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Tag: junior coach

  • Highlands Trailblazers Seeks Junior Comp Coach

    Highlands Trailblazers Seeks Junior Comp Coach

    Lead Coach (Part Time)

    Nordic/Biathlon Junior COMPetitive Program 

    (Job posting)

    The Highlands Trailblazers seeks an experienced competitive skier with strong coaching skills to manage the training program for this Junior Competitive (“Jr. Comp”) racing program the Club is adding for the 2017/2018 season. This new program is being formed in response to the rapid growth the Club has experienced over the last few years.

    About Highlands Trailblazers Ski Club

    The Highlands Trailblazers Ski Club is a nonprofit component of Highlands Nordic Inc. It operates year round, helping skiers build new skills, race and enjoy a social, friendly, team atmosphere. The club operates out of Highlands Nordic in Duntroon, just minutes south of Collingwood. The Trailblazers consistently rank among the top 5 ski clubs in Ontario and are only one of three clubs to offer an on-premise biathlon program. The Club has produced skiers that have competed at the national and international level. It’s training programs follow the Cross Country/Biathlon Canada Long Term Athlete Development principles, with programs ranging from Biathlon Bears and Jackrabbits through to the Train to Compete “Comp” and “Comp 0.22” teams. A Board of Directors manages the Club, with the racing program lead by Head Coach Rick Dickey.

    The Program

    The “Jr. Comp” program was developed to focus on athletes at the “Train to Train” LTAD level when they progress through their peak growth period. It provides opportunities for the continual progression of technical skills and physical capacities. It is a high-energy program, which includes both Nordic and Biathlon air rifle athletes. The program places heavy emphasis on team building, group interaction and confidence while working to reach common goals.

    Athletes have learned how to train as part of a Track Attack or equivalent program with an expectation that they are independently driven to be active every day. They have at least one year of experience racing in cross-country or biathlon at a provincially recognized event (Midget Champs, Paraffin Series, etc)

    Key features of the program include:

    Application Details

    Lead Coach Position Overview

    This individual will be responsible for delivering the program to the athletes during dryland training, at camps and at races. Their focus is on guiding the athletes as they develop their physical and mental sport specific and sport general skills based on very frequent contact with them so that their progress can be observed regularly. The Lead Coach will be responsible for setting weekly training plans and directing volunteer parent-coaches assisting in the delivery of programming.

    I) Specific Coaching Expectations

    • Coach the team:
      • Twice per week from July to November
      • Wednesday(1), Saturday & Sunday(2), December to the end of March
      • At training camps and ski races
    • Communicate with athletes regarding program specifics and individual questions
    • Work with the coaching team:
      • Attend coaches meetings as requested
      • Work closely with the lead biathlon coach to coordinate athlete training programs
    • Provide weekly guidance to the squad’s parent-volunteer team

    II) Desired Skills

    A. Be a good technical ski racer and passionate adventurer; biathlon background an asset

    B. Experience coaching athletes, preferably at the younger level (19 and under)

    C. Certified, at a minimum, as Community Coaching (NCCP Cross-Country OR BiCan Community Gold) or equivalent training, and ideally hold Learn to Train certification

    D. Demonstrated Coaching, Cross-Country/Biathlon and Leadership skills such as:

    i) Coaching Skills

    • Ability to translate a seasonal training plan developed by the club’s coaching team, into a daily training plan that the athletes follow
    • Ability to regularly solicit feedback and translate it into clear direction for the team

    ii) Cross-Country/Biathlon Skills

    • Experience training with recognized ski club or training center related to cross-country skiing/biathlon
    • Competed at the provincial or university level, or higher
    • Committed to a “win” attitude based on demonstrated racing or coaching results

    iii) Leadership Skills

    • Ability to work collaboratively with the team based on good communication & organization
    • Ability to take a leadership role driven by initiative and need for minimal supervision.
    • Ability to motivate, and gain the confidence of athletes in an ethical, positive environment

    Compensation:

    • $27,000 based on 155 annual coaching days(3); adjusted to reflect employment start date and negotiable based on successful candidate’s availability and experience.
    • Gas, food and accommodation remuneration for travel to races and camps
    • 50% discount at Pro Shop and free annual trail pass
    • Compensation for coach certification courses

    ***

    1) Wednesdays: 5:00-6:30 pm

    2) Saturday & Sunday: 9:30am to 12:30 pm which may include dry land, roller-skiing and on-snow training

    3) including preparation time and non training time; contact time with parents, athletes and coaches

