Hi Everyone

Well, our first race of the season is now in the books this past weekend. The participation was great at the Rabbit Hill Open with 70 girls and close to 100 boys!

I would like to thank Rabbit Hill Resort the Rabbit Hill Race Club and all the volunteers who helped put on the two-day event. It was windy one but the event was a great success.

As with the start of the new race season underway, it also brings to a close the past year. The past season has brought AASA renewed energy with the new strategic plan and a new President (Rob) and Provincial Program Director (Gavin) to the forefront of AASA.

I hope some of you and your members had a chance to meet the guys this past weekend at Rabbit Hill.  Both of them are very supportive of our North Zone and truly believe in our success and growth.

Rob and Gavin both originally started their ski careers at smaller hills such as ours and understand the success and challenges we face. You will be seeing a lot of them at our North Zone events in 2019 and beyond.

The upcoming race season will be an exciting one with the CWG being held in Alberta this year. I hope you have the chance to take in some of the events (and not only skiing) if the opportunity arises.

A reminder that the next North Zone Chairs Meeting is scheduled for January 16^th at 6:00 pm Boardroom 1, Percy Page Centre.

At this time I would like to wish all Clubs and their membership A Very Merry Christmas and Season Greetings and a Happy New Year!

Please have a safe and enjoyable time with friends and family and see you in the New Year.

Thanks

Charles Gushaty

Alberta Alpine North Zone Chair
Alberta Alpine Ski Association

As part of a club’s annual registration process, all Alberta Alpine member athletes must sign off on the AASA Concussion Policy Consent Form (Concussion Acknowledgement Form). The next part of this process is what to do IF you get a concussion. Below are 4 quick steps, as part of the AASA Concussion Policy, that are to be followed by either the coach, parent or program director.

Concussion Policy Process:

If your child or athlete has a concussion (to be done by parent or coach);

STEP 1

Notify Alberta Alpine of athlete’s concussion – send email to memberservices@albertaalpine.ca

Info to include;

• Date of incident
• Full name
• Club
• Age Group
• Name of Coach or Parent
• Email of Coach or Parent

STEP 2

The athlete is put on the Concussion Protocol List – this list is sent to all ROC’s and athletes are NOT allowed to race until they’re removed.

STEP 3

Have athlete/parent take AASA Medical Evaluation Form to the doctor or hospital.

STEP 4

Once a doctor has signed the AASA Medical Evaluation Form, scan & email it to Alberta Alpine (Member Services) to have athlete removed from the Concussion Protocol List.

Hello all!

This is my first season as a coach with the Alberta Ski Team and what a ride it’s been so far. I was an athlete with the team for four years between 2010 and 2014 before I transitioned into coaching. Over the past four years, I coached at the FIS, U16 and U14 levels while getting my undergrad in Physical Literacy at Mount Royal University. I knew once I had completed my degree I wanted to coach in the high-performance stream so when an opportunity with the Alberta Team came up it was the perfect fit. I have been with the team since September and am enjoying working with the awesome staff and athletes here.

Most recently, November saw the boys at Alberta Alpine trying to grow upper lip sweaters in support of the Movember Foundation. It was fairly successful for some; others….well it’s a good thing we’re here to ski. The team has been on the road for the last little while and is currently in Panorama. With the early season Sun Peaks and Norquay races in the bag, it was time to switch gears to NorAms. Everyone has been putting in work in the gym over the summer months and has had some focused time on snow in the fall which resulted in some podium results for both Claire and Tora at Sun Peaks and Norquay respectively. With these recent results, there is definitely an excitement surrounding the start of the NorAm season. Andrew, Angus, Claire and Ashleigh made their way to Lake Louise following the World Cups for a week of speed NorAms while Caeden and Tora spent the week hitting the books in anticipation of our current two-week push in Panorama. Racing this time of year can be a challenge as it is quite a full schedule. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the athletes will have raced 17 times in 21 days!

The group as a whole has been skiing well and confidence is high coming into these races. Ashleigh, unfortunately, had a crash our first day here in Panorama and is currently at home recovering. She is doing well and should be back with the team soon. We are sending you healing vibes Ash! Seeing a teammate go down is always tough but the team rallied during the first two days of SG which saw some results for the crew as a whole and a NorAm junior podium for Claire. We are looking forward to keeping this momentum rolling into the next five days of tech races. Following the NorAms this week the team will have a day off before the Panorama Christmas FIS Series.  Following the FIS Series, the team will have some time off at home to recharge before we head out east for the next series of tech NorAms.

