Like many former competitors, Curtis Sinton first started coaching as a way to give back to the next wave of skiers, to share with them the many lessons he learned. A passionate skier who has been involved in freestyle skiing since 2002, the head coach and program director of Central Alberta Freestyle Ski Club (CAFSC) graduated from Mount Royal University with a Bachelor of Applied Business and Entrepreneurship for Sport and Recreation Management in 2015, and since then has continued his professional development to the CompDev level in Moguls and Halfpipe.
“My inspiration to coach was driven by my passion for freestyle skiing and by the excellent coaching that I received as an athlete,” he said. “I started coaching with the hopes to get young athletes as stoked on skiing as I am.”
We had a chance to ask Curtis a few questions about his journey, his coaching philosophies and approaches, and what he’s up to this season:
COACHING PHILOSOPHY
Q: What’s your main mission or philosophy when it comes to coaching skiers?
My coaching philosophy is to develop well-rounded athletes by imparting fundamental skiing skills and utilizing freestyle discipline concentration and avoiding specialization for young athletes to allow them to become skiers for life. Facilitating the athlete’s development of feel, intrinsic motivation and self-praise to reach the best of their ability.
Q: How do you build a team environment?
By providing a structured program, it allows for safe progression of skills that is accepting and welcoming to all. Athletes need to have fun, the existence of play is important, as is friendly competition within a team. Recognize individual learning styles, celebrate innovation and creativity. Sportsmanship and being a team player has great importance, despite freestyle skiing being an individual sport. Providing positive reinforcement and creating an environment where it is ok to fail, is key to athlete success.
ATHLETE FOCUS
Q: What types of skiers do you typically work with and how do you tailor your approach to meet their needs?
I primarily work with athletes ranging from 6-18 years old within the “learn to train” and “train to train” stages of long term athlete development. This means I need to develop stage appropriate yearly training plans based on long term athlete development model and providing discipline specific training opportunities for athletes, which allows me to tailor my approach to meet their needs. Athletes that I work with are grouped based on developmental age vs chronological age.
TRAINING & EVENTS
Q: What regular training sessions or events do you lead? Are there any upcoming races or milestones your athletes are preparing for?
A typical coaching week during the on-snow will include: Wednesday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays for regular CAFSC programming, as well as discipline specific training: Slopestyle/Halfpipe (Tuesdays), Moguls (Thursdays), Airbag (Fridays).
I attend a majority of the club level and provincial competitions throughout the season. Early season, spring training and Moguls/Slopestyle Camps in May at Sunshine Village are an added bonus. Also trampoline and water ramp training during the spring/summer/fall. During training camps and throughout the season I will include experiences for athletes outside of skiing such as: yoga, rock climbing, disc golf, adventure course.
Currently, two female CAFSC athletes are preparing to represent Alberta at the Jr National Championships in Moguls and Aerials In Quebec, this will be the first Jr National event for these individuals. Central athletes will also be competing at Alberta Championships, for some this will be their first experience at a provincial level competition.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Q: How do you support skiers in developing their skills, whether they’re just starting or striving for elite-level performance?
To support skiers in developing skills we set process based goals, accept and overcome fears and mental blocks. I provide timely, direct and concise feedback during training and build mutual trust and respect with athletes. Introducing periodization, monitoring volume of training allowing athletes to peak at the desired time. Teaching mental training tools such as visualisation, positive self-talk, and discovering what individual level of activation works best for them. I also utilize video for review at all skier ability levels.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Q: How do you engage with the local community or promote awareness and excitement around skiing?
I engage with the community by encouraging former athletes to pursue coaching, facilitating “Fundamentalz” coaching courses, and providing mentorship opportunities for young coaches.
I involve myself in course/venue building, educating any and all who are interested or intrigued by what we are doing at Canyon Ski Resort or at the Three Mile Bend Water Ramp. Developing positive relationships with Canyon Ski Resort staff and Ski Patrol is a top priority of mine. When possible, I assist volunteers including our board of directors in local fundraising endeavours. I have partnered up with Freestyle Alberta to host local “Try Freestyle” events and provide part time training opportunities for athletes from other clubs.
UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS
Q: Can you share one of the most memorable experiences you’ve had as a coach during a ski trip or competition?
My career in coaching has been filled with memorable experiences, seeing hard work and discipline from athletes result in skill progression and personal development for example: athletes first inverts on snow, current and former athletes experiencing success in freestyle skiing and beyond.
This past fall I had the opportunity to assist in coaching the Alberta Mogul Team in Idre Fjall, Sweden for a training camp and FIS competition. This experience was extremely memorable and I really enjoyed working with these high performance athletes, visiting Sweden for the first time and coaching at this caliber of event.
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