Langstone retires after five years as Ravens Nordic ski head coach.
John Langstone and Jennifer Brenning at Carleton’s Varsity Awards Banquet (Photo by: Murray McComb).
After leading the Ravens for five successful seasons, John Langstone is retiring as head coach of Carleton University’s Nordic ski team.
“I decided to retire mostly because of the physical demands of Nordic skiing coaching,” he said. “I’m turning 65 this year and am not getting any faster…I will miss the Carleton atmosphere, the people and the students.”
Langstone’s role as head coach began in 2005 following a five-year stint as an assistant coach with the program. During his career, Langstone and his teams earned one gold, five silver and four bronze medals at the provincial level. Both the men’s and women’s programs earned medals at the OUA Championships in each of his five years as head coach. He was also named OUA Coach of the Year in 2009.
Alana Thomas (Mississauga, Ont.) has been skiing with Langstone for three years and said he has had a great impact on the team.
“John has put an incredible amount of time and energy into the Carleton varsity ski team during his time as coach, never missing an opportunity to share his love for the sport or help us with technique and training,” she said.
Hearing about Langstone’s retirement was bittersweet for Thomas.
“On one hand it’s sad to see John step down, ending quite an era of Nordic skiing at Carleton,” she said. “On the other hand, I respect that he feels that now is the time for him to retire and move on to new pursuits.”
Langstone ended his coaching career at Carleton on a high note this season. The Ravens dominated at the OUA Championships, with the men finishing first and the women second overall. The men’s team followed with a first-place finish at the Canadian College and University Nordic Ski Championships, marking Langstone’s second CCUNC championship banner.
“In the end, the success of the teams over the years had a lot to do with the calibre of athletes who came to Ottawa to train for a variety of opportunities, including the varsity team,” Langstone said. “Over the years I was supported by excellent coaches, including Don Moxley for four years and Greg Mark at most of those successful university events…I hope the training and racing opportunities in Ottawa, as well as the Carleton team, will continue to attract so many good people.”
Langstone has certainly left his mark on Carleton University’s Nordic ski team and his wealth of coaching experience will surely be missed.
