ANNUAL REPORT2014-15 Annual Report

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AOA ANNUAL REPORT 2014/15

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AOA Mission Statement /Value Statement ............................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Welcome .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

AOA Strategic Priorities 2014-15 ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Financials .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Division Update ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................11

Membership .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................17

Communications ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................24

Partnerships .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................26

Fundraising ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................30

Programs ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31

Update from Alpine Canada Alpin ...........................................................................................................................................................................................40

Officials Report ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................43

Coaches Report ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................44

Education Project .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................45

Annex A – AOA Administrative Structure ................................................................................................................................................................................47

Annex B – AOA 2013-15 Strategic Plan ....................................................................................................................................................................................49

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AOA Mission Statement /Value Statement

Vision

Promote enjoyment and excellence in ski racing.

Mission

Provide leadership and structure for high quality, sustainable and affordable programming, and communicate the competitive, recreational and lifestyle benefits of ski racing to the community.

Core Values

Excellence, Passion, Competition, Fun, Sportsmanship, Fair Play and Safety

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Welcome

Message from our Chairman On behalf of the Board of Directors of Alpine Ontario I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation for the support that we have received in particular over this past year from our membership across the province. For it was through this continued advocacy that AOA has succeeded in taking some highly material steps forward in securing the financial and operational health of the organization in both the short and long term this past year.

With this in mind I am pleased to briefly report the following highlights that will be subject to much more elaboration during our annual meeting this fall:

1. A major financial milestone was achieved by the organization this past May when we retired all of the legacy debt of the organization that had been part of our financial reporting for the past decade. We can now state that Alpine Ontario is totally debt free.

2. We have put in place strong leadership in the appointment of Scott Barrett as AOA’s Executive Director. Scott is already widely recognized for delivering excellent value to the organization and its membership in a number of critical areas and we are certain this sets the stage for the achievement of many more significant milestones throughout the future.

3. Our dialogue and working partnership with Alpine Canada has improved significantly over the past year in both quality of communication and strategic alignment and cooperation. This renewed partnership will set the stage for significant advances to our sport and membership over the short and long term.

4. The communication with our membership has greatly improved over the past year and as a result we have been able to react to the needs and inputs received by the organization in a more timely and effective manner. We will continue to be vigilant in building on this positive development.

5. New bylaws for our corporation will shortly be approved which will replace legacy and antiquated versions which will position the organization to be compliant with new legislation governing the legal structure of all non for profits in the province.

These five achievements are part of a much longer list we look forward to sharing with our stakeholders later in the calendar year.

In as much as we take great pride in sharing this information with you, we also recognized that none of these elements represent a final outcome as much as a point in an ongoing process of renewal in which your organization has been engaged for some time now. And the goal of that activity is to become a ‘best in class’ PSO which is recognized as such across Canada as well as internationally.

In closing I want to thank our sponsors that continue to provide AOA with the necessary support to achieve all critical objectives and performance milestones as well as those which remain in front of us.

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And I wish also to thank our dedicated staff who has always demonstrated a level of commitment to our membership, sponsors, coaches and athletes that has never been less than world class. Finally, I would be totally remiss if I did not recognize the incredible dedication of our volunteer base. Your continued support is key to our very survival. Thank you!

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and congratulate all of the athletes who participated in each of our hosted programs this past season. Your engagement in this sport with all of your passion, enthusiasm, dedication and commitment, reminds all of us of exactly why we are here and what we need to focus on going forward. The game is about the sport of skiing. Nothing else. And nothing more.

Peter-Paul Du Vernet Chairman, Alpine Ontario Alpin

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Message from our Executive Director We are very pleased to present this Annual Report for 2014-15. The pages that follow will give you a snapshot of the health of ski racing here in Ontario. As our chairman, Peter-Paul Du Vernet outlined, this past season has been an exciting one; from the return of long time Alpine Ontario and Alpine Canada supporter Mackenzie Investments to the exciting Silver medal performance at the Alpine World Championships by athletes from our system, Candace, Erin and Phil, to the tremendous Ontario success achieved at the Canada Winter Games in Prince George. It was a year full of exciting events and great performances!

The staff here at AOA give a huge amount of time and energy into ensuring the AOA vision of Promoting lifelong enjoyment of and excellence in ski racing is met on a daily basis and I would like to thank them all for their unrelenting dedication to our sport and this organization. We are all passionate and share a common objective to the advancement of Ontario ski programs across the entire province.

Of course, without our dedicated partners much of what we do as a community and our ability to have a profound impact on our athletes would not be possible. I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport, Mackenzie Investments, Karbon, Sporting Life, Aviva Canada, Oxford Properties, Cadillac Fairview, Dream Reality, May-McConville Insurance, Porter Airlines, The Toronto Star, Druxy’s and last but certainly not least the NZ Foundation for the continuing pursuit of safety advancements and athlete development not only here in Ontario but across the country.

I would also like to thank the members of the Board of Directors of Alpine Ontario. Their support is of capital importance in achieving our goals and they have given countless hours over the last year to help make ski racing better for everyone in this province.

For our young athletes the benefits of experiencing a ski race are irreplaceable. The lessons and skills that are developed through competition and training include: independence, performance under pressure, teamwork, organization, communication, self-reliance and relationship management. Statistics show that only a very select few will reach the national team and represent Canada on the world stage, however it’s because of everyone involved in this sport here in Ontario from coaches to officials to volunteers who provide a lifelong lesson and instill a passion in our children that set them on a pathway to be leaders in their classroom and eventually major contributors in society. Thank you to all for your continued support.

Have a great summer.

Scott Barrett Executive Director, Alpine Ontario Alpin

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AOA Strategic Priorities 2014-15

*The complete AOA Strategic Plan is included as Annex B

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Financials

Alpine Ontario Statement of Accounts 2013/14

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AOA Statement of Accounts 2012/13

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Division Update

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National Capital Division

A Report from NCD Chair, Terry McLaughlan

High Performance - National Capital Outaouais Ski Team The National Capital Outaouais Ski Team is a development ski program jointly designed by the Outaouais Ski Zone and National Capital Division with the objective of developing the top skiers of the Ottawa/Gatineau region. Since 1999, the NCO Ski Team has been a preeminent ski program on the National and Provincial scene, consistently moving athletes to the Ontario and Quebec provincial ski teams.

Because of the unique relationship with the Outaouais region of Ski Quebec Alpin, athletes representing both regions are part of the team. Currently nine of the 19 athletes are from Ontario.

The U16 team has had quite a busy season with significant success at the provincial level as well as CanAms. Two athletes were chosen to represent Ontario at the 2015 Canada Winter Games as well as Whistler Cup.

NCD 2014-15 Race Season: The National Capital Division is represented in the region by Camp Fortune Ski Club, Calabogie Ski Race Club and Upper Ottawa Valley Ski

Zone. The region has a total of six clubs. With 30+ races in the region from U10 – U18, the NCD clubs hosted 12 of those races. As well, Camp Fortune hosted a 2 day Slalom FIS race and hosted 120 athletes from Eastern Canada and the US. Each of the clubs also ran successful Nancy Greene programs bringing new athletes into racing. All of these races were lead and run by parent volunteers.

A new Super G race was introduced this year for U14s and U10s were introduced to full slalom gates during training. Athletes also competed successfully in Provincials (top 3), CanAms (top 10), and Whistler Cup (top 5).

The NCD clubs strongly supported our coaches; assisting two more to become Performance Level certified this year and one of our former National team member coaches moved from club coaching to the High Performance team.

As a special note, there was a significant increase in parent volunteers becoming officials and NCD clubs ran multiple Level 1 and 2 courses. NCD relies heavily on parents to volunteer for races and parents have continued to be very engaged in running successful races.

Northern Ontario Division

A Message from NOD Chair, Keith Duhan 2014-15 was a great year for the Northern Ontario Division. Our Division numbers were up and we were able to host 4 U12-U18 races, 4

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U12-U21 races for the Mealey Classic at Searchmont, 3 days of Masters racing, and one FUNSki Day at North Bay. We were also this year’s host of the U14 Provincial Championships at Searchmont in Sault St Marie.

