Alberta Alpine extends its sympathy to the family of Jack Sandercock who passed away on Thursday, May 12, 2016. Jack was an Honoured Volunteer who was inducted into the The Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame in November 2015.

Ken Read writes of Mr. Sandercock: “The backbone of ski racing ensures our sport is exciting, fun and safe: rules, penalty calculations, safety standards, homologations, training of officials and race secretaries, committee work. The enormous extent of the work invested each and every year to make racing run smoothly is so often completely overlooked. Yet key individuals devote hundreds of hours annually to ensure it all works like a Swiss watch. For over forty-five years, this has been the world of Jack Sandercock….

Of his many ski racing volunteer highlights, he notes that two certainly were serving on the 1988 Olympics Alpine Events Organizing Committee and as Alberta TD coordinator to work with so many talented volunteers and coaches.”

Mr. Sandercock noted: “In the 2000/2001 Ski Racing Handbook, Alberta Alpine included 2 insights which I value,” said Jack. “These were: What other sport can bring the whole family together and FAST, FRIEND, FUN, FAMILY – and today I would add “FIT” as it applies not only to success in ski racing, but also to the foundation that ski racing brings for future achievements.  But to take forward, always have FUN!”

Read more

Obituary

This year the scholarship committee considered applications from a large  number of amazing racers and were impressed with the number and quality of the applications. This was a very difficult decision, but following discussion, these recipients have been named:

Rob Bosinger Scholarships: Logan Dunn KASC and Cassidy Gray PANO

Ken Read Scholarship: Jamie Casselman PANOW

Dee Read Scholarship: Georgia Burgess

Dave Murray Scholarship: Tyra Collombin BANFF

Brent Marshall Scholarship: Kiara (Kiki) Alexander KASC

Franklin Donald Bean Scholarship: Mike Soetaert AST

Ski Canada Awards : Daniel  Harrison KASC and Avery Lebsack LKLSE

Edmonton Alpine Ski Grant recipients will be announced following selection by the North Zone Scholarship Committee

Congratulations to all of the recipients! And thank you to the scholarship committee for their work.

The storied slopes that rise above the town of Banff have been part of our history, contributed to our culture and to our legacy as a ski racing nation. Since Gus Johnson made the first clearing of runs back in the early 1920’s, Norquay has been where Canadians learned to ski, watched in wonder as fearless jumpers soared off the jumps and World Cup racers challenged the historic slope of the North American.

Banff Mount Norquay is the oldest ski resort in North America. From the modest slopes and lodge for local winter enthusiasts of the Banff Ski Club, Norquay hosted Olympic champions and movie stars such as Toni Sailer and Marilyn Monroe. When Banff sought to build a reputation as an international winter destination, Norquay hosted the Dominion Ski Championships in 1937, 1940 and 1948. The resort was an integral part of two Olympic bids in 1964 and 1968, which led to hosting FIS World Cup races for men and ladies in 1972. Today, it is a proven training ground of champions: World Cup, Olympic and World Championship medalists are Canadians, graduates of the home club: the Banff Alpine Racers.

“To see the multiple generations that have grown up skiing at Norquay is pretty special”, said Andre Quenneville, the mountain General Manager. “When we host the annual Bruno Engler Veterans Race (49th edition this winter) it’s not unusual to have families with three generations who have skied our mountain.”

Don’t be surprised to ride a lift sitting beside legendary personalities. Leo Berchtold probably holds the benchmark for continuity, having skied the mountain sixty winters in a row. SkiBig3 Ambassador, Vice Goyette, who works evenings as the pizza delivery for Carlito’s, will do 187 days of skiing with many of those boarding at Norquay. Ed Hunter was born the year Norquay opened and skis every slope including Head Hunter. Giv’er Grandi, Monod’s Legacy and Bruno’s are runs named to reflect the sense of place that makes Norquay part of our history. The new training run, Silver Legacy, is a statement of accomplishment and hope: recognition for athletes from the Banff Alpine Racers who have scored World Championship silver medals, with the hope their accomplishments will inspire our future champions to aim for gold.

“Norquay is a valued partner of our sport”, said Nigel Loring, President of Alberta Alpine. “The Weekend Warriors program has been the first introduction to the mountains for thousands of new skiers. The support of the mountain for races at every level is incredible. We are thrilled to give special recognition as our way to say ‘thank you’ for the support to our athletes, to the entire ski and snowboard community and for providing incredible leadership in our sport.”

Alberta Alpine and the Friends of Alberta Ski Team congratulate Banff Mount Norquay for 90 years of introducing enthusiasts to snowsports and support of ski racing. Join us to recognize her contribution to alpine ski racing at the 47th Return of the Champions at the Calgary Petroleum Club on Tuesday, November 10th. The “Return of the Champions” is an Alberta Alpine event. All funds raised are to support athlete development and Alberta Alpine programs.

