The Carving the Future program started as a chance to provide skiers with physical disabilities the opportunity to try ski racing for the first time and have a chance to work directly with National Team Coaches. The program now provides support to programs at all levels along with the Para-Alpine Long Term Athlete Development plan.
The Carving the Future program is a multidimensional approach to athlete development and focuses on three main pillars:
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Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Carving the Future provides opportunities for Canadians with a disability to try ski racing with a national team coach and helps the facilitation of athlete development at all levels. It aims to break down barriers of participation for all levels of sport, from grassroots to High Performance.
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Alignment of the Para-Alpine system: Carving the Future aims to bring together ski hills, ski clubs and adaptive ski programs from Coast to Coast to Coast with Alpine Canada, to introduce racing to athletes, coaches, volunteers, and families.
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Athlete Identification: Carving the Future works closely with Para-Alpine stakeholders across Canada to identify potential next-generation Paralympic Winter Games Athletes, and to provide support to those athletes in their development
These camps are offered in conjunction with a local ski hills, ski clubs, and adaptive organization. By partnering with these organizations, we can give participants at all levels a chance to interact and ski with national team athletes and coaches. For independent skiers, there is also an opportunity to be coached directly by members of the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team coaching staff, and next to national team athletes.
Coaching the future is an education program targeted directly at clubs, programs, and individual coaches who have an interest in para-alpine skiing. These opportunities include programming support for individuals, resources, and technical expertise for programs and instructors. As well as the development of a Coach-Integration project in which selected coaches will be given the opportunity to work directly with the National Prospect and Nextgen teams in a camp-based environment.
Canadian Adaptive Snowsports supports and encourages over 2,100 participants living with disabilities to be active for life and to work towards long-term development. CADS also supports over 1,600 certified instructors and over 1,500 volunteers to fully participate and to develop their skills to achieve their personal peakt. In 2016 Alpine Canada Signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CADS to make them theofficial provider of development programs for the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team.
By working directly with CADS we are able to provide resources and expertise to the entire CADS network for little to no cost. We also offer a five day Learn to Race program that is coached by national team and provincial team coaches at the year-end CADS festival each season, and provide multiple coach education opportunities at different clubs across the country.
