to the park that sparked a promising career in snowsports. While her dad, Don, was busy in his new position as director of business operations for Mount Washington Alpine Resort, Cassie and her brother explored the mountain. “Dad would drop us off for lessons, but we had an arrangement with our instructor at Mt. Washington where we’d hit the park but come back for the end of the lessons,” she says with a laugh. “But my Dad eventually figured it out.” Most of Sharpe’s training in the pipe has taken place back on the other side of the Rockies, in Calgary, but she credits her love of skiing to the slopes of Mt. Washington. “When I was more
focused on slopestyle, I’d hit the rails, but mostly I just love cruising the hills, having fun.” Her move into the pipe happened organically and serendipitously, like other moments that have propelled her through the sport. Competing in an event at Northstar at Tahoe, Nev., in 2012 with the B.C. Team, Sharpe’s performance was well below expectations in the slopestyle competition. Her coach at the time, Mike Shaw, suggested she pop over and try the pipe. She signed up for the next day’s event – and won. Shaw coached Sharpe on the Winsport team over the next two years, building her skills in the pipe until a major injury put him on the sideline. While coaching the B.C. team at an event in 2013, Shaw miscalculated a jump while freeskiing, causing him to land in soft snow, his feet rising up over his head. He dislocated his neck, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. “It was horrible,” Sharpe said, recalling the traumatic experience. She said the team proudly wore, tweeted and promoted the #makemikeproud hashtag during his recovery. That recovery has been nearly miraculous, with Shaw walking a 5-kilometre charity event for spinal cord awareness in Vancouver in July 2015 and finishing in just under 90 minutes. Even with her coach permanently on the sidelines, Sharpe skyrocketed onto the national team – “a game changer” for her. Under national team head coach Trennon Paynter and assistant Marc MacDonnell, she quickly learned the ropes at the next level. “They’re incredible coaches. They taught me all the technical details, the finer points of tricks and positioning,” Sharpe said. Paynter’s creative coaching, which has developed some of the best halfpipe skiers of this generation, made an immediate impact on Sharpe’s performance. His outside-the-box teaching includes techniques such as teaming up with Cirque du Soleil for a few freestyle team members to learn on the Russian swing, a structure that allows athletes to propel themselves high into the
air before launching into the water. For her part, Sharpe has relied on her signature trick, the left cork nine. She is to date the only woman in halfpipe to incorporate this maneuver in competition. “I was told by a few people that I probably went the highest upside down that any woman has in the sport,” she said. “It’s super cool to be able to push the sport and push everyone around me.” But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Sharpe suffered her own setback in April 2015, breaking an ankle, but she was back on snow – with renewed focus – at a September pre-season camp in New Zealand. “I had to put my foot back into the boot for the first time and get back on the snow,” she said. “Definitely a big mind block. But with positivity and a little bit of love, you can do anything.” Since then it has been a steady march of progress, including a second place finish at the Dew Tour opener in Breckenridge in December. “The year before I made the team, there were two groups: the top dogs and the underdogs. I was part of the underdogs. Then, last year, it was a coming out for me, where I started to hang with the top dogs,” Sharpe laughed. “That was a big step for me ... it’s like being part of the industry as opposed to looking into the industry.” Now with big competition experience, Sharpe is motivated to improve her abilities and strength – as well as clean up her “switch riding” – to push her limits in the pipe. “And I have a few other tricks up my sleeve,” she said.
“THEY’RE INCREDIBLE COACHES. THEY TAUGHT ME ALL THE TECHNICAL DETAILS, THE FINER POINTS OF TRICKS AND POSITIONING.”
Mackenzie Investments fuels the passion of winter athletes across Canada with its sponsorship of seven of the national snowsports organizations as well as Alpine Ontario.
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LAST WORD THE NEED FOR CANADIAN COACHES DEVELOPING AND MENTORING COACHES KEY TO CREATING A CANADIAN CULTURE AT THE HIGHEST COACHING RANKS By Max Gartner
Canadian team coach Valerio Ghirardi talking over the game plan with Val Grenier at the Lake Louise World Cup in December. Photo: Michel Painchaud.
