ACA-CSC Coach Policies
Alpine Canada Alpin - Canadian Ski Coaches (ACA-CSC), in partnership with the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), oversees the development and delivery of educational resources for Canadian ski coaches. This Program also ensures that individuals are able to enter and progress along the ski coaching pathway.
We know you work hard as a coach to create a safe, supportive, performance-driven environment for your athletes. In other words, you have their back so they can focus on doing their job. The ACA-CSC program is designed to serve that same role for coaches. As the skills required by athletes to win at each successive level increase, so too do the supporting tools required by coaches. By following the standards outlined by ACA-CSC, you'll have peace of mind knowing that you're well equipped to help athletes reach their athletic potential while at the same time minimizing your personal risk.
Coach Licensing
Alpine Canada and the ACA-CSC require coaches who are actively coaching in the current season to complete annual professional development to maintain the required annual "Licensed" status. Coaches must first apply for and obtain an ACA-CSC coach license before being able to work with athletes. Coaches then apply for the renewal of this license every year.
The pupose of the program
- To promote continuous improvement and life-long learning for coaches
- To help reduce the risk of accidents
- To promote coaching excellence at every level in the Canadian development system
- To help professionalize ski coaching
Only coaches who are actively coaching are required to be "licensed" registered coaches in good standing in the current season.
- Active coaches must registered and be licensed annually by ACA-CSC.
- Obtaining the "licensed" status is the responsibility of the coach.
- The annual license cycle is September 1 - August 31
- Coaches should be "registered" and "licensed" before starting to coach athletes, supervise other coaches or implement programming
- The deadline to be licensed is January 31 annually. This accomodates coaches who are working in all coaching contexts of the ACA LTAD 3.0
- If coaches are not "licensed" by January 31, they lose their registered in good standing designation with ACA-CSC
Coaches are considered "licensed" registered coaches in good standing once all requirements have been met including:
- Payment of annual coaching dues
- Sign the annual release waiver
- Sign the code of conduct agreement
- Complete or have a current Criminal Record Check on file that is inclusive of the full licensing cycle ending on August 31st of each year
- Sign the Rowan's Law acknowledgement form (Ontario coaches only)
- Complete Safe Sport training (https://safesport.coach.ca)
- Complete educational and risk management credits
| Coach Accreditation Level | Educational Credits Required | Risk Management Credits Required |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level Trained | Two (2) | One (1) |
| Entry Level Certified | Four (4) | One (1) |
| Level 1 Certified |
Four (4) |
One (1) |
| Development Level Trained | Four (4) | One (1) |
| Development Level Certified | Four (4) | One (1) |
| Level 2 Certified | Four (4) | One (1) |
| Performance Level Trained | Four (4) | One (1) |
| Performance Level Certified | Four (4) | One (1) |
| Level 3 Certified | Four (4) | One (1) |
| High Performance | Four (4) | One (1) |
| Level 4/5 Certified | Four (4) | One (1) |
Clubs, regions, and provincial organizations can deliver professional development that counts for licensing credits.
For more information please review the ACA-CSC Licensing policy.
ACA-CSC Minimum Standards
One of the pillars of Alpine Canada Alpin's (ACA) strategic plan and priorities is coach development. Coaching excellence at all levels is the cornerstone of effective long term athlete development. The most effective athlete development programs are athlete centered, coach driven, administratively supported and based on the ACA LTAD 3.0. Quality coaching is not a destination; it is an ongoing process of continual improvement across the athlete and coach development journies. Quality coaching does not always guarentee championshps and medals, but it can ensure the quest for such outcomes are worth it and inspire individual athletes to enjoy skiing for life.
