Luka Veljovic

Having ski raced my entire life up until university, this winter season I step into the coaching role, using my skill and experience to work with and develop the next generation of young racers. Recently I was in Sun Peaks, BC for a pre-season camp with the U14 athletes, and will be spending the majority of the rest of the season coaching the U12 athletes with two other co-coaches. A typical ski racing season for this age group starts around mid- to late-November and runs until late March to early April. My role as a coach is implemented in both on-hill and off-hill training, and everything else in between. On-hill training includes technical freeskiing and specific drills tailored towards a certain performance outcome, as well as setting different course environments. Off-hill training includes video analysis sessions and dryland training. In between on-hill and off-hill training, my role as a coach is also to act as a mentor and role model for young athletes, serving as a tutor for athletes during times of travel when school is missed due to training or competition, and meeting the unique coaching demands of each and every one of them, while also fostering a supportive environment that encourages them to push past personal limits both on and off the hill.

Recently completing my fourth season of tree planting, I have planted over 400,000 trees in various areas across the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. Throughout my seasons tree planting, I have exceeded both company and specific contract expectations in terms of tree planting quality and density standards, while consistently maintaining high numbers for trees planted each shift. I was also responsible for effectively collaborating with other crew members on larger-scale projects involving teamwork and coordination between multiple crews or levels of management. Another very important role as a tree planter was fulfilling daily production requirements in order to assist in meeting contract deadlines. This required diligent work habits and quickly adapting to changing weather conditions or terrain challenges. Other key roles I had included increasing tree survival rate by carefully selecting planting sites and following proper planting techniques, reporting area conditions and providing feedback to the client, and minimizing environmental impact by adhering to sustainable forestry practices throughout all aspects of work tasks.

Starting as a dishwasher in one of Canada's busiest Joey's locations, I quickly demonstrated my capabilities in a stressful and fast-paced environment where I communicated and collaborated with both front-of-house staff and other back-of-house staff, working the dishwashing station effectively and efficiently, as well as doing food prep during some earlier shifts on Sundays. Occasionally I would even need to simultaneously manage both the food prep and the dishwashing station, which allowed me to develop skills in multitasking, time management, and maintaining a clean, organized, and compliant workspace. Later on during my time at Joey Restaurants, I moved up to become a line chef where I cooked and plated the menu's appetizers, all of which had an extremely small margin for error in their process of preparation. Additionally, I would sometimes assist new dishwashing staff, helping them get familiar and more comfortable with their work station.