SOD Coach Job Post
We are looking for a new SOD Coach! Please have a look and help spread the word. Interested people should contact SOD Chair Dwayne Barber at [email protected] . The Job Posting closes October 1st.
SOD-Ontario Winter Games Selection Criteria 2022
The 2022 Ontario Winter Games (OWG) will take place March 3rd, 4th and 5th bringing together young cross-country ski athletes from across the province to compete at the Ma Te Way Centre in Renfrew County. Event Participation is for U16, year 1 &2 (YOB 2006 and 2007) and U14, year 2 (YOB 2008) athletes who meet SOD Selection Criteria as outlined in this document.
SOD Team Fall Camp-Huntsville, ON
Hey Team,
As I’m sure many of you are, I am now back at school and day-dreaming of long training sessions outside in the rain. (Well, maybe not the last part.) But I did want to take this opportunity to reflect on last weekend and our jam-packed training day in Huntsville. A big THANK YOU goes out to everyone who helped make the day a success– including all of you, the athletes. Your positive attitude and hard effort meant that we were able to make the most of our time together and to grow as a team.
Looking ahead to the first snowfall, we had the opportunity to work on our skating fundamentals: balance, weight-shift, glide. We also talked a bit about double-pole starts and had a giant team relay to work on agility. Who knows when rubber chickens might be added as official batons in FIS-sanctioned events? Our agility and coordination were challenged once again in a game of mud-puddle soccer. Dryland camps are the perfect time to develop our skills through both skiing and non-skiing-related activities.
In the afternoon we stuck it out for a tough session of uphill striding, where we learned about explosive “spenst” training. Hard bounding workouts are a sure sign of the race season approaching, and I hope you are able to incorporate some of the things we worked on into your training leading up to this winter. We will be skiing on snow again before long!
A special thanks goes to our teammates from Arrowhead Nordic as well as Holly and Jon, for helping us to secure an indoor space and for showing us around their home training grounds! I had a super fun time and I hope you did too. Keep an eye out for info regarding our winter training day in December. Scott and I loved hearing all your ideas: snowball fighting, snowman making, obstacle courses, relays– we will see what we can dream up.
See you on the trails!
Finn
SOD Board of Directors: Call for Nominations
The Southern Ontario District (SOD) of Cross Country Ski Ontario (XCSO) is seeking nominations
to the Board of Directors. We are looking for volunteers who are interested in participating in
program delivery in southern Ontario.
Click HERE for more details.
SOD Welcomes Finn Dodgson as the new SOD Team Coach!
We are thrilled to announce that Finn Dodgson will be the SOD Team coach for the 2021-22 season!
Finn replaces outgoing coach Madison Fraser who we would again like to thank for her dedication and commitment to our district skiers.
Finn is currently a student at the University of Waterloo studying physics. He has been a member of the UW ski team for 4 years and is a former member of the OST (Ontario Ski Team) and Junior NST (National Ski Team).
When he’s not training or studying, he likes to go camping and to read.
2021-22 SOD Team Nominations now posted!
We were pleased to accept the applications from the following athletes and we welcome them to the SOD team for 2021 / 2022.
Congratulations! What an amazing group of skiers. We don’t know what the future will bring – but there is hope that we can get together as a team very soon to train and have some fun.
Please complete the nomination documents found HERE, including the contract, code of conduct, photo release form and jacket order form by JUNE 13th. Please note, XXS is not available.
Northern ON District Development Coordinator Contract Position
While we continue to navigate the pandemic that in turn has changed our usual provincial programming, XCSO invites applications for a contract position – Northern ON District Development Coordinator. The NOD Development Coordinator will work with a strong team of professionals who are committed to developing a cohesive and collaborative approach to athlete development in the province. The Development Coordinator’s position is collaborative in nature and working with club coaches will be an integral part of the role. More details here.
SOD is Hiring- Team Coach & Coordinator
SOD is seeking a new Coach and a new Coordinator for the SOD Race Team. We thank outgoing SOD Team Coach Madison Fraser for her enthusiastic work and wish her the best as she returns to school. We also thank Team Coordinator Scott Dowling for his support and organization of logistics/communication for the team.
About the SOD Team
The team is named to recognize and support the development of athletes racing the SOD races. The goal of the SOD Team is to support these athletes to begin to race competitively on the Ontario Cup circuit and to prepare to qualify for the Ontario Ski Team. The SOD Team targets athletes aged 13 through 16. The SOD executive believes that promotion of an active ski racing circuit within SOD will strengthen the ski community by providing opportunities for skiers to come together as a community in fun and friendly competition.
SOD Team Coordinator
The SOD Team Coordinator is responsible for the administration of the team, including team selection, clothing, athlete communication, assisting the coach with planning team training camps, and promoting the SOD Paraffin Race Series. The SOD Team Coordinator will be an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the board.
SOD Team Coach
The SOD Team Coach is to plan and deliver training camps for members of the SOD Team, with support from the coordinator as needed. The SOD Team Coach must have, at a minimum, NCCP certification level of L2T-trained.
Full job descriptions and compensation details for both positions are available here: SOD Team Job Descriptions
To apply for either position, please send resume and cover letter to: [email protected]
Application deadline is May 28, 2021.
