Gatineau Park

History of the Ottawa Ski Club

by Herbert Marshall

Chapter 13 - Participation in Canadian Ski Organization

It was recognized early by leaders in the development of skiing in Canada that there should be an over-all governing body to promote the best interests of the sport. At the first annual meeting of the reorganized Ottawa Ski Club held on November 27th, 1919, this need was the subject of a discussion in which Joe Morin, Frank Bedard, Sigurd Lockeberg, Jim Dickson and Frank Hennesey participated. They advocated the formation of a central board for the general supervision of skiing interests throughout Canada. On the evening of February 28th, 1920, President Douglas of the Montreal Ski Club met a group of prominent Ottawa ski leaders at a dinner in Montreal. Among these were C.E. Mortureux, Sigurd Lockeberg, and Joe Morin of the Ottawa Ski Club and Ted Devlin and John Graham of the Cliffsides. At this meeting the Canadian Amateur Ski Association₁ was born. A constitution was drawn up and approved unanimously and the Association was incorporated under the Laws of Canada December 11th, 1920.

On February 19th, 1921, the first meeting of the Association was held, followed by the first official Dominion Ski Tournament. It included four Clubs: The Ottawa Ski Club, Montreal Ski Club, Quebec Ski Club and the Cliffside Ski Club.

A 1965 version of the Constitution and By-Laws of the CASA states that the Canadian Amateur Ski Association has affiliations with international organizations. It is recognized as the authorized governing body of skiing in Canada by the Federation International de Ski (FIS). In turn, the Canadian Amateur Ski Association recognizes the Federation International de Ski as the World Governing Body of skiing and abides by the Rules and Regulations of the Federation except where prevented by local conditions and customs.

Other affiliations of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association are the Canadian Olympic Committee and the United States Ski Association. The Honorary Ski Club of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association is the Ski Club of Great Britain. All privileges of membership in the CASA are extended to all members in good standing of the Ski Club of Great Britain.

While the number of eastern clubs coming under the jurisdiction of the CASA grew rapidly, the co-operation of the western clubs was obtained more slowly. The 1933 Canadian Ski Annual reported:

The old Revelstoke Ski Club is now back in the fold again and pledges loyal support. On the Coast the situation is still unsettled. Nels Nelson, as president of the western Canada Amateur Ski Association, heads a group of some 14 clubs, while R.J. Verne presides over the Amateur Ski Federation of Western Canada, numbering some seven clubs. It is quite obvious that a situation such as this is unsatisfactory to all concerned, and the only solution is for all the Western Ski Clubs to get together, reorganize and join the CASA in the fine work being done for organized amateur skiing in Canada. We are hopeful of bringing this about and are ready to co-operate in all reasonable ways, but the next move must come from the West; we can do no more.

By 1935 the difficulties between East and West were being resolved. In order to co-ordinate activities it was agreed that the CASA Executive would include both eastern and western vice-presidents and a vice-chairman of the Technical Board. This system worked satisfactorily for a number of years but eventually the increased responsibilities of the CASA required a new system which included the formation of seven geographical divisions and a change in the internal structure of the Executive.

About the time East and West were joining in a single Association, ski zones were being established where applicable. Mr. W.S. Thomson, then president of the CASA, reported in the 1935-36 Canadian Ski Annual:

The formation and operation of the ski zones is the most important development under way. Matters such as publicity, ski-instruction, transportation, ski-tests, competitions, etc., all come under local zone direction and it is in the interest of all clubs to promote and encourage the activities of their zone committees. In a country as vast as Canada it is impossible for any single group to direct ski activities from Halifax to Vancouver. Ski zones are the solution.

In the East these zones have been a great asset in promoting the interests of skiing but in the West there is no zone system because of the great distances between clubs. Zones operate efficiently in areas where several clubs are close enough to permit representatives to attend conveniently the zone committee meetings.

Between zones and the parent CASA there were seven larger units known as divisions. As of April 1st, 1965 these were as follows: —

(a) Western Division. (b) Alberta Division.
(c) Manitoba Division.
(d) Lake Superior Division.
(e) Ontario Division.
(f) Quebec Division.
(g) Atlantic Division.

