Sport Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Resource Paper "Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L)" (2005) was a keystone document that set out a framework for sport development in Canada through the provision of a common roadmap for sport and athlete development. LTAD, an eight-stage model based on the physical, mental, emotional and cognitive development of children and adolescents, supports the four goals of the Canadian Sport Policy – Enhanced Participation, Enhanced Excellence, Enhanced Capacity and Enhanced Interaction.
To view Sport Canada’s LTAD Resource Paper and Parents Guide: click here.
In addition Sport Canada has produced the following generic LTAD/CS4L materials:
The Role of Monitoring Growth in Long-Term Athlete Development. A document that was developed for the purpose of educating the public on the implications of growth and maturation on training, competition and recovery programs for developing athletes. To view the english version click on: The Role of Monitoring Growth in Long-Term Athlete Development. Hard copies are not available.
Developing Physical Literacy - A Guide for Parents of Children Ages 0 to 12. A guidebook that was developed for the purpose of educating the public on the development of good physical literacy skills in children. This document has been posted on the Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) website and can be downloaded at no cost. To view the english version click on: Developing Physical Literacy. Hard copies are available for $1.00 per booklet. Copies can be ordered from your Division Office. .
"Physical Literacy in Canada" Website. Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada), through the financial support of Sport Canada, has launched a new Physical Literacy in Canada website – a site that targets educators, parents and coaches and provides tools and resources to assist them in the development of physical literacy in children. To view the english version click on: www.physical-literacy.ca.
A Sport Parent's Guide. A small booklet that was developed for the purpose of educating parents on LTAD and providing some guidance as to what they can do to improve the physical activity and sporting experiences of their children. This document has been posted on the Canadian Sport for Life website and can be downloaded at no cost. To view the english version click on: A Sport Parent's Guide. Hard copies are available for $1.00 per booklet. Copies can be ordered from your Division Office.
Recovery and Regeneration for Long Term Athlete Development. This document is available from the CS4L website and can be downloaded as a pdf at no cost. To view the english version click on: Recovery and Regeneration. Hard copies are not available.
Competition is a Good Servant, but a Poor Master. This document is available from the CS4L website and can be downloaded as a pdf at no cost. To view the english version click on: Competition is a Good Servant, but a Poor Master. Hard copies are not available.
The Female Athlete Perspective. This publication is available from the CS4L website and can be downloaded as a pdf at no cost. To view the english version click on: The Female Athlete Perspective. Hard copies are not available.
LTAD & the Sport of Cross-Country Skiing
Cross Country Canada has developed a sport-specific LTAD model that is consistent with the generic Sport Canada version but customized to our sport and the structure of our sport system. The LTAD concept has become the touchstone against which the relevance and effectiveness of all operations, functions and supporting systems within Cross Country Canada are measured.
Recent program development in the areas of athlete development (Racing Rocks!, Bunnyrabbit, Jackrabbit and Track Attack Programs) and coach development (the new competency-based NCCP) are fully aligned with this new doctrine. In addition Cross Country Canada has completed a full competition model review process and is implementing key recommendations this season.
To date Cross Country Canada has produced the following sport-specific LTAD materials:
Cross-Country Skiing – A Sport for Life. A guidebook which is consistent with Sport Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development Resource Paper but customized to cross-country skiing, explains the conceptual framework for athlete development in our sport and provides essential guidance for change and improvement that can help us achieve our goals of fostering both life-long participation and international excellence. 4000 copies have been distributed to clubs, coaches, SDP Programmers and other sport leaders in our organization. This document is posted on this website. To view the English version click here.
Cross-Country Skiing - LTAD Poster/Brochure. The poster summarizes the content of the above guidebook. It targets parents and entry level coaches, and will continue to be distributed to parents via CCC’s Skill Development enrolment kits and to beginner coaches via the NCCP Introduction to Community Coaching Workshops again this year. 40,000 copies have been printed. The document is posted on this website. To view the english version click here. In addition, copies are available free from your Division Office on request.
Cross-Country Skiing - Long Term Athlete Development Guide for Athletes with a Disability. This guidebook is a supplement to "Cross-Country Skiing - A Sport For Life" and focuses on factors that need to be considered when working with athletes with a disability. It is not available in an electronic format at this time. Copies are available free from your Division Office on request.
Cross-Country Skiing - CCC Competition Model. To view the english versions of the new model and related documents click on the applicable links below.
