Kucera to join Trojans staff

CALGARY, ALTA., (DATE) – The SAIT Trojans Athletics and Recreation Department are pleased to announce the appointment of Lauren Kucera as the organization's Manager of Athletics and Recreation.

Kucera joins the Trojans after spending the past seven years with Alpine Canada – the national governing body for alpine ski racing, para-alpine and ski cross. She has served as Manager, Team Operations for the organization's ski cross program since 2019.

"My years as an athlete, participant, coach and high-performance manager within sport provide a well-rounded perspective of everything from the joy of participation to the pursuit of excellence," says Kucera. "I am extremely excited to join the Trojans and hope to bring passion, energy and expertise to the team."

Acting as team lead through two Olympic Games (2018 PyeongChang, 2022 Beijing) and three World Championships are just a few of the many highlights of her time at Alpine Canada, she added.

"The students of SAIT will benefit greatly from Lauren's ability to impact participation opportunities," says Wade Kolmel, Director of Athletics and Recreation at SAIT. "Her inclusive approach to creating positive experiences will aid our traditional varsity sports, competitive sport clubs and other program opportunities. Lastly, our entire coaching staff will appreciate her podium focus as the Trojans get set to enter our 58th season in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference."

After growing up on the slopes of Banff, Kucera attended Bishop's University in Quebec where she graduated with a degree in Sports Studies.

It is there she was exposed to post-secondary athletics and recreation, playing club volleyball and various other intramural sports while also sitting on the board of the university's Ski and Snowboard Club.

"I had such an incredible experience at university and attribute a lot of that to participating in sports and recreation. Being able to be a part of creating that same experience for other students is exciting," Kucera says. "On top of that, I believe I can bring a high-performance perspective to the Trojans and be a strong contributing member to the Athletics and Recreation team. Really, it's all about the love of sport."

Kucera will conclude her time at Alpine Canada at the end of the month before starting at SAIT on June 6.