Blog - Alpine Women in Sport

Mind, Body, Spirit: The Strategic Combo for Performance

Did you catch the final episode of Alpine Canada’s COLD FX daily rituals series on YouTube? The theme was, “Mind, Body, Spirit,” and the video featured @CANskiteam members, Jeffrey Read (alpine, @jeffread), Frédérique Turgeon (para-alpine, @fredturgeon), and Brittany Phelan (ski cross, @brittanyphelan) who shared the performance strategies they used to stay on their A-game. Check it out here.

(Photo credits: Alpine Canada Alpin.)

Athlete Spotlight: Meet Nick Katrusiak

Nick Katrusiak is a true force on the slopes and a rising star in the world of ski cross. His journey into the world of skiing began at the tender age of 2 and by 9, he was already racing with the Whistler Mountain Ski Club in his hometown of Whistler, BC. As the years went by, Nick’s love for skiing evolved so at 16, he made the bold switch from alpine racing to ski cross. The move took him to the Nakiska Alpine Ski Association, where he continued to hone his skills and grow his passion for the sport.

AWiS Rewind: A Recap of Monday Night’s Webinar

Part 2 of “The Coaching Life: Surviving or Thriving?” with Heather Cribbin delved deep into the WHY behind well-being.

✏️ Setting Boundaries: Explore the power of personal boundaries—saying No, seeking help, and fostering connections across physical, social, and emotional realms. Prioritize yourself to better serve others.

✏️ Values & Well-being: Uncover the significance of knowing your values—the principles impacting your behaviour and guiding how you live and work.

✏️ What Fuels You?: Insights from December’s questionnaire reveal the passion coaches and athletes share for the sport, personal connections, and daily wins.

✏️ The Wheel of Life: Navigating the Human Function Curve and breaking free from the Cycle of Burnout. Rediscover balance and purpose in your coaching journey.

✏️ Time Management: Understand that energy is renewable, but time is not. Explore how effective energy management acts as a crucial boundary.

The key takeaway? Well-being for coaches and athletes revolves around successfully implementing boundaries. Let’s prioritize ourselves, foster connections, and thrive together!

Coach Spotlight: Meet Adrienne Keyzer

🏠Hometown: Oro-Medonte, Ontario
⛷️Years Coaching: 26 years
🎖️Licences/Certifications: NCCP 3, ACA DL, Alpine Ontario EL Learning Facilitator, Official 2. Currently in the coach PL pathway. CSIA Level 3 and Level 1 Course Conductor.
👤 Currently Coaching: U16/U19 at Glacier Ski Club (MSLM – Mount St. Louis Moonstone)
🔎Coaching Experience: U8 through U19
☃️ First stepped on snow: Age 3
✍🏽Phrase of guidance: All athletes need a consistent practice of better nutrition and sleep to build strength, hypertrophy, endurance, speed, and focus. “Women are not small men” (Dr. Stacy Sims, 2023), so training, competing, fueling, and recovering are physiologically different for women.

Get Tools to Set Boundaries in Ski Coaching

Join us for Part 2 of our AWiS webinar series, “The Coaching Life: Surviving or Thriving?” on Jan 22. This session will focus on « Setting Boundaries & Other Strategies to Support Well-being. »

Speaker, Heather Cribbin will share specific tools to help you set boundaries as an alpine ski racing coach. She’ll also explore trending well-being concepts, the Wheel of Life, coach burnout, the role of boundaries, values, time management, and emotional intelligence. Don’t miss this coaching wisdom!

Use this link to register and get ACA credits:

https://snowreg.com/#!/events/alpine-women-in-sport-part-2-webinar-series-the-coaching-life-surviving-or-thriving-jan-22-2023

#AWiS #HeatherCribbin #CoachingLife #WellBeingWebinar

Optimizing Female Performance at Altitude

With more snow and colder temperatures on the way, this week’s article by Dr. Stacy Sims focuses on how female athletes can optimize their training in cold weather and at altitude. Did you know at high altitudes, your body makes more red blood cells to carry oxygen, and those blood cells become more efficient at delivering that oxygen to your tissues? Take a read!

https://www.drstacysims.com/blog/Optimizing%20Female%20Performance%20at%20Altitude

Athlete Spotlight: Meet Mollie Jepsen

Mollie Jepsen is a Paralympic Champion who has conquered the slopes with finesse. Since the age of 2, she’s been weaving through the snowy landscapes of Blackcomb, ultimately becoming a prominent member of Canada’s Para-Alpine Team.

Mollie’s coaching philosophy is simple but impactful: “Having fun! You’re slow when you aren’t enjoying yourself.” This mantra not only defines her approach but also resonates with the broader skiing community.

Coach Spotlight: Meet Sarina Daigle

🏠Hometown: Gatineau, Quebec

⛷️Years Coaching: 12 years

🎖️Licenses/Certs: Development Level Certified and in the process to complete her Performance Level training

👤 Currently Coaching: U14 Lead at Camp Fortune Ski Club, Head coach of sport-études Mont-Bleu

🔎Coaching Experience: U10, U12, U14 and Sport-études

☃️ First stepped on snow: Age 5

✍🏽Phrase of guidance: Young female coaches, know that you possess the capability to excel in the world of sports. Each step you take breaks down barriers and demonstrates that ‘you can do it,’ proving that determination and passion are your greatest assets, transcending gender boundaries.

What You Need to Know About Zone 2 Training – Part 2

In a follow-up to our last article highlight, this week AWiS shares another piece by Dr. Stacy Sims. In her second article on women training in Zone 2, Dr. Sims explains why this type of training doesn’t work for some women and what to do instead. Take a read!

https://www.drstacysims.com/blog/what-women-need-to-do-instead-of-zone-2

AWiS Ready to Launch 2023/24 Webinar Series

On December 11, AWiS will launch its 2023/24 webinar series, “The Coaching Life: Surviving or Thriving?” Mental Performance Coach, Heather Cribbin will be the guide for the series, helping us engage our coaching community and lay the groundwork for open and mindful exchanges, starting with “Connection, Community, and Coaching: A Conversation with Heather Cribbin.”