If you’d like to keep up to date on the team and current happenings check us out on Instagram @albertaskiteam.

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you out on the slopes!

Cheers,  Jonas

Hey everyone!

The team just got back from our first race in Sun Peaks! All of us were eager to get back into racing and finally get this season rolling! Even with challenging conditions, all the AST athletes persevered and still had some great results. We are now back at home preparing for an extremely busy month of racing ahead. First, we had two slalom races in Norquay this past weekend and immediately afterwards we’re headed to Lake Louise for NorAms. Unfortunately, I won’t be racing in the speed events at Lake Louise NorAms, but want to wish everyone good luck! My eyes will be glued to live timing! After Lake Louise, we travel to Panorama for another NorAm series and finish December’s races competing in some more FIS tech races. The team has a full schedule all the way up until the holidays! Anyways, I want to wish everyone good luck in their upcoming season. Can’t wait to see everyone out on the slopes!

Thank you to our generous sponsors; Western GMC Buick, Descente and Sporting Life.

-Tora Hoshizaki

Hey everyone! After our first few weeks on snow at Nakiska, The Alberta Ski Team headed to Kamloops November 19th for our first races of the season in Sun Peaks. We’ve been training with high intensity and volume and pushing each other every day. The first few weeks on snow were about fine-tuning technical and tactical goals everyone was working towards in Saas Fee and getting ready to race!

On Nov 16th we received our team uniform and everyone is super happy with how everything turned out, I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Bruce LeGree and Descente for the gear as well as Sporting life and Western GMC Buick! Wishing everyone good luck with their pre-season training and the rest of their season.

The video I’ve done for my athlete journal comprises of pre-season training at Nakiska and dryland workouts at CSI-Calgary, Winsport.

Thanks,

Caeden Carruthers

Please click on the link below for clarification on the FIS Face & Back Protection for 2018/2019 ski season.

Face and Back Protection

Alpine Canada has been working on a new Long Term Development for Alpine Skiing and before the website is launched, Alberta Alpine & other coaches were able to get a sneak peek during the Fall Coaches Meeting. Below is a quick 1-pager overview of the LTAD as it relates to U12.

LTAD U12 1-pager

NGSL / U10 and under athletes require helmets that fit properly and have been designed for skiing.

U12 athletes require crash helmets with hard ears that have been designed for alpine ski racing but do not need to be FIS approved.

U14 athletes and up require FIS approved helmets.

OH Hey,

It’s finally my turn! I wanted to share with everyone in our community, a collection of daily 1 second videos of the AST, from the last few months. My intention by doing this is to give our world a glimpse of what it is like to be a part of the Alberta Ski Team. We really are a family, we have challenging moments, hilarious moments, a great deal of repetition, but what feels like zero routine. By no means can we capture all of the memories, but this is certainly a starting point. To overlay, our prep phase has consisted of 2 on-snow camps, 3 Dryland blocks, lots of sweat, tears, and determination….. oh…. and a ton of fun!

Check us out on Instagram @albertaskiteam for more adventures of the AST throughout the year. Our race season is quickly approaching as we are back on snow November 5th! It won’t be long before the athletes are pushing out of the start gate. 

Ciao,

Leslie

A Canadian Champion and World Cup athlete, who now brings her passion for ski racing to the next generation

Her record is one of accomplishment. Louise Knight, our Honoured Ski Team alumni, scored her first national title cheered on by her family. That gold in the Canadian Juvenile Championships launched a career that added medal performances at the Canadian Juniors and Seniors, the Pontiac Cup and capturing the overall title in the Alberta Cup. These solid credentials earned her a spot as a member of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, where she raced on the Europa Cup and World Cup Tours.

Like many talented athletes in alpine skiing, Louise’s results earned an NCAA ski scholarship, allowing her to compete in NCAA skiing for New Mexico, before completing her Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy from the University of Alberta.

Louise says she didn’t come from a ski family, but once she was introduced to skiing and ski racing, she was hooked. “I started skiing at the age of 6 with my Dad and older brother, Terry,” said our Honoured Inductee. “At the age of 8, I was invited to race in the final Nancy Green ski race of the season at Marmot Basin.  I had never ski raced before and was ecstatic to be on the winning Jasper team! From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be a ski racer.”

