XCSO Welcomes NTDC to the Team!
Led by NTDC Head Coach Timo Puiras, the 2024-2025 NTDC team is ready to take on new challenges for the upcoming season, including, for the first time in many years, a summer program for athletes from across the province. Supported by Alexander Maycock, as Assistant Coach, we are excited about the opportunities that this integration will bring to athletes and coaches across Ontario and Canada.

Timo has been NTDC-Thunder Bay’s Head Coach since 2013. As leader of one of Canada’s National Development Centers, Timo has experience coaching Olympians and development athletes, spanning across different levels of athletic proficiency. Timo has worked with some of Canada’s top performing athletes including, most recently, Olympian Graham Ritchie, as well as World Cup skiers Pierre Grall Johnson and Katherine Stewart Jones.
Timo’s main coaching philosophy is to create an environment where athletes can strive towards both athletic and personal excellence in a fun, collaborative and purposeful manner.

Alex joins XCSO and NTDC with a background in coaching, research, and ski racing. Over the past few years, Alex has been a contract coach for XCSO at Ontario Ski Team camps and regional camps. This past year, he was the assistant ski coach at Nipissing University. Alex completed his BPHE and MSc in kinesiology degrees at Nipissing University. His research has explored the reliability of ski erg sprinting, nitrate supplementation, and altitude physiology. During his six year varsity career at Nipissing University, Alex raced for Canada at the 2019 and 2023 FISU Games.
Alex will be with NTDC until September 1 prior to moving to the University of Alberta to pursue his PhD.