The Canmore Nordic Ski Club has several coaches and volunteers to keep our programs running smoothly. Here’s a profile of staff coaches:
Program Director, U16 & U18 Coach
Alain Parent
Certified at Level 4 in the National Coaching Certification Program
B.Sc Kinesiology
Alain is responsible for overseeing all programs delivered by the Canmore Nordic Ski Club, ensuring that high quality training and coaching is provided at all levels. He mentors the clubs paid and volunteer coaches and is directly involved with coaching the older high performance athletes.
Alain has previously managed and coached the Yukon Ski Team for 6 years and the Junior National Ski Team for 8 years. He has been involved in many high performance competitions including coaching at twelve Junior and Senior World Championships and the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. Alain has also delivered dozens of coaching courses across the country.
Email: alain.parent@canmorenordic.com
U14, U16 & U18 Coach
Matt DeCarufel
Learn to Train Coach Certification Program
Matt grew up cross country ski racing in Sun Valley, Idaho. After finishing high school, he took a year off to study in Norway and immerse himself in Nordic skiing. He was a division 1 NCAA racer at the University of Nevada for 4 years, and then supported the team as an assistant coach while finishing up his University degrees in Economics and Management. He began as a volunteer with CNSC when he first moved to Canmore in 2011, but has steadily taken on more responsibility to reach is current coaching position.
In February 2015, Matt will be the assistant coach on the Canmore Nordic Ski Club European trip to Switzerland and France.
Email: mattd@canmorenordic.com
Biathlon Program Manager, U16 & U18 Coach
Rachel Koroscil
Competition Development Coach certification
Rachel grew up on a farm in rural Manitoba where she mastered the skills of bale jumping and stone picking. Somewhere between collecting chicken eggs and driving around the John Deere tractor, she fell in love with the sport of Biathlon and soon began training as a part of the provincial team. After graduating in 2009, Rachel moved to Winnipeg to begin university and subsequently began coaching for the province. After representing Manitoba at the Canada Winter Games in 2011, she completed the switch from athlete to coach and was named the Provincial Head Coach of Biathlon Manitoba the following year.
While upgrading her coaching certifications, Rachel earned a Bachelor of Physical Education in 2013 and Bachelor of Education in 2015 from the University of Manitoba. Over the summer of 2015 she completed an apprenticeship with the National Biathlon Team and also works as an assistant coach for the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre.
Email: biathloncoach@canmorenordic.com
U14 Coach – Biathlon
Stuart Harden
After starting in the Biathlon Bears program at Canada Olympic Park, Stuart moved to Canmore in 2011. He competed at several World Youth Junior Championships, on the IBU Cup, and at the Canada Winter Games. He is best remembered in his racing career for forgetting a penalty loop at the 2012 Youth Olympic Games in Austria (he can now count to twenty quite confidently).
After racing, Stuart moved to Halifax to complete a Bachelor of Arts for which he wrote an honours thesis on the philosophy of sport titled “Free-heeled Hermeneutics.” While there he volunteered as a coach with Halifax Nordic Ski Club and won the Bryan Scallion Award for fastest aggregate time at XC Provincial Championships. During the summer Stuart has worked at the Haig glacier cooking meals, grooming trails, and fixing toilets. Stuart is currently completing a Bachelor of Education at the University of Calgary, as well as his Competition Introduction coaching certification.
Email: stuarth@canmorenordic.com
U14 & U16 Coach
Mark Naylor
Mark started biathlon in 2013 in Winnipeg Manitoba with the Red River Nordic Ski Club, instantly developing a love for all perfectly flat ski courses. He was introduced to coaching at a young age volunteering with youth ski programs in the club. After representing Manitoba at the 2019 Canada Winter Games, he made the full transition into coaching and completed his Biathlon Competition Development qualifications the same year. Since then, Mark has coached and developed ski programs for U16-U18 youth, and biathlon programs for youth and masters.
He is currently completing his Competition Introduction in skiing, and a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Manitoba by distance.
U14 Coach
Sara Renner
Sara Renner grew up Canmore. She is the mom of three girls and along with her husband, Thomas Grandi, they run the Paintbox and Talus Lodge. Her connection to this place and people provided the balance and strength that undoubtedly powered Sara to become Canada’s only cross country skier to win both an Olympic and World Championship medal.
Email: trackattackcoach@canmorenordic.com
U14/Grizzly and Polar Bears Coach – Biathlon
Kerstin Wichers
Living in middle Alberta for most of her life, Kerstin joined the Cadets in 2011 and found biathlon through the program. She competed for 4 years and taught other cadets to ski and shoot, helping them find joy in the sport. She joined the Camrose Vikings in 2013 to continue in biathlon. Kerstin moved to Canmore to be closer to the mountains and began working at Trail Sports, teaching lessons to school groups and new-comers to Nordic skiing. When she was asked to coach with the club, Kerstin did not hesitate to say yes. She loves coaching the younger generation find joy in biathlon, whether it is competitively or simply having fun.
