In order to develop Banff’s next big skier, the Banff Alpine Racers and Bow Valley Quikies are looking to the past.
Pete Bosinger was named the new executive director of the famous ski club, and said his first goal will be to keep more athletes in the sport and create deeper ties within the Bow Valley.
“Clearly, it’s a prestigious role, working for a highly successful ski racing club. This is one of the strongest, most successful clubs in Canada. Banff is my home, and ski racing is my culture, and now I have the opportunity to come back, and give back to the community,” Bosinger said.
Bosinger has been a familiar face on the world cup circuit for 25 years. He raced for Canada on the world cup, and at the 1988 Olympics before coaching the Canadian and U.S. national ski teams, working with the likes of Bode Miller and BAR graduate Jan Hudec.
He was later recruited as sport manager of Alpine Skiing for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and will work as the Alpine Canada Director of Events until he moves into his new job at the beginning of December. He moved to Banff in 2011.
Given the team’s recent success developing skiers such as Trevor Philp and Erik Read, he has no plans for an immediate overhaul of the program, but said there is room for improvement in athlete retention.
“I think the pathway in the club is established. We need to work on retention and keep the athletes in the program engaged. BAR/BVQ has a fantastic partner in Norquay and we’ll work to improve our relationships in the community,” Bosinger said. “I don’t foresee anything drastic in the near future.”
Previously a pipeline for top world cup racers, there has been a dearth of ski talent emerging from Banff of late. Hudec still reigns on the world cup and Philp is still developing, but Bosinger wants to see more Banff children dream world cup dreams.
“We want to bring more athletes to the FIS level, and get them to the provincial and national level,” Bosinger said. “It’s something targeted through the strategic plan. When I look back at my career, there were more ski racers from the Banff community. We’ll look to improve on that and strive to grow the numbers.”
Drawing from his diverse past, he plans to take a hands-off approach for much of the first year to study how the program works.
“My role, really, is to provide oversight and see what can be improved on,” Bosinger said. “I’ve seen the sport from a number of different angles and can give a well-rounded look at what the sport needs.”
