West Vancouver (BC), Canada – Robert Joncas has been appointed as the new High Performance Director for Canada~Snowboard, the governing body for competitive snowboarding in Canada.nJoncas, who resides in North Vancouver, British Columbia and hails from Newport, Quebec, has been involved in snowboarding for 17 years, either as a coach, an official, an instructor or as an administrator. Joncas holds a Master’s degree in Kinanthropology from the University of Sherbrooke and a degree in Physical Education from the University of Moncton.

Joncas has been employed with Canada~Snowboard for the past five years in various roles, more recently as Operations Manager, High Performance. He led the Canadian teams at the last four FIS Snowboard World Junior Championships.

“Our team at Canada~Snowboard is comprised of competent people, experts in their respective fields. I am looking forward for all of us to work as team, pulling in the same direction to grow snowboarding, and continuously improving results, either on the slopes or off the slopes. We will continue to support our Canadian snowboarders to the best of abilities,” said Joncas.

“Robert is a well known and highly respected member of our community; he has solid organisational and people skills; and he has a wealth of experience working with coaching, sport development, and high performance areas. We are elated to have him step up to take control of our High Performance Program,” said Tom McIllfaterick, Chief Executive Officer of Canada~Snowboard.

Joncas is filling the position vacated by the departure of Christian Hrab, who served as Director, High Performance, for the past three years. Hrab, who announced his decision in April, stepped down as Director on June 30. Hrab led the Canadian Snowboard Team to two back to back record-breaking seasons on the FIS World Cup Tour, as well as three medals at both the 2009 FIS Snowboard World Championships and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

The hiring process, which lasted over three months, saw numerous quality candidates apply for the position, Canada~Snowboard officials indicate.

Under the direction of the Chief Executive Officer, Joncas will be responsible for the leadership and management of the High Performance Program. His general responsibilities will include program leadership, program management, personnel management, planning and evaluation, and liaison with external partners.

Joncas lives with Claude Bergeron and two children, Frédérique (17) and David (14).