2008/09Season

1. 2008/09Season Programme Overview

2. Introduction Club Mont Ste Marie is a not-for-profit corporation delivering alpine ski racing programmes and social events to the club’s membership. The alpine ski racing programme is delivered, under the auspices of a volunteer Board of Directors, by coaches certified by the Canadian Ski Coaches Federation and the Canadian Ski Instructor’s Alliance. The club is an active member of the Outaouais Ski Zone, Ski Quebec Alpin and Alpine Canada. Athletes race in the local OSZ race series to qualify for provincial and national championships. Junior athletes also may race in the province wide CJP series. Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

3. Club Competition In ski racing the role of clubs is to attract athletes to skiing and to prepare them, if they desire and qualify, to proceed onwards into regional, provincial and national elite programs. Club teams participate in zone level race series’ at all levels. • at the K1 level there is a province wide championship • at K2 there is both a provincial and national championship • at the Junior level there is a local series, a province wide season series and championship, and a national championship. Club MSM athletes may qualify for the National Capital Outaouais (NCO) elite team at the K2 level and above. At the Junior level there is a Quebec provincial team selection process. Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

4. Levels of Competition Athletes participate as individuals in 4 age categories: • I2 – 9 & 10 year olds – race GS & Stubbie Slalom • K1 – 11 & 12 year olds – race GS, Combi Slalom, train Super G & race Super G at provincial championships • K2 – 13 & 14 year olds – race GS, Slalom & Super G • Junior – 15 – 19 year olds – race GS, Slalom & Super G The OSZ also runs a Nancy Greene Ski series for athletes from 6 to 12 years of age who choose to participate in a team racing format. The NG team races under the banner of Club Mont Ste Marie however, the programme is run by the Mont Ste Marie Ski School. Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

5. Introductory 2 • The I2 program is the first level of individual competition for boys and girls who have acquired basic skiing skills and want to race. • Some athletes will have been members of a Nancy Greene team; others may have no previous racing experience. • The I2 program is an entry level program (AIM Document, “Learning to Train” phase) designed to introduce children to basic skiing and ski race skills. • Consistent with the emphasis on fundamentals, training prepares children for skiing all kinds of terrain and snow conditions (bumps, ice, and crud). • Physical conditioning and training focuses on the development of physical capacities such as agility, balance, co-ordination and speed (ABCs). • Age: 10 years and under as of December 31 in the competition season Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

6. Kinder 1 • In K1 programs athletes continue to develop, adapt and refine their basic skiing skills. • They expand their racing skills by training for and competing in Slalom as well as Giant Slalom. • This level blends the Learn to Train & Learn to Race elements of the Alpine Canada athlete development plan. • Physical training and conditioning focuses on agility, balance, co-ordination and speed skills (ABCs) with the introduction of some strength and endurance training. • Athletes race in “skin suits” for the first time and skis for each event is recommended. • Age: 11–12 years of age as of December 31of the competition season. Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

7. Kinder 2 • The K2 programme focuses on the Learn to Race phase of athlete development. • In addition to the continued development of basic skiing and racing skills, strength and endurance training become a more significant part of training. • Athletes are challenged to adapt and refine the skiing and racing skills they have learned, while learning new skills. • Consistent with their growing skills and physical capacities, most K2 racers will train for and race Slalom, Giant Slalom & Super-G. • At the K2 level there is the opportunity to earn a place on the regional elite team operated jointly by the Outaouais Ski Zone of SQA and the National Capital District of Alpine Ontario. • Age: 13 or 14 years of age as of December 31of the competition season Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

8. Junior • The Junior program, focuses on the Train to Race phase of the development of athletes as alpine racers. • The program includes athletes with a mixture of focuses ranging from simply participating in local series events, through participation in the Quebec “Championat Junior Provincial” series races, to those who aspire to and are involved in FIS sanctioned race events. • In order to provide an environment that is competitive for all, Junior competitors race in two categories (JA & JB) grouping athletes of like ability: JA and JB. • The national points system is used to establish the points break for the JA and JB category determinations. The rankings will be set by the NCD-OSZ Junior Committee prior to the start of the race season keeping in mind the size of the field and point differentials. • Age: 15 to 19 years of age as of December 31 of the competition season Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

9. Programme Fees Club Mont Ste Marie is a not-for-profit organization that delivers the alpine race programme on a break even basis. The cost of the programme to athletes is calculated on the basis of: • Coaching Costs – we try to keep an athlete to coach ratio of 6:1 and remain competitive in terms of the coaching fees that we offer to get top coaches • Administrative Costs – very low as most work is done by parent volunteers • Equipment Requirements – there are a number of essentials in ski racing, two of which are safety and timing. Club MSM has the best timing system in the region as well as the greatest inventory of safety equipment which must be maintained on an ongoing basis. Our programme fees are competitive across the region. Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

