MILAINE THERIAULT, AB: Milaine Thériault is co-chair of CCC’s Women’s Committee. She was part of the Canadian National Ski Team for 12 years (1994-2006). She participated in three Olympics and multiple World Cups and World Championships. After retirement, she was part of the Canadian Pacific Ski Tournament traveling across the country and encouraging children to cross country ski. She was also part of the Heroes and Mentors program encouraging female skiers to pursue the sport of cross-country skiing. Wanting to pass down some of her abilities as a cross country skier, she was a Jackrabbit leader for two years for the Canmore Nordic Ski Club. After she retired from competitive skiing, she decided to exercise her brain by attending the Bissett Business School at Mount Royal University and completed a degree in Applied Financial Services. This past January she decided to venture on her own as a financial advisor under Sun Life Financial. One of her past time is trying to keep up her 8 year-old son!
BECKIE SCOTT, AB: Beckie Scott is co-chair of the Women’s Committee. Beckie retired in 2006 with 2 Olympic medals, 17 world cup medals, and a second-place overall world cup ranking. She is a member of the International Olympic Committee, the WADA Executive board, the Canadian Olympic Committee Executive board and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Beckie has worked for Right to Play, CTV and CBC Sports, and presently dabbles in a bit of freelance travel writing. She lives in Canmore, Ab. with her husband Justin Wadsworth, youngsters Teo and Brynn, and golden retriever Henna.
Dr. SHARLEEN HOAR, BC: Sharleen Hoar is dedicated to assisting elite and aspiring performers of all ages to achieve personal and performance excellence. Internationally respected in her field for innovations in emotional control, she is a human performance specialist who has an expertise in sport and exercise psychology. For the past 15 years, she has inspired Olympians, National team athletes, University athletes, youth athletes, and performing artists to maximize performance potentials through enhancing mental fitness, team functioning, leadership, and psychological well being. She has been the World Cup Cross Country Ski team performance psychology consultant since 2010.
MARIE-HÉLÈNE THIBEAULT, AB: Better known as M&H, works as Executive Director for Chandra Crawford’s Fast and Female program. As an ex national alpine ski racer and varsity tennis player, M&H is also avid cross-country skier, half marathoner, and spinning instructor. M&H has held multiple management roles in sports communications and marketing including PR and Media Manager for the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, media attaché at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games and media workroom supervisor at the 2010 Games. M&H completed her high school at Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, her undergrad at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and her MBA at the Université de Sherbrooke in Québec. She lives in Canmore, Alberta with her husband Eric who is a master biathlete, and their young children Thomas and Zoё.
CAMILLE PÉPIN, QC: Camille is an athlete on the Pierre Harvey training Center in Québec City. Her goals for this year are to qualify for the Canada World Cups and the U23 World Championships. She is the organizer of the Kuujjuaq cross country ski club. The club started from nothing and they now have a 20 girls group skiing together three times a week. In a northern community like Kuujjuaq, it is very important that the girls have an activity to commit to and that will empower them and teach them leadership and team spirit. Watch out racers, you might have new competitors! She also studies psychology at Laval University and she’s loving it.
KATHY DAVIES, AB: Kathy is actively year round coaching with Canmore Nordic Ski Club, specializing in Train to Train Athletes, specifically focused on how to keep 13/14 year olds in the sport! She is currently finishing the advanced Coaching Diploma (level 4) at the National Coaching Institute in Calgary. She has attended the Canada Winter Games in Nova Scotia as part of Team Alberta, 2011 as well as the World Junior/U23 Championships, in Turkey with CCC as the female coach, February 2012.
SUE HOLLOWAY, ON: Sue was a competitive cross country skier in the 1970`s to present. She continues to be an active volunteer in our sport with active involvement in organizing workshops, multi-sport workshops and conferences, she is a key speaker at d Fast and Female Events, a leader for the Jack Rabbit program and club volunteer. She was awarded the 2011 ross Country Canada Firth Award presented to a woman who has made a longstanding outstanding volunteer contribution to cross country skiing in Canada. This Award was established in 1985 to honour Sharon and Shirley Firth. She is the first Canadian to compete in both Summer and Winter Olympics in the same year! (1986). Sue was an Olympic silver and bronze medalist in 1984 – women`s canoe sprit K2, K4 500 m. She was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986.
COLETTE BOURGONJE, SK: After 15 years of teaching Elementary School part-time, Colette took a leave of absence to train full time and compete in her sixth Winter Paralympic Games. In 2010 she brought home a silver, bronze, and pure gold medal as the recipient of the Dr. Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award. Now living back in Saskatchewan she is on the Para-Nordic National team, is an Aboriginal Champion for Sasksport, an In-Motion Ambassador, and working part-time for Saski-skiing for disabled.
PAVLINA SUDRICH, ON: Pavlina is the head coach of the Ontario Ski Team. Originally from Whitehorse Pavlina raced for a number of years on the Yukon Ski Team before moving to Ottawa to pursue an undergraduate degree followed by a career in coaching. Pavlina is good at core strength and is lousy at chin-ups. Besides skiing her great loves are espresso and break dancing [which she wishes she was better at].
DIANA DEAKIN-THOMAS, ON: Diana is a CFRE (Certified Fundraising Professional) and a career YMCA professional. She has worked in 5 YMCAs in Canada and volunteered on the board of one in the US; from community programs, aquatics and camp to senior leadership roles in youth employment programs, operating large fitness, health & recreation centres (Mississauga YMCA) to funds development – annual campaigns, capital, major gifts and planned giving. Currently Diana is with YMCA Canada and is responsible for YMCA Strong Kids nationwide. She loves to ski, volunteers at local races, currently supports her own athlete and assists Team Hardwood with their fundraising plans. She is also an outstanding cheerleader for all skiers!
LUCY STEELE-MASSON, YT: Lucy was a competitive skier hailing from the Yukon. She was part of the National Ski Team from 1988-1997 and competed at the 1992 Olympics, multiple World Championships and numerous World Cups. She is especially proud that she was the first Yukon athlete to go the Olympics after going through the territory’s sports program. After retiring, she completed a Bachelor of Social Work and now works with families and children for the Yukon Government. She remains connected to competitive skiing through her husband, Alain Masson, who is the head coach for the Cross Country Yukon and the occasional technician with the Canadian Team. Most her energy and time now seems to be taken up keeping up with her six and nine year old sons and understanding the world of boys! The women’s committee is thus a nice diversion.