The spectacular growth in the popularity of the skiing sport, advances in its technical aspects, and the growth of national and international competitions, necessitated improvements in the structure of the Association. Many of these were embodied by By-law No. 1, 1969, which, after some amendments, was presented to the Annual Meeting of the Association in 1970 and passed. Included among its provisions are the following:

1. The name of the Association shall henceforth be the Canadian Ski Association.

   Objects:

2. The objects of the Association are to:
   (a) function as the governing body of skiing in Canada and as such, to represent Canada in the international Ski Federation.
   (b) Promote competitive and non-competitive skiing in Canada.
   (c) govern the conduct of national skiing competitions.
   (d) select and train members of national ski team to represent Canada in national and international competitions.
   (e) Provide guidance, information and assistance to the divisions and zones of the Association in respect of these objects and in the development of programs for competitive and non-competitive skiing.
   (f) encourage support of its program by the public generally.

   Membership

3. Membership in the Association shall consist of the following:
   I. Individual:9t + .3
   • Honorary: To which any one or more individuals who shall have distinguished themselves in the cause of skiing may be named from time to time by the Board upon the request of the general membership of the Association or upon the request of any division or zone of the Association.
   • Associate: A person, firm, or corporation who or which has paid the sum of not less than Two ($2.00) Dollars for the current skiing year to the national office of the Association, either directly or through a division or zone thereof.
   • General: Any person who shall be a properly qualified member of the Club.
   II. Club:9t +.3
   • A member club shall be a club having individual membership of not less than 10 persons which shall have paid its annual fee to the Association under and pursuant to paragraph seven (7) of this By-law.
4. Voting at Annual and General Meetings. All members shall be entitled to attend any annual or special general meeting of the Association, but member clubs only shall be entitled to vote upon questions put to any such meeting and voting shall be in accordance with the following formula, (hereinafter called the said formula):
   
   Number of General members per member club:

   	Number of Votes
   25 members and under	1 vote
   26 - 100	2 votes
   101 - 200	3 votes
   201 - 300	4 votes
   301 - 400	5 votes
   401 - 500	6 votes
   501 - 600	7 votes
   601 = 700	8 votes
   701 - 800	9 votes
   801 - 900	10 votes
   901 - 1000	11 votes
   1001 - and over	12 votes and 1 vote for each aditional 200 members.

   Membership Year

5. The numerical general membership shall be in accordance with the number of general members of each member club, respectively as of the lst day of April in any calendar year, and member clubs shall be entitled to vote at any annual or special general meeting of the Association upon filing with the Secretary, Treasurer or General Manager prior thereto proof of payment to the Association of ail and any dues, or assessments levied against member clubs under and pursuant of the terms of the By-law.

6. Voting Member Clubs

Each member club shall have the right and privilege of attending and casting its own votes at any annual or general meeting of the Association, and may delegate one or more of its members for such purpose, it being understood, however, that no individual member shall have the right to cast more than fifty (50) votes on any question put to a vote. In the event of any member club not being represented at any annual meeting of the Association, its votes may be carried by the nominees of the division or zone to which such member club shall belong.

7. Annual Fees

Each member club of the Association shall pay annually to the Association, through its Division or Zone, an annual fee in such amount as shall be established by the Board from time to time and ratified by two-thirds of the members present and voting at the annual meeting.

Management by Board of Directors

8. The affairs of the Association, in ail respects, shall be managed by a Board of Directors comprised of general members of the Association, herein more particularly defined and called the Board, to which they shall be elected annually:
   
   • the president of the Association.
   • a vice-president, ordinarily resident in the Western part of Canada,
     and
     a vice-president, ordinarily resident in the easterly part of Canada, one of whom shall be designated first vice-president, and the other, second vice-president;
   • the treasurer of the Association;
   • the chairman of finance of the Association;
   • the chairmen, respectively, of the following disciplines of the Association;
         (i) Alpine;
         (ii) Cross-Country;
         (iii) Jumping;
         (iv) External Relations;
         (v) Skiing Development.
   • the chairman of the Public Relations Committee.

