LTAD Park to Podium: Stage 3 - Learn To Ride

Where the competitive spirit in athletes of the future is born

At this stage, children will be progressing from basic sports movement skills to specific snowboard skills. These include turning, carving, jumping, movement in the air, basic tricks and controlling speed on the snowboard. At the same time, they will also be introduced to all four Olympic snowboarding disciplines.

In order to present children with opportunities to participate in organized snowboarding events, the Canada Snowboard RIDERS program was developed. This fun and exciting program helps young snowboarders progress through a variety of technical skills with the guidance of a specially trained coach. These snowboard skills can then be applied to introductory level racing and freestyle events.

Upon graduation from the RIDERS program, young athletes will have a strong degree of confidence on the board and an excellent multi-skill foundation upon which more advanced elements can later be added.

RIDERS Green and RIDERS Blue programs are overseen at the snow schools level, with athletes then progressing to the RIDERS Black program, which is overseen by snowboard clubs. To learn more about RIDERS and to find a program being offered near you, click here.

During the latter part of Stage 3, athletes will be introduced to inter-club competition.

Stage 3 Athletes at a glance

Chronological age: girls 8-11, boys 9-12, late childhood and early puberty
Programs: RIDERS, Snowboard Clubs, Snow School
Time on snow: up to 40 days per year

Wondering what a typical week should look like for a Stage 3 snowboard athlete? Check out the sample weekly schedule below.

Parents -  Are you looking for a more in-depth review of Stage 3? Download the Long Term Athlete Development document in PDF format. You will need a password, which can be obtained by contacting vasb@pnanqnfabjobneq.pn.

Coaches - To download a sample yearly training plan for Stage 3, click here. Are you looking for additional training and support resources for Stage 3 Athletes? Contact pbnpu@pnanqnfabjobneq.pn for more details.

Event organizers - Are you looking for event guidelines and planning tools for Stage 3 Events? Contact our Sport Development Team's Roberto Montanes for assistance. eboregb.zbagnarf@pnanqnfabjobneq.pn

NEXT: Stage 4 - Train to Train