Recently, the Chevrolet (GM Canada) Making Dreams Possible program awarded the Jasper Freeride freestyle ski club with $2,000 for coach training and development activities.

The grant is awarded to community clubs each year to fund special projects that develop the skills and abilities of high performance and community level coaches. In December 2010, the Freeride club was selected as one of the 50 recipients.

“Chevrolet is proud of its long history of supporting the development of Canadian athletes big and small,” said Marc Comeau, vice-president of marketing for Chevrolet Canada, in a recent statement. “Making Dreams Possible is designed to help coaches get the right kind of training, resulting in children having positive first experiences that encourage a lifetime love of sports.”

Adria Mackenzie, media relations manager for GM Canada, said that the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is Chevrolet’s partner in this initiative – they manage and administer all of the applications.

“We are involved in that we want to assist these kinds of community groups,” said Mackenzie, adding that this is the first time the Jasper Freeride freestyle ski club has received the grant. “The program, now in its fourth year, was initially started as part of our sponsorship program with the 2010 Games. Over the life of the program, we’ve donated to 31,000 coaches in more than 194 communities across Canada.”

Anna Mees, senior coaching consultant for community outreach with the CAC, said that when selecting grant recipients, they look specifically at two areas when selecting which clubs will receive the award.

“The intent of the grant is to improve the quantity and quality of coaching within the community,” said Mees. “We look at their [the club’s] submitted learning plan (and all of its aspects relating to coaching opportunities).”

Secondly, Mees said the CAC looks at a club’s capacity to deliver the learning plan.

“We look at the size of the club and the ratio of coaches to athletes and Jasper scored very well in this area.”

The CAC also looks at a club’s commitment to coaching education and Jasper Freeride scored high in this area.

“We also look at whether the club is providing opportunities for coaches to improve regardless of the grant. This club [Jasper Freeride] scored very high in these areas,” said Mees. “Overall we want to award a club that has a commitment to coaching, a solid learning plan and the capacity to provide coaching development opportunities.”

“We believe in the value of coaches and are excited that once again 50 community sport clubs, their coaches, and their athletes will receive the support they deserve,” stated John Bales, chief executive officer of the CAC, in a recent release.

The CAC (via the NCCP, NSOs and provincial and federal governments) empowers coaches with knowledge and skills, promotes ethics, fosters positive attitudes, builds competence, and increases the credibility and recognition of coaches. Visit www.coach.ca for more information about coach education and training.