JACK SANDERCOCK – HONOURED VOLUNTEER – CANADIAN ROCKIES SKI RACING HALL OF FAME
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.