  • Endurance United Hiring Programming Director/Head Junior Coach

    Endurance United Hiring Programming Director/Head Junior Coach

    PROGRAMMING DIRECTOR/HEAD JUNIOR COACH

    Job Description: 

    The Programming Director is to oversee all aspects of Endurance United’s athletic programming. They will work with the Executive Director to plan, implement, advertise and manage Endurance’s programs designed for participants of all ages: youth, juniors and adults.  Focuses of the position are as follows:

    1.      Overseeing all levels of programming.

    2.      Lead competitively successful Junior Nordic program.

    3.      Cultivating and supporting experienced part-time coaching staff.

    4.      Develop effective recruitment pipe-lines into every level of programming.

    5.      Explore new programming directions.

    6.      Assist in general corporate operations.

    FULL JOB DESCRIPTION

    To apply:

    Email a cover letter and resume to info@enduranceunited.org

    Please submit all applications by April 7th, 2017.

  • U.S. Devo Coach Fish Hosts Jam-Packed Junior Clinic: ‘Keep Them Moving, Keep Them Active’

    U.S. Devo Coach Fish Hosts Jam-Packed Junior Clinic: ‘Keep Them Moving, Keep Them Active’

    Bryan Fish leading some dry land training during the Yellowstone Ski Festival Junior Development Clinic on Thursday, Nov. 26th.
    U.S. Ski Team Development Coach Bryan Fish (r) leads some off-skis “dryland” training during the Yellowstone Ski Festival Junior Development Clinic on Thursday, Nov. 26.

    WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. — Where does the development of a strong ski program begin? According to U.S. Ski Team Development Coach Bryan Fish, it’s youth. More specifically, youth who enjoy what they’re doing. 

    “We have to have the numbers and the people that love the sport, before they’ll stick with it and actually perform at the highest of levels,” Fish said last week.

    “My favorite thing about working with youth is, I know when I’m doing a good or bad job based on how quickly I lose them,” he added. “All this monotonous repetition at a young age is not the most positive thing. If we can keep them moving and keep them active, keep challenging them, that’s what brings them back and it also makes them better.”

    With this in mind, this year Fish decided to hold a junior development camp on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, in West Yellowstone.

    “What I’ve been doing a great deal [this year] is traveling around to different ski venues and looking at how we can we grow our sport,” he said. “And make sure that our athletes have the appropriate venues to get challenged on.”

    Part of the Yellowstone Ski Festival, Fish’s camp took what he dubbed the “Constraint-Let Approach.” This approach included dividing the the 60-plus kids in attendance into three separate groups and incorporating various games, such as tag, lunge races, and “dryland” exercises.

    All focus and fun. “My favorite thing about working with youth is, I know when I’m doing a good or bad job based on how quickly I lose them,” said Bryan Fish.
    All focus and fun. “My favorite thing about working with youth is, I know when I’m doing a good or bad job based on how quickly I lose them,” said Bryan Fish.

    “We had them over on the road doing some dryland: Skipping, jumping, jumping backwards, broad jump. All those activities are the foundation of cross-country skiing,” Fish explained. “It’s about coordination and linking the body together. If they can do that well, then they can double pole well, diagonal stride well and skate well.”

    The smaller groups allowed Fish, and the coaches helping him, to provide more challenging activities for each group and keep the kids’ interested.

    “What we’re doing is we’re changing the task and the environment so that the athletes have to adapt. They’re learning all these skill and agility courses, and activities, without actually thinking they’re learning technique. It’s a much more engaging and a much more athlete empowering way of learning skiing,” said Fish. “To be an artful coach is all about limited talking and more about action.”

    One of four coaches on the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, Fish coaches at national-level camps in the summers and leads international racing trips in the winter. He’s also responsible for fostering coaching education in the development pipeline.

    “I did Bryan’s level 100 technique clinic [Wednesday],” said Garrott Kuzzy, a 2010 Olympian, former athlete of Fish’s and most recently, Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS) nordic director. “Every time I do a clinic with Bryan I feel like I learn something new.” 

    Fish feels the art of coaching takes teamwork and communication. “We’re not trying to tell coaches what to do,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is create a general platform that all of us [nordic skiers] agree upon in our country [to] establish a foundation that we can build, grow and innovate.”

    With more active empowered coaches and engaged youth, Fish believes nordic development in the U.S. will continue to grow.

    “This is the first time I’ve been back in six years and I think the sport has really grown,” he said of his return to West Yellowstone. “We had to close the [coaches] clinic because it was over capacity. Same with [the junior clinic], there was a limit of 60 and I think there were a little more than 60 out here. But that’s a great problem to have.”

