By John Cowan
Arrowhead Provincial Park hosted Canada’s first pilot project for Nordiq Canada, integrating a Para Nordic Skills Development Program called the Eagles Para Program.
The motto of the International Paralympic Committee is ‘to soar higher’, and in carrying on the theme of the animation, the Eagle was selected. Thank you to Arrowhead Jackrabbit Coach Kade Vink for designing the program logo.
Last year, Canadian Tire Corporation awarded Cross Country Ski Ontario a Jumpstart grant to purchase a fleet of both dryland and on-snow adaptive sports equipment. The equipment purchased comes in two forms: seated and kneeling, with customizable features to support the participants. The dryland sit ski has wheels similar to a mountain board that goes off-roading on hiking trails around Arrowhead Provincial Park and comes with bicycle hand brakes.
In December, Arrowhead hosted the first integrated coaching with a disability program with the Community Coach stream. Arrowhead had three-time Canada Winter Games para Nordic medalist Tanya Quesnel working with the para participants. Tanya is a certified National Coach Certification Program coach trained in working with athletes with a disability. She was instrumental in the success of participant development by leading in her sit ski.
The Eagle Para program was developed to give children with disabilities (wheelchair, amputee, and visually impaired) an opportunity to have a similar pathway to learn the skills to become competent and confident in skiing on trails around Arrowhead. The Eagle program had three participants who were all sit skiers. The four-week program started in December with a general information session and sizing of equipment before the first on-snow exercise.
The participants quickly learned basic skills, enabling them to enjoy the same activities as the Bunny Rabbit and Jack Rabbits while exploring the trails and terrain of Arrowhead.
Over the course of the program, skiers were introduced to two members of the national Nordiq Canada’s paralympic team, including local world champions Collin Cameron and Christina Picton who sent their video messages from Canmore to help inspire the new participants.
Collin Cameron from Port Sydney/Bracebridge was the 2023 Federation International Ski (FIS) Crystal Globe Para Nordic Champion and took gold at the FIS World Para Nordic Sprints in Prince George last month. Christina Picton from Font Hill, and former Captain of the Canadian Women’s sledge hockey team, has been sit skiing for three years and won bronze at several FIS competitions this past year, including a bronze at the FIS World Championships in Prince George.
During the last session of the season, the participants were able to put all of their skills to use by navigating a ski playground established between the Visitor Center and the Pavilion. After the session, the para participants, coaches, and sponsors had a wrap-up pizza party and had an opportunity to learn about the next steps in the pathway of para Nordic skiing. The participants completed the first two levels of the Para Nordic Skills Development Program and can return for another season to continue building their skills or try some other challenges involving racing at local-level events.
Arrowhead Provincial Park is the first park to identify Para Nordic ski trails both on the official trail map with an adaptive sports equipment sit skier logo on the Rowe trail and the placement of the trail signs at a lower height for sit skiers to follow. As a result of hosting the Eagle Para program, Ontario Parks has purchased the same sit ski brand and model for rent for next year’s ski season.
This Eagle program could not have happened without the support of the Arrowhead Nordic Ski Club, Arrowhead Provincial Park, One Kids Place, and the Para Nordic participants and their families. Thank you to Dana Murdy, owner and pharmacist of Huntsville Shoppers Drug Mart, for her sponsorship of the inaugural Eagle Para program.
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This is such a wonderful opportunity for the participants! Many thanks to John Cowan for his initiatives! Would love to see this program grow!
Thanks to everyone involved in this exciting program. Providing an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to cross country ski is a very worthy project.
We in Huntsville are lucky to have Arrowhead Park on our doorstep. Even more important are the park staff and all of the volunteers of Arrowhead Nordic Ski Club who work so hard to provide programming throughout the winter.
Thanks to all.
Ditto to David Gibson’s accolades. I had the pleasure of working with John during the Ontario Winter Parasports games in 2006 and 2012. We are lucky to have such a person in our mist who is passionate about opening the door to sports for all abilities, especially our children.
Congratulations, first, to these athletes for joining this great program, and, second, to the organizers, coaches and sponsors who make it possible.
John, yet again, you have offered your time, expertise and leadership to create universal opportunites for involvement in this wonderful winter sport. Our community is so fortunate to have you, and your team, out there working to make our world better. Thank you.