Official announcement of the retirement of Canada Snowboard’s Head Alpine Coach Jan Wengelin.
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard (quote Winnie the Pooh). 34 years of coaching at high level and I cannot look back and regret one day!” Jan Wengelin
It is with a heavy heart that we at Canada Snowboard part ways with our Head Alpine Coach, Jan Wengelin. After 6 years of dedicated service; through all the ups and downs that go with coaching high-performance teams including racking up millions of frequent flyer points, countless hours on phones and Zoom meetings, the endless long cold days of on-snow coaching all in the relentless pursuit of turning snowboarders into finely tuned professional athletes; Jan has seen and done it all. We thank him for his time, dedication, passion and performance.
Jan’s coaching career has spanned over 30 years, including positions with Canada’s alpine snowboarding team leading up to the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, the US alpine snowboarding program, and Alpine Canada. Jan also served as head coach of the Smithers Ski and Snowboard Club in Smithers, BC.
Originally from Sweden, he has coached athletes at four different Winter Olympic games, including three Olympic medallists: Canadian Ross Rebagliati (Gold, Nagano 1998) as well as American riders Chris Klug (Bronze, Salt Lake City 2002) and Rosey Fletcher (Bronze, Torino 2006).
He was part of the greatest Canadian Alpine Snowboarder’s careers in Jasey-Jay Anderson, from his first to his last of each of the 5 Olympics he has represented us in spanning over 20 years. He has nurtured many of our developing Alpine Team from Nor-am level to World Cup contenders and made an impact on their style and progression.
I will always cherish my time with Jan. He had a huge impact on my career, and I wouldn’t be at the level I’m at without him. When Jasey won and I finished 7th at the World Cup in Bansko, 2018 is a day I will remember forever. Thanks, Jan, for the great memories and for your commitment to alpine snowboarding. Enjoy some well-deserved family time! National team rider Sebastien Beaulieu
Jan is leaving the program for personal reasons and on great terms, aiming to spend more valuable time with his family and friends in Smithers B.C.
