EXCITING NEWS!
Today marks the beginning of the first race weekend of the year in Ruka, Finland. This season, Canadians can watch COOP FIS Cross-Country World Cups live on the FIS Cross-Country YouTube Channel! We encourage you to tune in live or on delay to cheer on NTDC’s Graham Ritchie and Team Canada. The link to the channel is provided below:
Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club is looking for a Head Coach. For more information, visit:
Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club is Hiring a Coach
Application Deadline: December 3, 2023, or once a suitable candidate is found.
If you missed the Nordiq Canada Policy Community Updates for November:
Please click here to review the recording for November 16 !
Please click here to review the recording for November 20 !
Please click here to view the slide deck without the recording !
Cross Country Ski Ontario (XCSO) is excited to offer a training session for our member clubs with the experts at Zone4.
This training is designed for any club that uses Zone4 or anyone who wishes to learn how to use Zone4 to time races. The agenda will be designed around the registrants’ experience, based on information gained during registration.
Zone4’s goal as an organization is to provide clubs with easy-to-use technology, allowing volunteers to time a race with high precision and provide results in a timely manner.
From Zone4’s website: “As you may know, race days can be chaotic. Our reliable timing system let’s you focus on the things that matter on race day.”
Although Zone4 is not required to time club races there are reasons why it is the primary race timing software in cross country skiing in Canada. In addition, Zone4 is a Canadian company, based in Canmore AB, led by cross-country skiers, including their leader, Dan Roycroft, a former National Team Development Center Thunder Bay athlete.
The course will take place over three evening sessions from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm EST:
There will be a bit of homework for you to complete between sessions.
Session 1 Focus: Race Registration
Session 2 Focus: Race Timing
Session 3 Focus: Practice
The cost for the 3 sessions is $50. Registration closes one week prior to the first session on November 13, 2023. Refunds will not be offered as the course has limited capacity.
Course information will be emailed to participants on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.
For questions, please communicate with Stephanie at [email protected] or call her at (807) 474-61
If you missed today’s SafeSport Community Update, please click here to review the recording!
If you missed today’s SafeSport Community Update, please click here to review the recording!
Cross Country Ski Ontario is committed to supporting athletes, coaches, technicians, and officials in their pursuit of excellence. The objective of this trip is to support Ontario athletes who may have the best opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Canadian Youth Olympic Games Team. Nordiq Canada will be selecting 2 female and 2 male athletes for the YOG team from this competition.
Please refer to the following link to the Nordiq Canada YOG selection criteria.
Ontario is pleased to offer support to 3 female and 3 males athletes to attend the YOG Trials. The following selection criteria was used to nominate athletes and contains preliminary trip details.
Athletes, parents and coaches will be contacted via email by Bryan [email protected] with further acceptance and registration instructions.
Cross Country Ski Ontario & the Northern ON District are pleased to announce that Dick and Sally Hagman of Blind River Cross Country Ski Club are the recipients of the XCSO Outstanding Volunteer Award. Dick and Sally began volunteering at Blind River in the early 2000s. They work together, support each other and are both essential to the club’s continued growth and well being. Read about Sally & Dick HERE.
This award will be presented at the XCSO AGM on Sunday, May 28th at ~ 12:30pm. Please visit the XCSO Hall of Fame for information on our awards
The Cross Country Ski Ontario Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Rod Somppi of Lappe Nordic will be the recipient of the Cross Country Ski Ontario Lifetime Achievement Award. This award celebrates outstanding contributions to cross country skiing in Ontario and Canada. Rod began his timing journey in 2006 at the Ski Nationals held at Lappe Ski Centre and has been involved since then. Please read more HERE.
Congratulations Rod! Thank you for your outstanding achievements in timing and your commitment to racing in Ontario and Canada! Rod will be presented with the award on Sunday, May 28 at XCSO AGM ~ 12:30pm.
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.
