The Alberta World Cup Academy set its sights on the biathlon range in its hunt for a new coach.
Retired Biathlon Canada national team athlete and Olympian Scott Perras was hired as the AWCA assistant coach, Friday (April 15). Following in the Academy’s tradition of transforming excellent team athletes into coaches, Perras was chosen as the strongest fit.
Perras was a national team athlete for 11 years with Biathlon Canada, and brings a wealth of enthusiasm and experience to the new position. Always one to help his teammates, Perras said coaching entails many activities he simply loves: breaking down ski technique and creating training plans.
“I like it all. The last few years I’ve worked closely with my own coaches to build training plans. I’ve always enjoyed that conversation,” Perras said. “What I enjoy about biathlon and cross-country skiing, is being part of a team and working to be part of a team.”
As an athlete, Perras’ best event was always the relay. He was part of Canada’s strong relay showing at the Sochi Olympics and truly enjoyed the camaraderie of the sport. He met his best friends through the sport, and his wife, Mindful Massage owner Jodi Perras.
“I am a very ordinary person with the skill of getting people to work together. I tricked a lot of people to help me reach a common goal – and it worked. When you get everyone working as a team, that’s something I am excited about,” Perras said.
Building strong athletes begins with building strong habits, which is the philosophy Perras is bringing to his coaching career. Many of the developing AWCA athletes will see gains overnight, said Perras, so establishing a strong routine is integral to success.
“You spend time in the off-season building habits. I drink coffee, I read the Outlook, I stretch. If you make good ones (habits), you fall on them when things get stressful. When you’re at world championships, you stretch, you read, you stay hydrated – because it’s a habit. You won’t waste energy worrying about what to do, and you’ll have a good result.”
Having been on the start line at the Olympics and world championships, Perras said he’s had a career many AWCA athlete will want to follow and surpass. That’s a valuable skill to have on the coaching team.
“A lot of it comes from my experience of being in high stress environments. A lot of the guys I’ll be working with are young, and they will have a ton of energy. It’s managing that energy that’s important,” Perras said.
As a biathlete, he admits classic skiing is something he’ll have to improve, but when it comes to skiing, he’s a quick learner. He’s been the strongest double pole skier on the biathlon team for years.
“The last few years I’ve spent a lot of time working on ski technique with (Biathlon Canada technique coach) Kathy Davies. I know I have something to learn, but the posture is the same. I’ll be surrounded by the right people to help me learn,” Perras said.
The Saskatchewan native said at the end of the season he knew it was time to call it quits on his biathlon career and take on a new challenge.
“I didn’t know when I started the season this would be my last year,” Perras said. “Inadvertently, life went in different directions, and they are good directions.”
“I thought I would be really scared. I wanted to notify all of my teammates at the same time. I wrote the email, but probably stared at it for an hour after I wrote it. I’ve had a couple of big decisions. One was to propose to my wife and the other was to retire.”
Perras officially begins his new job in May. The AWCA team will be announced this month.
