CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE YOU ARE AN AGENT OF CHANGE By Ed Younglove, PSIA-AASI Board Chair
s you enter the heart of the skiing and riding season, there may be mornings when your alarm clock wakes you from a sound sleep in a warm bed, it’s pitch dark outside, and the weather report calls for sub-zero temperatures… and wind. If
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you’re tempted to ask yourself, “Why do I do this?” just think of the students you’re about to meet. For them, the day may bring achievements they never thought possible or the introduction to a sport they’ll love for the rest of their lives – all because of you. You’re an agent of change. One of my mentors, Winter Park Ski
School Director Bob Barnes, was fond of reminding me that improving my skiing was about being willing to make changes. I’ve never forgotten that. As instructors, we’re always challenging ourselves, and our students, to make changes. When those changes enhance – or instill – a passion for sliding down a hill on snow, it makes life that much better. T at’s pretty cool. As we’ve been talking about for some time as part of NSAA’s Model for Growth, “converting” those new to snowsports can be diffi cult. Every student presents a diff erent set of skills, experiences, and challenges that shape the lesson. It’s your job (and privilege) to share your joy for skiing or riding in a way that brings them back for more, no matter their level of development.
YOU HELP STUDENTS OVERCOME CHALLENGES As your chairman, I had the recent opportunity to attend Interski 2015 in Ushuaia, Argentina. Skiing at the southern end of the world (fi n del mundo) was the experience of a lifetime. Part of the event’s pageantry was an Argentinian demonstration of “skiing through the ages.” As I watched skiers on wood skis without edges using a long pole for steering, skiers on early metal skis, and freestyle skiers on twin tips with full rocker (one demo was a pair skiing “back to back” on the same pair of skis), I was struck by the challenges that skiing has always presented.
6 | 32 DEGREES • WINTER 2016
Helping others overcome the challenges of skiing and riding, of becoming a more effi cient snowsports athlete, is an important part of what we do. But more than that, we change our students’ very lives. For students experiencing snow for the fi rst time, there’s the thrill of being surrounded by the panoramic view of mountain peaks covered in snow, or the inviting corduroy “snow carpet” of a well-groomed hill. It is a great feeling to fi nish a lesson with
a student who leaves the slope with a sense of accomplishment, having succeeded at something new. Maybe they can’t wait to return to ski or ride higher up the mountain or on more diffi cult terrain, or maybe just to be in the mountains again. Maybe they have made new friends whose company they will enjoy for the rest
of their vacation, the season, or seasons to come.
AGENTS OF CHANGE IN THE ADAPTIVE COMMUNITY Maybe you’ve worked with someone with the additional challenge of overcoming a disability. For me, one of the highlights of Interski was the performance of our adaptive skier on the PSIA-AASI Team, Geoff
Krill. From his inspiring sit-ski
performance on the demonstration hill to the indoor presentation for other countries,
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You’re in a great position – and profession – to change people’s lives for the better.
Geoff was a huge hit. He demonstrated how the fundamental mechanics of good skiing apply to any skier, including those with disabilities who may use one-, two-, three-, or four-track tools. You can see the basics of the Interski presentation prepared by Geoff and Adaptive Team Coach Kim Severs in the accompanying video, and its foundational publication – “Fundamental Mechanics of Alpine Skiing across Adaptive Disciplines” – is available on the PSIA- AASI website. Not all countries, and, in fact, probably few countries, have adaptive programs. But the interest is growing internationally. Many discussions I had at Interski were about the U.S. adaptive programs and the desire to see similar programs in other countries. Even if you have never taught an adaptive
lesson, you can be proud of the role you play in the growth of adaptive programs in the United States and the life-altering benefi ts of those programs. Your support of PSIA-AASI enabled you association to use grant funds to provide many adaptive programs around the country with adaptive manuals that enhance their instructors’ skills. So, this season – and in seasons to come – maybe your alarm clock will take on a new role. Instead of forcing you out of a warm, comfy bed, think of it as the signal of opportunities that lie ahead that day. Just as your participation in snowsports has undoubtedly changed your life, you get to change the lives of your students. After all, your impact on skiers and riders doesn’t end at the bottom of the hill.
SCOTT MARKEWITZ
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