Featured image: Alpine Ontario Alpin Women in Coaching Initiative with World Cup racers Nina O’Brien and Katie Hensien. Photo courtesy of Katie Twible.

This weekend, February 24th through the 27th, the Alpine Ontario Alpin (AOA) team is hosting a Women in Coaching Initiative that aims to empower and advance female coaches in Ontario, Canada. This initiative is during the Devil’s Glen and Georgian Peaks NorAm events in Ontario. 

Katie Twible, Craigleith Ski Club’s High-Performance Director and former Alpine Ontario Alpin Head Coach, stated, “I believe that effective leadership is about empowering others and working collaboratively towards a common goal,” she continued, “I have found it always comes back to whether we are doing what is best for the athletes. If the answer is no, I immediately find ways to make that a yes.”

“What I learned from last year’s project is that we have a lot of female coaches who currently think that High-Performance coaching is beyond their capabilities. By participating in this project, these women were able to see and experience that, indeed, coaching at this level is possible and very much within their grasp,” Jacques Reid, Manager of Coach Development for the Alpine Ontario Alpin Ski Team, added.

This female coaching initiative is curated for hands-on experience to foster collaboration with provincial coaches, enhance on-hill experiences, and learn from esteemed leaders in the ski community. The coaches who are participating will receive multiple learning outlets for advancement, including: 

• A tech talk from Rachel Topping (Head Women’s Coach of the AOA Development Team) and Katie Twible 
• Equipment workshop at Skiis and Biikes
• On-hill access to NorAm coaches 
• Indoor Professional Development Session
• Team dinner 

Twible stated, “The initiative aims to encourage more women to feel confident in their coaching abilities and motivate them to keep enhancing their skills,” she continued, “I also want these coaches to walk away with a strong support team, knowing that they have people they can rely on for support whenever needed.”

Building Equality in Sport 

The literature on gender and sports coaching demonstrates that women from all backgrounds are prone to facing discrimination in the coaching profession more frequently than men, regardless of the sport, performance level, or stage of their coaching career.

Reid stated, “Yes, I think that women in leadership coaching roles do face resistance when leading some men.  Not all men, and slowly but surely, this is changing for the better of equality.”

It is essential for women to acquire the necessary skills to tackle obstacles and effectively take on leadership roles. The mentors spearheading this effort believe that establishing a workplace culture that prioritizes equal opportunities is vital for the advancement of Alpine ski racing.

“As a coach and a leader, I have found that navigating power structures requires a delicate balance of assertiveness and empathy. It’s important to be confident in your decisions and stand up for what you believe is right, but also to be open to feedback and willing to listen to others,” Twible stated. 

Twible has experienced (hopefully) unintentional discrimination at every level, from World Championships to World Junior Championships to working at the club level. She is hopeful these events will cease to be a factor in the future. Hence the need for education and support systems. 

The hope is that irrespective of whether you are male or female, if the individual possesses the necessary qualifications and is proficient at the job, it will be assigned to the most competent person. Not to say that Twible thinks this is the standard practice, but it is still happening. She applauds those in the industry who are beyond this conversation. 

Experience, Learning and Support at NorAm Level 

During the Tech Talk Session, Rachel Topping, the Head Women’s Coach of the Ontario Development Team, will be joined by Twible to lead the coaches in a discussion on course setting, internal versus external cues, and tactics versus technique.

Skiis and Biikes, a prominent independent Canadian retailer specializing in ski and snowboard equipment, and a new sponsor of the Alpine Ontario Alpin team will host an Equipment Workshop. This workshop will have an informational session on how the coaches can better help their athletes with their boot fittings. Also, guiding the coaches in a discussion on boot alignment and how to fit a boot better to an athlete’s body to help with better performance on the hill. 

Throughout the NorAm races at Georgian Peaks and Devil’s Glen, coaches will match with other coaches whose athletes are participating in the competition. This approach aims to increase direct involvement and facilitate discussions on various experiences, pathways, support systems, and reflections on the current season.

For the Indoor Professional Development Session, the women will work on building awareness of their strength, their triggers, and their blindspots. They will also learn strategies to personalize communication with each athlete and practice ways to help individuals find their voice.

Reid stated, “It is my goal to help women gain confidence in their abilities and contribute to them applying their strengths as coaches and leaders in our sport.” 

Attempting to Expand 

After taking part in the Women in Coaching Initiative, Katie Twible, thought that the aspects learned would be beneficial to other teams. She believes that the expansion of the initiative would assist in building strong relationships with teams and staff members, which is critical to open communication and trust. These factors ultimately lead to empowerment, leadership, and equality across the industry.   

With the Women in Coaching initiative being successful in Canada, Twible brought the idea to the Stifel US Ski Team this last summer to run the initiative during the Speed NorAms at Copper Mountain, but the team declined the proposal to host it. 

Being a Colorado native, she wants to continue her efforts in the US in hopes of progressing the sport forward and empowering future female generations in North America.

Twible stated, “It’s essential to have confidence in oneself as a coach and leader. Taking on challenges and pushing oneself out of the comfort zone is the only way to learn and grow,” she continued, “In this initiative, we hope to encourage and inspire female coaches to believe in themselves and their abilities. To have faith in their skills and knowledge to take on challenges and keep enhancing their coaching practices.”