10. Programme Fees – what’s included & what’s not The table on the next page sets out which elements of the training and race season are included within the programme fees, which are optional and those for which athletes must qualify. Christmas Camp (Dec 20/08 – Jan 4/09) provides a daily training programme with Christmas Day and New Year’s Day off. The regular season is comprised of training and race days (on Saturdays and Sundays) from the end of Christmas Camp the completion of the OSZ Season Series (Jan10/09 - Mar 15/09). • for the K1 team this includes the MSM Speed Camp on a Thursday and Friday in January. • for the K2 team this includes the Calabogie Speed Camp on a Wednesday, Thursday & Friday in January and the Art Tommy Classic involving a Friday in February. • For the local Junior team this includes the Art Tommy Classic. • For the CJP Junior Team this included the Art Tommy Classic and Fridays on CJP race weekends • For the Junior group racing in FIS races the costs will be charged on an “à la carte” basis with participating athletes absorbing the costs of additional coaching and training Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

11. Programme Fees – what’s included & what’s not O = Optional with Cost ✔ = included in fee N/A = Not Available Q = qualify with cost Note: K2 Athletes may also may qualify for the Taschereau Cup – this is a Q item Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

12. Volunteer Programme In order to run an alpine ski race a great deal of volunteer time is required. Tasks include: • Race Organizing Committee Management – race jury and jury advisors • Set up & Tear Down – safety netting and crowd control fencing must be set up prior to each race and removed at the conclusion • Race Administration • Timing • Gate Judging • Course Crew In order to ensure enough volunteers for the races we host, Club MSM charges a volunteer deposit on a family basis along with the programme fees that is returned once volunteer credits have been earned. Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

13. Your Invoice Once the programme fees have been calculated, you will receive an invoice that details the following items: Programme Fees – as outlined above. Athletes’ Card Fee – every athlete must be registered or “carded” in order to race I2s and 1st year K1s by SQA, the remainder by Alpine Canada, these fees are set by the respective governing bodies. Race Fees – when hosting a race each club charges a zone approved race fee – you pay the race fee for each non-home hill race that your athlete is registered to compete in. During the 2007/08 season the local race series race fees were $25 per race and the CJP race fees were $33 per race day. Volunteer Deposit – the volunteer fee as outlined above. SQA Raffle Programme – each Ski Quebec Alpin club is obliged to support the provincial organization through the sale of raffle tickets. 50% of the proceeds of this raffle are returned to the club. Club Membership Fee – in order to race for the club, athletes must be members – this is a minimal family membership fees. Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

14. What else will you need? In order to race and train athletes will need a variety of equipment and clothing, here’s a sample list: Uniforms – all athletes and coaches at all levels are expected to wear a team uniform with club and sponsor patches. Skis – athletes at all but the I2 level will require both GS and Slalom skis. Athletes at higher levels may also benefit from separate poles for GS & Slalom. Skin Suits – athletes in K1 and above race in skin suits. Helmets & Protective Gear – all athletes must wear a helmet certified for ski racing, in K1 and above other protective gear such as face & shin guards are recommended. Tuning Equipment – tuned skis make for better training and race results, you will want to learn how to tune skis and buy the gear needed. Ski Pass – it may seem simple, but you need a ski pass at Mont Ste Marie to race, pre-season deals are usually available in June and September. Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

15. Registration Process Due to hill space restrictions and other considerations the club caps the number of athletes in the programme at 90. By tradition we hold places for returning racers until the beginning of the season. This season there will be a requirement to submit a registration form with a non-refundable deposit for a portion of the fee by September 12. Registration Schedule: June 20 – circulation of registration forms and fee estimates to current team members September 12 – registration forms with deposit to be received in order to hold a place in the programme October 1 – invoices issued December 19 – fees must be paid in full for athletes to participate in the programme December 20 – Christmas Camp starts at Mont Ste Marie Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

16. Season Schedule - tentative May 29 – fitness testing & benchmarking June 18 – Distribution of Registration Documents for 2008/09 Season September 12 – registration deposit due September ? – fitness testing and beginning of dry land training October 1 – invoices issued – fees may be paid in installments or all at once Late November – pre-season on snow training (TBC) December 1 – payment of fees due December 20 – January 4 – Christmas Camp at Mont Ste Marie January 10 – March 15 – regular training and race season Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

17. Online Resources There are a number of online resources that you may find useful in learning more about ski racing and the equipment that you will need to participate. Here are a few of my favourites: • Club Mont Ste Marie – www.clubmsm.org • Alpine Canada - www.canski.org - good reference for athletes and officials • ACA Points – www.acapoints.ca • Ski Quebec Alpin – www.skiquebec.qc.ca • Outaouais Ski Zone – www.skioutaouais.qc.ca • Ski Racing Canada Magazine - www.srcmag.ca • Tommy & Lefebvre – - club sponsor and retail supplier of skis, clothing, waxes • Shaver Sports – - club sponsor and retail supplier of skis, clothing, waxes • Artech - www.artechski.com - retail store for tuning gear & waxes • Competitive Edge Sports Psychology – www.competitivedge.com Club Mont Ste Marie Alpine Overview

18. 2008/09Season Programme Overview