Frequently Asked Questions
What is Obstacle Sports Canada (OSC)?
Obstacle Sports Canada (OSC) is a registered non-profit organization seeking to become the official governing body for Obstacle Course Racing in Canada. As such, we will manage athlete development programs, provide coaching certification opportunities, as well as race director education.
How is the OSC governed?
OSC is governed by a volunteer board currently made up of obstacle race enthusiasts, athletes, medical practitioners and race directors from across Canada. Board members will serve a two-year term and can be nominated by members prior to election. A slate of Board Members (current and present) will be circulated to the membership four-weeks prior to each AGM and voted on by proxy, or at the AGM annually.
Are OSC board members paid?
As a not for profit organization, all Board Members are volunteers and will not receive payments. Board Members will be entitled to be reimbursed for expenses, as long as the expenses are preapproved by the Board.
What are OSC’s goals?
Obstacle Sports Canada (OSC) is committed to securing the sustainability and growth of obstacle course racing in Canada. OSC is dedicated to creating an athlete and coaching pathway that will encourage grassroots participation, develop high performance programs and ensure long-term competition opportunities for age-group athletes.
The OSC Board would like to see the inclusion of obstacle course racing in national and international sporting competitions (games)
Who does OSC support?
OSC’s sole purpose is to support the members and the growth of the sport at a grass roots level through to high performance.
What is OSCs short term plan?
OSC’s short term plan is to apply for Sport Canada Recognition and become the official governing body of obstacle course racing in Canada. he application process includes:
What is OSCs long term plan?
If OSC’s application to Sport Canada is successful and we become the governing body, the board will hire staff to run and operate the organisation independently based on the policies and guidelines put in place by the board. The OSC’s staff will be responsible for implementing the three-year strategic plan created by the board as well as guiding the growth of the sport based on the funding guidelines set by Sport Canada.
OSC will also support the International Federation as a member national federation in it’s goal of meeting the requirements for recognition as specified by Global Association of International Sport Federations (GAISF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
What is a National Sport Organization (NSO)?
A NSO is the governing body for a specific sport. Most sports today, whether they have a professional division or operate at an amateur level only are represented by not for profit NSOs in Canada. Examples include Hockey, Basketball, Triathlon, Quiddich (yes Quiddich), Gymnastics, Speed Skating, and Alpine Skiing to name a few.
What does a NSO do?
All certified NSOs support the development of their sport in Canada which includes athlete, coaching and official development.
Is OSC affiliated with Spartan, Mud Hero or another race brand in Canada?
No. Although we have Board Members and advisors that are affiliated with one or several of the OCR brands, OSC is an independent, not for profit organization. OSC has not accepted any funds from race organizations and has no immediate plans to do so in the foreseeable future.
Will OSC stifle obstacle innovation?
No. It’s not OSCs mandate to change the way ORC operators are currently working. While OSC will develop obstacle guidelines and standards for an independent National Canadian Championships, these guidelines will not hinder race organisations like the Northman Race, OCRWC or X-Warrior Challenge from innovating obstacles for their own use or require them to include a specific race format. In fact, we welcome innovation in the industry.
Will the OSC force race brands to adhere to strict guidelines?
When it comes to safety, it is our goal that race directors from across Canada will adhere to a standard set of safety & medical guidelines that benefits all athletes. When it comes to obstacles and race formats though, the race organisations will continue to operate and innovate new obstacles and race formats as they do today.
There will need to be guidelines in place for regional and national championships, however, that is a long-term strategy for OCR on our way to official participation in international and games competitions.
Is OSC affiliated with any international organizations?
Yes, along with 66 other national federations, OSC is a member of the International Obstacle Sports Federation (IOSF), a Swiss not-for-profit organisation seeking international recognition as the world governing body for obstacle sports. The IOSF’s goal is to govern the sport similar to the International Triathlon Union (ITU) for triathlon or the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
What if IOSF does not become the recognised body by the IOC?
