The Perfect Turn or....... Fun?
BY MARK SCHINMAN, CLANCY.S SKI AND SNOWBOARD SCHOOL TRAINING DIRECTOR

Wow, what a question!!! Do we teach the perfect turn ........ or fun? As a training director at Clancy’s Ski and Snowboard School, just what do I train our instructors to do in a class situation? Do I want our instructors to teach the perfect turn? Or do I want them to insure that everyone in their class has fun??????

Well, the PSIA vision statement is “Inspiring a lifelong passion for the mountain experience”. To create that passion for the mountain experience, our clients must enjoy themselves, they must have fun. That isn’t to say we don’t teach them a little bit about balance and edging and turning, but it’s definitely more important that we create an environment where EVERYONE in all of our classes enjoys the experience, HAS FUN.

Let me share a story. Several years ago I had a class of 12-14 year old boys and girls. It was the most advanced class on Saturday morning and there were about 7 excited young folk full of energy. My job was to be with them for two hours every Saturday morning for 8 consecutive weeks and to teach them something. My plan the first day was to go by the book-play, drill, adventure and summary. We started with a couple warm up runs (play) and I did a little movement analysis while they were playing. Then I moved to the drill phase............. wrong. It became apparently obvious that the drill phase didn’t work; they just wanted to rage down the mountain.

Sometimes I’m kind of a flexible person, especially when it’s real obvious what I’m doing is not leading to success. We rocked, we raged, we went non stop went up and down the mountain not worrying about much other than finding another run. Of the play, drill, adventure and summary, we got two of them really right. We played and we adventured that first day of class.

Being a good instructor desperately wanting to teach something, I went home and wondered, how do I teach these kids anything? They don’t want drills. They want to rage down the mountain. They just want to have fun. They are kids. So I hit the manuals. I went through all the manuals and wrote down everything I could do while sliding 25 miles per hour. Those kids wouldn’t go any slower. My plan became play and adventure and sneak in a drill or a tip, like move the knee this way or that way or sneak in a little fun drill that you could do going 25 miles per hour.

Week two was great, we rocked and ripped. We never went down the same run twice. We had fun just sliding and we never went under that magic 25mph. I managed to sneak in leapers (those were too slow and boring for them) and worked a little on balance and hand positions. Week three and four more of the same, we talked for 30 seconds one time about how to move their knees.

We were having fun, and I was scared. I was scared some parent would ask me what I was teaching. Week five after class it happened. This dad with a serious look on his face sauntered up to me, I saw him coming and I was just waiting for him to ask me if I was working on improving Johnny’s counteranticipatory bankulation. I was prepared to tell him no, I was working on his counteranticipatory angulation. That was the new thing.

And to my surprise, dad said, “I don’t know what your doing because Johnny won’t say what you are teaching him, but Johnny is skiing definitely better and wants to go to class. He has never wanted to go to class before. Good job!”

Wow, dad blew my socks off…… I was a success! Yes, it’s all about fun. That is how I believe you “Inspire a lifelong passion for the mountain experience” and as a TD, that is what I work on with instructors over and over again. Every chance I get, we talk about being safe, HAVING FUN, and if we can do those two things, then the students can learn something.