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Yukon Cross Country held a retirement party for former sport coordinator and head coach Alain Masson at the Whitehorse Legion the evening of Aug. 26.

Masson, 62, originally from Montreal, moved to the Yukon in 1993.

He worked for the national team from 1992 to 1995. While with them, he was based in Whitehorse but travelled around with the national team.

Masson ran the Yukon cross country ski program since 1995.

A large crowd packed the building to wish him bonne chance in his retirement.

Masson explained why they were having a retirement party for him now after he announced his retirement in May.

鈥淲hen I retired, it was during the winter and we had not many people, we had a little thing for VIPs and parents at the end of the ski season. This is more friends and people I鈥檝e known forever.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of fun to see people I haven鈥檛 seen for a few months. Usually with being involved with this community I see parents and athletes all the time but now (his coaching career) ended in May, so it鈥檚 been a few months.鈥�

Masson isn鈥檛 going to be fully retired, however.

鈥淚n November, I鈥檒l start working full time for the national ski team for the winter, from November to the end of March on the World Cup doing race support, which I did on and off for all these years, but I used to do full-time before I came to the Yukon. I鈥檓 really looking forward to doing that.鈥�

Masson is planning on working with the national ski team for the next few seasons.

Masson was asked what he thought he was going to miss the most about coaching.

鈥淭he athletes,鈥� replied Masson. 鈥淣ot seeing them at races and at training camps. Like this summer, they鈥檝e been on training camps every couple of weeks. The most fun activities you can have with kids, so already missing that, and ski races.

鈥淚 may be around for the odd race in Canada. I won鈥檛 be coaching them so that鈥檒l be fun to see them progress in race form and I think that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 gonna miss the most. Just traveling with kids and seeing how they do at competitions.鈥�

Among his many career highlights, Masson listed seeing 鈥渟o many kids from Whitehorse making it to the National Ski Team structures, whether it鈥檚 junior national team members or senior national team, representing Canada in international competition. I think that always is what brought me the most joy, to see them being able to compete with the best athletes in Canada.鈥�

Masson has been taking full advantage of his retirement.

鈥淚鈥檝e really enjoyed being able to do things that I haven鈥檛 done for so long. I鈥檝e started to play golf again after almost 30 years. I play once a week, so that鈥檚 fantastic. Fishing, a lot of fishing, doing a lot of physical activities, with friends. Hiking, mountain biking, running. I used to do some but with regular team training and training camps, you can鈥檛 do as much. It鈥檚 been very fun.鈥�

Family has also been keeping Masson busy.

鈥淚 have two boys and they鈥檙e both involved in sports at the high-performance levels. Sasha鈥檚 on the national team, and I鈥檒l get to see more of him, hopefully.

Masson鈥檚 other son Felix, of course, is with the Vancouver Whitecaps development squad, one step below Whitehorse soccer trailblazer Joe Hanson.

鈥淗e was in a tournament in Sweden,鈥� related Masson. 鈥淚 saw him for a little bit. I鈥檓 hoping to see him regularly when I go to Vancouver.鈥�

Of Felix going into the Whitecaps organization, Masson said, 鈥淚鈥檓 so happy. He played an intra-squad game today and two days ago played a game against the older team.鈥�

Felix even played against Hanson in Saturday鈥檚 intra-squad game.

鈥淭he players that didn鈥檛 play last night played Felix鈥檚 squad this morning, so he said that was super-fun.

鈥淚t was quite different, because Joe and the other team are quite a bit faster and older. So it鈥檚 quite the challenge.鈥�

鈥淪asha was (doing) very well. He was in a camp and he just came back home. He鈥檚 here tonight because he just came back from Quebec and Vermont, where he had a camp.

鈥淏efore that, he鈥檚 been training. They went to France for a training camp on snow. Nice to catch up with him. That鈥檚 why I was biking with him a lot. Because he鈥檚 only here until Wednesday. A quick little visit home.鈥�

Masson was asked if he still gives Sasha a lot of advice.

鈥淣o,鈥� he replied. 鈥淚 help him when he asked me, helping with roller-skiing today, but I鈥檝e never been coaching him since he left the Yukon. He has a full-time coach. He has a coach with the national ski team and he has a coach with his national training centre.鈥�

Masson said it鈥檚 nice to just be a parent.

鈥淚t鈥檚 super-fun.鈥�

Masson added a thank you to everybody involved with the cross-country ski program over the years. 鈥淥ne of the reason for all the success in the Yukon of this ski program is community support, media, volunteers, parents, everybody.

鈥淭he media have been amazing. We get a a lot more attention than some of the clubs against which we compete. Where they compete in a big centre, they don鈥檛 get as much.鈥