Meet Your Coaches

John MacDonald

Head Coach

I learned to ski on a hill in my backyard in Peterborough when I was six. On a good day someone would drag me up behind a snowmobile, most days I climbed. Turns were optional since I couldn’t do them anyway.

Chicopee was the first ski club I belonged to and also my first ski lift experience. In 1967 we had a couple rope tows and a couple t-bars; Sugar Bowl was a jump.

I started coaching and teaching part time down the highway at Glen Eden in 1978. In 1980 I was transferred to Ottawa with my full time job so I went to work at Camp Fortune (Ottawa Ski Club) for Jamie Rosewarne who had just completed his level 4 at Chicopee. For eight years I coached the OSC Juvenile team (K1/K2) during the regular season and the NCD team at provincials.

In 1989 I returned to the area and resumed coaching week ends at Alpine Ski Club in Collingwood. I took a bit of a breather in the 90’s to race “masters” and ski for the fun of it. During this hiatus from coaching I met my wife Nahla.

When my kids Matt and Alanna started skiing I got back into coaching part time at Chicopee. In 2004 I retired from Bell after 30 years service and started working here as Chicopee’s Head Coach.

Coaching has been a passion for me for many years. In addition to skiing I have coached children at lacrosse and cycling and adults in fitness.

I am presently working towards my certification as a Performance Level coach in ski racing and my level III NCCP.