The women Ski Coaches Association is excited to announce our new GearUP program. This program is designed to help reduce barriers for women ski coaches by partnering women coaches with an equipment brand rep to outfit them with gear, provide brand specific knowledge, and create industry connections.
Madshus, Fischer, Rossignol and Salomon will each work directly with two women coaches for the duration of the 2022-23racing season.* The eight coaches selected for this program will be outfitted with at least one pair of classic and one pair of skate skis, two pairs of boots, two pairs of Swix poles and other coach-approved swag!
Why GearUP? We believe this program will help level the playing field for women in ski coaching careers through:
- mentoring and networking with another male-dominated profession that is important for coaching success and advancement – the gear industry.
- reducing the personal expense required to purchase and update racing equipment that can impact a coaches credibility in the profession.
- increasing access to the gear related expertise required to excel on the snow everyday and behind the scenes on race day.
Developing and retaining women coaches at all levels of the sport supports athletes, other coaches, and the organization/ski community as a whole. Check out WSCA’s Why Women Coaches Matter page for more information!
Through the mentorship aspect of this program, coaches will increase their knowledge to accurately fit a ski to an athlete, understand what makes great skis for certain conditions and how to properly prepare them, have a contact list of connections from their partnered brand, understand the brand’s product line, and gain other useful skills. The program will include 3-4 structured sessions with reps and coaches through the season to increase networking and knowledge about gear and waxing.
Women with any levels of experience currently coaching at the middle school level or above are encouraged to apply.
Application period opens October 1 and closes October 14. Decisions will be communicated by the October 21st with program kickoff on the 30th.
You can fill out the application HERE.
Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions at: womenskicoaches@gmail.com
*(Are you an interested in partnering with GearUp in the future? Please contact us! We would love to bring you on board to expand the program!)
In partnership with:
