CERTIFICATION I, II, III
COURTESY OF TANYA MILELLI
DON’T BE AN ARMY OF ONE: HOW TO ENLIST SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR SUCCESS
By Tanya Milelli
assing my Level III Alpine certification exam was undoubtedly an amazing moment. What made it even better was being at my home mountain and receiving my pin from the person who has been with me every step of the way.
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It has been a long, and – at times – frustrating, process to get here, but I never once considered quitting because I never felt like I was in it alone. In many ways the journey has been more meaningful than passing the exam; it has taught me so much about who I am as an instructor and who I want to be in this industry. Tose lessons and that clarity came from inviting others to be a part of my journey. Since I’ve passed the exam, I get a lot of questions about how I prepared. Te answer: with a lot of help from friends. Have you ever watched a World Cup race and noticed the racer’s entourage at the
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start? Racers have teams of experts at their disposal to help them with everything from equipment prep, to physical conditioning, to on-snow training. Without that support system in place, a racer would be arguably less successful. When you’re competing at that level
there are a lot of variables to manage – being an expert on all of them is just not feasible. Enlisting a team that will share their expertise and support you in your endeavor is crucial. Sure, we’re not World Cup racers, but we are athletes trying to reach the upper echelons of our industry, and that pushes the limits of our skills,
knowledge, and abilities. It’s okay to ask for help; no one said the road to certification had to be lonely. Find the people who make you better and not only will you maximize your chance of success, you’ll probably enjoy the process a lot more. My magic number is three, and my support system looks like this.
THE COACH: THE ONE WHO HOLDS IT ALL TOGETHER My coach is my sounding board, the person who helps bring clarity to what I’m doing, and keeps me on track. I intentionally use the word coach, rather than trainer, because the relationship is about more than imparting knowledge and facilitating learning. A coach understands who you are as a person on and off the hill, and takes a holistic approach when working with you. As a competitive athlete growing up,
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