  • Plain Valley Nordic Looking for Junior Head Coach

    Plain Valley Nordic Looking for Junior Head Coach

    Pine Valley Nordic Team

    Plain Valley Nordic Team (PVNT) is looking to hire a head coach for its junior Nordic race team. This will be a year-round position that includes travel to regional races.

    The PVNT is a member of the PNSA Division of USSA Nordic. We started the team in the fall of 2014, and we had 44 skiers join the team in its inaugural season. Skiers ranged in age from 7 to 17. These skiers were supported with ten coaches, keeping the skier to coach ratio low.

    We are looking to develop a well organized and well-supported Nordic race team. We have made great progress in that direction, with the development of a strong mission statement, objectives, and supporting goals.

    The PVNT has the advantage of its own trail system in Plain, Washington. The Plain Valley Nordic Trails has over 16 K’s of trails groomed for skate and classic, with more K’s of trail being developed each year. Even in this dry year for the West Coast, our higher elevation and close proximity to the crest of the Washington Cascades provided us with great skiing well into March.

    PVNT Coach Packet 050415

  • Fairbanks XC Junior Racing Program Seeks Assistant Coach

    Fairbanks XC Junior Racing Program Seeks Assistant Coach

    nscf fxc racing logo

    (Press release)

    Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks’ Fairbanks Cross Country (NSCF-FXC) junior racing program is searching for an assistant coach to work as part of a team of professional and volunteer coaches in helping guide its junior and masters athletes as they pursue their goals and dreams in Cross Country skiing.

    This is an exciting opportunity to join a program that has been steadily growing and improving since its inception in 2006; the program currently engages more than 120 athletes on an annual basis.

    The NSCF-FXC program is part of an integrated development path that begins with the club’s highly successful Junior Nordics program, which instructs over 200 young skiers ages 5-13 each winter.  Athletes in the FXC junior program are split among three tiers: the Jr. Devo Team for late elementary skiers, the Prep Team for middleschoolers and the Comp Team for high school and post-graduate athletes.  There is also a growing Masters program that was begun in 2013.

    We are fortunate to have great opportunities as ski racers in Interior Alaska, due in large part to a strong and exceptionally supportive local ski community.  Our home trail system at Birch Hill Recreation Area – one of two primary groomed ski trail networks in Fairbanks (and one of several in the Fairbanks area) – includes over 40 km of trails, 11 km of lighted trails, a full array of FIS homologated race loops, a terrain garden for ski play, and a 10,000-square-foot ski center with various outbuildings.  The club provides grooming throughout the 6- to 7-month ski season, and our nationally recognized competition crew organizes a full slate of races ranging from youth events, to marathons, JN qualifiers, National Championships and FIS races.  The long days of summer offer great dryland training opportunities particularly for activities on trails, and ready access to some of the most expansive wilderness in North America.

    This position would start as a summer position with the potential to expand to year-round (our preferred scenario).  Summer would include coaching with all levels of our junior program, while winter would involve both the juniors and work with our Masters program as part of an expansion of our programming at the masters level.  Summer training would involve morning and afternoon and/or evening workouts 5-6 days per week with middays free; winter would be primarily afternoons and evenings with some weekend duties.

    The ideal candidate would have raced at the collegiate level or higher, be enthusiastic about and have experience working with or coaching youth, possess excellent communication and organization skills, and be able to complete miscellaneous projects in a timely manner with minimal oversight.  The assistant coach must be able to pass a background check and possess a valid driver’s license.  If not already certified, it would be expected that the candidate completes the USSA Level 100 certification within 90 days of hire (with educational costs covered by the club).

    The typical hourly commitment during the busy summer and winter seasons would be 15-25 hours of coaching per week plus 5-10 hours of organization and miscellaneous tasks.  Weeks involving training camps, trips or important races would likely exceed 40 hours.  The schedule allows for potential additional employment within the local ski community (coaching, lessons, grooming, etc.) and the Fairbanks community at large.  The University of Alaska offers a wide variety of college and graduate level courses at its Fairbanks campus for those wishing to further their education.

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    For a broader sense of the NSCF as a whole, please consult our website: www.nscfairbanks.org, or the NSCF-FXC Facebook page for a better picture of our program.  For questions or to submit an application, contact NSCF-FXC Head Coach and Director of Skier Development Pete Leonard at pete@peterleonard.net or (907) 978-6325.  Applications should be submitted to the aforementioned email address and should include a cover letter, resume and three references.  Initial review of applications will begin April 27, and the position will remain open until filled.  Applicants should expect to be on the ground in Fairbanks by early June.

