Athlete FAQ

Why should I join?

The Ottawa-Gatineau area is one of the best places in Canada to ski competitively and go to school, thanks to Ottawa’s snowy winters, uOttawa’s proximity to some of the nation’s finest trails, and amazing dryland training locations.

If you are focused on skiing fast and racing, we can help you achieve those goals; if you enjoy nordic skiing and want to get out on the trails with uOttawa training partners, that works too so please join us! We have a diverse group of athletes ranging from internaltional and national level competitors to athletes newer to skiing transitioning from another sport.

Being part of a university sports team can enhance your university experience, make you more well-rounded and healthy, and will help you get to know amazing people and places outside of the classroom environment. The cognitive and health benefits of sport are well established, and many employers recognize and value the qualities of University athletes.

Why Choose uOttawa?

uOttawa is the world’s largest bilingual (English-French) university and ranked among the 10 best Canadian universities (and in the top 1% universities worldwide). uOttawa offers internationally recognized degrees, >500 undergraduate and graduate programs, and has the second largest CO-OP program in the province as well as having access to the Work-Study program. The downtown campus is steps from the Rideau Canal and a few blocks from Parliament hill, the Byward market, museums, and galleries. You’re in the heart of the nation’s capital surrounded by bike paths and just a 20 minute cycle to the base of the Gatineau Park!

Scholarships & Bursaries

uOttawa has one of the most generous scholarships and bursaries offerings in the country. In 2022 uOttawa awarded $90 million (CAD) to undergraduate students. Students can apply for a large number of scholarships and bursaries offered by uOttawa and the community.

Admission scholarships available for students with Canadian citizenship (US Citizens check out this page):
Automatic admission scholarship (for year 1): Admission average of: 95-100% = $3,000, 90-94.9% = $2,000, 85-89.9% = $1,000
Automatic French studies bursary (if the student is in a French program OR in French immersion taking 2 courses every semester in French): $4,000 ($1,000 per year)
Bursaries for Postsecondary Studies in French as a Second Language (year 1): $3,000

A scholarship is awarded for academic achievements while a bursary is awarded based on financial need. More Info Here.

Who runs the team?

While volunteer uOttawa Nordiq coaches help organize the team, plan and coordinate training and workouts and practice plans, uOttawa Nordiq athletes have an opportunity to take on leadership roles and play an important part in shaping the direction of the team. We work with uOttawa Gee-Gees Varsity Athletics.

How much does it cost to ski with uOttawa Nordiq?

Our goal is to make training and racing with the team as accessible as possible. Coaches are volunteers and programming is free. There is a team fee ($140) to help subsidize some team costs - the fee is well worth these benefits: you will have access to

a year-round periodized training plan
coaching and techical leadership from qualified coaches at team training sessions (4-5 days a week Sept-April)
uOttawa High Performance Center access and coached strength sessions
strength and fitness testing to set benchmarks and help optimize your training
subsidized training camps and race entry fees
team sponsor deals
free wax support at team races; team wax option for other events the team is not attending
training t-shirts, other Gee-Gees gear/clothing (varies by year), and discounts on team racing suits & warmups
expenses for the Ontario University Championships (8 men, 8 women, paranordic) and typically other race trips subsidized (number depends on sucess of team fundraising).

Athletes are responsible for paying for a discounted Winter trail fee pass at our principal training venue Nakkertok Nordic South (2023 fee was $105 + $18 insurance to CCO and CCC); the cost of their ski equipment and personal waxes (though we expect to have discounts/sponsors to help out with this), and race entry/travel expenses to non-team funded races.

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, Apogee Sports, and Rossignol). We are actively pursuing sponsorship to make the team accessible.

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.

Training / Team Practices

When are team practices?

We will hold team practices Tuesday AM, Thursday AM, and Sunday AM mid September through March, plus Strength Training with Gee-Gee Performance (2 sessions/Wk Fall Term/1 Session/Wk Winter Term). Guidance to train for other days is available on a detailed practice schedule. Athletes must coordinate their own transportation to team practices, and are encouraged to get together for other planned workouts on the training program.

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

Tuesday - 7:30 AM-9:00 AM. Coordinated with 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
Friday - 4-5 PM. Strength training at uOttawa's High Performance Center
Sunday - 8-10 AM. Gatineau Park

*exact strength training times to be confirmed (but will be similar timing)

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.

Locations, workouts, and practice times and details will be updated on the practice schedule.

Do I have to go to all the team practices?

While we strongly encourage you to attend team practices to benefit from the coaching and structured workouts (and get to know your teammates!), we appreciate that school schedules and other commitments sometimes get in the way. If you have to miss a workout, do the workout on your own by following the training plan guidelines.

If you are an athlete training with another team (e.g. ENRG) or Varsity sport, we appreciate that there will be schedule conflicts. When you attend practice we will try to accommodate your training program, but be sure to get in touch with the coach (uottawanordiq@gmail.com) to let her know about your situation.

Selection criteria for athletes interested in competing at the Ontario University Championships (typically 8 women/8 men) includes performance, practice attendance and/or other team contributions. We will outline this criteria early in the season.

I'm worried that I won't be able to balance skiing and school

This is a legitimate concern, but plenty of evidence suggests that pursuing athletics will actually help your academics! Being active benefits your physical, cognitive, and mental health, and being part of a team offers you social support. Nonetheless, being a student athlete takes planning. Because skiing is an individual sport, you can work with uOttawa Nordiq coaches to help you plan and adapt your training and racing as needed around your studies. Being a student-athlete is realistic, manageable, and rewarding for most and can enrich your University experience.

What Equipment do I need?

You do need your own 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. Check HERE for equipment recommendations.

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. uOttawa Nordiq athletes need to purchase a Nakkertok trail pass and contribute to Nakkertok (we help out with trail clearing in the Fall). 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.)

I'm not sure I'm good enough to train with the team / I'm too good to train with the team

You can tailor the workouts to your fitness and skill level, training background, and racing goals. If you have nordic skiing experience, xc ski equipment, and dedication to follow a training program, help out with the team, and come to practices please join us! A beauty of a team endurance sport is that it often brings together a variety of athlete abilities, ambitions, backgrounds, and experience . . . and this can enrich the team experience for everyone.

I've heard that "skiers are made in the summer” . . . Help!

Summer is an important time to lay down a solid foundation for Fall dryland training and winter racing. Check out our monthly training plans that we developed with the university athlete in mind.

Racing

Competition

We want to make racing fun, and allow athletes to participate in events that suit their goals and academic program (so some race a lot, and some only do a few events). We are lucky that the region’s impressive event calendar allows busy student-athletes to compete without excessive travel, time, and expense. Our event calendar includes a variety of racing options for all skill levels.

The team fully supports athletes at the OUA Championships, and subsidizes other events depending on fundraising success (Eastern Canadian Championships and another event with a good University field). We have limited capacity (financial, wax support and coach support) for travelling and supporting a lot of events but athletes can also coordinate "team" race trips among themselves and we'll do our best to help coordinate and find wax support. If you are keen on racing a lot, need more support, and want more individualized high performance training, consider joining the local Equipe Nakkertok Racing Group team (more about ENRG here-English or here-Francais). You can ski for ENRG and uOttawa Nordiq!

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.

Who can join? Are there team tryouts?

If you are a uOttawa student

How do I join?

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