SOD Ski Team Concludes Dryland Program at University of Toronto
November 14th, 2018 (Toronto, ON) — On Sunday members of the SOD Ski Team (SODST) and its entire staff concluded a 6-month dryland program at the University of Toronto’s Goldring Centre. This was the first program of its kind for the SOD Ski Team at the University and was led by Harrison Beeforth Senior Assistant Coach – Strength & Conditioning, University of Toronto, Varsity Blues, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, Goldring Center for High-Performance Sport.
Sunday’s workout concluded with U of T and Alpine Ontario hosting a parent information session for families from U14 to U19. The presentations spoke to Phase II of the program which is set to start next September 2019. This newly created academic program is designed for elite athletes who wish to pursue the sport of ski racing while obtaining a degree from the University.
The program is unique in that it’s not a ski team at the University but rather the offering of a high-performance athletic program designed for skiers in and around their academic and competitive schedules. Currently, there are 1,000 high-performance athletes (many Provincial and Nationally identified such as Olympian swimmer Penny Oleksiak) training at the St. George facilities. This represents the first University of its kind to offer an academic partnership to Ontario skiers such that athletes can compete on the Ontario Ski Team or Divisional FIS teams like the SOD Ski Team while also attending University.
AOA’s Executive Director Scott Barrett comments, “It’s incredibly motivating to finally – after many many years of searching – find a Canadian University open to working with our elite FIS skiers. Not only is this an academic solution, but it is also an offering to AOA from one of Canada’s most prestigious Universities. The challenge might not be how to juggle school and skiing but how to get accepted into U of T! We are working on other academic options for this reason as we speak.”
The University of Toronto notes on its website www.utoronto.ca that it’s 2018 world ranking was 22nd and for the 8th year in a row is the top ranking Canadian University.*
For athletes, this program would give them access to enhanced strength, conditioning, and nutrition programs led by expert coaches, outstanding training facilities and sports medicine. It would also offer athletes assistance in the application process and academic support once accepted to the University.
For athletes and parents with further questions about this exciting new program please contact:
Scott Barrett
AOA Executive Director
705-444-5111 x206
sbarrett@alpineontario.local