The Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club is $2,000 richer, thanks to a grant from General Motors, Canada.

The money will go towards coaching development for the 2009/2010 season, including financial assistance for Jackrabbit Leaders to obtain their Community Coaching certification, funding for skill development clinics for active coaches and funding for a CANSI certification course to encourage more club members to become instructors and coaches.

Mike Gladish, the manager for the Whitehorse Ski Club, said the cost of these initiatives will be around $10,000.

"The purpose of the grant is to encourage development of coaches at the community level," he said. "Two years ago the ski club started paying the course fees for the Jackrabbit leaders, so this will help offset some of that cost."

Gladish said other club revenue and participant fees will be used so that the club can deliver these programs.

The deadline to apply for the GM funds was in mid-February. A total of 52 community clubs from across Canada received the $2,000.

This program has impacted more than 15,000 coaches and 170,000 athletes across 155 communities in the country.

Gladish said most of the club's coaching and training occurs in October through December, adding it will probably have clinics in the winter, spreading the funds out through the whole season.

This is the first time the club has received the GM grant.

Gladish said the two most important of the three is training the coaches at the Jackrabbit level and skill development clinics.

"That's an ongoing thing, a lot of the coaches are learning as they go," he said. "So if they can improve their skills that's better for the kids and for the club."