There is a lot of energy back in the NOD division with the work to get Searchmont in the Sault homologated to run FIS races. This will get the division fully back into the higher end pathways of the sport.

Elliott Lake also hosted its first race in over 20 years with the division U10-U12 Finals; it was a very successful event.

We held a pre-season camp at Mt Tremblant this season as well as two skills camps later in the season. The skills camps are ensuring racers move through the programs and pathways successfully.

The FUNSki days are a welcome addition from AOA to keep the younger athletes engaged and developing.

Overall it was a great year and snow conditions were the best in years and led to a long fun season.

Lake Superior Division Alpine

Message from the Chair of LSDA Douglas Robinson: “2014-15 Ski season was a success in many ways for LSDA, from

outstanding performances of our athletes, to the successful hosting of the Mackenzie Investments Ontario U16 Provincial Ski Championships. In 2012/13 the LSDA modified its local athlete development model. The change has resulted in participation growth across all age groups and

improved coaching development. Lately we have been relying heavily on volunteer coaches to backfill our paid coaches. Local LSDA Head Coach Shaun Moore is moving on to focus on his contracting business and family. With the location of Thunder Bay and growth in our numbers and scope of LSDA programs, we are challenged to find a way to attract and fund an experienced program leader our ski community now needs. Achieving this is key to the development and long term success of the LSDA.”

LSDA 2014-15 Camps:

Pre-Season:

LSDA ran a technical free ski camp for U12/U14/U16/U18/FIS at Keystone, Colorado late November. Many of our U12/U14/U16/U18/FIS athletes participated at Winter Park Buck Hill Commercial SL and GS camp early December. For those LSDA athletes that did not participate at Keystone and Winter Park camps, a technical free ski camp occurred in Lutsen, Minnesota and at Loch Lomond.

Christmas Camp/Training:

Some of our U12/U14/U16/U18/FIS athletes participated at Buck Hill Christmas SL camp. All others LSDA athletes participated at age appropriate training at Loch Lomond and Mt. Baldy.

Northern Kids Spirit Camp: Our Northern Kids Spirit camp is held mid-February for U14 and under athletes. The purpose of the camp is to engage developmental skiers and to introduce them to their first point’s race that follows on the next day.

U10/U12/U14 Challenge:

Our Mid-March camp focused on our U14 athletes and encouraged our younger U10 and U12 athletes to excel and chase the U14.

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Spring Camps:

One 4-day skills camp followed by another 2-day skills camp was hosted for all LSDA athletes at Lutsen, Minnesota. A separate 3-day skills camp was hosted simultaneously at Loch Lomond.

High Performance - The 2014-15 LSDA FIS team and U16: In 2012/13 the LSDA modified its local athlete development model. The change has resulted in participation growth across all age groups and improved coaching development. The fall pre-season started out with a coordinated community based dryland training program on weekends that augmented individual and club based programs running mid-week. A November free ski camp at Keystone was followed by 5 day gate camp at Winter Park where LSDA kids ski with Eric Sailer and his team from Buck Hill.

Throughout the pre-Christmas, regular season and spring post season, all three local ski hills – Loch Lomond, Mount Baldy and Lutsen (USSA) were used strategically to accomplish our athlete development goals at the club and LSDA Training Group levels. LSDA is a small division with numbers that during mid-week after school training sessions all of the age groups are often found training together. This is an excellent experience for the younger kids in U10/U12/U14.

The stellar performances of our U14 team at the Provincials in Searchmont with overall winners on both the women’s and men’s sides (Sophie Robinson and Aaron Puskas) are a strong indicator that we are doing some things very well in LSDA. The U16 and FIS programs are building very nicely with 85% of the graduating U16’s moving into U18/FIS.

The LSDA is investigating the possibility of joining an early July 4-day dryland camp with Big Thunder Nordic which involves athletes from all across Ontario. This will be the first time Alpine has joined Nordic for combined training and this initiative will help our alpine ski racing

community catch some of the huge momentum of Cross Country here in Thunder Bay - one of Canada’s most productive ski towns.

Lakehead Ski Racing – a new program in LSDA Lakehead Ski Racing is a FIS team, based out of Thunder Bay that provides high level programming to local U18 and University athletes. Training takes place five days a week, with a minimum target of 8 three hour sessions per week. This past season was the maiden voyage for the new team, which saw our two first year FIS athletes get their initial taste of elite level competition and our university racer achieve career best results.

The team's focus is on creating a pathway for athletes to achieve goals both as athletes and students (High School and Post-Secondary). Lakehead Ski Racing enjoys strong community support, close proximity to excellent terrain, ideal racing conditions and ties to Lakehead University's elite athletic facilities and support staff. With the addition of 2 or 3 Lakehead University athletes, Lakehead Ski Racing expects to grow to 8 athletes next year.

LSDA 2014-15 Race Season: LSDA hosted and participated in many races over the 2014-15 race season. Continued success from an extremely successful Masters Series of 10+ races hosted at Loch Lomond and Mt. Baldy. Many of our U12, U14, and U16 athletes participated in some USSA Age Class Central Region 1 races and Region 1 U12 and U14 championships. Our U18 and FIS athletes participated in Central region FIS races, Bromont Super Series and some Collingwood races. Highlights of our race season were the success of athletes; Aaron Puskas U14 Provincial Champion, Sophie Robinson U14 Provincial Champion, and Northrop Johnston being invited to Ontario Team selection camp.

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Mackenzie Investments Ontario U16 Provincial Ski Championships: On behalf of the AOA U16 racing community, LSDA had the pleasure of hosting the Mackenzie Investments Ontario U16 Provincial Alpine Ski Championships in early March. The new format of 6 starts over 5 days lead to athletes becoming very comfortable charging the iconic “Giant” race hill – an indication that the U16 event was a strong athlete development opportunity for participating athletes. Feedback from most athletes/coaches/parents gathered in a post event Survey Monkey indicates that the Giant is a great test and everyone will be happy to return to race in Thunder Bay in the future.

Many thanks go to U16’s ROC Chairman, Dave Bradley and the ROC: Grant Brodeur, Rolf Waffler, Shelagh Duckett, Rose Therrien, Jim Colqhoun, Lindsay Crooks and Carolyn Wiess. Special thanks to TD – Benoit Kisch-Lemyre, The Timing Shack (Gilles Bonniot), Brad Lashley and the rest of the AOA team Scott Barrett, Zack Matthews and Justin Firth (on site) and Robyn Skinner and Andrea Russell (back in the AOA office).

And finally a big shout out to all 100+ volunteers who helped make the event a success. Visit the U16’s website at www.u16ski.ca for a listing of all event sponsors as well as the 2015 Volunteers Wall of Fame and lots of information reflecting how important the U16 group is within the Ontario competitive skiing system. Also, visit the event Facebook Page at: U16 Ontario Provincial Championships for lots of photos, shout outs and interesting tidbits.

Southern Ontario Division

Message from the Chair: Southern Ontario Division Chair, Scott Mikalachki reflects on the 2014-15 season.

“It's hard to believe that another ski season has come to an end! The 2014-15 season marked the launch of some exciting new initiatives centred on athlete development including the U10 FUNSki/Juniper Jam project coordinated through a partnership with Free Style Ontario, the SX circuit partnership with Snowboard Ontario, and the integration of the SOD Ski Team into AOA.

Our SOD clubs hosted 7 of the 9 FUNSki/Juniper Jam events and exposed our division’s 7-9 year old athletes to a field of play that will build well-rounded skiers at this critical age for development. I had the pleasure of attending one of the events at Glacier Ski Club, and it was great to see the kids having such a fantastic time on the hill! The variety of terrain on the course was certainly challenging, but the athletes really tackled the course and it was so enjoyable to watch! We are looking forward to next season as we work to implement feedback gathered during the events this year to further challenge these young athletes as they progress into traditional alpine ski racing and beyond.

SOD also hosted the SX circuit partnership with Snowboard Ontario. Interest in this discipline is at an all-time high due to Canada’s success on the world stage and SOD hopes to develop the next Olympic Champion right here at home. Next season’s SX programming will

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expand to camps and more exposure to SX tracks with the possible return of the World Cup to Collingwood.

