A D.R.E.A.M. TRIP

By John Stevenson

Summer 2003

Last January I had an opportunity to visit Big Mountain Montana. I had not been there for quite some time and was looking forward to the trip. My purpose for the trip was to give two days of adaptive clinics to the instructors with the DREAM program (Disabled Recreation and Environmental Access Movement) out of Whitefish.

Tim Rubbert is the director of the DREAM program. We met when he came out to Crystal Mountain to take an adaptive exam. It seams Montana is so big that it was just about as easy to come to CM to exam as to hook up with the examiner in Montana!

Part of what Tim wanted me to bring back to Big Mountain and expose his instructors to, was the excitement that he and I shared during our day together. Being the only candidate in his exam Tim and I had a chance to share some quality time discussing the goals he had set for himself as well as some of the outcomes he had in mind for his adaptive instructors. A one-on-one environment allowed me to get a good objective read on Tim’s skill set as well as try out some potential clinic outlines, sort of a test drive, for him to see what might hold the attention of his instructors for a couple of days.

After congratulating Tim for passing his exam I wanted to show him around the mountain and get a better feel for some possible clinic content to take to Montana. While we explored the mountain I casually worked in some efficient movement patterns for us to play with.

After several runs of play and practice, I could see that efficient movement patterns would be the ticket to holding the attention of the group in Montana. EMP’s would not be the core subject of the clinics but would be the delivery system. While spending time with Tim I discovered that while EMP’s might be a tool used in alpine teaching methodology it had not made the jump to adaptive in his ski school.

Being my first “out of division” clinic I was nervously excited about the trip. It is one thing to clinic in your own division where if you don’t know someone in your clinic group you know someone they know. Here I would be representing the NW division to a group of total strangers who, I was sure, would look at me as some kind of outsider come to force his “new fangled” ideas on these locals.

Of course my fears were put to rest as soon as I was introduced to the group. There was a diverse set of personalities, back grounds, interests, skill sets and goals amongst the group, just like every other clinic I had ever given. We spent the next two days learning from each other practicing new skills and even getting a few instructors excited about teaching again.

One of those instructors was Bob. Bob had been around the program for a long time, sort of quiet during the clinics. Late in the day on Saturday we were working on an assist method called “two point hold”. I slid up next to Bob and noticed he had a far-away-look in his eyes. I figured he was either bored out of his mind and ordering a rum and coke on some distant shore or he was pondering some profound comment I had made. (I didn’t really think he was doing the latter). “Bob, how’s it going?” I asked. “Three” was his response. “Three what” I said. “Three students, that’s how many different students I am working with that I can use this with.

Zowie! It hit me like a ton of bricks, we all know in our heads that clinics, good and bad, find there way to the end user, the students, but I had never had it hit me in the heart like that. Something we were working on in the here and now was going to impact some student of Bob’s the next time they shared snow. Three students may not seem like a big deal, but remember, adaptive instruction is usually one on one. Three students was probably a big chunk of Bob’s current student list.

I also had a few of the visiting instructors from the alpine ski school tell me they were going to use some of the “adaptive” tools in there non disabled lesson plans.

Sunday came and we wrapped up and said our goodbyes. Tim and I had a chance to talk about how he and I felt the clinics went. He informed me that we must have done something right because not only did his instructors stay all day and clinic in the rain on Saturday but they came back for more soggy clinics on Sunday. It seamed like Tim and I had hit on the right combination of “new and review” content for the gang.

During those two glorious days of clinics in the rain and fog I was reminded of or learned several of things:

·        Efficient Movement Patterns still rock!

·        Snow Sport instructors are the same diverse group all over the country.

·        Adaptive and non adaptive instructors can learn from each other.

·        Big Mountain is as long a drive as Sun Valley. And even longer on the way back if you take the scenic route through Thompson Falls!

·        Whether you are teaching a clinic at Symposium or sharing a tip with another instructor, some where out there at some future date, someone’s enjoyment of sliding on snow will be enhanced by something you shared with another instructor.

If you are interested in taking an adaptive clinic this next season send me a note at johnstevenson@skiforall.org