Below left: Mount Norquay 1972 World Cup. Below centre: Marilyn Monroe riding the chair at Mt. Norquay Below right: Quikies Group at Mount Norquay circa early 80’s

Like so many parents who encouraged their children to take up ski racing, Phyllis Kennedy had no idea what she was in for. But once the hook was landed, “I have met some of the nicest and greatest people, both as volunteers and athletes in the world”, said our Honoured Lifetime Official for the Class of 2015.

Starting out at Canada Olympic Park where she had registered her son, Adam, in lessons to learn to ski, watching the Paskapoo Open Slalom race “I thought it would be something he would like to try’ continued Phyllis. “So we registered him in the K2 program with the Paskapoo Ski Club and that was the start of my volunteer career”.

It was the very next year when the club came calling, recruiting her for the Race Office. “I asked two very stupid questions: 1. Was it hard? (not difficult to guess the answer – it was ‘No, not at all’) and 2. Was it fun? (the answer – Oh yes, lots.).
In short, because of that conversation, I started my journey as a volunteer in the Race Office.”

Since that inauspicious launch, Phyllis has become a welcome foundation to many events across western Canada, working with Race Organizers at every level, from U14 right to the World Cup. “During that time I have had many adventures,” said Phyllis. “Most good and some down right terrifying and I wouldn’t have traded them for anything.”

Her highlight throughout it all is thanks to one of the legendary athletes of our sport. “During all that time and ‘adventuring’, the highlight was when I volunteered as the Race Administrator for the Masters National Canadian Championships in Sun Peaks. It was there that I met and worked with Nancy Greene who I absolutely worshiped when I was a teenager.”

“I have done this long enough that I’ve seen athletes from the K2 level skiing on the National Team which is starting to make me feel very old. What keeps me coming back? Aside from the nice people thing, it is the challenge of starting from scratch with a race being calendared, organizing and running the race office and ending with a set of race results which counts for points.”

We can never thank our volunteers and officials enough for the long hours they invest in our sport. The role of Race Administrator is a particularly thankless one, too often working long hours in the office, rather than out on the hill. “During races, I often have athletes come in to the race office and thank us for the work that we do,’ said Phyllis. “My reply is: ‘if it weren’t for them, there would not be a race’. As volunteers, we should never lose sight that we are here to support our athletes at all levels and ensure they have the best experience possible.”

Fast skis and a faster course!!!

Alberta Alpine and the Friends of Alberta Ski Team congratulate Phyllis Kennedy for her induction into the Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame as our Honoured Official.

Join us to recognize her contribution to alpine ski racing at the 47th Return of the Champions at the Calgary Petroleum Club on Tuesday, November 10th. The “Return of the Champions” is an Alberta Alpine event. All funds raised are to support athlete development and Alberta Alpine programs.

If passion for skiing is the critical difference in success in ski racing, then it is no wonder Mike Wiegele mentored three World Cup winners and established two enormously successful ski clubs. With his infectious cry of “Let’s go skiing!” for over fifty years Mike has been shaping ski racing and winter sport in Canada.

Emigrating to Canada in 1959 from his native Austria, who could have known that less than twenty years later one of his young Canadian protégés would return to win a World Cup downhill in Schladming, not far from his native Kärnten. Through his leadership of both the Lake Louise Ski Club and founding of the Bow Valley Quikkies and Banff Alpine Racers, Mike had direct influence on three Canadians who scored 26 World Cup podiums, including 8 victories as well as a very long list of athletes who had successful careers with the Canadian Alpine Ski Team.

When you speak with Mike about ski racing, you see enthusiasm shine in his eyes. “When I raced in Austria and later in Canada, I always went skiing after the race was done. At the end of the season, my friends would call me up to come to the year-end banquets, where I would receive all these trophies, because I had missed the awards ceremonies as I was out skiing after every race. I just loved it so much!”

His eyes were set on western Canada, but his racing and instructing initially took him away to more active ski communities. Mike worked with the legendary Ernie McCulloch at Mont-Tremblant (1960) and raced in the United States with ski racing greats Billy Kidd, Jimmie Heuga and Buddy Werner. But armed with some good advice from Hannes Schroll, Director of the Sugar Bowl Ski School in Lake Tahoe, California found Mike headed back to Canada (Mike was working in his ski school at the time). “He asked me “what do you want to do?” and then shared with me “If you want to leave your mark on this sport, go back up to Canada. Find yourself a good mountain with deep snow. And develop that.”

So in 1966, Mike became the Founding Director of the Lake Louise ski school where he also established a racing program. It started a life-long partnership with his wife Bonnie that would transform Canadian ski racing. “Bonnie and I loved to work with kids”, continued Mike. “With her gymnastic and syncro swimming background, we could offer a multi-sport training environment which helped with the regular dryland program. We knew kids loved to go fast, so we focused on giant slalom and downhill, particularly the fundamentals of downhill because we had a great hill to work with (Lake Louise). We were never afraid to stand up and fight for what is best for a youngster.” And the goal was to instill a core passion for skiing. “You have to love skiing more than racing,” added Mike. “That’s what drives you to get out there on your own, no one to argue with. To develop that line and the feeling for the flow, that’s what makes you successful.”