The ACA-CSC policy for coach accreditation reviews the minimum standards for hiring coaches and representing athletes at major competitions. The ACA-CSC minimum standards are intended to:
- Provide the foundation for more effective long term athlete development
- Increase the number of Certified vs. Trained coaches
- Increase the number of experienced coaches (Certified and Certified Advanced) at all levels in the development system
Professional Development
Alpine Canada and the ACA-CSC require coaches who are actively coaching in the current season, to complete annual professional development to maintain thier annual status as a "Licensed" registered coach in "good standing" status. ACA-CSC tracks annual professional development activity in personal records for each member in the ACA SnowReg Interpodia coach platform.
The purpose of the program is:
- To promote continuous improvement and life-long learning for coaches
- To help reduce the risk of accidents
- To promote coaching excellence at every level in the Canadian development system
- To help professionalize ski coaching
A listing of professional development opportunities available to coaches and coach developers has been listed in the tables below. While the list contains over 175 different professional development opportunities, every club and/or region offers professional development opportunities at the beginning of the season and/or throughout the season. Please contact us via email: coach@alpinecanada.org to review qualifying professional development opportunities.
Professional Development Hosted by ACA-CSC Partner Organizations
Professional development events can be hosted by clubs, regions, Provincial Sport Organizations (PSO), ACA-CSC, Alpine Canada National Team or the CSIA as an ACA-CSC partner organizations within the skiing community. ACA-CSC provides an on-line management tool that assigns professional development credits to individual coach records. Professional development events are assigned educational (ED) and risk management (RM) credits by ACA-CSC depending on content and duration of the event.
- It is the responsibility of the event host (ACA-CSC partner organization) to manage the processing and recording of professional development events for coaches in attendance at professional development events they host on the ACA SnowReg Interpodia platform.
- Coach Developers, Learning Facilitators and Evaluators, are responsible for completing course and evaluation records; only completed courses and evaluations count towards required professional development for both coaches and coach developers.
Professional Development Hosted by Outside Agencies
Coaches must send ACA-CSC proof of attendance and completion of the event for credits purposes. The event must be relevant ski coaching professional development. ACA-CSC will determine whether the activity qualifies for licensing credit and assign activities appropriate credits. To inquire or send ACA-CSC proof of outside agency professional development please send an email to coach@alpinecanada.org.
Facilitated Professional Development
Evaluation Professional Development
eLearning Professional Development
NCCP Professional Development
General Professional Development (Outside Agencies)
CSIA Professional Development
Policies and Procedures
General Policies
Alpine Canada Criteria & Publications
Safe Sport
CSA Coaches Duties - Appendix A
Emergency Action Plan - Appendix B
ACA Code of Conduct Coach Agreement
Safe Sport ACA-CSC Coach Screening Policy
CSA Ski Club Risk Management Handbook
CSA Incident Report Form - Appendix C (updated 2019)
CSA The Need for Sport Accident Insurance Policy (S.A.I.P.)
Coach Licensing and Membership Policies
Policy for Integrating Foreign Coaches
Coach Certification & Development Policies
ACA Policy for Coach Accreditation with Transfer Policies appendix
ACA Re-evaluation policy
ACA Video evaluation policy
FAQ
Coach Licensing
Why do coaches need to be licensed?
- To promote life-long learning and for coaches to take responsibility for that learning.
- To promote coaching excellence at every level in the system. High quality coaching at all levels is the cornerstone of long term athlete development and is one of the main goals of Alpine Canada Alpin-Canadian Ski Coaches (ACA-CSC).
- To be current in the business of ski coaching to better meet the needs of athletes and to help reduce the risks of injury.
- Coaching in alpine ski is being seen more and more as a professional endeavor.
Who needs to be licensed?
- Anyone who is actively working or is planning to work in a program as a coach, mentor, evaluator, program designer or coach educator needs to be licensed annually by ACA-CSC.
- If you are not coaching, you do NOT need to be licensed.
- If you are teaching skiing in a ski school and not coaching, you do NOT need to be licensed.
- If you are coaching outside of Canada, you do NOT need to be licensed.
What do I need to do to be "Licensed" by ACA-CSC annually?
