How many years have you been coaching & tell us about your coaching pathway, teams/age groups you have worked with?

I have been coaching for 21 years and I have a degree in Sports Science. I’ve coached different age groups in various clubs, I was a full-time ski instructor for 2 years. I coached for a ski academy and Laval University Ski Team. I worked for the Quebec Ski Team for 12 years. I was the women’s coach for 11 years, and the head coach for the men’s and women’s teams for one year.

Did you come from a ski racing background?

Yes many years of ski racing

Do you have a coach mentor(s)?  If yes, who and what have you learned from them?

Yes, of course. Martin Durocher has been a colleague and mentor for many years. I’ve learned the concept of accountability and responsibility. We always value creativity and initiatives. Pierre Ruel has always been around to inspire me. I like his new school approach and his constant search of excellence. Tim Gfeller and Mark Sharp are also very positive models. I always respect their input, their communication skills and their passion.

What is your academic and specific ski coaching education?

Degree in Physical and health education & sport intervention+ performance level

How would you describe your coaching philosophy?

 am a very passionate coach. I see myself as a guide and I support the athletes in their journey. I like to think outside the box and create training environments that will stimulate the athletes’ learning and their curiosity.

What is your most proudest achievement as a coach?

I was the leader of the Quebec Ski Team from 2011 to 2023. We had success, but also a lot of adversity. So I am proud of my loyalty and resiliency through the years.

Who is your favourite ski racer of all times and why?

Erik Guay, He has inspired a generation of skiers, he’s accessible, still passionate and involved

How would you describe your current group of athletes in a few words?

extraordinary potential, a united group of girls

How many years have you been coaching & tell us about your coaching pathway, teams/age groups you did work have worked with?

12 years Have coached U12-U16 Alpine, including program director for a club team. I then moved to ski cross and have coached a provincial team and now the national team.

Do you have a ski racing background?

Yes, ski raced for 8 years

Do you have a coach mentor(s)?  If yes, who and what have you learned from them?

Jordan Williams, he has taught me to be creative in how I learn and teach to adapt to different learning styles and continue engagement.

What is your academic and specific ski coaching education?

I have a PL trained coaching certification, and I am currently enrolled in the NCCP Advanced Coaching Diploma Program.

What is your most proudest achievement as a coach?

Being the first female national ski cross coach in Canada.

What would you say to a young coach that wants to become a career ski coach?

Seek opportunity anytime you can swing it. My most impactful learning experiences were sought out by myself simply asking to shadow provincial and national team coaches any time I could to pick their brains.

Who is your favourite ski racer of all times and why?

Sandra Naeslund. She is an incredible overall athlete and although she has been dominant in the women’s field in ski cross she continues to push herself and seek more. She is also incredibly humble.

How would you describe your current group of athletes in one word?

Determined

How many years have you been coaching & tell us about your coaching pathway, teams/age groups you have worked with?

I've been coaching now for 15 years. I began while in High school and loved the path it has taken me on. I coached from 5-year-olds up to the FIS level and worked in New Zealand coach in Whakapapa before joining Alpine Canada. Worked with a very talented group of U14 girls for a couple years under Jim Davis, Glenn Thompson and Steve Smart. Their professionalism made me fall in love with higher performance sport and supporting athletes on their journey.

Do you have a ski racing background?

Not really, short and sweet. I grew up at the base of panorama ski resort and spent every moment we could on the mountain.

Do you have a coach mentor(s)?  If yes, who and what have you learned from them?

JS Labrie was definitely my mentor for the 7 years as we worked together at the international level. For me coaching at the different levels provided such different paths that are all amazing and individual. Saying this, to be able to survive and thrive at the international level you need a very separate set of skills from coaching. Relationships become everything, to create contacts and help people around you will be your lifeline later down the road. JS had an amazing group of people that he called on, We usually worked with other nations and supported them and through that we always have contacts to help us all over the world which makes the journey more enjoyable and logistically easier. JS also always looked to raise the bar of what is possible with our group, we travelled all over to new training venues and locations to bring new challenges to our athletes and create very special DTE’s.

What is your academic and specific ski coaching education?

Performance level, CSIA 2, Currently in the Pursuit 18-month program with OTP, mainly ski specific.

What is your proudest achievement as a coach?

I always feel the proudest when we arrive at the Games with a prepared staff and athletes. The feeling of knowing all the boxes have been ticked and you've learned from experiences is a very special moment. From that point on I try to enjoy the ride - ups, downs and everything in between.

What would you say to a young coach that wants to become a career ski coach?

Never stop looking to improve. The reality of coaching at the higher level is that you're rarely at the bottom of the hill 'coaching'. TAKE PRIDE IN YOU DAILY TRAINING ENVIRONMENT - Learn the timing system, make the dye, run dryland. Also go and volunteer at races! You learn so much from being behind the scenes from the other side and you'll become a confident coach on race day.

Who is your favourite ski racer of all times and why?

Currently I've been loving watching Marco Odermatt, it’s not always pretty or textbook skiing but it’s fast and in the end of the day - that's all that matters.

How would you describe your current group of athletes in one word?

Hungry.

How many years have you been coaching & tell us about your coaching pathway, teams/age groups you have worked with?

I’ve been coaching for 20 years. I started with I2, K1, at the Club level with Mont Ste-Marie. K2 and FIS with the National Capital Outaouais Ski Team and PSO level with the Men's Quebec Team. For CAST, I started with the men's Devo team and now with the World Cup group. I'm grateful to all those who supported me and gave me opportunities at every stage. I feel like every level of development emphasizes different soft skills and hard skills, so having experienced a progression is valuable. During my FIS / PSO coaching year, I would organize summer camps for younger athletes which helped hone my skill development strategies and revisit basic drills and progressions which end up being just as important with the older athletes.

