PTSA Top 3: Snowboard Ontario
Sommer Gendron (left) finished in second place while fellow Ontarian Jasmine Baird (middle) took top honours at the 2017 Sport Chek Air Nation Nationals Jr Slopestyle event in March. Photo credit: Matt Forsythe, King Snow
It was a massive year for Snowboard Ontario, with achievements spanning from grassroots programs to national competitions. Let's take a look back at the season that was.
Sport Development
Snowboard Ontario is grateful for the support of the Government of Ontario that allows us to continue to provide grassroots level development opportunities and Coach Development initiatives.
Snowboard Ontario brought the Burton Riglet Program to 15 member clubs hosting a total of 32 Riglet Days throughout Ontario with a total of 824 participants. In addition we hosted a pilot Physical Education program at four elementary schools in Ontario with a total of 405 Junior Kindergarten to Grade 2 students (223 male / 182 female) including 192 indigenous students.
Building on our success with the nationally recognized RIDERS Program, SO continued to provide the program to 15 resorts with over 15,594 snow school participants being exposed to various facets of the RIDERS curriculum during the 2016-2017 season.
The success we saw in Coach Development was not only through the training of 22 new Comp Intro coaches but also by funding 25 individuals who participated in NCCP module training (planning a practice, making ethical decisions & teaching and learning).
In partnership with Canadian Association of Disabled Skiers and Snowboarders (CADS) we were able to deliver an Autism Spectrum Disorder & Cognitive Impaired (ASD/CI) Snowboard Module to 16 Ontario Snowboard Instructors and Coaches, which gave participants an opportunity to become certified in CADS ASD/CI. Additionally we provided the opportunity for 18 individuals to participate in the CADS Visually Impaired Module Certification Course.
Excellence Stages
We continued to support our LTAD Stage 4/5 athletes through hosting successful NorAm events in Parallel Giant Slalom, Snowboardcross and Slopestyle as well as hosting the 2017 Sport Chek Air Nation Freestyle Nationals for the second year in a row.
Through successful funding from the Government of Ontario’s Sport Priority Fund, Snowboard Ontario was able to provide our Provincial Team athletes with subsidized preseason training as well as strength and conditioning camps.
Ontario athletes saw great success on the international stage with 6 top 8 finishes at the 2017 World Junior Championships
- Becca Ballantyne - 8th Halfpipe
- Jasmine Baird - 5th Big Air & 7th Slopestyle
- Will Buffey - 5th Big Air
- Kaylie Buck - 6th PGS
- Riley Kilmer Choi - 8th PGS
On home soil our Ontario Provincial Team athletes held their own taking home 5 medals at the 2017 Sport Chek Air Nation Freestyle Nationals
- Becca Ballantyne - 1st JR HP
- Kiran Pershad - 3rd JR HP
- Jasmine Baird - 1st JR Slopestyle & 3rd Open Slopestyle
- Sommer Gendron - 2nd JR Slopestyle
Complete results can be found here.
Challenging weather didn't stop Ontario athletes at the 2017 Sports Experts Speed Nation Nationals held in Mont Tremblant April 5-9th 2017 with Ontario athletes capturing 25 medals. The full story can be found here.
Events
Snowboard Ontario continued with our strong 2017 Ontario Speed Series, presented by Mackenzie Investments, while supporting Canadian Ranking List events hosted by member clubs/resorts. Our Provincial Championships saw five events hosted across all disciplines as well as FIS SBX and PGS competitions.
Our community was proud to host the 2017 Sport Chek Air Nation Freestyle Nationals in March at Mount St. Louis Moonstone and Horseshoe Resort. It was a huge week made possible by the tremendous efforts of the riders, parents, supporters, officials, organizers and volunteers. In case you missed it, check out the awesome coverage of the event, courtesy of King Snow.
Snowboard Ontario is looking forward to the 2018 season, supporting our athletes from grassroots to High Performance and providing further opportunities to coaches and officials.
Follow Snowboard Ontario!
Facebook: @snowboardontario
Twitter: @sbontario
Instagram: @snowboardontario
Website: www.ontariosnowboarders.ca
