Volunteering for a race is easy and fun! Sign-up, show up and get instructions to hand out bibs, food, and drinks, or record finish times. No experience is necessary. If you love skiing, you can also help with course setup or sweeping. Volunteer for 2 to 8 hours and once a year. For example, 78 people volunteered for the 2024 Alberta Youth Championships.

Volunteering is a great way to get to know the coaches and watch your children in action during the ski season. Throughout the season, coaches and program managers may ask parents for help with simple tasks while their children are participating in the ski program. This allows coaches to focus on delivering their ski program to your children. For families new to the club, there are many volunteer positions available for Bunny and Jackrabbit programs.

We love volunteer coaches! Our Jackrabbit and Rec Bike programs are led entirely by volunteer coaches and we’re always looking for members to be volunteer coaches.

If you love skiing or biking and want to share your passion with others, this is the job for you! Don’t think you have enough experience? Start your coaching career as a Bunny Rabbit leader or a Rec Bike tail gunner and progress from there. One of the many benefits of coaching is that it will greatly improve your technique. This job lets you contribute directly to the growth of our club’s community.

Race organizers work behind the scenes to plan and organize a race. XCBC runs Alberta Youth Championships every year.

To plan a big race like the AYC, we form a committee of six or eight volunteers a few months in advance, which provides lots of time to plan the race, book the venue and rental gear, and sign up race day volunteers. A race committee usually includes the following positions:

• Chief of Race – Coordinates planning and oversees the other chiefs

• Chief of Course – Plans the race course and supervises course signage

• Chief of Stadium – Supervises the assembly of the start/finish line area

• Chief of Timing – Supervises the crew that records racers’ finish times

• Chief of Refreshments  – Supervises the food tent and crew

• Volunteer Coordinator – Rounds up volunteers in the lead-up to the race

Volunteering as a race day official is easier than you might think! Even if you’ve only helped out once or twice before, there are training available and experienced volunteers who are happy to mentor you along the way. Plus, it’s a great opportunity for parents to get involved while their kids are developing as athletes. By becoming a race official, you’ll help ensure that future skiers have amazing races to enjoy! And best of all, you’ll have a blast, make new friends, and gain a deeper understanding of Nordic skiing and how races are designed to match the needs and abilities of young athletes.

The XCBC Board of Directors directs the club, sets priorities, creates an annual budget, and holds an annual general meeting. The board of directors meets one evening per month. Vacant positions are usually announced in August, and new board members are voted on at the September AGM.

Club events provide terrific opportunities for members to meet one another and create new friendships. We get together several times a year, usually for a Nordic season kick-off potluck, volunteer appreciation BBQ, and the Annual General Meeting in September.

These events are best run by a team of people, each doing a small job so no one feels overloaded. Jobs include set up and clean up, manning the welcome table, and organizing fun activities.