CANMORE – Robin McKeever is back coaching cross-country skiing.
The former national team head coach was hired as a high performance coach at the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA), an elite ski team based in his hometown of Canmore.
“The AWCA approached me after I was let go from Nordiq Canada,” McKeever said in a text message. “I feel I still have a lot to give to Nordic ski athletes yet, so I decided to take it on. I look forward to supporting coaches Tormod [Vatten] and Nikki [Gilman] and I look forward to supporting athletes as they strive towards achieving their dreams.”
The AWCA announced the McKeever hiring at the end of June. He will start in September.
Notable athletes under the AWCA banner include Beijing 2022 Olympians Katherine Stewart-Jones and Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt, U23 Nordic World Ski Championship gold medallist Sonjaa Schmidt, and national team athlete and his son Xavier McKeever.
McKeever joins AWCA following a two-year stint as head coach of the Olympic team at Nordiq Canada, the national cross-country ski organization.
Prior to that, McKeever led the highly successful Para Nordic Ski Team, which achieved 36 Paralympic medals and 29 World Championship medals in 12 years. McKeever, a former Olympian, also guided his brother, one of Canada's most accomplished athletes Brian McKeever, to 10 Paralympic medals.