Lastly, it has been great to see the SOD Ski Team become part of AOA Programming during the 2014/2015 ski season, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome following the inaugural season. Sincere congratulations to Brad Lashley, the SOD Committee Advisors, and the coaching team for delivering such a solid program. The increase in demand for next season is a true testament to the great work that has been done to provide an exceptional development opportunity for our young FIS athletes. This is a critical stage of development for our athletes, and it is also a time when athletes have chosen to leave the competitive stream of the sport. The intent was to grow the number of FIS athletes coming out of AOA, and in the early days the program has clearly delivered. I am looking forward to another exciting season next year for the SOD Ski Team.

Thanks to all of our membership for your continued support of ski racing in Ontario, and I wish you all a safe and happy summer season!”

HP Team: The Southern Ontario Division Ski Team The 2014/2015 season welcomed the return of the SOD Ski Team. The SOD committee created a new management group to operate this recreated team and by all reports, the team has been a great success.

The team was created to focus on first and second year FIS athletes and create a better defined pathway for our SOD athletes towards the Ontario Ski Team program. This season’s team consisted of only a men’s program. With all of the athletes being in their first year FIS and thus limited to 25 technical starts, under FIS rules, the team was well balanced between training and race events. The program began with a preparation period which included mandatory dryland and pre-season camps. The program then entered the competition period and athletes competed in events in Ontario, Quebec and the eastern United States.

Thank you to SOD Ski Team coach, Taylor Martin for a successful season.

For the 2015/2016 the team looks to grow with double the number of nomination applications being received on the male side and a strong plan to grow the program to include a female team.

Please stay tuned for news on the continuing growth of this SOD initiative.

Races: The Southern Ontario Division hosted over 127 FIS, Masters, U10-U21 (Division 1 and 2 for U14 &U16) races over the 2014-15 season across most of our 33 member clubs.

Camps: AOA ran 10 U10/U12/U14 technical and speed skill development camps during the 2015 season hosted by Caledon, Milton, Beaver Valley, Devils Glen, TSC, Craigleith and Georgian Peaks. 464 athletes participated in these camps that focused on the fundamentals such as balance, pole plant, movement in lower joints and free skiing volume. These camps gave athletes the ability to access great coaching, venues and training with their peers which may not be available at their home clubs. AOA facilitated camps in the three others divisions additionally that provided more opportunities to athletes in those divisions.

AOA hosted an annual Mt. Tremblant, QC pre-season camp and 78 AOA athletes participated. The focus of this camp is to provide an early season development camp to athletes that do not have this opportunity with their home club program. The camp focuses on getting athletes back on their skis, mileage, free skiing drills, and some gate environments, all while working with top level coaches.

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Membership

Total Alpine Ontario 2014-15 Membership

83%

6% 4% 7%

AOA 2014-15 Membership by Division

SOD

NOD

LSDA

Category SOD NOD LSDA NCD Total U8 81 38 15 19 153

U10 747 74 23 52 896

U12 866 42 26 56 990

U14 760 28 23 54 865

U16 538 33 11 35 617

U18 119 6 1 4 130

U21 5 0 0 0 5

FIS 115 3 5 7 130

Masters 132 3 66 6 207

Coaches 428 29 16 34 507

Officials 374 36 29 56 495

General Members 124 34 13 9 180

Total 4289 326 228 332 5175

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Alpine Ontario Athlete Membership by Gender

Age Group Males Females Total U8 78 75 153

U10 460 436 896

U12 474 516 990

U14 446 419 865

U16 322 295 617

U18 65 65 130

U21 3 2 5

FIS 88 42 130

Masters 169 38 207

Total Members 2105 1888 3993

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LSDA Athletes by Category

Age Total Males Females U8 15 10 5

U10 23 11 12

U12 26 14 12

U14 23 10 13

U16 11 6 5

U18 1 1 0

U21 0 0 0

FIS 5 4 1

Masters 66 53 13

Total Members 170 109 61

NCD Athletes by Category

Age Total Males Females U8 19 9 10

U10 52 34 18

U12 56 30 26

U14 54 34 20

U16 35 18 17

U18 4 1 3

U21 0 0 0

FIS 7 3 4

Masters 6 5 1

Total Members 233 134 99

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NOD Athletes by Category

Age Total Males Females U8 38 23 15 U10 74 35 39 U12 42 21 21 U14 28 19 9 U16 33 14 19 U18 6 1 5 U21 0 0 0 FIS 3 2 1 Masters 3 2 1

Total Members 227 117 110

SOD Athletes by Category

Category Total Males Females Div 1-M Div 1-F Div 1-Total Div 2-M Div 2-F Div 2-Total U8 81 36 45 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a U10 747 380 367 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a U12 866 409 457 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a U14 760 383 377 114 108 222 269 269 538 U16 538 284 254 80 62 142 204 192 396 U18 119 62 57 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a U21 5 3 2 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a FIS 115 79 36 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Masters 132 109 23 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Total 3363 1745 1618 194 170 364 473 461 934

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Comparison of Membership by category per division

17%

33% 18%

12%

15%

3% 0%

1% 1%

NOD Athletes by Category U8

U10

U12

U14

U16

U18

U21

FIS

9%

13% 15%

14%

6% 1% 0%

3%

39% LSDA Athletes by Category

U8

U10

U12

U14

U16

U18

U21

FIS

2%

22%

26%

23%

16% 4%

0% 3%

4%

SOD Athletes by Category U8

U10

U12

U14

U16

U18

U21

FIS

8%

22%

24%

23%

15% 2%

0% 3%

3%

NCD Athletes by Category U8

U10

U12

U14

U16

U18

U21

FIS

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North American, National and Provincial FIS Membership

Alpine Ontario Comparative FIS Membership

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Comparative FIS Membership over 5 years

*FIS Numbers for SQA – Quebec Alpine

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Communications

Media releases/Coverage • 43 Press Releases sent to 24 Press contacts

• CTV Barrie coverage of both days of racing at AOA FIS Nik Zoricic Cup

• CTV Barrie featured OST racer Patrick McConville as Athlete of the Week

• Creemore Echo featured article on OST racer Patrick McConville

• Coverage in several regional papers of season results

• Weekly feature of 3-4 Alpine Ontario racers as ‘Sporting Life Athletes of the Week’ in the Toronto Star Sports Section (12 weeks)

RaceLine • 15 Regular e-newsletters sent to 4,000 subscribers

• 43 Special Edition/Media Releases

• 9 Special Content bulletin: Partner/Special promotions

Starting Gate • 2 x Issues of Starting Gate bundled with S Magazine

• Digitized edition of Starting GATE available on AOA website

Website

April 1, 2014 – 31 March, 2015 analytics for www.alpineontario.ca

• Sessions 118,463

• Users: 36,247

• Page views: 539,200

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Social Media

Facebook – Alpine Ontario

Twitter - @AlpineOntario

Instagram – Alpine Ontario • 1200 followers – gained 500 in 2014/15 • Inception – 2013 • 260 posts

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Partnerships Alpine Ontario Alpin Premier Partners:

Mackenzie Investments was founded in 1967, and is a leading investment management firm providing investment advisory and related services. With $72.2 billion in assets under management as of August 31, 2014, Mackenzie Investments distributes its investment services through multiple distribution channels to both retail and institutional investors. Mackenzie Investments is a member of the IGM Financial Inc. (TSX: IGM) group of companies. IGM Financial is one of Canada’s premier financial services companies with approximately $144 billion in total assets under management as at August 31, 2014. For more information, visit www.mackenzieinvestments.com.

Mackenzie Investments provides support to seven premier national snow sport organizations including Alpine Canada Alpin, Biathlon Canada, Canada Snowboard, Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, Cross Country Canada, Nordic Combined Canada and Ski Jumping Canada. Mackenzie Investments is also building on its long history of supporting grassroots alpine skiing in its home province through a new five-year partnership with Alpine Ontario. Mackenzie Investments is the Title Partner of our U10, U12, U14 Series and Title Partner of the Ontario Ski Team.