- Licensing requirements for active coaches vary depending on coach certification status. Click here for the Policy.
How do I get credits that count towards a coach license?
- Coaching education sessions offered by ACA-CSC,Provincial Sport Organizations (PSO), regions or clubs may qualify for credit depending on their content and duration.
- Most CSIA courses qualify for licensing credit. Coaches may also apply for credit for courses taken outside of skiing and ski racing.
- 1 ED credit = half a day on snow or indoors on relevant topics.
- 1 RM credit = a minimum of 1 hour of ski racing specific risk management content
Will I lose my certification status if I am not licensed annually or if I stop coaching for a while?
- No, once you have achieved a certification status (e.g. Development Level Trained, Entry Level Certified etc.) you will never lose it. However, if you start coaching actively again, you should accumulate the required number of licensing credits before you start coaching again.
How are licensing credits accumulated?
- The annual license cycle is August 1 – July 31. If enough credits have not been accumulated by July 31 for the next cycle, coaches may continue accumulating credits for the new cycle until “Licensed” status has been achieved.
- All credits earned between Feb 1 and July 31 count for BOTH the current cycle AND the next cycle.
- Credits from any individual PD activity cannot be split up with some credits applying to one cycle and some applying to the next cycle.
Is there a deadline date to become licensed each year?
- Yes, the deadline date to be “licensed” is January 31 annually. Otherwise, you will lose your status as a “member in good standing” with ACA-CSC. Coaches should be licensed before starting to coach athletes, supervise other coaches or implement programs. Employers are encouraged to include, in coach agreements, reasonable deadline dates for licensed status (in advance of January 31) based on when the coach starts working.
Where do I go to check my licensing status?
- Go to your personal profile page on the ACA SnowReg membership platform: https://snowreg.com/#!/memberships/aca-canadian-ski-coaches-20202021
How do I register professional development activity at my club to count for licensing credits?
- Licensing events are posted and managed by the organizing event host. Only organizations (clubs, provincial sport organizations, regions, ski schools etc.) are permitted log in accounts to ACA-CSC SnowReg membership platform. Individual coaches are not permitted accounts. There is only ONE account per organization. To acquire a new ACA-CSC SnowReg membership platform account or if you have forgotten existing log in details email coach@alpinecanada.org.
How do I get credit for professional development I did on my own?
- You must contact ACA-CSC directly and provide documented proof of what you did (e.g. a St John’s Ambulance First Aid course). ACA-CSC will decide whether the professional development will count for credit and how many credits it will be assigned. To inquire about credits please email coach@alpinecanada.org.
If I don’t complete required professional development annually, do I lose my ACA-CSC certification status?
- No, you will always retain your ACA-CSC certification status (e.g. Development Level TRAINED, Entry Level CERTIFIED etc.). However, if your professional development activity has lapsed and you no longer meet annual licensing requirements, your ACA-CSC record will indicate “Not licensed yet” status. As soon as you satisfy licensing requirements and the ACA-CSC has recorded your PD activity, your licensing status will change to “Licensed”.
Am I covered by third party liability insurance?
- If coaches HAVE achieved “Licensed” status with ACA-CSC they ARE covered by the ACA-CSC liability insurance coverage. If coaches have NOT achieved “Licensed” status with ACA-CSC and are actively coaching, they are NOT in good standing with ACA-CSC. In this case, coaches may not be covered by ACA-CSC liability insurance coverage. This depends on circumstances of the incident and the situation of the coach. This is only a judgment that can be made after the incident.
- Coaches who are free-lancing on their own and not affiliated with a PSO recognized club are NOT covered by ACA-CSC liability insurance.
- For more information on this policy, the CSA Ski Club Risk Management Manual is available for download from Alpine Canada Alpin web site.
Current Coaching Opportunities
Alpine Canada, provincial organizations and local ski clubs employ coaches both on a seasonal and full-time basis. Discover current coaching opportunities at https://alpinecanada.org/careers.
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