As the national governing body in Canada, OSC will ultimately adhere to the guidelines put in place by the world governing body, regardless of what organisation is successful leading the charge.
What will the sport look like in 10 years?
As a relatively new sport, OSC hopes that the future of obstacle racing continues to include the things we love today – an innovative sport that is inclusive of all abilities and ages and continues to have a thriving support community. OSC would love to see obstacle training programs offered across the country at the elementary, youth, and adult levels that either feed into competitive streams, or guarantee that people are active for life.
Are you hoping to make obstacle racing an Olympic sport?
As an Olympic athlete, Tom Petryshen, the President of OSC, would love to see the sport one day be part of a multi sport games, whether it’s the Commonwealth, PANAM, or the Olympic Games. How the sport gets there, how long it takes, and what the final race product looks like is in the hands of the athlete members and their representation through OSC, as a voting member of IOSF. While OSC may one day identify, support, and send Canadian athletes to international events, we will do so based on the guidelines set in place by world governing body and the appropriate Games committee.
What happens if the application to Sports Canada is not successful?
As obstacle racers, we will not accept defeat lying down in a puddle of mud. If the application is unsuccessful, we are committed to making the necessary modification and will resubmit the application based on any suggestions and improvements. If, however, after multiple attempts, the final answer from Sport Canada is no, we will allocate the remaining funds back to members (or donate the funds to charity), wrap up the organization and move on to bigger and better things.
How can OSC help me today?
First, please sign up to become a member and recommend OSC membership to your friends. OSC is by and for the athletes, and as a member, you get to decide the direction of the obstacle sports. We need 5,000 members before we can even apply so every new member helps. Second, if you have the time and desire, OSC needs assistance to help kick start a minimum of four (4) provincial organisations for obstacle racing across Canada. Third OSC needs assistance with translation to French (there is a lot of documentation).
Become a member today.
Obstacle Sports Canada (OSC) is a registered non-profit organization seeking to become the official governing body for Obstacle Course Racing in Canada. As such, we will manage athlete development programs, provide coaching certification opportunities, as well as race director education.
How is the OSC governed?
OSC is governed by a volunteer board currently made up of obstacle race enthusiasts, athletes, medical practitioners and race directors from across Canada. Board members will serve a two-year term and can be nominated by members prior to election. A slate of Board Members (current and present) will be circulated to the membership four-weeks prior to each AGM and voted on by proxy, or at the AGM annually.
Are OSC board members paid?
As a not for profit organization, all Board Members are volunteers and will not receive payments. Board Members will be entitled to be reimbursed for expenses, as long as the expenses are preapproved by the Board.
What are OSC’s goals?
Obstacle Sports Canada (OSC) is committed to securing the sustainability and growth of obstacle course racing in Canada. OSC is dedicated to creating an athlete and coaching pathway that will encourage grassroots participation, develop high performance programs and ensure long-term competition opportunities for age-group athletes.
The OSC Board would like to see the inclusion of obstacle course racing in national and international sporting competitions (games)
Who does OSC support?
OSC’s sole purpose is to support the members and the growth of the sport at a grass roots level through to high performance.
What is OSCs short term plan?
OSC’s short term plan is to apply for Sport Canada Recognition and become the official governing body of obstacle course racing in Canada. he application process includes:
- Creation of athlete, coach, & official long term development plans
- Writing accessibility, gender equality, harassment, code of conduct, membership, dispute resolution and privacy policies
- Creating guidelines for obstacle safety, medical and race operations
- Enrollment of 5,000 paying members
- Setup eight (8) Provincial Sport Organisations (PSO)
- Ensure the application meets all of the standard requirements to be acceptable to Sport Canada.
What is OSCs long term plan?
If OSC’s application to Sport Canada is successful and we become the governing body, the board will hire staff to run and operate the organisation independently based on the policies and guidelines put in place by the board. The OSC’s staff will be responsible for implementing the three-year strategic plan created by the board as well as guiding the growth of the sport based on the funding guidelines set by Sport Canada.