The Sport, Recreation and Community Programs Division continues to champion participation in sport and recreation activities across the province. The Ontario Government provides funding for Alpine Ontario Alpin allowing us to carry out our ski racing program initiatives from grassroots to elite athletes. With the Ontario government supporting AOA is able to fulfill our mandate as the provincial body for fostering and supporting ski racing in this province while maintaining compliance with international, national and provincial regulations.www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/home.shtml

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Platinum Partners:

Karbon’s commitment to winter sport is twofold: we create winter sportswear that has the technical performance to empower the world’s best athletes, and we sponsor those athletes to help them show the world that there truly are no limits. We’re proud to support athletes at all levels of sport, including our Olympic athletes and also future Olympians through grassroots support. We are privileged to work with elite teams of winter athletes to continuously improve our products. Their feedback allows us to continue to provide the winter sports apparel they need to achieve Olympic gold, and it also lets us share that innovative spirit and performance potential with our customers everywhere. Karbon is the official apparel provider to the Ontario Ski Team and Alpine Ontario. www.karbon.com

The Sporting Life is invigorating, fun, and satisfying and it is ski, après ski and everything in between. It is beach time with the kids or spin class at the club. From perfecting your swing to getting back on the old bike, the Sporting Life is hiking the trails of Algonquin or lounging on a boat in the Andaman Sea. The Sporting Life is the good life, and our customers are living it! Sporting Life is a place where our customers can find the best, quality, brand name fashion and sports equipment that supports the active and energetic lifestyle that our customers live and love. Sporting Life opened in 1979 with the belief that we could offer quality products and well-known brands that enhance our customer’s active lifestyle. Sporting Life has experienced consistent growth over the years, which can be attributed to innovation and excellent customer service, becoming a respected retailer who is known for top-of-the-line sports equipment and fashion. www.sportinglife.ca

There are some things you can plan for and some things you can't. At Aviva Canada, we're committed to delivering peace of mind by making sure you have the insurance you need should the unexpected happen. Aviva is one of the country's leading providers of property and casualty insurance, covering homes, cars, recreational vehicles, groups and businesses and has a team of more than 3,000 employees in over 25 locations serves 1,700 broker partners and three million customers. Aviva Canada is the Title Partner of the AOA U16 Series. www.avivacanada.com

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Proud Partners:

DRUXY'S is Canada's premier chain of quick service delicatessen restaurants. DRUXY'S currently operates 46 restaurants and kiosks in major health care facilities, office towers, shopping centres, museums and airports. DRUXY'S is a privately owned Canadian corporation founded in Toronto in 1976 and now operates throughout Southern Ontario. Druxy’s is the Title Partner of the AOA Masters Series. www.druxys.com

The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited is one of North America’s largest owners, operators and developers of commercial real estate. Cadillac Fairview focuses on developing and managing high quality office, retail and mixed-use properties in Canada and the United States, as well as international investments in real estate companies and investment funds. Cadillac Fairview, together with Dream Reality and Oxford are the title sponsors of AOA’s FIS Series. www.cadillacfairview.com

Dream has grown a lot since they started in 1994, becoming one of Canada’s leading real estate companies with over 1,000 employees, $14.6 billion of assets, and over 58 million square feet of office, industrial and retail space. Dream is committed to building better communities. They believe they not only have the ability, but also the responsibility to contribute to and invest in the communities where we work and play. Dream Reality is a co-title partner of our FIS Series. www.dream.ca

Oxford has played an active role in Canada’s major cities since completing our first development in Edmonton in 1960. Today, we have over $20 billion in assets under management across the country comprising 50 million square feet of Canada’s very best office, retail, multi-residential, industrial and hotel real estate. One number we focus on is “1 million”. Oxford’s Canadian management platform is recognized for innovation, sustainability practices, service excellence and its industry-leading level of tenant satisfaction. Oxford is a co-Title Partner of the AOA FIS Seriew www.oxfordproperties.com

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The Nik Zoricic (NZ) Foundation strives to support athletes as our ambassadors of Ontario and Canada while supporting the development of ski sport in general and its safety in particular. We envision supporting other registered charities whose missions complement ours in terms of the development of ski sport and safety initiatives. NZ’s mission is to support the growth of ski sport in general while minimizing the risk of serious accidents happening due to lack of safe conditions and training. The Nik Zoricic (NZ) Foundation strives to support athletes by facilitating the continuous advocacy of the importance and implementation of safety initiatives in sport. www.nzfoundation.ca

Alpine Canada Alpine (ACA) is the National Sporting Organisation for alpine ski racing (Alpine, SX and Para-Alpine) and a member of Snow Sports Canada. ACA is the parent organisation to Alpine Ontario Alpin and sets many of the programming and athletic standards and regulations for the country under guidance from the International body for ski racing, FIS. Alpine Ontario enjoys a close relationship with ACA and hopes to include many more joint initiatives between the two organizations as well as with other Provincial Sports Organizations, both within alpine skiing as well as across the snow sports spectrum. www.alpinecanada.org

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Fundraising

ACA/AOA Fall Fundraising Party Alpine Canada Alpin hosted a Cocktail Fundraiser at the York Club in Toronto for friends of ACA and AOA. Several members of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team as well as the Ontario Ski Team were on hand for the event. The event hosts were David Beatty, Blake Hutcheson, and Steve MacCulloch, and the keynote speaker was former CAST racer and Ontario native, Kelly VanderBeek. A percentage of funds raised during the evening were given to Alpine Ontario.

AOA World Championships Cocktail Tour Throughout the 2015 winter season, Alpine Ontario hosted 3 events (and 1 campaign) of the Alpine Ontario World Championships Cocktail Tour, with each leg jointly hosted by members of AOA clubs. This season our hosts were Kevin Greer and Kent Paisley representing Caledon Ski Club, Blake and Susan Hutcheson and Brent and Julie Norton representing Osler Bluff Ski Club, and Karen Stemmle and Liisa Savijarvi representing Georgian Peaks. Peter and Shawn McConville of Devil’s Glen also championed a campaign to gather donations on behalf of their club. The 2015 AOA World Championships Cocktail Tour was successful in raising over $75,000 with a significant portion of this going to retire AOA’s longstanding debt to Alpine Canada. Each individual donor received a limited edition jacket from our Platinum Partner, Karbon and was entered into a draw to win a vacation at Kimberly Alpine resorts, provided by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies.

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Programs

Age Group Committees For the 2014-15 season, Alpine Ontario endeavoured to create a more formalized and consistent Age Group Committee structure.

Terms of Reference

Rationale:

To provide a clear process in regard to age group athletic programming and strategic direction for AOA. This process will also act as a mechanism for community feedback to further improve the sport for athletes, coaches, parents and clubs.

Advisory Group Scope:

• To contribute to AOA’s Mission Statement of providing leadership and structure for high quality, sustainable and affordable programming.

• To provide feedback and recommendations to the AOA Technical Director in the areas of program design, race calendaring, selection criteria and coach education. Final programming decisions are to be made by the AOA Technical Director and approved by AOA Board Athletic Committee.

• The committee consists of the 4 Division Chairs, AOA Athletics Representative (Board Elected) and AOA Technical Director.

Advisory Group Composition:

The groups will be led by the AOA Technical Director. The members of each AG will be nominated for a 2 year term by their peers at the annual AOA Summit in May and shall include one representative from outside SOD.

Nominees will then be voted for by the member clubs in attendance. One vote per club. Guidelines for those nominated for AG selection are current coach or program directors at AOA member clubs or a proven leader in the community (official, club representative, CAST/OST alumni, etc.).

Nominees can be a member of only one AG per term. If an AG member resigns during his or her term, the vacancy will be filled at the next annual AOA Summit in the spring.

Annual Communication & Meeting Schedule:

Each Advisory group will meet in person or via conference call at least 4 times per year.

• April: Age Group Meetings

• May: Annual AOA Summit – present summary of feedback and direction for following season

• May: @ Summit Nominate new members of each Age Group Advisory Group

• May: Advisory groups meet and finalize programming decisions

• June: 1 Release final programming decisions to community

• January: Early season review of programs

• Late February: Mid-season review

• March/April: Season review prior to AOA Spring Summit

All committee members once elected and meeting minutes will be published to the AOA website.

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Advisory Group Focus Areas:

The role of the AG’s is to help make Ontario the leading ski racing province in Canada. AG members will be fiercely passionate about the shared goal of seeing Ontarians succeed: club affiliation will have no relevance to this committee.

