June 18, 2018 – In this edition of Talkin’ With the Gravey Train, our host Peter Graves talks with Tom Holland who recently retired after a 12-year stint as the High Performance Director at Cross Country Canada (CCC).

Holland has been at the helm of the most successful period in the history of cross-country skiing in Canada including Olympic medals by Beckie Scott, Chandra Crawford and Sara Renner, Nordic World Championships medals by Alex Harvey, Devon Kershaw and Renner, and Harvey’s most recent milestone as he claimed third on the final Tour de Ski podium, another bucket list goal of Team Canada.

One of the true pioneers of cross-country ski development in Canada Holland, who hails from Stratford, Ontario, began skiing in the 1970s and credits former national team coach, Lyle Wilson, with setting him in the direction of a career in cross country skiing. “He taught me how to really ski and instilled a passion for the sport,” said Holland.

Holland moved to Canmore in 1988 and began coaching and soon after became the Nordic Sport Manager of the Calagary Olympic Development Association (CODA- Bill Warren Training Centre and Haig Glacier Programs) a position he held from 1990 to 2006. He was also Chief of Competition at many National Championships beginning in 1992 and was Technical Chair at Cross Country Alberta from 1995-98.

In 1998 he became the Chair National Ski Team Committee at Cross Country Canada until 2006 when he left CODA and became High Performance Director at CCC. Along the way Holland took on more roles including Olympic Team Leader (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) and Nordic Worlds Team Canada Leader (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017).

Sometimes controversial, Holland has dedicated much of his life to Nordic skiing and helping young athletes follow through on their athletic promise and live their dreams. Under his leadership he has ensured a solid place near the top for Canada on the world stage.

As former national team coach Jack Sasseville said, “Love him or hate him, Canada is a small country with very few skiers compared to the Scandinavian nations and others. Holland has proven that we can take what we have and support it at the top. Overall I think he has done a great job.”