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recently had the privilege of working as a consultant on a coaching enhancement project for the Canadian Olympic Committee, Own the Podium and the Coaching Association of Canada. The plan was to dig deep into elite coaching and examine the status of coaching in Canada. We know that it is essential for Canada to have the best coaches if we want to compete for the top spot in
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winter sports. But how do we find those coaches, develop them and keep them here in Canada? In many of our marquee sports, the top coaches are Canadian and are entrenched in the sports system. Canada needs to ensure these talented and dedicated coaches don’t get lured away by other countries. In other snowsports, Canada currently relies on recruiting expertise from other
countries to ensure our athletes have world-leading coaching. This strategy may work in the short term but leads to long-term challenges on many fronts. I have always been a proponent of providing the best coaches for our athletes. At the same time, I think it is crucial to have a healthy balance of Canadian coaches on staff to make sure that the Canadian culture remains part of the
environment for our athletes. This is a critical factor when forming the coaching staff for any team. Let’s take a closer look at a few Canadian snowsports. Canada is a powerhouse in freestyle skiing. The Canadian moguls team has dominated on the world stage for years. The coaches on the team are all Canadian, so there are no cultural difference issues. The coaches all identify with Canada and are passionate about putting Canadian athletes on the podium. The risk for Canada is protecting them from burnout. There is also the major risk that other countries will recruit these great coaches because they want Canadian expertise. In the new Olympic snowsports of slopestyle and halfpipe, the top sport expertise comes from North America. The sports were developed here, and North American coaching is at the forefront, including worldleading coaching in Canada. When necessary, integrating American coaches into the Canadian sport culture is much easier than integrating European coaches with very different cultural backgrounds. Cross-country skiing and alpine racing both have deep European roots. The industries supplying and supporting these sports are also all based in central Europe. In both of these sports, it is a constant challenge to maintain the Canadian culture while providing the best coaching staff. Canada has a history of bringing in Europeans who are well connected in the heartland of ski racing, and alpine has relied on these European coaches for decades. Some of them, like me, have fully committed to Canada and made Canada home. I qualify these coaches as Canadian. But the current roster of lead Canadian alpine ski team coaches is almost exclusively European. The Canadian culture could potentially be lost in this environment. Interestingly,
Lindsey Vonn and coach reviewing line and strategy at Lake Louise in December. Photo: Michel Painchaud.
many Canadian-born alpine coaches have recently been recruited by other countries to lead their teams: Paul Kristofic, a former men’s head coach, is now leading the powerful American women’s team, and Tim Gfeller, a past women’s technical coach, is the head of the Norwegian women’s team. As an Austrian by birth but a Canadian by choice, I find the sports of hockey and curling very interesting. Both sports have developed a Canadian culture that is systemic from the entry level to the elite levels. Coaches come into the system and have a certain freedom to lead and coach in their own way, yet the Canadian culture remains true to the sport. This is the best of both worlds. Across all sports, there needs to be continued focus on developing Canadian coaches – coaches that understand the Canadian systems and the intricate culture of each sport. Just as we seek out and identify athletes with potential, we should scout, develop and mentor coaches. A great example of a young Canadian coach worthy of mentorship is the 2009 world downhill champion, John Kucera, who is in his second year of coaching with
the Canadian alpine ski team, in charge of the up-and-comers. John reached the top of the sport by working harder than most and never leaving a stone unturned. This approach will undoubtedly allow him to develop into a world-class coach. He already has unmatched experience and knowledge to share, but it is critical for him to have mentorship and support to equip him with all the tools he needs to continue to develop. With guidance, he has the makings of a major difference-maker for Canada’s elite. For lasting success, it’s time for all sports to develop a true Canadian culture – to mentor and develop Canadian coaches who will lead our teams and athletes to the top of the podium on the world stage.
M ax Gartner is the former CEO/ president of Alpine Canada, and a longtime coach, program director and ski racing dad.
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From left to right: Valérie Grenier, Laurence St. Germain, Erin Mielzynski, Marie-Michéle Gagnon, Marie-Piere-Préfontaine, Mikaela Tommy, Candace Crawford. Photo: Alpine Canada Alpin.
W WALL CANDY
hat good is a wax room without something to hang on the wall? Customized 2016 calendars are everywhere, including the “skin suit” calendar produced for the benefit of the Canadian alpine women’s team. Photographer Perry Thompson documented the team in striking poses prior to the start of the 2015-16 season. Funding cuts have run rampant lately and tight budgets are squeezing many sports ... so the women’s team decided to take matters into their own hands, showing off the slinky suits. “We couldn’t have achieved this without Perry, who volunteered his time, Alpine Canada, who paid for the printing of the calendars, and Helly Hansen, who supplied the suits showcased in every picture of the calendar,” said second-year team member Mikaela Tommy. Order: canadianalpinewomen.blogspot.ca
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