   Board of Directors

9. The Board shall consist of the following persons:
   
   • the persons elected to the offices described in paragraph 8 above;
     
   • the immediate past president of the Association;
     
   • the presidents, respectively, of ail Divisions and Zones having division status in the Association;
     
   • in the event of any Province or Territory in Canada having voting strength of 15 or more calculated pursuant to the formula aforesaid failing to secure representation on the Board by a person resident in such Province of Territory it shall be represented by the President of its Division or Zone.
     
   • when authorized by the Board, a representative of the United States Ski Association may be added as a non-voting member thereof;
10. The offices to be filled by election as aforesaid shall be held by persons elected thereto, respectively, by member clubs at each Annual General Meeting of the Association.

    Geographic Division between East and West

11. For the purposes of section 8, the division of the westerly and easterly parts of Canada shall be the westerly boundary of the Lake Superior Division a set forth in Schedule " A" hereto annexed.
12. The Board shall be responsible for the routine discharge of the affairs of the Association under the guidance of the president and in accordance with direction from general meetings ·of the Association. Subject to the availability of funds and in the discretion of the president, the Board shall convene a minimum of twice a year. Each director shall have one vote at meetings of the Board, and a quorum of this committee shall be a simple majority thereof.

    Additional Powers of Board

13. The Board shall be empowered to:
    
    • Appoint from its members, an executive committee which may exercise such powers of the Board as are delegated to it from time to time,
    • prescribe forms and make, vary, or repeal regulations for carrying out the purposes of this By-law;
    • appoint such committees or sub-committees as it may decide to assist or promote any object of the Association, and in particular the disciplines aforesaid, and to hire such professional or other asistance as it may deem advisable.

    Executive Committee

14. Unless otherwise decided by the Board, the executive committee anticipated in section l 3(i) above, shall consist of the following members of the Association;
    
    • the immediate past president.
    • the president
    • the treasurer
    • the two vice-presidents
    • the chairman of finance
    • a representative of the presidents referred to in paragraph 9(c) and (d) above.

    General Manager

19. The national office of the Association shall be in charge of a general manager who shall be appointed by the executive committee at a salary to be decided upon from time to time by the executive committee and who shall be responsible to the President and through him, to the executive committee. He shall assume the responsibilities of his office as they may from time to lime be allotted to him.

    Disciplines

20. This paragraph sets out in considerable detail the responsibilities of the committees listed in paragraph eight.

    Divisions

28. For the purpose expressed herein, the Association shall be composed of Divisions whose geographical boundaries shall, unless and until otherwise divided, subdivided or enlarged by regulations of the Board, coincide with those of the provinces of Canada, but nothing herein shall be constituted as changing or amending the boundaries as at the date hereof, of any division or zone with division status as set forth in Schedule " A" (attached by By-law No. 1.) unless and until application to change or amend the said boundaries shall have been made to and approved by the Board.
    
    In the event of membership in a Division being reduced to less than fony votes under the terms of this By-law, the Association may, at any Annual General Meeting dissolve the Division and allocate its membership to such zones or other divisions as may be in the best interest of the members and the Association.

    Division Authority

29. Each Division shall have complete local authority upon all matters within its jurisdiction, and more paticularly shall have the following authority:
    
    • to establish Zones within its geographical jurisdiction
    • to enrol member clubs directly, or through Zones;
    • to arbitrate disputes between member clubs;
    • to arrange competitions within the Division;
    • to regulate competitions and competitors at the Division level, in accordance with minimum rules of eligibility as defined by the Association;
    • to appoint delegates to the Annual and General meetings of the Association;
    • to operate generally under the terms of this By-law.

    Zones With Division Status

30. The Association shall also include any skiing areas in Canada, not being divisions, called Zones with division status, which shall have voting strength of fifty or more under and pursuant to the said formula and, with the consent of the Board, such zones shall be entitled to representation in the affairs of the Association in the same manner and to the same extent as a division of equal status.

    Zones

31. Skiing areas in Canada not being Divisions or Zones with Divisional status shall be entitled to representation in the affairs of the Association through affiliation with a division, in accordance with their voting strength calculated as aforesaid under the terms by this By-Jaw.