NOTE: The SOD Coach will adapt program offerings to follow current COVID guidance as recommended by Cross Country Ski Ontario in their “Return to Training” and “Return to Competition” documents.
District Development Coordinators Job Posting
While we continue to navigate the pandemic that in turn has changed our usual provincial programming, XCSO invites applications for 4 contract positions of District Development Coordinator, one in each of the 4 XCSO districts. The Development Coordinators will work with a strong team of professionals who are committed to developing a cohesive and collaborative approach to athlete development in the province. The Development Coordinators’ positions are collaborative in nature and working with club coaches will be an integral part of the role. More details here.
Episode 3 of our Inspirational Interview Series!
You’re on Mute!
Stories of Everyday Covid Champions
A series of lively interviews of skiers from across Southern Ontario District to engage, inspire and tell the story of Nordic skiing during a global pandemic.
In our third episode we speak to 12-year old Team Hardwood veteran and self-described “social butterfly”, Anna Vurma. You can find several online articles about Anna’s quest of Strava’s (QOM) Queen of the Mountain titles but her Covid story is really one of resilience. Grief and resilience live together. Anna, like many of our young racers misses her friends from other clubs. What interested me the most about Anna is her grit. Grit refers to a person’s ability to persist after setbacks….., You got it, like a global pandemic!
Anna took a break one evening from her lasagna diner to answer a few questions. Thanks Anna!
Hey Anna! You have become a bit of a media sensation right now. Thanks for making time in your busy schedule to share your COVID story with us. How are things at Team Hardwood this season? What is Ninja Camp and Pajama Day all about?
Things this season at Team Hardwood are very different. We are definitely missing the races but we are having fun with mini time trials. I miss skiing with my friends and playing games. We have tried to make the best of the situation. A lot of us have improved in our technique. Ninja Camp is traditionally an overnight training camp where we work on agility, balance, strength and conditioning. We go for a pole walk, roller ski and play games (sometimes in the dark too!) Ninja Camp looked different this year but we still had fun. The fun doesn’t stop there! We also have fun days like pajama day and or plaid day along with crazy hat day where we change up our skiing style and have some fun!! This year I wore a plaid onesie on pajama or plaid day so that I could wear both. Then on crazy hat day, I wore a visor that had big eyes on it with a headband that had crazy string hair on top.
Classic or Freestyle? What is your signature “just add ski wax” move?
If I had to pick between Classic and Freestyle I think that Classic would be first but Freestyle definitely takes a close second. My signature “just add ski wax” would either be my hair flying out the back of my head and sometimes I might put some puke in it or that I always have snacks!! Usually, it will be Cheerios or Marshmallows.
Photo Credit: Peter Istvan Photography
You have been very successful in your pursuit of Strava segments this winter. In fact, you hold several Queen of the Mountain titles. Have you considered broadening your efforts to Queen of Grill and Chill, Dairy Queen? If you were an ice cream flavour, which flavour would you be and why?
If I were an ice cream flavour I think that I would be the famous Moose Tracks because it is one of my favourites. It also has a nice blend of everything between the chocolate, the peanut butter and the vanilla. I like that and I think that it has a good mix.
Note: For those new to Starva lingo, a Queen of the Mountain is “bestowed” for achieving the top performance, or fastest time, when skiing, cycling or running a specific segment of a trail or route. Anna currently has 6 QOM titles.
Using only emojis, how would you describe a typical pandemic day? Should every day end with jazz hands?
A report this week from Canadian Women in Sport cites that 1 in 3 girls will drop out of sports by their late teens. It also states that 62% of young girls never play sports at all. Why do you think sport is so important for girls?
I think that sport is so important for girls (and guys). It’s the lessons taught and the things we learn. For girls in particular it’s self-confidence I think that girls gain a level of self-confidence that is used the rest of our lives. Sport also increases our awareness of healthy eating and proper eating. It’s important to fuel your body properly and eat food that is healthy and nutritious. For all kids, sport teaches time management which is helpful in school. It also helps us be comfortable not being OK and working and focusing in stressful as well as difficult situations. I also think that you create friendships that last your life which I think is so important and absolutely amazing!
Weird outfits, high fashion and an incredible voice – these are some of the ingredients Lady Gaga used to take over the world. Did you know Lady Gaga calls her fans “Little Monsters”? Are you a “Little Monster”?
I wouldn’t consider myself a die-hard Lady Gaga fan but I do enjoy listening to her music (sometimes while skiing). Maybe I’m a little “Little Monster”!
One of your coaches, Jack Sasseville, uses the expression “If you’re not 10 minutes early, you’re 10 minutes late!” When you travel to a ski race, when do you pack your gear? Early, Late, or Whew! Just made it!
When I’m going to a ski race a pack my gear early! If I need to have my gear ready for the morning I pack it the night before so I can sleep more!
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself from the pandemic? How will you apply this learning to other situations in your life?
The pandemic really showed me just how much I love being active with my friends. Especially outside! Now, that could be biking, skiing running or swimming, I just love it! Moving forward I will remember this and always make an effort to do something with my friends and make sure that I’m getting active outside every day!
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