Cross Country Alberta offers an Alberta Ski Team (AST)
program for aspiring athletes in our province.
The design of the program is directed by the Alberta Ski Team policy
(1999). For much of the past 15 years,
the program has not undergone any significant changes in priorities.
The program was successfully operated using a partnership
with the Alberta World Cup Academy as a program deliverer in 2014-15.
Feedback from parents, athletes and the ski community are
mostly positive about the ski team program, however, there are also numerous
concerns about its current delivery platform and prioirities. As such, the AST Director undertook a series
of personal interviews with coaches/officials from over CCA clubs during the
summer of 2014. The intent was to listen
and respond to the expressed needs of the membership of CCA about the AST
programs (AST and ADT).
Feedback was also sought using a survey tool to validate the
key themes that emerged from the personal conversations. The feedback from the personal interviews and
the survey were used to create the selection criteria for the 2015-16 AST
programs.
In April of 2015, CCA organized engagement sessions in
Edmonton and Calgary with the explicit intent of listening to the current needs
of our membership around a number of topics including the AST programs. The expressed aim shared by the AST Director
was to use this information to guide the revision of the AST policy, so that it
represents current membership priorities while aligning with national
priorities and honouring the legacy of the existing policy. The goal is to draft a revised policy to be
approved by the CCA Board of Directors to guide the 2015-16 AST programs.
The Alberta Ski Team program has supported numerous Alberta athletes on their pathway to becoming one of the best in the country and the world. Our goal is to continue to be a place where young athletes can aspire to accomplishing big goals through supporting our member clubs with a high quality AST program.
I look foward to ongoing dialogue with the Alberta ski community.
The Alberta Ski Team program has supported numerous Alberta athletes on their pathway to becoming one of the best in the country and the world. Our goal is to continue to be a place where young athletes can aspire to accomplishing big goals through supporting our member clubs with a high quality AST program.
I look foward to ongoing dialogue with the Alberta ski community.
Roy Strum
AST Director 2014-16
Canmore, AB