    Application for Divisional Status

32. A zone may apply to the Association for Divisional status if:
    (a) it has been a zone for two years;
    (b) the division with which it is affiliated, would retain, after separation, voting strength of seventy or more, and
    (c) the division aforesaid is in agreement.

Prior to 1965, owing to the widespread increase in skiing activity throughout Canada and the increase in the variety of skiing competitions, the Executive of the Association found it necessary to be assisted by Standing Committees which replaced the work of a single body, viz., the old Technical Board. The standing committees were:

    1. The International Activities Committee.
    2. The Recreational Activities Committee.

    The latter had attached to it the following sub-committees:
    Safety and Educational Committee
    The Ski Test Committee
    The Lands and Property Committee
    The Alpine Committee
    The Cross-Country Committee
    The Jumping Committee
    The Junior Development Committee
    The Finance Committee
    The Constitution and By-laws Committee.

Incorporation of By-law No. 1 of 1969, (passed in 1970) into the Constitution introduced changes which greatly improved the efficiency of the organization and management of the CSA. It gave an up-to-date basis for dealing with the much increased and growingly complex responsibilities which it had to handle. Separation of specific fields of Association activity into clearly identified disciplines was believed to be an important administrative clarification. Its importance is indicated by the fact that the chairman of each discipline became a member of the Board of Directors.

Apart from the changes brought about by the adoption of By-law No. 1 there have been a number of important developments since 1965 which deserve mention.

On April 17, 1971 the headquarters of the Association was moved from Montreal to Ottawa. It was expected that facilities available at the Sports Centre in Ottawa would lead to financial benefits for the CSA and would facilitate communication between the CSA and the Department of National Health and Welfare.

A National Ski Council was created involving affiliation between CSA, Canadian Ski Patrol and the Canadian Ski Instructors' Alliance.

Of great interest to the Ottawa Ski Club was the setting up of a National Capital Division. This, of course, along with the fact that Association Headquarters are located in Ottawa, must mean much closer contact with Association affairs. As originally set out the boundaries of the National Capital Division were as follows:

Shall, until application to vary it shall have been made and approved, be composed of the territory generally bounded on the west by lines extending northerly from and including Presque'ile Point to Deep River, Ontario, on the north by a line from Deep River to a point north of Maniwaki, Quebec; in the east by a line extending from the easterly edge of the northerly boundary via Ripon and Calumet, Quebec to and including the town of Carillon, Quebec and thence to Lake St. Francis in the St. Lawrence; on the south by the southerly boundary of the St. Lawrence River through the southerly boundary of Kingston, Ontario to the point of commencement.

(Since the delineation of the above boundaries the Quebec Division has requested and been granted a change in its boundaries to include ail of the Province of Quebec. Consequently there must be a revision of those for the National Capital Division given above.)

FEES

Annual Sanction Fee

Individual member clubs of CSA pay an annual sanction fee. A club with a membership not exceeding 25 pays $15 annually. With a membership of 1001 or more the fee is $122. This is based on senior membership. The fee is payable in total directly to the immediate superior body whether it is a division or zone. If a division is the immediately superior body it receives the fee and forwards 25% to the national office. If the zone is the immediately superior body it receives the fee and retains an amount not exceeding 75% according to agreement between the division and the zone and the division receives the balance and sends it on to the National Office.

At the time of writing experimentation is going on with the objective of finding a better fee arrangement as between clubs of various sizes.

Direct Participation of Ottawa Ski Club Members in the Activities of the Canadian Ski Association

In 1952 W.G. (Bud) Clark, then chairman of the Technical Board of the CASA, was elected president. He took office at a time when the Association was concerned about rifts in the harmonious working relations which had been built up in earlier years between the East and the West. The exigencies of the war and immediate post-war period had permitted some slackening of essential communication and a tendency had developed for East and West to go their individual ways. At the Annual Meeting of the Association held in May 1952, the executive body resolved that the problem of East-West relations be its chief business in the next ski year. The president was authorized to make a trip to the West in the autumn of 1952 to meet with the representatives of all the western clubs.

