PSIA-AASI

10.24.2011

Team Training Preview with PSIA-AASI’s Earl Saline

It’s that time of year again. The leaves are turning, Halloween is days away, and the PSIA-AASI Teams are at Copper Mountain for a week of Team Training. In anticipation of the annual event, 32 Degrees Special Projects Editor Peter Kray sat down with PSIA-AASI Professional Development Manager Earl Saline to discuss just what’s on tap for this year’s session, and why he gets so excited about this time of the season.

What is the main goal for Team Training this year?
This year there is a strong focus on putting a bow on Interski, which means refreshing all of the presentations and ideas that we took over, and making sure they’re up to date. We’re also looking at the ideas that we brought back from the other teams and looking at how these might change what we did present, and what would really be of interest especially for our membership.

We also want to make sure we maintain the strong cross-functionality between the clinic groups and understanding of the various topics we are working on so that all the team members know when they go on the road what the content is from team to team and what each of their teammates have to offer. Of course the main thing that brings it all together is our focus on what the members are after, what they need, and what we can do to help them do their jobs even better.

What will you be working on with the AASI Snowboard Team in particular?
The strongest piece is really the idea of the session lesson, and how that can make the lesson more meaningful, inclusive, and fun for everyone. The other topic has to do with really understanding the innovations in equipment and what that changes in a lesson, if anything. We’re looking at whether there are specific changes in how we teach—like making slower movements, or more precise movements, especially since more and more people are getting on rocker gear even in lower-level lessons. I think you really have to know how the equipment works yourself so you can coach your students and understand how it reacts to what they need. It’s about focusing on what the guests want, and being able to work with the equipment that they are on.

What about with the PSIA Alpine Team in particular?
That will be along the lines of equipment as well. There’s certainly an ongoing focus on the Skills Concept and what the evolution of that might entail considering the changes in equipment. We have such strong content and history around the Skills  Concept, and we want to keep looking at how that will move forward in terms of the innovations in equipment how these changes are creating the opportunity for people to be moving much more quickly around more of the hill.

And with the PSIA Nordic Team?
Again, innovations in equipment will be a big part of what we are discussing, especially in terms of how it is evolving, how is it affecting the way skiers are moving, and, in particular, changing how telemark skiers ski. I’d ask the question “Are there are some fundamental movements that really work on rocker skis, particularly with telemark, that are different from the other disciplines right now?”  As for the skate side of things, I think David Lawrence absolutely hit it on the head in the last issue of 32 Degrees with regard to how important nordic skiing can be to getting kids involved in snowsports, and what a great introduction in can provide to getting kids all over the country on snow and active.
 
How about with the PSIA-AASI Adaptive Team?
We will be filming with the Adaptive Team during Team Training, looking at the “equivalencies” in technique and how people move on adaptive equipment and what correlations there are to alpine skiing, and to snowboarding. The goals is to illustrate the relationships between the movements so that people recognize that adaptive skiing and riding isn’t that different from the other disciplines, and that we are basically trying to accomplish the same things as in any other lesson. It’s important to reinforce that there are progression pieces that are consistent in all lessons, and that there are these elements of on-snow education that we can go back to, time and time again.

What is it about this time of year that gets you excited?
This time of year to me is really about people getting their heads back in the game. For those of us who are involved in the industry, you never stop thinking about snowsports and working on something snowsports-related, but there’s a spark of being back on snow that reallys adds to the energy and innovation and excitement. Being able to start sliding again just sets everything off—the intensity goes up and the excitement about being able to do what you really love just becomes more real at this time of year. I can’t wait!

— Peter Kray