June 27, 2008 – January 5, 2008 was a sad day for cross country skiing in Canada. Heinz Niederhauser passed away while taking a short ski between events and coaching his skiers at the Canada Cup races at the Highlands Nordic ski area in Duntroon, Ontario.

Several long-time friends and associates decided to celebrate Heinz’s long career, and his dedication to his athletes and coaching with the establishment of the Heinz Niederhauser Coaching Scholarship. This scholarship is to be awarded to a deserving coach in the Ontario Division each year.

This notification is the announcement that the scholarship is now in place and the selection committee is looking for applications from coaches who need financial assistance with their coaching education and certification programs. This is a one year scholarship ranging from $500 to $1000 for a coach or coaches who are involved in a club program and who are seeking to further their coaching education through Canada’s National Coaching Certification Program. Please send a short e-mail to the CCO Administrator detailing your coaching development plans, the specifics of your needs and a resume to: admin@xco.org by July 30th, 2008. The successful recipient will be selected and announced by September 1st, 2008.