Emily Clarke - Grizzlies Head Coach
Emily is originally from Ontario and grew up skiing at Holimont in New York State. After racing FIS, she moved to Calgary for university and stumbled upon the Lake Louise Ski Club. Emily has now coached with the Lake Louise Ski Club for 15 years holding a variety of positions from U6 to U16. Her longest tenured position was U12 Head Coach, which saw many athletes go on to experience great success at national and international competitions in alpine, ski cross and freeride events. Most recently she has worked with the U8/U10 Plus and U12 programs on a part time basis while also being a physical education teacher. Her number one goal as a coach is to teach general ski athleticism to promote a love of skiing for all athletes. She takes pride in seeing former LLSC athletes return to the club as coaches to continue to pass on their passion for skiing. Emily is excited to continue working with the Grizzlies athletes and looks forward to mentoring some of our amazing young coaches. Away from Lake Louise, you will find Emily on the football field. She has been an official for over 20 years, and currently works for the CFL.
Joe Swiecicki - U8 Plus Head Coach
Joe joined the Grizzlies in 2017 and is looking forward to another season. Joe is a CSIA level 3, level 1 course Conductor and CSCF Development Level. He started coaching in Winnipeg for the Summit Ski Club from 1990 to 1999, Sunshine Ski school 2001-2007 and then for 10 seasons, with the Banff Alpine Racers. He has coached all levels from U8 to FIS in his time with BAR. Outside of coaching, Joe currently works at Rebound Cycle in Canmore and as a civilian with the RCMP in Banff.
Ezren McConnell - U8 Plus Coach
Cam Hay - U10 Plus Head Coach
Alanna Day - U10 Plus Coach
Alanna hails from the slopes of Craigleith Ski Club in Ontario, and has always been drawn to the thrill of skiing. Her journey began in the racing program, where she honed her skills and developed a deep passion for the sport. Beyond the slopes, Alanna leads a dynamic life in the world of marketing in Canmore. When not perfecting turns or crafting marketing strategies, you can find her exploring the rugged beauty of the Canadian Rockies.
Matt Polz - U10 Plus Coach
Jack Burns - U10 Plus Coach
Jack was born and raised in Calgary and joined the club when he was 5 years old. Jack raced with the club for over 10 years, after which he took a brief pause from the club. Last season Jack returned to the club in a coaching capacity, with the U10+ program having a fantatic year, and he can’t wait to work with this group again. Jack is able to merge his experience as an athlete and as a coach to provide a quality coaching environment for the athletes. Jack has completed the AST1 course and enjoys exploring the backcountry when not coaching. Outside of skiing Jack enjoys rugby as well as mountain biking in the summer.
Dylan Ellis - U10 Plus Coach
Sonja Polz - U8/U10 Coach
Sonja has been skiing since she was 4 years old and began her coaching career in 2007 at Winsport and Sunshine. She has coached with the LLSC since 2015. She has also completed her Level 2 Officials, CSIA Snow Park, and Coach Mentorship training. Sonja has a background in psychology and when she’s not skiing, she oversees family & parenting support programs for people with disabilities and instructs in Disability Studies Program at Bow Valley College. She enjoys instilling the passion for skiing through learning new skills and finding the fun all over the mountain!
Sarah Osadetz - U8/U10 Coach
Sophie Kinloch - U8/U10 Coach
Sydney Schiewe - U8/U10 Coach
Savina Johnson - U8/U10 Coach
Savina has been skiing with the Lake Louse Ski Club since she was 5. She started off as a Grizzly and moved to the All Mountain Team after completing the U12 program. Savina loves skiing, helping other people improve their skiing and working with kids, so she is thrilled to be coaching with the Grizzlies this season. She also loves the Lake Louse ski hill because of its great terrain and the friends she gets to ski with. In the summer Savina likes mountain biking and meeting new people.
Nadia Johnson - U8/U10 Coach
Nadia was born and raised in Calgary but she spends most of her free time skiing and mountain biking in the mountains. Nadia started skiing in the Lake Louise Ski Club as a Grizzly at the age of 5, continued into the Lake Louise Race program until she was 12 and then joined the Lake Louise All Mountain team to train and compete in Junior IFSA Big Mountain events over the last 3 years. Nadia is excited to coach an awesome group of Grizzlies this season!
Nat Hopkins - U8/U10 Coach
Nat has been skiing since she was 8 years old and began her skiing career with GKHAT race team at Kicking Horse before moving to Lake Louise where she start to participate in all mountain. Nat now looks forward to sharing her passion for skiing through coaching. When Nat isn’t skiing, you can find her on the football field. She plays for Western Canada High School and the Calgary Rage women’s tackle teams. Nat also spends time coaching youth flag football.
