keys during putting practice. Although crowds are supposed to be quiet on a golf course, someone always sneezes or talks during your backswing. Practice teaching next to a snow gun
Q Sometimes study in distracting, sub- optimal situations. If you occasionally study in, say, the locker room at your home
where nobody can hear you. Practice your tasks on the iciest terrain at your home mountain. Have your staff trainer grill you with rapid-fi re questions. “Your test is never going to take place in ideal conditions,” Rudiger says. “Assume you will have a bad cold. And then perform at the highest level anyway.”
some divisions, like Rocky Mountain, use online tests. T e division’s study guides will tell you what to expect: multiple choice, short answer, essay, some combination of the above. Practice these. Ask a staff trainer to generate sample questions. Or if a colleague just returned from their exam, ask them what some of the questions were. T is is not cheating (most likely you
won’t see the same questions at your exam); rather, it’s practicing doing the type of test you might see. T is is why high school students practice taking sample S.A.T. exams.
“As you train, practice taking feedback. This is not about being a genius; it’s about getting better.”
mountain or in a busy restaurant, you’ll be prepared to perform in adverse circumstances, says Rudiger. “Put yourself under pressure to learn or recall material,” he says. Leslie’s goal is to get students to a
Q Be serene. “Part of being human is this need to be good at something,” says Rudiger. T e need for recognition is at least part of the reason we strive for certifi cation (that, and the pay raise, right?). “T e only way to get good is to have serenity about not being good,” he says. “In order to have experiences of transcendence, you have to get past your over-sensitivity.” “Allow yourself to recognize that
level of comfort when things aren’t ideal. Anyone can come up with an answer over coff ee and surrounded by friends. But can you fi nd it in the deep recesses of your brain with an examiner standing over you and a snow gun screaming in minus four degrees? You can if you practice with a staff trainer in front of a snow gun on the coldest day. “Train to deal with the unexpected,” Leslie says.
QGet good at taking written tests. While most of our organization’s exams are on-snow assessments, some divisions incorporate
you did everything possible to prepare,” adds Leslie. You did all you could do; you studied hard and studied well.
short written tests. And 86 | 32 DEGREES • WINTER 2016
DON’T FIGHT THE FEEDBACK Tests are a not-so-pleasant part of a process; they are a form of feedback. “As you train, practice taking feedback,” says Rudiger. “T is is not about being a genius; it’s about getting better.” In fact, receiving feedback can be
a hurdle for many candidates. Some instructors will go to every training clinic off ered at their home mountain. T is may be too much feedback and not enough focused practice. Sometimes it’s frustrating when the feedback isn’t what you want to hear. “Feedback is there to help you improve,” says Leslie. “If you focus too much on the negative, you are missing an opportunity.” Finally, what do you do with
confl icting feedback? In other words, one clinician tells you one thing, and another tells you something else. (T is has even been known to happen at exams!) “Remember that we’re all individuals, and we do see things diff erently sometimes,” says Howard. “Similar feedback from a few people is easy; you can assume it’s probably right. Sometimes, however, seemingly contradictory feedback may be interrelated, and it may be worth exploring similarities.” Your job is to sift through the feedback (sometimes maybe even getting a third opinion) and use what helps you.
PREPARE… PRACTICE… SUCCEED! Every year I see instructors set certifi cation goals. Many head off to their events, seemingly knowledgeable and ready, but they come back disappointed with the result. What happened? T e only ones who truly know are those candidates and their examiners. But, after my conversations with Howard, Leslie, and Rudiger, I wonder how the competent – yet unsuccessful – candidates prepared. Did they use learning tools to memorize the information they read in technical manuals? Did they sometimes practice retrieving that information in less- than-ideal settings? Did they participate in some sort of mock exam? Did they turn on “performance mode” at the exam? Certifi cation exams are a big part of
our profession, but they are not unique to snowsports instruction. “Tests are an inescapable feature of being a professional,” says Rudiger. Recognize that they are part of our professional development. Also recognize that preparing for tests makes us better at what we do. And, fi nally, understand that there is a big diff erence between studying to learn the material and studying to ace your exam. “It’s a state of mind,” says Rudiger. You can go to a test hoping for the
best. Or you can tailor your preparation, practice in tough conditions, and steel yourself against stressful environments and situations. T en go to your exam and just do it.
Mark Aiken’s PSIA-AASI resume includes Level III alpine, Level I telemark, and Level I snowboard certifi cation. He is also a member of Eastern Division’s Advanced Children’s Education (ACE) Team. Website:
markaiken.com
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On the fence about pursuing your own path to certifi cation? Check out these words of encouragement from fellow snow pros.
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