A Road Well Worth Traveling
BY RJ NICHOALDS PSIA-NW TECH TEAM
Fortunately, I succumbed to the peer pressure and got back involved.

It was winter 1988, and I just came off a season living in Sun Valley where I spent most of my time on a pair of Elan 215 Super G’s. On the occasional day I wanted to make a medium radius turn, I broke out my Race Room K-2, 812’s, in a 208 with a 26.5 Sticker on them. We skied two speeds over there: “On” and “Off”. Hey, I was in Sun Valley. Speed control was not an option.

That spring, my TD signed my exam form and I headed off to Mission Ridge to take my Associate Exam. I have been teaching since 1982 and was skiing strong….this should be easy, right?? Well, I came to learn something different.

When I met up with my exam group, I was the only one that was not part of the Wenatchee Valley Community College program. For starters, it was difficult being the only outsider in the group. Second, they started on a technical discussion that was way over my head.

My examining core included, Bud Davis, Gordy Ball, Sarah Richardson, and even John Mohan joined for a session. When things got going we started talking about Exam Figures: running gates, Uphill Christies, Linked Hockey Stops etc… I had no idea what these people were talking about. All I ever read was the ATM. Exam Figures were not part of that book.

Come Sunday, I somehow managed to pass my Teaching & Skiing, but was so far away from my Technical it was embarrassing. I stormed out of there mad as He#% and drove like a maniac back to Seattle swearing off the PSIA for good. As I crested the top of Stevens Pass, I seriously begin to doubt whether I would ever teach again. I just wanted to go skiing.

Next winter rolled around and ski school got started up again. Fortunately, I succumbed to the peer pressure and got back involved. Just about that time Roger Taggart was getting involved in the exam process too and was leading the charge in our ski school. We started doing clinics that included movement analysis, teaching and some pretty serious technical discussions. After a while, I looked back at the comments on my exam results and realized they were right on.

It was now about two years past my experience at Mission Ridge, and Symposium was at Whistler. (For the Symposium selection committee, WE NEED TO DO THAT AGAIN!!!) Enough with my editorial! Since we were headed to Whistler, I decided to attend this event. I had two great clinics. One with a French Canadian named Martin, and another with the legendary “DI”. Dennis Ireland was a DCL at the time, and you can still find him haunting the grounds of Wiggi Creek in Bend, as well as the skies of Alaska Airlines.

During my clinic with DI, he asked me how long I have been a Full Cert?? I fumbled and said ….”uh….uh….I just registered again this year so I could come to Whistler”. I guess this was my true turning point, where I realized I might have something to offer. I thought I had better get back in the exam process and get busy. Later that Spring I signed up for my Associate exam and headed to Bend, Oregon. Believe it or not, I passed, with some relatively positive feedback in the areas where I failed miserably before.

Now that I have made it through two Level III Exams, One DCL tryout, and two Tech Team Tryouts, I have picked up a few good lessons along the way. First, if you are going make advances in life, you need to put yourself in a place to be judged. Second, if you are going to put yourself in a place to be judged, you better be ready for people to offer you feedback. Third, take whatever feedback that is given to you, and process it before you respond in a defensive manner. You may not always like the feedback, but I am sure there is something worth considering. Involvement with the PSIA has done great things for me in my life. My success on the slopes has transferred to success in my personal and business life. This is a great organization where I have received a great deal of benefits over the years. The tough part, is finding ways to give enough back. I encourage all of you to get involved and do the same.