In the heart of winter, Alpine Canada (ACA) loses its High Performance Director (HPD). Its replacement is not guaranteed.
On December 22, the federation discreetly announced the upcoming departure of Phil McNichol, DHP of the Alpine team since March 2020. After two and a half seasons in this function, the American of origin will definitively leave his post on February 10.
“I don’t really know the reasons for his departure, but he had been there for a few years and he made things happen,” commented Erik Guay, member of the ACA board of directors and of the new advisory committee. high performance interim in charge of the transition.
I think he wanted to take another direction. It’s correct. I have always worked well with Phil. He has good ideas and knows skiing. Maybe it’s personal matters that make him want to move on.
Erik Guay
Is it a loss for the organization? “If they’re not able to be all there mentally, if there’s personal stuff [à considérer], I think it is not the best thing that they remain in office, replied the ex-world champion. The coaches we want must be motivated, must want to be with us. Yes, I’m a little disappointed because he’s a guy with a lot of knowledge. On the other hand, we need coaches capable of being 100% committed. »
A former head coach of the USA men’s team, McNichol had to deal with the upheavals of the pandemic from the start of his tenure.
“Time spent with Alpine Canada has been a deeply rewarding experience,” Phil McNichol, who immigrated to Canada in 2018, said in the release. “It has been an exciting experience working with such talented staff and many athletes and I am proud of the improved alpine program and competitive results over my three seasons at the helm of the team. »
Under his leadership, the team enjoyed its best season in more than a decade with three World Cup podiums, 34 top-10 results and an Olympic medal in Beijing, James Crawford’s bronze in the alpine combined, noted Alpine Canada.
“This is one of the most demanding positions in the world of sport in Canada, and Phil has greatly contributed to the success of our team,” added CEO Thérèse Brisson, who was not there when he was hired. by her predecessor Vania Grandi.
Crawford added two podiums this winter while Valérie Grenier won the Kranjska Gora giant slalom on Jan. 7, the first in nearly 50 years for a Canadian skier.
“It can always go better, assessed Erik Guay. We have a smaller team and results at least as good as we have had in the past, if not better. Of course we are looking for more consistency. »
“Do we need a director? »
To hear Guay, McNichol may have had trouble adapting to the Canadian reality. “We have a very, very limited budget. Phil grew up with American budgets that are three times or even four times [plus grands que] what we have right now. We need coaches who are able to see things and work differently. »
According to Guay, Canada must adapt its methods. “Americans have a big budget; they travel a lot and they have a big team. It’s a bit like the mentality of the countries of Central Europe, that is to say to have a big team and hope that a few athletes perform. We take the approach of the Norwegians more, that is to have fewer athletes, but surround them well and supervise them and make sure that they perform. »
In this context, compromises are inevitable. He cites the example of the young women’s technical group, whose members would benefit from traveling the European Cup circuit rather than the World Cup.
“We don’t have the budget to run a European Cup team; these girls are a bit caught up in doing both. It’s not the end of the world, but ideally there are many girls who would only be in the European Cup. »
Guay doesn’t believe McNichol’s hasty departure will affect short-term performance. He trusts Karin Harjo and Mark Tilston, the respective head coaches of the women’s and men’s teams hired by McNichol. His former teammate John Kucera, responsible for the men’s speed group, also has a lot of experience.
We are at a place where we even ask ourselves the question: do we need a high performance director? Honestly, I don’t have the answer. Normally yes, but we have a small team and it’s not the end of the world if we don’t have one and can save money.
Erik Guay
On the pitch, Grenier doesn’t expect to see any differences. Like her teammates, she learned the news of the change during a video call involving Brisson and McNichol.
“He really tried to do a lot for us and I think he was good at his job,” said the skier. It is a very difficult job. I can’t imagine what that meant to him. I think it was difficult and he was a bit burnt. I’m really grateful for everything he tried to do for us and it’s a shame that it ended like this. »
Despite the uncertainty, the search for a replacement has begun. Erik Guay says he is “comfortable” with the names of the candidacies that have filtered through. His is not in the lot, he who does not want to get back to traveling so much for the moment.
In an ideal world, a Canadian would lead high performance.
“We are trying to build a Canadian team with Canadian coaches, which has not always been the case at Alpine Canada,” said Guay. Unless it’s really someone exceptional who falls into our arms. Otherwise, we search the system. »
In its press release, ACA reiterated “its vision to make Canada a world-leading ski racing nation”. The goal of being among the top three at the Cortina Olympics in 2026, set by the new board in 2019, is however not mentioned.
Six races are scheduled for this weekend in the World Cup, including two descents in Kitzbühel (Friday and Saturday) where three Canadians slipped into the top-20 during training on Thursday. For women, Marie-Michèle Gagnon, 15e and 11e in training, will try to find his bearings in the downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Friday and Saturday. Grenier will accompany him on Sunday in super-G.