Athlete FAQ

Excellent Academic Environment:

• uOttawa is a globally recognized institution, consistently ranking among Canada's top universities and in the top 1% worldwide.

• As the world's largest French/English bilingual university, uOttawa offers a unique and enriching academic experience with access to diverse programs and perspectives.

• Our commitment to academic excellence ensures you'll receive a world-class education while pursuing your athletic goals.

• Downtown campus: Rideau Canal, Parliament, Byward Market, trails, Gatineau Park access. Learn more about our campus (and schedule a campus tour) here: https://www.uottawa.ca/study/campus-tours-admissions-events/campus-tours

• uOttawa's scholarship program is one of the most generous in the country. More info here and List of Scholarships & Bursaries here. 

Exceptional Training Location: A nordic skier's paradise

• Nakkertok Nordic: Our principal training venue, Nakkertok South, is only 15 minutes from uOttawa and features terrific grooming, varied terrain, racing trails homologated to FIS standards, and snowmaking for early season skiing. Nakkertok North offers fun backcountry trails.

• Gatineau Park: Just a short drive (or bike ride!) from campus, the Gatineau Park boasts over 200 kilometers of world-class groomed trails, considered some of the best in North America, and scenic parkways (32.5km car-free) that are ideal for rollerskiing,

• Urban Ski Trails: Ottawa itself offers seven city trails, many accessible by foot or public transit, including the Rideau Winter Trail adjacent to uOttawa and trails at Mooney's Bay.

• Convenient Dryland Training: Weekday morning workouts are close to campus. uOttawa is steps from the Rideau Canal and the NCC's 300km Capital Pathway Network for running, cycling, and rollerskiing. 

Coaching Excellence

• Passionate and Certified Coaches: Our team is guided by passionate and certified coaches who are dedicated to helping you achieve your athletic goals.

• Dedicated Strength Coach: We also have a dedicated strength coach who will help you build the physical foundation needed for success on the trails.

• Our coaches are invested in your development as both an athlete and a student.

What does a typical week of training look like?

• The team has structured team practices 4-5 times per week Sept-April, where you can work out alongside teammates and receive coaching.

• For non-practice days and May - Aug, training guidance and daily workouts are provided based on our Year Training Plan.

• Athletes are encouraged to adapt the plan to their individual goals and schedules.

• The training schedule varies weekly volume and intensity to optimize fitness and recovery.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE

FALL (Dryland - Tues and Thurs move to Nakkertok Nordic when there is enough snow - usually in November)

• Tuesday - 7:30 AM-9:00 AM.  Regular coordination Carleton Ravens and Nakkertok ENRG at various locations in Ottawa

• Wednesday - 4-5 PM.  Strength training at uOttawa's High Performance Center 

• Thursday - 7:30-9:00 AM. Usually close to uOttawa campus, often rollerskiing (or running) 

• Friday - 4-5 PM.  Strength training at uOttawa's High Performance Center 

• Sunday  - 8-10 AM. Usually in Gatineau Park - rollerskiing or ski striding/trail running

WINTER  

• Tuesday - 7:30-9:00 AM at Nakkertok Nordic 

• Wednesday - 4-5 PM. Strength training at uOttawa's High Performance Center

• Thursday - 7:30-9:00 AM. Rideau Winter Trail close to campus (if conditions allow) or Nakkertok Nordic 

• Sunday - 8-10 AM. Nakkertok Nordic (sometimes Gatineau Park) - schedule/day may vary to accommodate weekend racing

Athletes are responsible for coordinating their own transportation to practices.    

Do I have to go to all the team practices?

• We encourage regular attendance to benefit from coaching and team support.

• We understand academic conflicts arise. Please communicate with the coach (uottawanordiq@gmail.com) if you have scheduling issues.

• Selection for OUA Championships is based on performance, attendance, and team contributions.

Can I Balance Skiing and Studies?

• Absolutely! Many athletes successfully balance academics and skiing. We have several athletes who have represented Canada on the World Stage, combining academic and athletic excellence.

• We help you plan your training around your academic commitments. 

What Equipment do I need?

You do need your own nordic ski equipment, but we welcome a wide range of athletes to our team and don’t expect everyone to be 100% equipped for high performance nordic ski training. Although practices will be in one training mode/technique, athletes can adapt practices for the equipment that they have (i.e., for dryland if you don’t have rollerskis you can run or cycle; on snow if you don’t have classic ski equipment you can skate ski). However, the coach focus will be for the designated practice plan and athletes so if you are doing something else you will need to be self-sufficient!

What Are the Costs?

• We prioritize accessibility. A $140 team fee helps make racing and training more affordable for all by subdizing travel and race entries, wax equipment and team gear.

• Athletes are responsible for buying a discounted Nakkertok trail use pass/membership (~$100) and personal ski equipment.

Does uOttawa Nordiq have team sponsors?

uOttawa has tremendous community support, volunteers coordinating and coaching, and product discounts from sponsors (The Cyclery, Vauhti ski waxes, skiwax.ca,  xact nutrition,  and Apogee Sports).  We are actively pursuing sponsorship to make the team accessible.  

Coordination with Nakkertok Nordic

We use Nakkertok Nordic as our main training facility - it is a terrific facility with amazing trails,  excellent grooming, a chalet, lit trails for night skiing, waxing facilities, snowmaking (5 months on snow), and is largely run by dedicated volunteers. We also coordinate some practices with their racing team (ENRG), and some uOttawa Nordiq athletes are also part of ENRG.  ENRG offers personalized coaching and access to training camps and high level competitions and is an excellent option for some athletes (find out more about ENRG here-English or here-Francais.)    

What Are the Racing Opportunities?

• Diverse Racing Calendar: We participate in a variety of local, regional, and Canada Cup events, providing opportunities for all skill levels.

• OUA Championships: The team fully supports athletes competing at the Ontario University Championships.

• Subsidized Travel: Depending on fundraising, we subsidize travel and entry fees to select events (varies by year).

• ENRG Partnership: For athletes seeking more high-performance training and racing opportunities, we coordinate with the Equipe Nakkertok Racing Group (ENRG). You can compete for both uOttawa and ENRG.

• Team Race Trips: Athletes can also organize team race trips, and we'll assist with coordination and wax support.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Students must meet OUA/CCUNC (Canadian Colleges and Universities National Championships) eligiblity requirements to be on the uOttawa Gee-Gees team roster and to represent uOttawa at provincial and national championships (if you don’t meet these requirements but still want to train and compete with the team check in with uOttawaNordiq@gmail.com). The rules differ slightly for OUA vs CCUNC eligibility and are noted below. 

OUA. Students are eligible provided they are registered as "full-time" by the academic regulations of their respective institutions or enrolled in a minimum of three half courses (or the equivalent: 9 credit hours) in the term (semester) in which they are competing.

If you do not fulfill eligibility requirements, you can still join uOttawa Nordiq and train with us but you will not be on the official team roster. 

Nordiq - Pourquoi un "q"? 

Nordic IS spelled with a "c" in English; the French version is nordique.  uOttawa Nordiq is a bilingual team, and we want our name to reflect this language diversity and uOttawa's bilingual mandate (uOttawa is the world's largest English-French bilingual university).  Veuillez nous excuser pour le manque actuel de contenu en français sur ce site. ... nous y travaillons !  La plupart de nos entraîneurs parlent français, alors n'hésitez pas à communiquer avec nous en français. 

How do I join?

Read through this FAQ and contact uOttawaNordiq@gmail.com.  

More Questions? Email uOttawaNordiq@gmail.com

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