The Vernon Ski Club was recently honoured by Alpine B.C. with the Provincial Club Development of the Year Award for 2014.
“Our club has a history of offering a variety of programs that meet a wide spectrum of needs in the competitive aspects of alpine ski racing, but more importantly in the core fundamentals of becoming a very good downhill skier,” said John Armstrong, program director and head coach of the Vernon Ski Club.
“Our biggest assets are our coaches so I concentrate my efforts on providing support and learning opportunities for their development. A goal that I have set for the club and our coaches is to always be learning and improving including me.”
The club has earned other important awards in past years, including National Event of the Year from Alpine Canada, and Provincial Event of the Year from B.C. Alpine.
“The Vernon Ski Club has put an enormous amount of effort in creating sustainable programs that has led to significant growth and stability to their club,” said Gordie Bowles, athletic director for B.C. Alpine. “We are impressed with their organization and are proud to recognize their achievements.
“They have paid particular attention to flexible programming and coach education and professional development and this has been a key to their success.”
The Vernon club’s relationship with Silver Star Mountain Resort and its ability to host high-level events are two keys to success.
“The culture of the Vernon Ski Club has been to run top quality events so the experience for the athletes is second to none,” said Rob Tupper, club president. “We just wouldn’t accept anything less than the best, and with the support from Silver Star Mountain Resort we are able to do that.”
The club is hosting the Provincial U14 Championships, Feb. 26 to March 1 at Silver Star.
The addition of the Vernon school district Snowsports Academy was a major development for the club. It has provided stability and programming needed for the club to grow. Athletes enrolled in the academy attend five fitness training sessions a week, and train at Silver Star two days per week, all during school time.
“The students earn credits for physical education and principles of Snowsports,” said Armstrong. “For some of the club’s highest level athletes, this has provided them with about 48 more fitness sessions and 25 more days on snow each year while balancing life and school much easier.”