It will be a forum for critical discussion, the sharing of best practices by industry leaders, and will serve the purpose of holding both AOA staff and industry leaders accountable to a higher level of performance. Examples of some issues that may be discussed at an AG meeting are:

• FIS trends (equipment/calendaring) and how they influence AOA programming;

• Demographical trends and the impact on the delivery of programming;

• Strategies for improving relations with venue operators;

• Monitor race quality trends in the province;

• Provide the option for club programs to have their programs peer reviewed;

• Sharing of best practices – who out there is doing it better that we are?

• Assist with identifying benchmarking events both domestically and internationally;

• Coach education priorities and areas for growth;

• Calendaring tactics and point profile at FIS.

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Ontario Ski Team

2014/15 Ontario Ski Team Roster Coaches:

• Tommy Eckfeldt - Head Coach • Michael Necesanek – Women’s Coach • Cam Mckenzie – Men’s Assistant Coach • Nick Kwasniak – Development Team Coach

Women: Stephanie Currie, Osler Bluff Ski Club Caroline Bartlett, National Ski Academy Emma Woodhouse, National Ski Academy

Men:

• Karl Kuus, TSC Blue Mountain/Toronto • Patrick McConville, Devil's Glen Country Club/London • Aaron Taylor, Holimont Ski Resort/Ancaster • Will McConville, Devil's Glen Country Club/London • Jake Gougeon, Burke Mountain Academy* • David Donaldson, NCAA • Connor Willson, National Ski Academy

Ontario Development Team

Fabian Denis, Devil's Glen Jared Burks, Devil's Glen

*1 Male named to full time invitee status with CAST-Development Team)

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OST Overview: Prep Period Update from Ontario Ski Team Head Coach – Tommy Eckfeldt

Days on Snow: 50

May: Mt Hood 8 days- (4GS/4SL) • Fundamentals with SL and GS on moderate terrain

REFLECTIONS: Unreal conditions, ONLY TEAM THERE. We had great snow, with more freeskiing than we had ever seen at Mt Hood.

RECOMMENDATIONS: This was a relatively hard camp to pull together only because the team had split with several going to college and only 4 returning athletes joining. This camp may have been better in April only with possibly more consistent snow in April in other areas in the future.

June: Mt Hood 8 days - (4GS/4SL)(mixed conditions but useful camp.)

• Fundamentals with SL and GS. • Brushes and stubbies only used • Brush Corridor, picket fence drill, stubbie open corridor,

brush in hand no poles

REFLECTIONS: First project to combine U16 athletes and 1st year FIS age males which worked well. Camp worked fairly well for large size but with limited terrain, it was hard at times to keep the group engaged and keep direct focus of drills at a premium. RECOMMENDATIONS: As one of our first development opportunities for the community and a second or primary camp for the OST, this camp may be better suited in areas where there is more varied

amounts of terrain and longer runs. Keep this a development opportunity for U16 Female athletes and 1st year U18 Males.

August: Mt Hood 8 days - (4GS/4SL) Good camp working on tactics

• GS apex drill, brushes marking turn shape and placement, combination drills

REFLECTIONS: Limited to upper Palmer with lack of snow. Drills were spot on but could have seen more volume on snow. Good to have an option for Ontario Collegiate athletes getting back on snow.

RECOMMENDAITONS: Mt Hood has always been a great fall back for getting on snow this time in the season but getting on snow in areas with better winter snow or longer areas for free skiing would be ideal. Of course, you are limited to what you have available and in budget as New Zealand is extremely expensive as is Chile. Keep up the tactics work this time of year though. Continue offering this camp (or a camp this time of year) to the collegiate group so that they can have an avenue from their home program to keep skiing in the off season.

September: La Parva, Chile 13 days - (2DH/6SG/6GS/3SL) Good camp with lots of double sessions, limited speed training this year with other national teams on the track.

• Double sessions of SG/GS or SG/SL. • Decent amounts of free skiing on speed skis • Raced 2 DH/2SG/SC- used as training

REFLECTIONS: La Parva has been serving us for the last couple seasons at this time of year and has done a great job of getting us high volumes of DH and SG training. This year, there were several extra National Teams that stuck around for extra training which clogged our speed

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venues and timing to get on them. We did get to race a couple DH’s and SG’s which we used as training on a different track at El Colorado. The DH day provided 1 training run and 4 single runs of races for 5 total runs in one day. The SG/SG day had the typical 1 SG run followed by one run of SL. While the DH race did provide great training, the SG/SC race did cut into our total volume of training. RECOMMENDATIONS: This time of year is great to ski; however, it leaves a big hole in what could be a great time to ski in October. As we battle skiing in May/June with new athletes still in school, it may be of consideration to push the entire prep schedule start date to the end of June which would directly accommodate for those athletes in school (U16/U18/Collegiate). We would then look to ski this camp in the end of August or beginning of September followed by a period of skiing in October. This concept is completely budget-dependent though.

November: Summit County, CO 15 days- (2DH/2SG/7GS/7SL w/ 2 SL Races) Varied training locations with limited snow. Made it hard in the beginning to get solid training but snow got better quickly and by the end we had some great sessions of full length SG/DH and steep GS/SL.)

• Skied, Vail, Copper, Loveland, Echo Mtn • Double sessions at Copper and Vail with Speed and Tech • 2 early season SL FIS races • 2 Athletes Foreran lake Louise WC Men and Women

REFLECTIONS: The athletes expressed that they would like to stay out through the US Thanksgiving this year which differed from the previous year where we took a 7 day break prior to starting our competition season and first round of Nor Am races. This change made us start our camp a bit later which was a good thing as Summit County did not have a great start to the ski season with regards to snow.

With our later arrival, we only felt the effects of a bad snow year in the first 7 days of our camp. After that, we saw good snow depth and more varied terrain. The athletes expressed that they liked skiing at a variety of training venues as it gave them additional challenges of adapting to each hill versus getting used to just one. As in the year prior, the early season FIS races were a nice tune up for the men and women. With Nor Am speed back at Lake Louise this year, we sent one male and one female up to forerun the World Cup races. This was a great experience for them and it will be something we look to continue doing in the future. RECOMMENDATIONS: We would like to continue with the varieties of terrain and conditions within this training block. It is also recommended to try and get some lower level racing at this point only because it has built confidence in the past and led to possible increases in performances going into the next Nor Am series. Unfortunately, we are controlled by the USSA race calendar for those.

OST Overview: Comp Period

December-April Average number of training days in Comp Period: 27 (High- 34, Low- 23) DH-0, SL-20, GS-12, SG-2 (Sessions may have been double sessions)

• Average number of Starts in Comp period: 52 (High- 64, Low 49) DH- 3, SL- 24, GS-17, SG-5, SC-2

REFLECTIONS ON TRAINING AND RACING IN COMP PERIOD: Nov/December block was too long for some athletes. While some athletes were able to manage their energy levels during that stretch (Nov 14-Dec 23) it did seem too much for the younger athletes at the Nor Am level. Train/Race ratio in January was excellent for the FIS-Uni group.

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It was a well balanced mix of 3-4 days training with a 2 day race block at the end of the week. In our February block in Nakiska we had great training on the race hills right into the next Nor Am series. We spend the first part of March training in Collingwood supporting our local races. The snow was significantly better than in January here and we benefitted from some home training and racing with some great races.

OST 2014/154 SEASON GOALS: • Qualify Athletes to WJC • Podium at U18 Nationals • 20% decrease in point profiles • 5 Nor Am Junior Podiums

REFLECTIONS ON GOALS: We originally intended to have one male and one female on track to qualify for WJC. Patrick McConville did end up qualifying but Caroline Bartlett did not. At the WJC, Patrick went on to finish the GS as the top Canadian in 22nd place.

Steph Currie was our only U18 this year. It was our goal for her to podium there. She ended up with a 5th in SL and 8th in SG. We saw a strong group of junior men and women at the Nor Am level this year. Only 1 Nor Am Junior Podium result was achieved this year.

On the women’s side, the Junior women were winning the Nor Am races. The male juniors were winning the NorAms as well and we also saw an increase in strong foreign juniors from Germany, Poland, and Austria.

