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Info and updates will be posted here to help focus our training and prep for Certification Candidates.
FEB 2025
Please help spread the word about the non-weekend/early load clinics.
Here’s a list of topics that we’ll work through. The 7:45 a.m. clinics will mostly focus on #3,4,5,6, and on bad weather days # 8 & 9. The other topics we’ll try to work on at other times, which may include impromptu sessions based on who’s available at the time. Chris T will be doing a fair number of Wed/Thu afternoon clinics which will focus a lot on # 1-2 & 11-12.
Any/all clinics will adapt to the conditions of the day. Whenever you lead a clinic, please use this verbiage/titles in the clinic book so that I can keep track of what has/hasn’t been covered.
Skiing:
- Medium and short radius versatility skiing
- Off groomed, bumps and crud versatility skiing
- Task variations (1 ski, leapers/hop turns, pivot slips, skating, 1 ski hops, wedge christies)
Teaching:
- Giving feedback and verbalizing MA
- Drills and tasks for skill building
- Formulating Skill & Fundamental priorities, how to verbalize at an exam
- Sample teaching segments
Technical/Professional Knowledge:
- Indoor Tech Talks
- Indoor video MA
- Formulating Skill & Fundamental priorities
- Outdoor on the spot MA
- Sample exam scenarios
These bullets are loosely grouped by category: Skiing, Technical, Teaching, Snowboard
- Chris T, build skills specific to preparing for the exam process, and packaging delivery for exams, ski improvement
- Chris T, coach people on ski improvement, versatility
- Terry, Ski improvement with clear direction on underlying reasons (Skills/Fundamentals)
- Jay, lead video clinics, tech talks, and MA sessions
- Terry, coach people on clear MA, how to give feedback, solid technical understanding
- Jay/Terry, coach MA, cause/effect, technical understanding, giving effective feedback
- Shawna, talk with people and lead clinics on organization, logistics, clear lesson planning focus, kids specific tricks
- Cindy, leading clinics on building progressions & lesson planning
- Debra, leading sessions on lesson planning, progressions, how to make changes in skiing
- Shawna, lead sessions on understanding and connecting to students, tailoring info to meet them where they’re at, responding to people and adapting your plan, kids specific tricks
- Matt, coordinate directly with snbd people, give info on exam process and AASI specific packaging
- Dan St, lead sessions on riding improvement, clear progressions to build skills, park skill
Recognize or define a need
-What kind of questions can be best for getting good info from people. More creative than simply, “What are you working on?”
-Identify either a deficiency or propose a different blend/application
How to make the change
-Speak in terms of Skills, Fundamentals, c/e
-Provide exercises, tasks, games
-Give feedback
-Be specific, HOW to do something, c/e
-Diplomacy, wording, artistry of communication
Certification training has a lot to do with helping staff package their skills and presentation to best fit the exam environment. This could likely be different than how we package and present info to our clients.
Technical: Reference The 5 Fundamentals, The 3 Skills, and cause/effect relationships.
Teaching: Have a clear, developing line of progression. Adjust to shorter time frames.
Skiing: Have versatility, show an appropriate amount of carving with consistent turn shape, ski/ride with enough energy/dynamics, always be parallel (barring specific tasks).
If you’re going to an exam, make sure you’ve prepared with THE material. This is not the time/place to debate whether or not the industry association does everything the best way.
Cert training will make you a better teacher, give you more breadth and depth of skills, and fill your brain with what you need to do behind the scenes to create a great learning experience for students.
Level 2 and 3 exams are College level courses. They take college level type of preparation to be successful. Don’t underestimate what’s involved, and don’t simply rely on experience to get you through.