  • Mansfield Nordic Club Seeks Junior Devo Coach

    Mansfield Nordic Club Seeks Junior Devo Coach

    Mansfield Nordic Logo

    MANSFIELD NORDIC CLUB DEVELOPMENT TEAM COACHING POSITION

    Mansfield Nordic Club seeks to hire a Junior Team Development coach to lead our top youth skiers toward higher level skiing on our Junior Competition team. Our new coach will be a high-energy skier with strong communication, leadership and interpersonal skills. The position is for approximately 15-20 hours per week, November 2014-March 2015. There is likely potential for this position to lead into the Head Coach for our Junior Competition Team in May 2015.

    Our new coach will have primary responsibilities for:

    • Coaching our Development Team with 10-12 fast, motivated skiers, age 12-16, who strive to make the MNC Competition Team. Several of these skiers are among the top in New England and ready for specialized technique and race coaching.
    • Provide motivation, technique development and race savvy in a fun and energetic environment.
    • Create a passion & joy for skiing with determination & toughness to be the best skier they can be.
    • Collaborate closely with BKL and Competition Team head coaches to bridge athletes from the BKL youth program to the Junior Competition Team
    • Expand the number of female athletes transitioning from BKL to Junior Team
    • Provide race support at 8 NENSA Eastern Cup races and at 3-4 BKL races
    • Design individualized training programs for each athlete with long & short range goal setting
    • Lead and train a parent volunteer wax team
    • Actively communicate and coordinate with parents and with school ski team coaches

    Mansfield Nordic Club is one of the largest and most diverse Nordic ski clubs in New England with programs for 200+ skiers age 7-70.

    Our home training facility is the Ethan Allen Biathlon Range in Jericho, Vermont with snowmaking, lights, piston bully grooming, challenging competition level trails, stadium, full biathlon range, large lodge and 5km paved roller ski system. We also train at numerous facilities including Trapp Family Lodge and Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Our members range from recreational fitness skiers to top competitive skiers.

    Our youth, junior, collegiate and masters skiers have been on the podium at the New England BKL Festival, Junior Nationals, NCAA competitions and Masters National and World championships. We provide programs for Bill Koch League recreation skiers, Bill Koch League Race Team, Junior Development Team, Junior Competition Team and Masters fitness and Masters competitive groups.

    In addition to our winter skiing programs, we host a summer training program for junior skiers, a fall training program and a Thanksgiving Camp with former Olympic skier Garrott Kuzzy.

    For more specific details on this position, email: murray@murraybanks.com.

  • Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation Seeking Junior Head Coach

    Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation Seeking Junior Head Coach

    Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation

    Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation (TVSEF) based out of Driggs, Idaho, wishes to retain a head coach who will have primary responsibility of coaching our middle school and high school aged team members.

    The head coach will also have the responsibility of the day to day planning, administration, and oversight of all our Junior Nordic Programs.  The job will be salaried and seasonal from approximately October – March.

    Contact Dan Streubel at dan@streubelphysicaltherapy.com for further information and to obtain a detailed job description of our head coach position.  www.tvsef.org

  • Craftsbury Seeking Biathlon and Junior Coach

    Craftsbury Seeking Biathlon and Junior Coach

    Craftsbury Outdoor Center

    (Press release)

    Biathlon and Junior Ski Coach Wanted

    The Craftsbury Outdoor Center is looking for a coach to work with our Junior Nordic skiers, as well as lead our Biathlon program. Ideal candidates will have experience both in coaching biathlon and coaching junior skiers.

    Juniors: We have a great group of U14 and U16 skiers, as well as a strong competitive Bill Koch League group, and we need an enthusiastic, energetic and organized coach to work with them through the winter. The coach will lead winter training sessions (generally 4 days per week), and travel to weekend racing through the season. Position will be responsible for planning weekly training, engaging and developing new and experienced skiers, supervising athletes at the Center and while traveling, helping kids wax skis for training and races, and planning logistics of travel.

    Biathlon: Coach will work with biathletes at both the Junior and Senior level, running training sessions both introductory and advanced, and accompanying biathletes to competitions as needed.

    This person will also help with organization and hosting of several races through the winter, including Eastern Cup, Craftsbury Marathon and SuperTour events.

    This position starts as soon as possible. It might be part-time/seasonal initially, but could grow to full-time for the right candidate. Position requires afternoons during the week and full-time most weekends. Room and meals provided during the season in addition to salary. For more on the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, click here.

    Please send a letter of interest and resume to skiing@craftsbury.com.