I’ve also specialized in ski boot fitting which has been a journey in parallel to my coaching development.  I continue to work with many young athletes in Canada and of course support our World Cup athletes with consistent support for their feet and performance.  As a racer I always felt this was a gap in our system so I’ve really double down on my development in this area for well over 15 years.

Do you have a ski racing background?

Yes and no. My family was not involved in ski racing, I picked it up from friends who were in the ski club.  I learned to ski at 9 or 10, and ski racing at around 12 years old. I played mainly baseball, tennis and mountain biked but quickly became obsessed with ski racing. I raced 3-4 years of FIS and immediately transitioned to coaching.  Paul Cook (father of Madison, Rebecca and Dustin) offered me a job right away at Mont Ste Marie when I stopped racing. 

Do you have a coach mentor(s)?  If yes, who and what have you learned from them?

I’m incredibly fortunate to have been inspired by many different coaches both inside and outside of skiing.

I grew up skiing on a small hill in the Gatineau region, 140m vertical. It’s amazing the creativity and passion our coaches had to give us good training and a great experience, despite the lack of vertical! Mark Kristofic, Becky Picher, Derek Falls, David Jones all had a lasting impact on me as a person and coach.

Jeep Picher (Becky’s father), an Outaouais ski zone legend, would give me extra coaching on weekdays. My dad drove me to Edelweiss valley mid-week to ski with Jeep and a few other kids. We would mainly freeski super G type turns with no gates and mostly visualize the course setting and talked about reading terrain.  We also hit as many jumps and gaps as possible. 

NCO Ski Team

I joined the NCO Ski Team 2nd year FIS. Coincidently, coaching legend and Canadian Skiing HOF 1994 inductee, Don Lyon was making his return to ski coaching.  As a very raw and green developing racer I was lucky to have one of the most decorated Canadian ski coaches at the helm of our program.  Don was a SG/DH guy, I recall our first day on snow in Mt Hood was with SG skis on September Palmer re freeze – it was also my first EVER day on SG skis.  Without knowing it, I received my speed team orientation over the next couple years.  I still use some cues for position and inspection from Don. 

My main technical influence would be Mike Mclaughlin.  He was (and still is) a super strong skier and really emphasized fluidity, rhythm and efficiency, things I always talk about to this day. 

I was employed by an iconic Canadian retailer, Tommy and Lefebvre.  Kevin and Natalie Pidgeon took me under their wing and fully supported my ski racing journey as well as developing a racing service program which set the standard in Canada for helping athletes perform their best.  Ski racing was in our DNA, we lived and breathed it year-round.  It was formative time for me, and I will never forget Tom Macdonald, Freddi Rodier, Charlie Nichols, what a ride it was.  The Ottawa/Outaouais ski community at large is special and I am so proud to keep representing our region everywhere I go!

My current colleagues on the Men’s Speed Team are all intelligent and motivate people that push me to be better. I feel as though we’re developing a rapport that is contributing to everyone’s growth. 

What is your academic and specific ski coaching education?

NCCP and ACA Coaching levels. I came from the old level 3. Otherwise, lots of formal and informal learning and professional development. When it comes to understanding movement and the relationship between our joints, I was particularly inspired by Gary Ward. He’s a therapist that started as a ski boot fitter and valued the potential in helping people from the ground up, and the incredible impact of being able to move with structure, fluidity and efficiency. His courses offer a great perspective on human movement and posture. Understanding the body really helps make connections in your athletes skiing.

How would you describe your coaching philosophy?

To inspire and empower those around me through my work ethic, my willingness to innovate and desire to find solutions.

What is your proudest achievement as a coach?

It's difficult to say. I'm always trying to better myself as a person and a coach and it's not necessarily results that will impact my level of pride or satisfaction. Obviously at the end of the day, we are here to win, and that is important to our whole team, however, I think it's important to have a broader goal, and some patience, which will lead to results. Also in skiing, you could have 3 athletes on the podium, but most of the team not on the podium, so there is always a balance of pride. Yes, you're proud and celebrate your top performers on the day, but you know that you need to elevate yourself and the rest of the team to reach their goals. I have to say, the moments that get me are when athletes start to understand and communicate at a higher level about their skiing and strategy. Not necessarily with complexity, but with more confidence and specificity. As a coach you always try to cultivate the correct ideas, provide an environment for growth and empower the athletes to apply the skills, but when they do it independently and you know they understand the concept, that makes me proud.  Creating those learning opportunities is very rewarding part of the whole coaching process.

What would you say to a young coach that wants to become a career ski coach?

Coaching is multi-dimensional, become well rounded, seek knowledge from all aspects inside and outside of your sport. I would coach different sports and put yourself in a position where you're uncomfortable and have to overcome uncertainty and unknown. Always keep learning. Approach things with a beginners mind always trying to grow personally and professionally. Understanding the fundamentals will set you free. There are many different styles of skiing, grounded in principles. Studying the biomechanics and physics will guide your coaching and be more a more efficient use of time. Look to simplify. It's a complex movement, how simple can you make it? Coaching people. Work on communicating, connecting, modeling the behavior you're promoting. Technique and tactics are one category, but getting the most out of your athletes and communicating effectively is just as important.

Who is your favourite ski racer of all times and why?

Thomas Grandi. He showed Canada can win on the world stage, on the best tracks. I loved his skiing style and flow and his Alta Badia skiing is etched into my memory.

How would you describe your current group of athletes in one word?

Versatile