THE COACH’S PERSPECTIVE by ALEX CHANG, COACHES COMMITTEE CHAIR Tis year marked our first joint seminar
between the Parents Committee and the Coach- es Committee at Governing Council, in Myr- tle Beach, S.C. Te seminar titled “Parent and Coach Connection” was moderated by Susi Wehrli-McLaughlin and hosted by Mitch Moy- er, Gordon Benson, Heidi Tibert, Justin Dillon and me. One of the big takeaways from our discus- sion was the triad model, which is Athlete-Fo- cused; Coach-Driven; Parent-Supported. It was our hope to bring two of the three corners (par- ents and coaches) together to improve the skating experience and training environment for every- one.
In discussing best business practices, it is essential to define the role of the coach, the role of the parent and the role of the skater. Gordon has done a wonderful job of defining the fullness and nuances of the role of the parent. It is my hope to bring clarity, dignity and responsibility in describing the role of the coach. It is important for coaches to remember that
we first have to earn the trust of our clients by building a foundation of healthy communica- tion, realistic goalsetting and progress. We build this trust over time through proper planning (daily, monthly, annually), client management and professional follow-through. Te role of the coach is fluid, ever-evolving
“We must respect the efforts of everyone
involved while maintaining our own professionalism.” ALEX CHANG
and as unpredictable as the children we teach. Tat is the exciting part of our role. We are teach- ing these young skaters to be leaders, athletes, technicians and artists on the ice. We help kids blend music and movement and transform sim- ple skating steps into true artistry. It’s an amazing task and ideally, as long as we do our part, the clients are happy and everything works. But the job gets tougher. Beyond the on-ice
teaching, our roles involve creating annual calen- dars, periodization charts, P.E. letters, costume designs, music selection, off-ice regimens, compe- tition preparation, crisis management and the list goes on and on. We do so gladly because we care about the skater, the family and the art of figure skating. I believe this is how we earn the trust of our clients and build healthy communication. I think as coaches, we ask parents and skat- ers to understand and respect our role. At the same time, we realize that the time we spend with our skaters is generally much less than that which
they spend with their parents. Terefore, the dai- ly progress must be consistently reinforced by all parties involved. We don’t want either parent or coach to un-
do the skater’s progress due to lack of communi- cation. Imagine an Etch A Sketch, where either a parent, coach, or (yes, it happens) skater shakes away all the work that has been accomplished that day because of broken communication. Te balance is that we must respect the efforts of everyone involved while maintaining our own professionalism. Te success at the end, though coach-driven, is a team effort involving everyone in the triad. In our Governing Council meeting, we also
covered the PSA professional standards, U.S. Fig- ure Skating’s continuing education requirements, coaching requirements and policies, the process of selecting a coach and changing coaches. Of course, the topic of changing coaches is the most difficult. I think it is important for parents to know that change is not a forbidden word, but change should always involve communication that is open, honest and respectful. Coaches should always uphold the PSA Code of Ethics and Tenets of Professionalism when communi- cating with the former coach or the new one. I look forward to all the good work that will
come from this groundwork of sharing informa- tion between the parent and coach communities.