OST CONDITIONING PROGRAM: REFLECTIONS:

This program was broken up into 5 Main Conditioning blocks to compliment the Skills/On Snow camps. Athletes were handed programs appropriately designed for each block lasting 4-6 weeks in length.

Testing was administered at 3 points in the season (May, July, and Oct). Testing measures included Lactate Threshold, Peak Power, Anaerobic Power, Aerobic Capacity, and Agility.

Overall, the athletes did not utilize the programs we created but rather sought out additional personal trainers. While we understand the value of an extrinsic motivator, there was no monitoring of these trainers and what they were prescribing.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The physical conditioning piece remains to be one of the hardest components of our program to control. The similar centralization of the skiing skills would take the conditioning piece to the next level; however, the time constraint in the summer months leads to athletes and their families to be very resistant to participate as we already take the athletes away from their families for extended periods during the winter months.

Putting together dryland camps like we are referring to also would lead to an increased expenditure. This topic needs further discussion to correct.

OST SEASON SPECIAL PROJECTS: • U16 Hood Project

• NCAA Hood Project

• January Development Project

REFLECTIONS:

The U16 Project was a great success. It not only allowed the OST Staff and coaches to watch these athletes first hand in a learning environment, it also allowed the athletes to work with both coaches and athletes in a camp format.

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The NCAA project or opportunity was extended to current OST athletes in US or Canadian Universities that are looking to continue skiing and training in the off season. This project was continued from the previous season and was another success. It opened a door for our university athletes to ski as well as work with the current OST/ODT athletes.

The January Development Project was a step in the right direction, however, there needed to be a stronger leadership presence with a more structured schedule and a defined outcome.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

We need to continue these outreach and development programs to continue fostering the development of high level racing in Ontario as well as Alpine Ontario’s presence as the PSO.

SNAPSHOT OF OST SEASON 15-16: • Team Outlook: Estimated 10-12 Women (that includes a group

of 5-6 1st year FIS Age ladies), 10-12 Men (Men will consist of both the OST Nor Am Group plus a group of 5-6 3rd-4th year Men that are looking for a program to keep racing after graduating high school.)

• Prep Period to consist of 48 Days on Snow • Prep Period Locations: Deux Alp France, La Parva Chile, Summit

County CO. • Comp Period Training Days will differ for each age group. U18

Women will train more exclusively in Collingwood with select pre-race projects outside of the province.

• Comp Period Race Starts: 50-60 (1st year FIS Girls group will only do 25 tech starts plus several SG races.)

• Target Race Series: Nor Ams for U21 Men and Women, FIS-UNI’s for U21 Men and Women, U18 Nationals for U18 Men and Women.

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Canadian Alpine Ski Team (CAST) The Canadian Alpine Ski Team and Development Team are home to several Ontario skiers including:

Alpine

• Erin Mielzynski, Georgian Peaks • Phil Brown, Craigleith • Candace Crawford, Georgian Peaks • Morgan Megarry, Craigleith • Roni Remme, NSA/Alpine (Development) • Jack Crawford, Georgian Peaks/Whistler Mountain Ski Club (Development) • Larisa Yurkiw, Georgian Peaks - Independent

Para-Alpine

• Mac & Billy Joe Marcoux, Searchmont • Erin Latimer, Craigleith

SX • Dave Duncan, London

Highlights for Ontario Athletes on CAST

• Erin Mielzynski, Phil Brown, and Candace Crawford take Silver for Team Event at World Championships • Erin Mielzynski 6th in slalom at World Championships in Beaver Creek/Vail, Colorado • Candace Crawford, Roni Remme, and Jack Crawford represent Team Canada at FIS World Junior Championships (with Patrick

McConville) • Candace Crawford 5th in GS and Super G at World Junior Championships, 1st in Super G and 2nd in Slalom and GS at National

Championships, and 6 Nor-Am cup wins. • Larisa Yurkiw 2nd at Cortina d’Ampezzo World Cup downhill and 4th at Lake Louise World Cup downhill • Mac and Billy Joe Marcoux take 1 Gold, 2 Silvers, and 2 Bronze at IPC World Cup in Spain, Gold and Silver at the IPC World

Championship in Panorama, BC, and a Crystal Globe for Overall Speed • Rookie Erin Latimer took 7th at the IPC World Championships in Panorama, BC

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NCAA The following Ontario athletes raced in the NCAA circuit over the 2014-15 season:

• Natalie Knowles, Osler Bluff: University of Denver • Kyle Farrow, Craigleith Ski Club: Plymouth State • Jonny Kellock, Georgian Peaks: Plymouth State • Curtis Lush, Toronto Ski Club: University of New Hampshire • Charles (Charlie) McConville, Devil’s Glen: University of New Hampshire • Katie Farrow, Craigleith Ski Club: University of New Hampshire • Laura Rozinowicz, Georgian Peaks: University of New Hampshire • Randa Teschner, Petawawa: University of New Hampshire • Dylan Fisher-McCarney, Georgian Peaks: Dartmouth College • Meg Currie, Osler Bluff: Dartmouth College • Marissa Riopelle, Craigleith: Montana State University • Jak Kennedy, Devil's Glen: Boston College • Charlie Kidd, University of New Hampshire • Darquise Denis, Devil’s Glen: University of Vermont

Overall Achievements for Ontario racers in 2014/15: • 4 top 10 World Cup finishes for Ontario Athletes (Erin Mielzynski & Larisa Yurkiw) • Silver Medal at FIS World Championships for Team Event (3 Ontario racers on Team Canada) • 2 other Top 10 finishes at FIS World Championships • Ontario Ski Team athlete David Donaldson 1st at National Championships GS • 4 Ontario Athletes competing at FIS World Junior Championships • 5 U16 Ontario athletes represent Team Canada at 2015 Mackenzie Investments Whistler Cup • Team Ontario takes 2nd place at Canada Winter Games • 2 U16 Ontario athletes represent Canada at Topolino, Italy • Gold and Silver at IPC World Championships

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Update from Alpine Canada Alpin

A Special Message from ACA President and CEO, Mark Rubenstein Dear Friends,

With the 2014/2015 World Cup season now behind us, we can proudly reflect on the tremendous athletic achievements that we have shared as part of the ACA family. Over this past season, we have asked all fans and supporters of the Canadian alpine ski teams – Alpine, Para-Alpine and Ski Cross – to BELIEVE in our athletes and their ability to be best in the world. We are pleased to share with you some highlights of our athletes’ podium success over this past season.

Over the next several months, we will be embarking upon several new initiatives in support of a new ACA strategic plan. Our vision is that ACA be a world leading ski nation. To achieve this vision, we are hard at work with all of our partners to strengthen the Canadian ski racing system. From grass-roots to the podium. We will harness the passion and energy within our sport to ensure that we deliver on our ambitions.

I would like to personally thank our athletes for all of their dedication to our sport and the sacrifices they and their families have made, to represent our country at the highest level of ski racing.

I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of our partners in enabling our ongoing success. This includes our Provincial and Territory ski associations, volunteers, Sport Canada, Own The Podium, Audi Canada, Osisko, Sport Chek, Mackenzie Investments, among others. A special thank you to Canadians across the country who have donated to the Alpine Canada Podium Club to assist in the financial funding of our athletic programs.

Finally, my heartfelt thanks to ACA’s incredible roster of coaches, staff, trainers, and medical support staff who make all of our achievements possible.

Warmest Regards,

Mark Rubinstein President & CEO Alpine Canada Alpin

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A Report from ACA Chief Operations Officer, Nick Bass on the Spring ACA/PSO Meeting On behalf of Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA), I want to communicate the outcomes from recent ACA – PSO meetings that took place in Ontario on April 9th and 10th. This meeting was a part of ACA’s strategic planning process and was designed to create a synergetic partnership between the PSOs and ACA. The primary purpose of this meeting was to complete the following:

• Communicate the findings from the strategic planning process as it relates to PSOs • Create a framework that clearly describes the roles and responsibilities of ACA and PSOs • Review critical initiatives including safety (on and off the hill) and the alpine race calendar • Present a draft version of the ACA Strategic Plan • Update the PSOs on our athletic and marketing initiatives

Below I have provided a brief summary of each item noted above:

Findings from the strategic planning process:

First and foremost, there was a strong view that ACA needs to provide greater leadership domestically. It was noted that the lack of a Domestic Sport lead at ACA presents challenges for the PSOs. Additionally, there were numerous comments from the PSOs regarding the importance of greater clarity and transparency around membership, insurance and other ACA led initiatives. Lastly, there was strong feedback on the importance of improving and/or optimizing critical initiatives such as Snowstars, the integration of CSCF, and the effective integration of Ski Cross.