Mr. Clark, accompanied by Paul Ramage, technical chairman of the CASA, visited Calgary and Vancouver in the autumn and were cordially and favourably received by the western officials. lt was apparent that no basic differences in policy existed between the East and West but there were different views on a few matters which required thorough discussion to bring about uniformity of practice. The principal subjects discussed were competitor's cards, voting procedures at the annual meeting, selection of a team for the FIS competitions, and junior competitions. The first three were settled without much difficulty. For example, the competitor's card used in the East was adopted by the West so that national unity could be achieved in this matter.

The most contentious problem concerned Junior Competitions. In 1951 a Canadian Inter-Provincial Junior Team Championship was introduced and held at St. Sauveur. This was largely due to the initiative of Mr. E.J. Hazen (Sudbury, Ont.) and the junior committee of which he was chairman in the CASA. This meet proved to be so successful that the May, 1952 meeting of the CASA decided that it should become a yearly event. A resolution was approved that " The Canadian junior championships be separated from the Canadian senior championships and be combined with the junior club team championships." Thus the individual junior championship and the team championship were to be decided at the same junior meet.

Initially the plan for the national championship meet implied that each club in Canada was eligible to send a team to the four-way event. This proved too ambitious a project for many clubs, and the present system provides for divisional teams.

If an objective history of the development and splendid contribution of the CASA to the sport of skiing is ever written it would reveal the important contribution which members of the Ottawa Ski Club have made to its success. Bud Clark's presidency lasted seven years, from 1952 to 1959. Bud was one of the outstanding members of the Ottawa Ski Club since 1924. His racing prowess led to his membership on the Olympic teams of 1932 and 1936. In 1950, after five years of active participation in the affairs of the Gatineau Ski Zone, he was technical chairman of the CASA from 1950 to 1952.

C.E. Mortureux, Joe Morin, and Sigurd Lockeberg were instigators and strong supporters of the CASA. The Ottawa Ski Club and the Gatineau Zone played important roles in the continued growth of the Association. For 20 years Sigurd Lockeberg was a member of the CASA Technical Board, the last nine of which he was chairman of the Board. Alan Snowdon, a first vice-president of the OSC for many years, was CASA president in 193 1. C.E. Mortureux was a first vice-president.

By 1952 it was recognized that the future of the Association and of skiing progress in Canada required greater emphasis on the importance of participation in international competitions and the development of a much more adequate junior training program. These two matters were interrelated. Changes which were made developed into the efficient and successful program of the present. Along with the general program there was an active campaign to develop younger racers. Consequently, since the early l 950s Canada 's position in the international fie ld has shown great improvement - even to the point of winning Olympie medals.

This greatly expanded and accelerated training program created an unprecedented demand for funds to finance the teams which were to be sent to FIS and Olympic competitions, not only for the actual competitions but also for prior training periods in Canada and Europe. The CASA and its member clubs rose to the occasion and their tremendous efforts brought success. That the effort was worthwhile is evident. The level of recreational skiing in Canada has improved enormously. Canadian skiers now participate in the sport with greater enjoyment and safety. Their increased rote in international events has resulted in changes and advances in ski technique and has led to the present emphasis on sound instructional programs.

Russel Smart is another member of the Ottawa Ski Club who has been active in skiing organization locally and in wider spheres. A racer and jumper himself, he has consistently worked for the promotion of competitive skiing, and has served as chairman of racing on the Club 's Executive, and as first vice-president. From 1952 to 1955 he was president of the Gatineau Zone. His term of office in the latter corresponded with the call for substantial funds to support teams for international competition. While the Ottawa Ski Club had always contributed generously to the Gatineau Ski Zone's quota, large additional amounts had to be raised by the Zone. In 1953 Russ Smart sent a circular letter to ail member clubs of the CASA in which he explained the project of selling Gatineau Ski Socks to finance the sending of a team of ten Canadians to the FIS World Championships in Sweden in 1954. It has been decided that the major burden of raising finances was to be borne by the zones in proportion to their representation on the team and the letter stated:

The Gatineau Zone Committee, deprecating the fact that in the past it has always been necessary to raise funds for similar purposes through the soliciting of persona( contributions from interested members of the skiing fraternity, have been fortunate this year in being able to make a special arrangement with a large and well known manufacturer of socks which, it believes, will enable the raising of its share of the finances without the necessity of soliciting contributions.

