Coaching
Corey Torgness is the Great Canadian Sports Club's full time coach.

Corey has been coaching endurance athletes since 1976 and has been a full time cross country ski and running coach since 1982. He has studied at the master's level and has 26 years of practical coaching experience with many sports but focuses on Cross country skiing, running, and cycling. Corey offers coaching to all levels, from first time fitness enthusiasts to olympic level athletes. He tries to bring all levels of athletes together for training and social activities. Over the years Corey has coached several national and international athletes, including several Olympic competitors. Corey continues to enjoy instructing and coaching skiers of all abilities.

Some of the athletes Corey has coached include:

  • Colin Davidson
    Represented Canada at the Barcelona olympics in cycling and won the 1992 Canadian Tire National Cycling Race Series.

  • Jeff Barnes
    Placed third at the 1996 Canadian National Cycling Time Trial Championships.

  • Angela Schmidt-Foster
    Won the Canadian National Cross Country Ski Championships, and placed 14th at the World Cross Country Ski Championships.

  • Jane Issaksen
    Represented Canada in Biathlon at the Albertville Olympics.

  • Joan Groothuysen
    Represented Canada at two Olympics in addition to numerous medals at Canadian National Cross Country Ski Championships.

    About running...

    Running is a sport where having a coach is critical. Running is a weight bearing sport where Corey's years of experience can help you avoid injuries. Running training programs must be planned to a very fine level of detail to gradually increase the workloads. Proper coaching for a runner can make the difference between first and last place in a race.

    About cycling...

    Coaching cycling takes a lot of one on one interaction between a coach and athlete to get the rider to elite levels. It takes years to accomplish, each person must be at thier best physically and functioning smoothly as a team to get the best results. Corey finds it very exciting to coach the ERTC, it gives him the opportunity to lead a team to work together; to promote a highly functional unit.

    About skiing...

    Cross country ski coaching is very similar to cycling coaching physically, but technically they are very different. Corey's ski waxing knowledge has come from 22 years of direct hands-on experience. Corey stays up to date with the latest waxing developments, but you can't learn it all from a book at an elite level. Corey continually experiments with waxing, there is no true scientific method.

    Ski waxing is like being a doctor, it's part science and part individual skill: many sets of data come to you, it is not clear cut, and it takes a lot of personal interpretation to decide on wax and ski selection for a race. waxing is a mix of science and subjective art."

    On a personal note...

    Corey still enjoys cross country ski racing in the winter and trains 450 hours per year doing as much training as possible with his athletes. He is a hopeless animal lover and currently houses an assortment of give aways. He tried working at a job where he was not using his coaching abilities, and quickly realized he was born to coach.

    Corey likes most the opportunity to use his talents and skils to their fullest. he can choose a particular path with athletes and a team and see the progress of his work over many years. Although he does not make much money, corey feels it is rewarding to use his knowledge and see results, the athletes that he works with give him a lot of positive feedback which makes him happy

    "With any type of coaching, you must be prepared to choose a path, and live with the consequences. I like the challenge of coaching under pressure."

    coreytorgness@hotmail.com
    780-433-2857