Creating a Framework

Based on the feedback received during the strategic planning process, ACA developed an operational framework identifying core national programs and supporting programs. Please see attached for the draft version. ACA and the PSOs discussed the general concept of the operational framework and reviewed initiatives considered ‘core’ and ‘supporting’.

Core programs were defined as initiatives that ACA and PSOs would commit to and consider national programs, or programs that all PSOs would commit to. For example, the AIM document would be considered a national program.

Supporting programs were defined as initiatives that may not be national programs, but critical initiatives for targeted PSOs. For example, some PSOs would like to expand their Ski Cross programs, while other are not interested. Because of this, ACA may choose to directly invest in projects where PSOs have indicated a willingness to partner with ACA.

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ACA is currently updating the Operational Framework based on the feedback from this meeting. It is our intent to develop stronger partnerships with each PSO through improved communication and professional agreements. The Operational Framework will be our source document for these agreements.

Safety

ACA and the PSOs worked diligently on reviewing the quality of the current safety programs, policies and processes. These include harassment and whistleblower polices, travel policies, coach education requirements, and overall system requirements. ACA’s goal is to work directly with the PSOs to develop consistent policies across the country that can be used by ACA, PSOs, and their clubs. ACA is currently working with the PSOs to update a letter of intent outlining our goals in this area moving forward.

Strategic Plan

Mark Rubinstein, CEO of Alpine Canada, presented a draft copy of the strategic plan to the group. Although still in draft form, ACA is in the process of completing the plan. We will be communicating the plan to our stakeholders in the near future.

Athletic and Marketing Presentations

Paul Kristofic, Willy Raine, and Brianne Law updated the PSO leads on their current program successes, future plans, and future partnership opportunities. The Alpine leadership group introduced YTP review meetings as a new initiative for the 2015. In order to improve the synergy between the National Team and Provincial Teams, key ACA Alpine athletic personnel will be made available to PSO coaches and athletic directors to discuss their yearly training plans.

Linsey Ferguson, VP of Partnerships, provided a summary of current and future ACA marketing initiatives and discussed various opportunities for greater ACA/PSO partnerships in the future.

Summary

ACA would like to thank Alpine Ontario for hosting this event. Additionally, we would like to thank AOA’s Executive Director Scott Barrett for his significant contribution to the meeting.

Nick Bass

Chief Operating Officer Alpine Canada Alpin

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Officials Report John Grell, AOA Officials Chair

Each year it takes a dedicated group of certified race officials to ensure that races sanctioned by AOA are run according to the international, national and provincial rules to ensure that these races provide a fair, fun and safe environment for the athletes.

Each fall, senior officials attend the weekend-long North American FIS TD Working Group Update to be indoctrinated with the latest changes in the ICR as well as exchange experiences for all to learn from.

This season AOA offered the most courses ever making it easy for those choosing and taking courses at Level 1 or Level 2 up to those taking the two day Level 3 course.

With 16 courses being run across the province, 200 L1 –L2 were certified or re-certified with 8 officials receiving their Level 3 pins. (We are awaiting the exam results for the most recent L3 course in AOA to award additional L3 pins.)

AOA currently has 8 FIS TD [Alpine] and 1 FIS TD [Free Style]. Paul Plotz [Alpine Ski Club] undertook the journey to qualify as the only FIS TD for Ski Cross in Ontario (Ski Cross falls under the Free style discipline at FIS).

We wish to thank all Officials for giving of their precious and personal time to ensure that our athletes can devote all of their energies to “Own The Podium”.

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Coaches Report Sarah Edwards AOA EL Course Coordinator/ CSCF Senior Facilitator

The 2014-2015 ski season brought a variety of challenges to coaches across Ontario. From the late start for some to the consistent frigid temperatures Ontario coaches persevered and delivered another successful season for ski racers across the province.

Coaching Tools and Resources • Snowstars – updated entry level content and videos • CSCF App – Alpine Ski Coach – interactive content

including EAP and daily planning tools • CSCF App – Ski Racing 2015 – moved online for

greater accessibility Ontario Coaching Courses and Events

• Entry Level Course Participants – 260 • Development Level Course Participants – 35 • Performance Level Intro 1 Course Participants – 9 • AOA Coaches Conference attendees – 95

Coaching Areas of Emphasis • Competency Based Education Training

o Continued in-the-field evaluations for EL/DL/PL coaches under the guidance of CSCF trained coach mentors

• Athlete Centered Approach to Coaching o LTAD and individual seasonal goals for athletes

combined with detailed training/competition plans

• NCCP Core Competencies

o Valuing o Problem Solving o Interaction o Critical Thinking o Leadership

• Focus on Course Setting at all levels o Setting for Training o Setting for Racing o Measuring Success

Looking to 2015-2016

• AOA led coaching committees for continued collaboration and sharing of ideas and opportunities for all clubs.

• Greater accessibility to coaching development tools, resources, workshops, seminars and courses to ensure licensing criteria is met by all active coaches.

• Updated coaching resources to include setting guidelines and recommendations for coaches and clubs.

• ACA/CSCF continued integration

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Education Project Alpine Ontario Education Initiative “I know that many parents look at the commitment that comes with competitive ski racing and see it as a possible detriment to the future development and job prospects of their children. I however wholeheartedly disagree with that. It allowed me to get educated at one of the top universities in the United Sates, and has been both a talking point and differentiator in job interviews. There must be commitment from your children, but done properly it can be the most positive experience possible”. -Shannon Campbell, past OST Member, Williams College ’14 and current Analyst at Deloitte in NYC

Alpine Ontario is dedicated to our vision of promoting lifelong enjoyment and excellence in ski racing. As part of our commitment to understanding the challenges and needs of our athletes who pursue competitive ski racing as they reach high school and beyond, AOA has undertaken an education initiative to provide a framework to consider so that success in academics and ski racing can happen simultaneously. This applies at the top levels of competition where commitment levels will be greater or for those who simply take time off here and there for extra training and recreational racing.

To ensure academic and racing success during the high school years, there are numerous options and strategies to consider as well as a variety of opportunities later on at the university and collegiate levels in Canada and the United States, respectively. Fortunately, making the choice to ski race does not mean having to compromise academic success, preparation time for competition or social well-being. It is not an all or nothing game – you can do both. It is a question of balance. In fact, in many ways being a racer can enhance time in school by capitalizing on the unique life experiences that will present themselves and which otherwise arise.

Committing to being a ski racer requires absences from school for training and competition. The amount of time away will depend on the level at which your child is competing. It is safe to assume that by U14 beginning in the late fall and throughout the winter months, most athletes will begin to log absences from the classroom more frequently. This is especially true in Ontario given our short training season, which necessitates training on weekdays, travelling to venues for training camps and competitions often at locations outside the Province. Balancing academic and racing success will become more and more challenging as your child progresses to U16 and eventually U18/FIS when the intensity of training and number of race starts to increase dramatically.

AOA’s goal is to provide information and guidance to families as to their options within Ontario’s education system to enable athletes to succeed at both academics and racing. Parents need to know what choices they have so they can carefully determine what environment best suits their child’s individual academic and sporting goals and plan from thereon.

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Success begins with a systematic and detailed plan. Taking the time early on in developing a proposed education plan and athletic roadmap will start you down the right path. Deciding what is right for your child is a process where you have to plan step by step yet at the same time think long term. It will be important to use common sense and reflect on your family values, current lifestyle and what requires compromise but not sacrifices. Often, there are very simple ways to balance both pursuits without disrupting normal routines too much, particularly in the early years of high school.