“When I first came to Canada, I could see the shortcomings in organization” said Mike. “It was a real uphill battle as we didn’t have role models or a legacy of winners like the Austrians. But what we did have was great parent support in the club. I could rely on an amazing group of families to run the races and support the club. That made up the difference”.

Firmly establishing the philosophy of ski racing excellence within the culture of two of Canada’s leading ski clubs has left an enduring legacy of excellence. “It’s a cycle” says Mike. “I wanted to be sure every youngster loved skiing. From this, I knew they would be motivated to be better. And I always wanted them to respect the sport and the mountain. We balanced the mix between gates and free-skiing so we could ski all day. These, are the fundamentals of skiing.”

Not many coaches working at the club level have the chance to work with three athletes – Thomas Grandi, Cary Mullen and Ken Read – that found success on the world stage. “I could see the fundamentals when they were developing” said Mike. “They worked hard, skied smart and listened. I would tell them what to do and the next run, they would do it. And they all loved to ski.” When asked what he felt when each won on the World Cup, Mike went very quiet for a moment. Then, with emotion in his voice he simply said “awesome, just awesome.”

From ski schools and ski racing, Mike harnessed that passion towards his next venture, founding Mike Wiegele Heli-Skiing, which has brought the spectacular beauty of the Caribou-Monashees to thousands of powder enthusiasts. The family owned operation is now led by his daughter, Michelle. He continues to support ski racing in Canada as a sponsor of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, offering end of season skiing to successful members of the Team. And it’s not unusual to find an Olympic Champion, such as Marcel Hirscher, dropping in for some epic powder days.

Alberta Alpine and the Friends of Alberta Ski Team congratulate Mike Wiegele for his induction into the Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame as an Honoured Lifetime Builder. Join us to recognize his contribution to alpine ski racing at the 47th Return of the Champions at the Calgary Petroleum Club on Tuesday, November 10th. The “Return of the Champions” is an Alberta Alpine event. All funds raised are to support athlete development and Alberta Alpine programs.

The backbone of ski racing ensures our sport is exciting, fun and safe: rules, penalty calculations, safety standards, homologations, training of officials and race secretaries, committee work. The enormous extent of the work invested each and every year to make racing run smoothly is so often completely overlooked. Yet key individuals devote hundreds of hours annually to ensure it all works like a Swiss watch.

For over forty-five years, this has been the world of Jack Sandercock.

Starting out as a ski instructor, then on to coaching which naturally led to organizing events, serving on boards and into the world officials: technical delegate, a leader in officials training and coordination and a member of countless committees. Jack has worked on races at every level. All with one aim: making it better.

Like so many families, the four Sandercock girls joined the Nancy Greene League program, which drew Jack into a coaching role at the grassroots. He shared his enthusiasm for the sport and his leadership skills with the Skimeisters of Calgary and was a charter member of the Westcastle Ski Club.

This foundation led naturally into the officials world. “There were so many highlights but two certainly were serving on the 1988 Olympics Alpine Events Organizing Committee and as Alberta TD coordinator to work with so many talented volunteers and coaches.”

His work with officials within Alberta led to another leadership role as FIS TD liaison for western Canada and to the National Officials Committee. In this role, Jack played an important role in developing courses for race secretaries and timing, working closely with Ron Measures (Class of 2014 Honoured Official) in developing a specific course for Coaches Level 2 Officials qualification, offering standardized cross-Canada training, digitizing and making them available for the first time on the web.

“In the 2000/2001 Ski Racing Handbook, Alberta Alpine included 2 insights which I value,” said Jack. “These were: What other sport can bring the whole family together and FAST, FRIEND, FUN, FAMILY – and today I would add “FIT” as it applies not only to success in ski racing, but also to the foundation that ski racing brings for future achievements.  But to take forward, always have FUN!”

Jack also served our sport as a long-time member of the Alberta Alpine scholarships and awards committee, which annually recognizes athletes at every level of ski racing.

“I am very honoured to accept the nomination in the Honored Volunteer category of the Canadian Rockies Ski Hall of Fame, Class of 2015” said Jack. “It is indeed very special to be selected from the hundreds of volunteers in the ski racing community, and to be included with this year’s inductees and those of previous years.”

Alberta Alpine and the Friends of Alberta Ski Team congratulate Jack Sandercock for his induction into the Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame as an Honoured Lifetime Volunteer. Join us to recognize his contribution to alpine ski racing at the 47th Return of the Champions at the Calgary Petroleum Club on Tuesday, November 10th. The “Return of the Champions” is an Alberta Alpine event. All funds raised are to support athlete development and Alberta Alpine programs.