SSAXC Announcement of Athlete/Coach Pathway Review

SSAXC Announcement of Athlete/Coach Pathway Review

As part of its quadrennial strategic plan review SSAXC has identified athlete recruitment and development below the National Team as one of the main priorities requiring more focus and resources for 2018-2022. In short, a larger pool of talented, trained, educated and motivated athlete and coaches is needed to achieve SSAXC’s long term objectives of achieving international success via a vibrant and sustainable domestic cross country skiing community. To assist to determine the optimal pathway structures with which to achieve these sport development objectives, SSAXC is undertaking a comprehensive review of existing underpinning athlete and coaching pathways.

This review comprises three key components. First, a review of athlete pathway programs at the state and club level will be driven by key leaders identified by SSAXC. Newly appointed coach of the 2019 World Junior Championship Team and long-time NSWXC athlete Callum Watson has already begun to interview athletes and coaches from past and present pathway programs in NSW and ACT. In Victoria, Victorian Junior head coach Ronice Goebel will review past and current club junior programs around the state as well as the predominantly camp-based Victorian Junior Team program.

At the same time Ronice Goebel will take on an interim role of SSAXC National Coaching Director, with the primary responsibility of reviewing the national coach education system and coaching pathway. In addition to examining current course content and investigating modular and online delivery mechanisms, the Level 0-1-2 structure will be evaluated in relation to required coaching competencies at different levels of the athlete pathway.

Finally, SSAXC aims to establish an XC Leaders Forum to bring together the key drivers of cross country skiing athlete development from around the country. Close cooperation with the State cross country committees and their athlete pathway programs is essential if SSAXC is to oversee its ambitions of a national athlete development system overseeing seamless integration from grassroots recruiting into regional based development programs and on into the National Team. SSA Performance Pathway & Program Manager Ben Wordsworth will play a pivotal role in coordinating this leaders forum, which is preliminarily scheduled for October (date and location to be confirmed).

Together with these reviews, SSAXC head coach Valerio Leccardi will be working with state coaches during this interim period to find coaching and training plan solutions for the leading national and state junior team athletes. Two junior international programs for the 2018-2019 season have recently been announced, and the aim is to ensure that all athletes involved with these tours have medium term goals and training plans in place.

Enquiries regarding the pathway review can be directed to:
– Finn Marsland, SSA XC Skiing Program Director – fmarsland@skiandsnowboard.org.au
– Ben Wordsworth, SSA Performance Pathway & Program Manager – bwordsworth@skiandsnowboard.org.au
– Valerio Leccardi, SSA Cross Country Skiing Head Coach – vleccardi@skiandsnowboard.org.au
– Ronice Goebel, interim SSA XC NCD & southern program review leader – ronice.goebel@gmail.com
– Callum Watson, northern program review leader – callumwxc@gmail.com