Beginning next autumn of 2024, Vermont Academy will re-establish its Nordic skiing program with the goal of recruiting and developing skiers and preparing them to compete at the highest levels.
The Vermont Academy Nordic program is legendary, and it began with Warren Chivers, as the head ski coach. Warren was the Dartmouth ski captain in 1937, followed in the late 1930’s by National Collegiate Champion in ski jumping and Nordic combined, US National Champion in cross country and Nordic combined, and a two-time Winter Olympic team member in 1936 and 1940. Warren was inducted into the US Ski Hall of Fame in 1971. During his long tenure as the school’s ski coach, Chivers created an impressive network of trails in woodlands adjacent to the campus but recent changes in the sport and the environment have made a reconfiguration of the trails used for racing necessary. Warren trained Vermont Academy ski greats for several decades and across alpine, cross-country, Nordic combined and jumping categories.
As part of our plan to re-capture our prominent ski history and prepare skiers for the current competitive landscape, we intend to construct a new Vermont Academy cross-country competition venue that will consist of a lighted, core 2.5km loop with two extensions, creating a 5km loop. The course will meet FIS homologation guidelines, allowing us to host high level National competitions and will thread through our scenic campus of 450 acres. While designed to meet international cross- country standards, the course would also be ideal for cross-country running and mountain biking. There are three lighted ski jumps side by side that are located in the center of campus, a K10, K15, and K35, which are the focal point as one arrives. Snowmaking allows them to be used as soon as temperatures permit, and the installation of plastic is included in our plan for the very near future so that they may be used year-round. The first step of our plan is to build a top-notch squad of cross- country, jumping and Nordic combined skiers, both girls and boys. The FIS-level
homologated course will be designed by John Morton, a two-time Olympic biathlete who served as Chief of Course for the biathlon events of the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. John began designing trails in 1989 after eleven years as head coach of the Dartmouth Men’s Ski Team. John has begun working on the design for the course with financial support from Marty and Kathy Hall.
Job Summary:
This position will be responsible for overseeing Nordic skiing at Vermont Academy, including cross-country, Nordic combined, and jumping for both male and female athletes as well as organizing and hosting events, managing the Nordic skiing facilities, arranging the training and competition schedules as well as actively recruiting promising student athletes. Vermont Academy’s Core Values, and the goal of achieving the highest competitive and academic goals for skiers are central to the mission and purpose of the program.
The Head Coach is responsible for the health and safety of the skiers and for understanding the character development and coordination with Vermont Academy and its Core Values that would define the type of athlete and sportsmanship the Academy upholds and expects.
A skier/coach is preferred and someone who can develop the teaching and coaching necessary for high school level skiers to excel and move to their next competitive steps. We are looking for an enthusiastic coach who also will recruit and be the pied piper of our exciting re-kindling of Nordic competitive strength.
The position reports to the Athletic Director and coordinates with the Director of the West Dover, Vermont Academy at Mt. Snow program to develop vision and central purpose together. Vermont Academy is a member of the Lakes Region schools, a high-level independent school athletic league in NH and VT.
- A Bachelor’s degree is preferred
- Experience as a competitive Nordic skier and/or jumper
- Sport-specific knowledge
- Management experience
- Race coordination and development experience along with travel logistics
- Proficiency in Excel, Word, e-mail, and web-based applications
- Valid driver’s license
- CPR and First Aid required
- Evenings and weekend work required as well as travel
The position may be full time if the candidate can also teach or perform other equivalent duties on campus during the school year in addition to recruiting student athletes.
