Long-term athlete development (LTAD) web site supports athletes, parents and coaches from grassroots to high-performance, and encourages sport for life.

Calgary, Alta. (May 15, 2019) – Alpine Canada has launched a new resource for current and prospective stakeholders within Canada's ski racing community from the grassroots level to high-performance and sport-for-life parents, coaches, athletes, volunteers, officials and administrators.

As part of the revisions to the organization's Long-Term Athlete Development Pathway, Alpine Canada has created a stand-alone LTAD web site that provides a one-stop resource for all aspects of athlete development – from recreational racers to those working towards national team goals.

"Alpine Canada's LTAD 3.0 provides all of our grassroots stakeholders a clear pathway for athlete development, supported by the latest in sport science,” said Jenni Stielow, Senior Manager Coach Education and LTAD Project Lead. “The tool is aimed at everyone from parents, coaches, volunteers, officials and administrators at the club and provincial levels to prospective ski racing participants.”

“The new ACA LTAD 3.0 takes into account the multiple pathways our athletes will follow during their career including the recreational and sport-for-life and the high-performance, national team streams," said Stielow. "We have leveraged input from experts in every field as well as real-life experiences of athletes and coaches from the national team to club and provincial ski racing."

The LTAD site is found at ltad.alpinecanada.org. The website includes distinct engagement points for athletes, parents and coaches while providing visually engaging resources for all key stakeholders. In addition to outlining on-snow guidelines for every stage of a ski racer's development, the site also offers essential off-snow training guidelines for every stage, and resources for balancing education and athletics, as well as nutrition and mental strategies.

"This isn't only about developing the next Erik Guay, Kelsey Serwa, or Lauren Woolstencroft. While the pathway to a national team berth is part of the LTAD, so is the pathway to recreational ski racing,” said Vania Grandi, CEO Alpine Canada. “We want to develop life-long skiers who embrace a holistically healthy approach to the sport, and become ambassadors for ski racing for the next generation of racers.The resources are there to support parents, athletes, and coaches every step of the way from those who want to become involved and need help finding a local ski club, to those who have aspirations of representing Canada in international ski racing."

Grandi also noted the new ACA LTAD 3.0 is not only an alpine ski racing resource. It includes specifications for ski cross and para-alpine racers throughout the development stages. "The new LTAD site was built to be inclusive of all three disciplines to create one Alpine Canada team and establish the foundation of the Alpine Canada Way."

The LTAD site will continue to evolve and be a long-term, ongoing resource for Canada's ski racing community moving forward. Visitors and stakeholders are encouraged to review the website and share their comments, suggestions, and questions via email to LTAD@alpinecanada.org.

ABOUT ALPINE CANADA

Alpine Canada is the governing body for alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in Canada, as well as for Canadian ski coaches, providing education, certification, insurance and compliance with the coaching code of conduct. With the support of valued corporate partners and donors, along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Coaching Association of Canada, Alpine Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic, World Championship and World Cup athletes to stimulate visibility, inspiration and growth in the ski community. In 2020, Alpine Canada will celebrate 100 years of rich tradition in competitive skiing in Canada.