NEWS: Roger Archambault returns as Assistant Director, High Performance

On Tuesday, University of Ottawa Varsity Athletics announced that Roger Archambault will be returning as Assistant Director, High Performance.

Archambault was first hired in December 2015 and served in the position until June 2019. Upon his return, Archambault will oversee the leadership, development, and implementation of sport-specific performance planning among the Gee-Gees varsity, varsity club, and competitive sport club programs.

"I am extremely pleased to be returning to uOttawa," said Archambault. "The vibrant sports environment, coaches, staff, and the purposeful and intentional approach to fostering a unique and holistic high-performance sports environment for the student-athletes was, and is now again, a key motivation for me." 

"A student-athlete-centered approach is at the core of what uOttawa Varsity Athletics does; that alignment is a must for me," he continued.

During his tenure with the Gee-Gees, Archambault oversaw one of the most successful periods of high-performance sport in school history. This included U SPORTS National Championship wins in women's rugby and women's soccer, five conference titles, and numerous accolades for coaches serving under his direction. Along with this, Archambault also steered uOttawa through the development and implementation of a new sport model, including a revamp of the varsity structure, the growth of an Integrated Support Team, and a renewal of goal setting and standards.

"Though he remained a part of our Gee-Gees family while he was gone, we are very proud to officially welcome Roger back," said Sue Hylland, Director of Varsity Athletics. "Under his leadership, our sport programs saw outstanding growth and success. I know Roger is eager to continue this work with our teams." 

"Now, as we face the challenge of safely returning to sport amidst a pandemic, there is no one I trust more than Roger to help us do that. A sense of familiarity and continuity in these ever-changing times is also something Roger will bring to our coaches and staff," said Hylland.

For the past 16 months, Archambault has served as Vice-President, Performance Services with the Institut national du sport du Québec (INS Québec). In his role, he led a team of around fifty specialists in scientific, performance, and training services and sports medicine.

Archambault is a National Coaching Certification Program Master Coach and Master Learning Facilitator, and has worked directly with over 15 national sport organizations during his 30-year career in sport management. As a coach and technical staff member, this former national team biathlete has participated in six Olympic Games, as well as over one hundred World Cup events and World Championships. He first joined uOttawa from Water-Polo Canada, where he served as the Director of High Performance.

Prior to his time with Water-Polo Canada, Archambault worked for the City of Gatineau as the Director for Sport, Leisure, and Community Development, and spent four years as the Manager of Team Services at the Canadian Olympic Committee, which included the preparations for the 2008, 2010, and 2012 Olympic Games.

Coaching education has been a prominent part of Archambault's career. A long-time biathlon coach and technical director, including two years as the national team head coach, the Gatineau native developed the Long-Term Athlete Development model for Biathlon Canada, as well as the NCCP Community Based Coaching education program. He is a certified Level 5 biathlon coach, a Master Coach for the National Coaching Institute, and has served on the Board of Directors of Coaches of Canada.

In 2019, Archambault returned to leadership on the international stage, serving as Chef de Mission for Team Canada at the 2019 FISU Winter Universiade.

Archambault, a uOttawa alumnus, earned a bachelor's degree in criminology from the Faculty of Social Sciences in 1996.