OSC will also support the International Federation as a member national federation in it’s goal of meeting the requirements for recognition as specified by Global Association of International Sport Federations (GAISF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
What is a National Sport Organization (NSO)?
A NSO is the governing body for a specific sport. Most sports today, whether they have a professional division or operate at an amateur level only are represented by not for profit NSOs in Canada. Examples include Hockey, Basketball, Triathlon, Quiddich (yes Quiddich), Gymnastics, Speed Skating, and Alpine Skiing to name a few.
What does a NSO do?
All certified NSOs support the development of their sport in Canada which includes athlete, coaching and official development.
Is OSC affiliated with Spartan, Mud Hero or another race brand in Canada?
No. Although we have Board Members and advisors that are affiliated with one or several of the OCR brands, OSC is an independent, not for profit organization. OSC has not accepted any funds from race organizations and has no immediate plans to do so in the foreseeable future.
Will OSC stifle obstacle innovation?
No. It’s not OSCs mandate to change the way ORC operators are currently working. While OSC will develop obstacle guidelines and standards for an independent National Canadian Championships, these guidelines will not hinder race organisations like the Northman Race, OCRWC or X-Warrior Challenge from innovating obstacles for their own use or require them to include a specific race format. In fact, we welcome innovation in the industry.
Will the OSC force race brands to adhere to strict guidelines?
When it comes to safety, it is our goal that race directors from across Canada will adhere to a standard set of safety & medical guidelines that benefits all athletes. When it comes to obstacles and race formats though, the race organisations will continue to operate and innovate new obstacles and race formats as they do today.
There will need to be guidelines in place for regional and national championships, however, that is a long-term strategy for OCR on our way to official participation in international and games competitions.
Is OSC affiliated with any international organizations?
Yes, along with 66 other national federations, OSC is a member of the International Obstacle Sports Federation (IOSF), a Swiss not-for-profit organisation seeking international recognition as the world governing body for obstacle sports. The IOSF’s goal is to govern the sport similar to the International Triathlon Union (ITU) for triathlon or the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
What if IOSF does not become the recognised body by the IOC?
As the national governing body in Canada, OSC will ultimately adhere to the guidelines put in place by the world governing body, regardless of what organisation is successful leading the charge.
What will the sport look like in 10 years?
As a relatively new sport, OSC hopes that the future of obstacle racing continues to include the things we love today – an innovative sport that is inclusive of all abilities and ages and continues to have a thriving support community. OSC would love to see obstacle training programs offered across the country at the elementary, youth, and adult levels that either feed into competitive streams, or guarantee that people are active for life.
Are you hoping to make obstacle racing an Olympic sport?
As an Olympic athlete, Tom Petryshen, the President of OSC, would love to see the sport one day be part of a multi sport games, whether it’s the Commonwealth, PANAM, or the Olympic Games. How the sport gets there, how long it takes, and what the final race product looks like is in the hands of the athlete members and their representation through OSC, as a voting member of IOSF. While OSC may one day identify, support, and send Canadian athletes to international events, we will do so based on the guidelines set in place by world governing body and the appropriate Games committee.
What happens if the application to Sports Canada is not successful?
As obstacle racers, we will not accept defeat lying down in a puddle of mud. If the application is unsuccessful, we are committed to making the necessary modification and will resubmit the application based on any suggestions and improvements. If, however, after multiple attempts, the final answer from Sport Canada is no, we will allocate the remaining funds back to members (or donate the funds to charity), wrap up the organization and move on to bigger and better things.
How can OSC help me today?
First, please sign up to become a member and recommend OSC membership to your friends. OSC is by and for the athletes, and as a member, you get to decide the direction of the obstacle sports. We need 5,000 members before we can even apply so every new member helps. Second, if you have the time and desire, OSC needs assistance to help kick start a minimum of four (4) provincial organisations for obstacle racing across Canada. Third OSC needs assistance with translation to French (there is a lot of documentation).
Become a member today.
