2011-12 Domestic Events

Where do I fit in LTAD?

Stage 1 – Active Start. You were in Stage 1 while you were learning to walk, run, and move around the world. You were learning to have fun with physical activity and developing the basic skills that now help you to grow in your sport.

Stage 2 – FUNdamentals. Kids are usually in this stage in late childhood while they are learning more sport specific behaviors and movement skills. At this age, kids should be engaging in many sports to help develop well-rounded physical abilities and having lots of fun while engaging socially.

As a stage 2 rider, I am making friends and having lots of fun at snowboard school. I’m learning how to stand and balance on the board, start, stop, and do beginner turns.

Stage 3 – Learn to Ride. At this stage, the main focus is still having fun, making friends and developing the fundamental skills. At this stage, athletes are encouraged to participate in the RBC Riders series, which is developed specifically to expose kids to coaches, all three snowboarding disciplines, and the social snowboarding experience.

As a stage 3 rider, I am confident in my balance, stance, linked turns, and take offs and landings both switch and regular. I’ve been exploring the park and pipe with my coach and which is helping me to take my basic skills to the next level trying out 360s, straight airs, alley oops, cabs, spins, and grabs in all directions.

Stage 4 – Train to Train. By stage 4, athletes are typically somewhere between early and late puberty and have developed solid basic technical skills and while enjoying all aspects of snowboarding, have been to specialize in speed or freestyle disciplines. Athletes should be competing at domestic FIS events as part of the Provincial Series and circuits as well as industry events.

As a stage 4 athlete, I’m starting to learn how to strengthen my body and train off the snow to take my boarding to the next level. My coaches and I have developed a solid training plan on and off the snow, which is helping to make me a faster and stronger athlete. As a speed rider, I am still freeriding a lot but focusing with my coach on learning to increase my speed with skill, demonstrating more advanced technical skills, and consolidating my turns in varied conditions.

As a freestyle athlete, I’m working in the super pipe on my uphill take offs and landing, maintain speed, switch riding and choosing lines. In the park, I’ve been mixing up my grabs off different features and getting really good spins in all directions and off-axis. I can do 180s and 540s off small booters and even do some good 720s on the small booters.

Stage 5 – Train to Compete. Stage 5 athletes have been typically training for 4 to 6 years and are competing at events such as Nationals, PTSA FIS events, Rev Tour, and industry events. During the season, they spend 70-100 days training on snow and engage in coached off-snow training as well.

As a Stage 5 Speed Athlete, I can do everything I could do as a Stage 4 athlete really well and am continuing to push my technical skills carving switch on intermediate runs, developing and controlling race turns, SBX airs, passing and line gain tactics, and recovering from errors smoothly. In competitions, I demonstrate the skills practiced and am applying mental skills I've learned with my coaches.

As a Stage 5 Freestyle Athlete, I’m rocking the stage 4 skills and working on developing my air awareness to improve flat base take offs, early and long grabs, increasing speed, and decision making. I can do all grabs switch and regular in the pipe and get straight air up to 10 or 12 feet. I can do 360s, 540s, and 720s up to 6 to 8 feet and am working on 900s. In competition, I demonstrate variation and good decision making skills during my runs.

Stage 6 – Learn to Win. Stage 6 athletes have usually been training for 6 to 8 years and spend over 100 days on the snow during the season along with intensive off snow training. They have muscular balance and strength, which allows them to focus on the details of each competition course and each individual performance. Athletes are focused on mastering psychological techniques and finding the best training patterns to allow for maximum performance at competitions. These are the athletes competing to be part of the Canadian High Performance Program.

Stage 7 – Train to Win. These elite athletes are dedicated to preserving their high quality of performance and injury prevention strategies, which allow them to compete for a living. They are focused on pushing the development of the sport by composing new movements, developing personal interpretations of tactics and strategies, and performing strongly on the international stage.

Stage 8 – Active for Life. As Stage 8 athletes, you are individuals who have retired from competitive snowboarding at any age. You may have any skill level and are participating in the sport recreationally for personal satisfaction and gain.

Each stage corrosponds to a level of events:

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Use the calendar below to sort events by location, discipline or Long Term Athlete Development Stage (LTAD).

What does Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Mean?

Where do I fit in LTAD?

LTAD Stage

Province

Discipline

Series