It’s often said that it takes an army to raise a successful ski racer. From parents and coaches, to support staff, technicians, volunteers, teammates, and countless others who are passionately invested in the sport, there’s an army behind every racer. As the national governing body for ski racing in Canada, Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA) seeks to recognize the army that contributes to the sport of ski racing through a national awards program. This national awards program aims to recognize outstanding performance and contributions in the sport of ski racing from the club level, through to the national teams. Visit acaawards.org to nominate and vote!

The following categories will be honoured by ACA: 

  • Athlete of the Year (alpine, para-alpine, ski cross)
  • Coach of the Year (male/female)
  • Volunteer of the Year
  • Minogue Award of Excellence
  • Builder

ACA is reaching out to the community of impassioned ski racing fans, stakeholders, and supporters to nominate and vote for the people you believe are most deserving of these awards. Your nominations and votes play a part in the overall selection of the individual in each category.

Below is a brief award description of each award and how you can be involved in the process.

The Selection Committee

The Awards Selection Committee is chaired by Emily Brydon, former Canadian Alpine Ski Team Member and current member of the ACA Board of Directors, along with Gordie Bowles, Kelly Vanderbeek, Shannon Sullivan, Julien Cousineau and Joanna Magee. This Committee is responsible for, overseeing the selection process.

Athlete of the Year 

An Athlete of the Year will be selected from each discipline under the ACA umbrella: alpine, para-alpine and ski cross. The athlete must be Canadian and have at least one FIS World Cup start this 2015/16 season. Fans, stakeholders, and supporters of Canadian ski racing may cast their vote for their favourite athlete. You may vote once per discipline (alpine, para alpine and ski cross). Visit acaawards.org to cast your vote today!

Coach of the Year

Have you witnessed an outstanding coach? Someone who goes above and beyond at every chance to turn athlete potential into results and excellence? Nominate your coach at acaawards.org. Whether they coach at the grassroots level or are putting athletes on the podium at a provincial level, we welcome your nomination. Nominated coaches must demonstrate achievements both on and off the hill with outstanding leadership, retention of athletes in the sport and ethical conduct.

Volunteer of the Year 

Volunteers are at the heart of every ski racing event and are the lifeblood of the ski racing community. From the Nancy Greene league, right through to the World Cup level, ski races as we know them would be impossible to execute without the hours of manpower donated by volunteers. Nominate a volunteer who spends more time in ski boots than shoes, and who continually strives to give back to the racing community at acaawards.org.

Minogue Award of Excellence

Awarded to one athlete that has been on the national team for three years or less, including Development Team athletes, who exemplify excellence in all aspects of their current athletic year. Bestowed by Danny Minogue, former Chair of the ACA Board of Directors, the winner will receive a cash bursary of  $10,000 to help to fund their career as a high-performance athlete. This award is given in an effort to ensure that young Canadian talent continues to be fostered and the next generation of racers land on the World Cup podium.

Builder

ACA recognizes the extraordinary contributions of one or more individuals to Canadian ski racing. This Award is granted at the discretion of the Selection Committee and is intended to recognize one or more individual’s lifetime contributions to Canadian Ski Racing. ACA welcomes nominations to the Builder category by way of direct communication with the Chair of the Selection Committee.

Nominations close on March 4, 2016. For full details on selection criteria, please visit www.acaawards.org.

For further information or press inquiries, please contact Ashley Shantz at ashantz@alpinecanada.org or call 587.226.3007.