Our Coaches

All Coaches are trained under ACA-CSC and the National Coach Certification Program (NCCP), SafeSport and many have additional credentials under the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance (CSIA) and other professional development programs.

Benn Porter

As Head Coach, Benn oversees the entire Norwesters Alpine Club program from U8 through to the athletes competing at the provincial level. Additionally, he manages the off-slope dryland programs throughout the fall. He brings a broad range of experience, having worked with all ages and levels of skiers in his 13-year career to date.

Benn has coached world-wide and is currently focused on the full time U16 High Performance team in Australia and his U14/U16 team here in Thunder Bay. He has worked a total of 4 years on the European circuit, 5 years in New Zealand and 3 years in Australia. Working in both the northern and southern hemispheres gives Benn a year-round career and the satisfaction of building strong athletes competing at the highest levels.

As well as having an extremely strong racing background competing at the FIS level in Europe for many years, Benn has had a lifetime of involvement with the sport and is recognized as having helped some of the younger racers coming out of Thunder Bay right now, whilst being renowned for keeping the sport fun and remaining focused on long-term athlete development.

Jenna Marinigh

Jenna grew up in Peterborough and moved to Thunder Bay for school. She’s coached and instructed in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia. She's been in Thunder Bay for 8 years and now works locally as a paramedic on the days she’s not skiing

Jenna grew up racing and transitioned into coaching and instructing as a way to stay involved in skiing throughout University. Jenna is a Development-Level trained coach and a Level 2 CSIA instructor. This is her 15th season coaching and her 7th season with Norwesters Alpine Club. She’s looking forward to working towards more ski certifications this year

William Cooper

Morgan Carson

Jacob Bergsma

Haley Koopman

Haley has been a ski coach for the Norwesters Alpine Club for the last 7 years now. She’s had some great success with developing athletes at all age groups and abilities. Haley is currently taking Business Commerce at Lakehead University.

Growing up with a passion for alpine ski racing, she raced with Norwesters Alpine Club and then moved into the Lake Superior Division Alpine Training Group. She competed at the U16 National Championships with some great success. Skiing, racing, and coaching have been a big part of her life for the past 12 years.

Connor Williamson

Connor is a former racer with the Norwesters Alpine Club. This will be his first year coaching and he is excited to pass on his knowledge to other athletes. Connor is looking forward to having a great season with all the athletes and can’t wait to hit the slopes and begin skiing.