Is Your Focus on Training?

by Chris Thompson

TURNING POINT ARTICLE 

Summer 2001:

 I have had the opportunity to work as an alpine trainer with the Education, Technical, Certification (ETC) committee for many years. One of the charges of the ETC committee is to provide on-going Divisional Staff and Training Director training. It is impossible for the limited number of PSIA-NW trainers to be available to the membership at large on a regular basis therefore making the Staff and TD training a high priority to ensure that correct information is getting to all instructors. To that end, the past few seasons the training has been much more focused and intense. This level of training is fun, exciting, rewarding yet there are also some inherent frustrations.

 In an effort to standardize our skiing and the certification exam format, the individual PSIA Divisions have developed and agreed to a National written exam. Skiing standards are much more consistent through the development and understanding of efficient and inefficient movement patterns. And, the teaching/professional knowledge portion of the exam is much more realistic and humanistic. This certainly has become a focal point for the Staff and TD “in service” training. The ETC vice presidents and the Tech Team members are the primary organizing and facilitating staff. We have all been challenged to bring our skiing and professional knowledge up to a level wherein we can “lead by example” and thereby improve the level of the PSIA-NW staff and your staff(s). I won’t go into detail regarding all the educational opportunities however, there are many throughout the season for the Staff, TDs and for all instructors.

 This past Memorial weekend, a number of the Staff and TDs met at Mt. Bachelor for the spring training event. Although Bachelor was extremely limited on snow and the conditions were less than desirable, it was a very productive, worthwhile weekend. I believe that this three day event exemplifies and even goes beyond our previous training opportunities. We had a good blend of individuals in small groups allowing us time to develop a theme and stick with it until we could understand efficient movements and anchor these movements in our skiing.

 Let me back up a little. The Staff and the TDs have spent a good deal of time over the past few years working on our abilities to perform the skiing tasks as written in the PSIA-NW Exam Guide. The Level II and III tasks were used in the most recent Staff skiing evaluation and tryout. Although most of the Level II and III tasks appear to be easy to perform, to do them correctly, we have to understand the skills relationships and apply them to our skiing to execute the tasks accurately. It would seem that most instructors – Divisional Staff included – go out and practice the task(s) repeatedly. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that we are doing them accurately or correctly. Where we have been failing is that we need to train through the task, i.e., work on good skiing with efficient movement patterns so that performing the task is truly a skiing and knowledge checkpoint. That is how we approached it at the Bachelor spring training. Instead of going out and doing the tasks over and over again, we broke the tasks down into their integral parts working on proper stance with good, consistent, effective movement patterns so that skiing the task became just a part of our personal skiing. For instance, one of the more difficult tasks to perform properly for all level of skiers is the wedge christie. Inherent within the wedge christie are the mechanics to ski efficiently and effectively whether skiing at a lower, slow phase or ripping it at the upper end of skiing. If one can ski through a series of linked wedge christies correctly, you can ski about anything because your stance is correct and you are mechanically sound. It took us one full training day of working on our skiing to get to the point where the wedge christies came naturally – this meant a lot of on the hill movement analysis, discussions regarding correct and complimentary movement patterns, how to teach to the task, and then how to ski correctly. At the end of the day after skiing through the wedge christies correctly, we added a little speed and moved on to medium radius turns. We were all excited to discover that we were skiing a much cleaner arc and series of medium radius turns because we had anchored more efficient movement patterns as we worked at the wedge christie level.

 The previous day, with a different mix of participants, was spent working only on short radius turns. One of the primary challenges from the individuals within the group was to factor into the day a totally different set of movement patterns through learning something a little unique. They wanted to work on movement analysis, model good teaching as expected in the exam process and end the day with short radius turns representative of what is expected in the exam. To accomplish this, we first skied a series of short radius we felt represented how the task as described in the exam guide. We observed each other skiing through a number of line rotations and some pair skiing, stopping to discuss the individual skiing performance focusing on cause rather than effect – good or bad. Mid session, we switched to movement patterns that were almost diametrically opposite yet still skiing round, carved turns. We worked on learning to ski short radius turns of equal size and speed to the previous sets performed only by extending the legs away from the mass to start the turn and actively retracting the legs at the apex on through the end of turn. This change in skiing style generated additional movement analysis and discussion. We completed the day by putting the two movement patterns together as we continued skiing through the task showing that it is a blending of these types of movements/skills that lead to, in this case, successfully ski rather than “demonstrate the task”.

 I bring these two days of training up only as a way to convey to all of you that the tasks are not the end all. They are checkpoints along the way of skiing growth. The checkpoints/tasks can be used as a foundation for training skiing standards and teaching/professional knowledge. I challenge all of you as you prepare during the summer and fall for your fall and in-service clinics to build your educational curriculum around good skiing, using the skiing tasks for what they are intended. Also, look at the skills and how they blend together to enhance performance - always relate back to the skills blend as you train.

 In summary, it is up to all of us to lead by example whether you are a Divisional Staff member, Training Director in your ski school or the instructor in the trenches teaching every day. We need to model good skiing and great teaching. I mentioned frustration in my opening paragraph, let me explain. There are over 100 training directors affiliated with PSIA-NW yet we only see a sampling at the different training events offered each season. In fact we tend to see the same TDs at most of the trainings which is good for them and very enjoyable, but we need to see more of you. As a TD, make time to attend some or all of these training opportunities. Instructors, challenge your TD to attend more education events throughout the year so you are receiving consistent, current information and have a good skiing model in your ski school training. Check the newsletter, with your director or call the PSIA-NW office for the educational opportunities such as Professional Development Series (PDS), Symposium, Member Ski School clinics that are available year round.

Ellen Post Foster once wrote to me about an upcoming educational event we were doing together. She closed with a great footnote stating “a smile is a soft curve that sets everything straight”. We had some great smiles at the Bachelor training – always a Turning Point in an instructors career.