A good first step might be to explore flexible scheduling options at your local school. Most often, the school is willing to sit down with athletes and their parents to discuss ways to create a flexible schedule and be supportive. If your local school is unable to make these accommodations you may need to look at alternatives. AOA has compiled helpful information on elite athlete programming offered by various public school boards, private schools, academies and alternative learning schools throughout the Province.

As your child reaches the end of high school and wants to continue on in ski racing, there are exciting opportunities in the post-secondary phase of education that include programs at some Canadian Universities in addition to the complex world of U.S. Collegiate and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) racing programs. There is an overview of these programs later on in this document.

The benefits of experiencing life as a student-ski racer can be exponential and hard to replicate. Some of the major life skills athletes develop include: time management, independence, performing under pressure, dealing with home sickness, teamwork, organization, communication, budgeting, travel, self-reliance and relationship management. These athletes become major contributors in society whether they stay in the sport as professionals or pursue other careers.

AOA is extremely proud of its athletes and their potential and firmly believes todays ever-changing world affords them more opportunities than ever before to quality education and high level racing. We are equally proud of our Alumni and all of their perseverance and notable accomplishments. They are excellent role models and trail blazers for our upcoming athletes to learn from and replicate.

This education initiative is intended to convey our understanding that academic success is a critical component in ski racing to becoming a lifelong success and putting Ontario Athletes on the world stage. Please stay tuned for the complete Education Initiative document, to be published summer 2015.

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Annex A – AOA Administrative Structure

Alpine Ontario Board of Directors Chairman: Peter-Paul Du Vernet

Treasurer: David Morrison

Governance: Chris Pepper

Government Relations: Mary Ferguson

Strategic Initiatives: Kent Paisley

Strategic Initiatives: Patrick Arkeveld

Officials Chair: John Grell

TBD: Brent Norton

TBD: David Nighswander

SOD Chair: Scott Mikalachki

LSDA Chair: Doug Robinson

NCD Chair: Terry McLaughlan

NOD Chair: Keith Duhan

Past Chair: Craig Farrow

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Alpine Ontario Staff Executive Director: Scott Barrett

Technical Director: Brad Lashley

Competition Manager: Robyn Skinner

Communications Manager: Andrea Russell

Accounting Manager: Angela Hobbs

Race Experience Manager: Zach Matthews

Members at Large (Non-Board) AOA Race Quality Auditor: Peter Dyson

AOA Ski Cross Consultant & Race Quality Auditor: Paul Plotz

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Annex B – AOA 2013-15 Strategic Plan

AOA Strategic Plan 2013-15 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction .........................................................................................................3

Mandate ...............................................................................................................3

Stakeholders .......................................................................................................3

Core Values .........................................................................................................3

Goal 1: Growth of the Sport ...............................................................................4

Goal 2: Athletic Development and Excellence .................................................5

Goal 3: Coaching & Officials Excellence ..........................................................6

Goal 4: Financial Strength and Sustainability ..................................................7

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Introduction

This plan is based on the vision, mission and objectives established for Alpine Ontario Alpin (“AOA”) and is intended to clearly articulate key priorities to our stakeholders. Operational plans will be based on this document, subject to adjustments as dictated by factors such as availability of funds, athlete performance, volunteer availability and weather.

Mandate Vision

Promote lifelong enjoyment of, and excellence in, alpine ski racing.

Mission

Provide leadership and structure for high quality, sustainable and affordable programming; and communicate the competitive, recreational and lifestyle benefits of alpine ski racing to the community.

Stakeholders The community we serve are: • Athletes • Ski Clubs • Officials • Divisions • Alumni • Families • Schools • Government

• Coaches • Volunteers • General Public • Media • Corporate Partners • Ski Resorts • Alpine Canada Alpin • FIS

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Core Values Excellence, Passion, Competition, Fun, Safety, Sportsmanship and Fair Play, Personal Development

Goal 1: Growth of the Sport

AOA will work with its key stakeholders to maintain and increase the level of participation in alpine ski racing. Activities supporting this objective include:

1. Evaluating factors impacting participation in the sport, in conjunction with key stakeholders. This includes an assessment of year to year changes in membership levels and identification of issues impacting recruitment and attrition rates.

2. Providing timely and effective communications to key stakeholders. Creating and managing a defined process that will be used to set priorities and assess progress towards meeting objectives.

3. Educating and supporting key stakeholders by sharing best practices, particularly those that offer the ability to improve the efficiency of their participation and organization. This will occur through:

a. Creating a process for sharing best practices;

b. Implementing a system to assess, track and improve stakeholder abilities in running programs and competitive events; and

c. Continuing education on key policies associated with the sport.

4. Raising the profile of alpine ski racing in Ontario by;

a. Effective use of media including:

i. Implementing uniform AOA/club PAM program (Partner representation, Awards/recognition ceremonies, and Media);

ii. Ontario Ski Team;

iii. Utilising “new” technologies and approaches such as social media; and iv. Supporting enhanced media partnerships;

b. Messaging surrounding “Sport for Life” to create higher resonance for the public;

c. Engaging alumni in promotion and events;

d. Developing higher visibility events; and e. Improving the marketing of the sport.

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Goal 2: Athletic Development and Excellence AOA will create an environment that provides for athletic development and excellence throughout the Province for all age groups participating in the sport by:

1. Fielding a highly competitive provincial ski team(s) capable of consistently graduating athletes to CAST and next level performance centres (e.g. NCAA);

2. Delivering high performance programs for the purpose of supporting and strengthening the development of promising athletes, including:

a. Providing continued accessibility to higher level competition by providing support for key programs; and

b. Ensuring availability of cost effective, high level off season training opportunities for athletes.

3. Emphasizing ongoing athlete development and athleticism through exposure to multi- sport programming;

4. Assisting with developing stakeholder programs by implementing the directions of Canadian Sport for Life LTAD and Alpine Canada LTSD (Aim2Win);

5. Creating an environment in which coaching is, and is perceived as, a viable and fulfilling profession; and

6. Ensuring consistent achievement by evaluating athlete results through available metrics and feedback questionnaires, making adjustments to programming where necessary.

Goal 3: Coaching & Officials Excellence AOA will work with key stakeholders to strengthen the quality, availability and consistency of coaches and officials in the Province including by:

1. Raising key stakeholders’ knowledge of and programming consistent with LTAD, LTSD (A2W) and achievements to help them integrate and implement their programs;

2. Providing leadership in certifying and training coaches by:

a. Organizing Entry Level coach training;

b. Providing opportunities to advance coaches from trained to certified;

c. Providing licensing credits and professional development opportunities;

d. Supporting key stakeholders in delivering ongoing coach education and licensing credits;

e. Providing mentoring opportunities for club coaches; and

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f. Increasing the direct communication with coaches to ensure current knowledge and implementation of best practices and awareness of key matters in the sport.

3. Providing leadership in delivery of consistent, high quality, secure and competitive events by:

a. Focusing on certifying officials;

b. Sharing knowledge and best practices for key Race Organizing Committee roles and responsibilities; and

c. Providing 360° evaluation and feedback to and from key stakeholders on the consistent delivery of high quality, safe and competitive events.

Goal 4: Financial Strength and Sustainability AOA will organize, structure and operate itself in a way to enable the consistent achievement of its objectives, including by:

1. Raising sufficient funds to promote ongoing accessibility to the sport by developing and leveraging alternate sources of revenue, including;

a. Engaging partners/sponsors to address expenses for AOA and Ontario Ski Team initiatives;

b. Creating fundraising programs to support grassroots through high performance programs; and

c. Generating sufficient user fees to responsibly sustain ongoing operations at the service level required by stakeholders and in compliance with long term athlete development goals; and

d. Working with key stakeholders in pursuing partnership/sponsorship opportunities and synergies.

2. Developing a “corporate” structure that provides a sustainable platform for AOA going forward in the face of evolving legal standards and the wide range of service requirements and demands it faces through:

a. Focused, efficient and effective operations; and

b. Welcoming, accommodating and putting to best use the many stakeholders in the sport in Ontario to accommodate its:

i. Widely diverse geography;

ii. Participants (and families), from grassroots through high performance elite levels; and

iii. Range of stakeholder structures, from public/member run through corporate/resort run to private club/professionally run.

© April 2015 Alpine Ontario Alpin, All Rights Reserved