We’re gearing up for the 2016/17 ski season and we’re looking for coaches for our Jackrabbit program! This popular program for our youngest skiers starts at Bunnyrabbits at age 4 and goes up to age 9. The Yellowknife Ski Club is lucky to have a history of great volunteer coaches for this program, which runs Saturdays from 1:30-3 p.m, starting when the trails are ready.
The Yellowknife Ski Club, supported by the NWT Ski Division, offers training for our volunteer coaches for free ($80-120 value), to ensure our youth ski programs are a great experience for children. Coaching workshops are part of the National Coaching Certification program (NCCP), which includes courses for 65 sports.
The Introduction to Community Coach (ICC) workshop (10-hour course) teaches parents and other beginning coaches how to deliver a series of age-appropriate skill development sessions under the supervision of more experienced coaches. The ICC workshop will be offered in Yellowknife Sunday Nov. 20 from 8:30-5 p.m., plus a 2-hour on snow session (you get a lesson too!) the first week of December. The material targets beginning skiers of all ages with an emphasis on working with children under six years of age. This course lays down the basics for coaching, including child development, teaching basic ski skills, and safety and risk management. There are no prerequisites except enthusiasm and the minimum age requirement of 14 years. With the ICC workshop, you can lead a Bunnyrabbit or Level 1 Jackrabbit group or assist with classes for older children.
The second workshop, Community Coach (CC), provides more lesson plans and lots of ideas for FUN ways to teach skiing. It trains coaches to teach children intermediate technical skills in an enjoyable way so that it is fun to learn, to select games that reinforce skills being taught, to design and lead on-snow sessions, and to select and prepare equipment for young children. The CC workshop (16 hour course) will run in Yellowknife January 6-8, 2017. The CC workshop qualifies you to lead a Jackrabbit class or assist with ski programs for older children.
Can’t commit to a be a coach? We can put you on our substitute list and you can help out when needed. Coaching your kids and others is a very rewarding volunteer job that the Yellowknife Ski Club depends on to help us run this affordable grassroots ski program. We’d love to have you!
Our Jackrabbits Coordinator this year is Monique Robitaille and she’s also looking for a volunteer coordinator to help her plan and execute another great season.
Please contact monique.robitaille@gmail.com for more information.
Contact Karen Johnson, NWT Ski Division course coordinator, at skinorth.nwt@gmail.com to register for a coaching course or for more information.