That passion translated quickly into a dedicated work ethic. “I dreamed of being an Olympian,” said Louise. “I was talented, determined, and confident and truly loved everything about skiing and ski racing; training gates, doing drills, powder skiing, mogul skiing, spring skiing…”

After university and establishing a career, it was her young family that brought Louise back to ski racing. “Although ski racing was my passion, I did not push my children to become ski racers. Admittedly, I was quite relieved when my oldest son, Jesse, wanted to join the Nancy Green Ski League in Grade 3. This started a whole new chapter for our family, which I never thought would lead to another go around with the Jasper Ski Team!’

Like so many parents, Louise found a way to give more. “My motivation to Coach came from both of my children, who found that racing was simply not as fun, or as rewarding as “the park” or free skiing. They were frustrated with their results, and like many kids, they found Provincial races far too stressful and competitive. It became my mission to make Jasper a more competitive, informed, fun-filled club. I drew on my past experiences and challenges as a ski racer and mentored under Gilbert Wall and Brent Shleppe to help re-shape the Jasper Ski Team to what it is today.”

And she shares a pivotal moment in her coaching career. “If it wasn’t for Jesse’s 10^th place ribbon at the JJO’s when he was 9, I am not sure he would have carried on, Says Louise. “I am therefore a fan of top ten ribbons in all Nancy Green Events!! You never know who might continue racing because of that ribbon!”

Coaching has brought many new highlights as her children and their teammates progressed up the athlete development pathway. “I had always dreamed of winning Olympic Gold, and although I never did, it was great to watch my U12 team sweep the podium at the Jasper Junior Olympics a few years back!” says Louise. “And my proudest moment as a Coach was witnessing our entire Jasper U16 Men’s team qualify for the U16 Canadian Nationals last year, along with my Jasper U14 Team winning a Silver medal at the Alberta Winter Games.”

“It’s the athletes that I work with that bring me the greatest joy!” says Louise. “I support and encourage all athletes regardless of Club, and I strongly believe the Ski Racing Community should always be aware of the influence we have on young athletes. It truly is our job to provide a challenging, supportive and positive experience for all of our ski racers.” Louise recognizes her mentors, Gilbert Wall, Brent Schleppe and all of the coaches she works with, for their support and encouragement. And of course, my older brother Terry, who introduced to me to skiing, my parents and sister who try to never miss a Jasper Race, my patient husband Mike and my 2 most challenging athletes, Jesse and Jake.”

“Ski Racing has been the foundation for my entire life” continues Louise. “It brought me true joy as a young person. It taught me the virtues of hard work and commitment as an adolescent, which led to my NCAA Scholarship and Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy. However, most importantly it has allowed me to share my experience and experiences with many young skiers in Jasper, and throughout Alberta, which hopefully will help them achieve their goals as ski racers.”

The Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame and Alberta Alpine are pleased to recognize Louise Knight, our 2018 Honoured Alberta and Canadian Ski Team Alumni, for her excellence in representing our country and her dedication as a coach to sharing her passion for our sport with the next generation of athletes.

The 2018 Class will be inducted at the Highest Peak Gala, hosted at the Hotel Arts in Calgary on Tuesday, October 30^th. This event was first held in 1968, to support ski racing excellence in Alberta and western Canada. The Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame event is a legacy event with the goal to support future champions in the province, with all proceeds invested into Alberta Ski Racing programs.

A dedicated master of timing, whose passion for ski racing ensures our events run smoothly and fairly

Skiing and ski racing are a life-long passion for our Honoured Lifetime Volunteer, Mark Bowman. “I was around 13 years old and had been skiing since I was 6 but had never been racing or coached, when family friend Joe Irwin (2013 Honoured Builder) encouraged my Dad, Murray, to enrol me in the Lake Louise Ski Club” recalled our Honoured Volunteer. Under the watchful eye of Mike Wiegele (2015 Honoured Builder), his brother Norbert and Andre Schwartz, Mark honed his ski racing skills alongside teammate Mike Irwin (2015 Honoured AST alumni) to be named to the Alberta Ski Team four years later.

