Team Member Summer Adventures: Tony Macri

Catch up with PSIA-AASI National Team members as they share their summer adventures and how it keeps them on their game for winter. Here’s how AASI Snowboard Assistant and Development Team Coach Tony Macri is spending his summer.

What’s been your go-to summer activity or big summer adventure?

I’ve spent my summer similar to how I spend my winters, with some slight tweaks. Other than mountain biking as much as I can, I coach and train snowboarding all summer. In June and July, I worked at the Copper Woodward Summer camps in Colorado coaching freestyle on snow. Then I travel to New Zealand to run camps and do some training and exams for the New Zealand Snowsports Instructors Alliance (SBINZ) for the months of August and September.

Why is this one of your favorite activities in the offseason?

Being a summer freestyle snowboard coach for Woodward is amazing. We get to snowboard in the summer AND the kids we’re coaching are quite gifted and really love to progress using all the great facilities – from the barn where they can use rollerboards to jump on trampolines and fly into foam pits, to the snow where they can perfect their tricks in the airbags and then start putting them on snow. Everyone gets those great summer snowboarding clips for their Instagram and Facebook.

Then, having the ability to continue the summer on snow in New Zealand was amazing. As we all know, it’s been a few years since Covid interrupted our normal southern hemi access.

What did you learn?

Working with young athletes, and learning how to best communicate with them, to help them achieve their goals is an eye opener. Plus, going back to New Zealand where SBINZ has revamped their manual meant I had to get up to speed on the new content to train and examine in another association.

How does this keep you physically and mentally engaged in the offseason?

I never stop thinking about and working on my own snowboarding, and helping others train. When riding different snow conditions, like the crazy thick slush at Woodward or the icy wind effected conditions in New Zealand, I have to constantly adapt. Plus, it’s great staying involved with other instructor associations like NZSIA/SBINZ.