Heinz Niederhauser Award Recipient – René Sauvé

Cross Country Ski Ontario is pleased to announce René Sauvé of Summerstown Coyote Nordiq as the recipient of the Heinz Niederhauser Outstanding Coaching Award.  René was instrumental in developing a love of racing for youth at the Pembroke Area Cross Country Ski Club.  In 2017, René moved to the Cornwall area and began Summerstown Coyote Nordiq.  His goal was to bring cross country skiing to that area of the province and introduce young children to the sport.  The club began with 12 and has grown to over 70 members with 29 Jackrabbits.

René was truly compelled to help others explore a love for cross-country skiing. He pursued his work with relentless optimism and effortful persistence. He was forward-looking and always anticipating his next step in his coaching journey. He embraced the challenges of the work and celebrated the people he worked alongside.  He had intuition, perseverance and stories, so many wonderful stories.

René would come alive with an abundance of energy when it was time to chat about skiing. He knew how to harness that energy and funnel it into passion.  René was always focused on keeping his process focused on the athletes that he coached and he met athletes where they were at and worked with an abundance of empathy and acceptance.

René passed away on November 16, 2022 after a brave battle with cancer.