Ski racing is core to the Bowman family. Mark had the opportunity to race across Canada in Nor-Am, Pontiac Cup and in Canadian Championships, an experience he shared with his wife, Pamela and daughter Rachel. “I’m proud that both myself and my daughter Rachel raced in the Pontiac Cup Series – one of Canada’s longest-ever running title sponsor race series.”

Following his post-competitive student days at the University of Calgary, it was the first World Cup downhill to be staged in Canada at Lake Louise in 1980 that brought Mark back into the ski racing community. This landmark event and the 1988 Olympic Games found him back onto the track on race crews. “In 1988, I was praying my assigned slalom poles would stay in place during the last 3 racers of the men’s 2nd SL run which was won by Alberto Tomba.”

Mark’s commitment to ski racing really ramped up in the usual manner of ski families. Both Mark and Pamela began to volunteer at events with the Banff Alpine Racers in support of their daughter Rachel. But a nagging hip injury led to a life-altering change of focus. ‘It was Bill Irwin who suggested “if I could ‘hobble over to the finish line they could probably use a hand with some timing stuff’.  I didn’t see it coming – and fell for it hook, line and sinker.  I had no idea how the timing systems worked and it appealed to my curiosity and interest in technology, plus I understood how critical it is to have reliable results with no delays. Nobody wants timing to be the reason the awards are delayed.”

He quickly progressed to becoming the “timing guru” for the club, which of course led to assignments across western Canada for FIS, Nor-Am and Canadian Championship events. He was welcomed into the elite level by the late Dick Beare (2016 Honoured Official) and retired Canadian TD Commissioner Ted Savage and partner James Broder who headed up the Winterstart World Cup timing crew at Lake Louise. He also served at other Canadian World Cup venues including Sunshine, Panorama and Whistler.

Timing and volunteering are a valued skill set that has proved invaluable beyond the ski slopes. Mark joined the Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon timing team in 2007.  “I jumped at the chance and within 4 years became the Manager of Timing and Data Operations, which continues to be rewarding through all the acquaintances and genuine friends I have met within the Stampede and also from the 2 other chuckwagon associations.”

Timing is essential to ski racing and the complexity of setting up precision systems on the side of a mountain can come with many stories. “I think it was a fear of failure that led me to setting up all the timing gear each fall” shared Mark. “Testing all the equipment and scenarios I could envision happening on the race course”  – I enlisted Rachel and her kittens to run through the finish eyes randomly to simulate false finishes and overtakes.” Everything from avalanches wiping out starts, sewage leaks in timing rooms and power supplies catching on fire in the timing hut, our Honoured Volunteer has seen it all.

“Volunteering is selfless and brings surprising rewards that you cannot ever imagine, says our Honoured Volunteer. “My father was involved with timing at the Lake Louise Ski Club. My mother was the Race Secretary – and my sister Cindy got dragged into it as well that launched her into working for the 1988 Olympic Organizing Committee. I can’t think of any time in my life that my father wasn’t an active volunteer, and his motto was ‘volunteering is the price you pay to be a full member of that community’. I still volunteer at a number of races each year as it is important to give back to the sport and local clubs and to help train others newer to race timing. It is always great to contribute to the success of a race and I have met many other racer parent volunteers that have become good friends.

Those close friends include fellow dedicated timers Rob Twitchen and Faron Roth with Banff Alpine “we worked totally in synch and would not let each other fail” to Dick Beare and Dave Bartle “The best and most dedicated Alberta Timers” to Bill and Mike Irwin for getting and keeping me involved in timing “How many times did I hear – ‘Hey Bow, we are running this little race next month and could use a timer…” to Darrell MacLachlan “for his unwavering commitment to the program and to excellence”. And on the snow with Mike Wiegele, Andre Schwartz, Mike Irwin, Ken Read “for their expertise, support and drive to improve.”

“I still volunteer at ski races because I like to support the current ROC’s running races, but mainly because I enjoy the friendship and camaraderie developed with other volunteers who have become lifelong friends,” says Mark. “Whether in my business environment or the numerous competitive sports I still participate in, when the pressure is on, I can draw from the experience gained while racing at the levels I achieved. Racing and staying active in skiing not only keeps you fit and outdoors, it connects you to other like-minded people where bonds are formed for life. I met my wife Pamela as a direct result of the racing community, even though she raced and coached in Ontario. Now my daughter Rachel is engaged to Scott Lamacchia whom she met through ski racing about 10 years ago.  Like our Bowman family the Lamacchia family grew up with a similar active outdoor mindset and now they too are set for life – How great is that!”

The Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame and Alberta Alpine are pleased to recognize Mark Bowman, our 2018 Honoured Volunteer, whose passion for ski racing has crossed generations, inspired fellow volunteers and friends and ensured our clubs and race organizers have the essential tools to run accurate, safe and fun events.

The 2018 Class will be inducted at the Highest Peak Gala, hosted at the Hotel Arts in Calgary on Tuesday, October 30^th. This event was first held in 1968, to support ski racing excellence in Alberta and western Canada. The Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame event is a legacy event with the goal to support future champions in the province, with all proceeds invested into Alberta Ski Racing programs.

Dedicated to ensuring the ski racing field of play is safe, secure and ready for speed!

His life in ski racing has been a living example of ‘pay it forward’. From coaching young skiers with two-time World Champion Lucile Wheeler in the Eastern Townships of Quebec in the 1960’s to managing the extensive hardware needed to stage World Cup races nearly 60 years later, Doug Savage has devoted his life to building ski racing for the young ladies and men that aim to represent Canada.

Doug’s early years in the sport centred around coaching and subsequently providing service to National Team athletes with Atomic and Nordica. In the 1980’s, alongside Gord Reece, Doug helped found the Kananaskis Alpine Racing Team when Nakiska was established.

Like so many in our sport, the 1988 Olympic Winter Games were a memorable highlight. “It was a very special experience working as Assistant Chief of Course for the ladies alpine events in 1988,” said Doug. “It inspired me to continue to support athletes and their ski racing dreams.”

The 1988 Games and securing annual World Cup events at Lake Louise meant Alberta had an enormous inventory of equipment to be used for all levels of events across western Canada. Doug’s post-Olympic involvement in our sport took a unique turn after the Games, managing the growing inventory of equipment necessary to stage safe events in alpine ski racing: “A’ nets, “B” nests, Willy-bags, air fences, crowd control fencing …. with material that runs into thousands of metres and which must be maintained continuously and managed to ensure it is delivered, set up properly, taken down and returned for storage and maintenance. Managing race equipment inventory is not exciting, but it is absolutely essential for our sport.

Doug took on the role of Equipment Manager initially with Alberta Alpine and subsequently with Alpine Canada when the scope of this role grew. Managing safety is much more than ensuring the gear is maintained and kept current. “We worked continuously towards making improvements to equipment to ensure the safety of the athletes,” said Doug. “This involved hundreds of minor innovations and most important, working with individuals and companies to support safe and successful racing”.

“I believe that it is all about the kids and their passion for skiing, continues Doug. “Our job is to support these kids in their development both on and off the ski hill, but most importantly, support their love for the sport.”

Doug would describe his sport pathway as different, perhaps a bit unconventional, but he has no regrets. “Ski racing has been a part of my whole life,” he says. “Ski racing and the amazing people I’ve met through this sport have shaped the person I am today and made me a better person. Ski racing has inspired me. I’m so grateful for this journey.”

There are many who inspired our Honoured Builder in his life-long commitment to our sport. From his father, Alfred Savage, “he always told me if you work hard, do a good job and show respect to everyone, you will be a successful person”, to Ron Allision (father of Canadian Team alumni Bobby Allison) “once you start a job, you finish it. Make a plan and stick with it.” To 2016 Honoured Builder, the late Fred Bosinger “he shared long talks about ski racing, the ski community and life, and I will always be grateful for his support and encouragement”

He is quiet, reliable, focused and enormously committed to athletes, volunteers, officials and coaches who work so hard in our sport. And for Doug Savage, this has been his focus, his passion and his legacy: safe ski racing.

The Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame and Alberta Alpine are pleased to recognize Doug Savage, our 2018 Honoured Builder, who has devoted his life to athletes in ski racing to ensure the competitive area of the sport is safe, secure and built so they can focus on skiing fast.

The 2018 Class will be inducted at the Highest Peak Gala, hosted at the Hotel Arts in Calgary on Tuesday, October 30^th. This event was first held in 1968, to support ski racing excellence in Alberta and western Canada. The Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame event is a legacy event with the goal to support future champions in the province, with all proceeds invested into Alberta Ski Racing programs.