Hanson Mills, Ltd., of Hull, Quebec, had designed a new sock adapted to the needs of skiers which was officially approved by the Canadian Amateur Ski Association. They were adopted for use by the FIS Team and were supplied free of charge to its members by Hanson Mills. This firm agreed to supply at nominal cost as many pairs of socks as the Gatineau Ski Club could sell, for the purpose of financing the expenses of the team. This campaign involved a vast amount of work on the part of the Gatineau Ski Zone, but the results were most satisfactory. The socks found their way onto skiers feet throughout Canada - wherever there was interest in skiing.

In 1955 Russel Smart became president of the Quebec Division and automatically a director on the CASA Executive. After his retirement from that position he became director-at-large. In 1957 he was a vice-president and later legal advisor. From 1964 to 1972 he was chairman of the Association's Jumping Judges Sub-Committee. He was coach of the FIS jumping aspirants from Canada in 1966 and was appointed to the Judicial Committee of the FIS. More recently he assisted the president of the Association, Bill Tindall, in bringing the By-laws of the Association up-to-date.

Raymond Desrochers, who in 1972 became chairman of the Jumping Judges Sub-Committee, has been a champion performer and an enthusiastic promoter of jumping activities for many years. He was a member of the Canadian team in the FIS competitions at Lake Placid in 1952.

Fred Morris acted as vice-chairman of the Jumping Committee for a number of years, chairman for two years and again, vice-chairman for East.

Other names could be added to the list of those Ottawa Ski Club members who have served in some capacity in the administration of the CASA. Miles Allan, an active worker in the OSC and the Gatineau Ski Zone, became secretary of the Association and acted in that capacity for several years. Doug Mclntyre had much to do with the organization of the Canadian Ski Patrol System.

After the sale of the ski socks was discontinued the Gatineau Ski Zone did good work in organizing annually a number of ski-film nights to raise funds to finance training and participation for international competitions. But the greatly increased number of competitions led to the development of an unwieldly zone organization. For some years the Gatineau Ski Zone officials took on the responsibility of the racing program. White this was no small task even when only one or two clubs existed in the region, it became increasingly formidable as the number of clubs increased.

By 1959 it was clear that a new policy was necessary. At zone meetings members of the committee were, of course, required to attend. But so also were those in charge of various sections of the racing program in the individual clubs. In 1960 the Gatineau Ski Zone developed a new constitution and adopted a policy whereby it became an advisory body and each member club took on the responsibility of running the racing program in its territory. Each club had its own group of committees for racing: cross-country, jumping, Alpine events, midgets, juveniles, juniors, etc.

The minutes of the Feb. 8th, 1961 , meeting of the Ottawa Ski Club Executive recorded the following:

Mr. Smart outlined the reorganization planned by the Zone. He stated that day-to-day administration would be looked after by an Executive of seven members, which would report to a larger group known as the Board. The latter would include representatives of the member clubs and the chairman of the individual program committees, in addition to the Executive.

Until 1965 the contribution of individual clubs to the running and training expenses of the CASA was based on a fee of 50 cents per senior member. In that year the contribution was increased by widening the base to include junior and intermediate members. The Ottawa Ski Club Bulletin of October 12, 1965, pointed out that on the earlier basis the Club had been paying approximately $3,000 per annum to the CASA and that under the new arrangement this amount was approximately doubled. Thus was it possible to further promote the interests of skiing, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Greater emphasis was placed on a training program for the National Team.

Because the Ottawa Ski Club and the Gatineau Ski Zone contributed many members to the National Team, the burden of raising finances was a heavy one. The Gatineau Ski Zone letter of November 1965 stated: "A national campaign has been launched by the CASA to raise funds in support of Canada's National Ski Team. The objective is $150,000 of which the Gatineau Ski Zone is required to raise $10,000".

A Report from the National Capital Division was included in the Ottawa Ski Bulletin ( 1971 Program) prepared by Wy Lawson, dated Nov. 29, 1971. It read as follows:

The division has been reorganized in the hope that it will be more effective locally as well as at the National Level.

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Index

Appendix A.