Tom C (my friend and the best mono-skier I’ve ever seen) asked me to write an article for his website about my experiences during my first year as an able-bodied instructor with the Adaptive Sports Foundation. Would I recommend this experience to others? If you’re looking for some personal growth, inspiration, and lots of fun, YES! I’ll try to share some high points of the season, but the whole season was great so bare with me if this gets lengthy. When I heard about the Adaptive Sports Foundation I was excited to get involved. I am endlessly inspired when working with people with disabilities and I love to snowboard and ski, so adaptive skiing sounded like it would be right up my alley. Plus, free riding (and skiing if you’re one of those J)! What an opportunity. In addition to free skiing and sharing some time on the snow with great students and instructors, this experience will afford you the opportunity to share tears of joy from newly discovered skiers… or rediscovered skiers, develop new friendships, learn from more experienced instructors, further your personal skiing/ riding and become a certified instructor if you chose to.
Being a first year instructor I have to admit I was a bit intimidated at first. What did I know about teaching skiing or snowboarding? Nothing. I had skied as a kid for many years and switched to snowboarding 5 years ago. I could go down most trails and dared to go fast, but I didn’t know the first thing about skiing/ riding well, much less teaching. No worries, the Adaptive Sports Foundation provides a full 9 days of training that encompasses ski techniques and teaching progressions, knowledge of various disabilities of the people served and implications for skiing, and use of adaptive ski equipment. These training days are held inside during the fall, but move to on snow training as soon as weather permits. After that, the higher ups in the program pair the new instructors with more experienced instructors for as many lessons as necessary. This is when the learning really begins. I was lucky enough to be paired with some good instructors who were more than willing to share their experience and knowledge with me during lessons. By the end of the season, my personal skiing had greatly improved and I became a level one PSIA certified Adaptive instructor.
PSIA Certification:
Becoming certified is not required and does not change your status as a teacher. What it did for me is improve my personal skiing and teaching ability. The experienced volunteers and staff at the Adaptive Sports Foundation work closely with new instructors seeking certification to prepare them for the exam. They provide a mock examination during which time your skills are evaluated and areas to focus on improving are identified. Then it is up to you to seek out learning and growth opportunities with other volunteers and staff. The exam itself is nerve racking, but you will walk away from it a better skier and a more knowledgeable and competent instructor. The exam is geared to evaluate each student, but at the same time serves as a learning tool. It is a learning and growth experience; the certification is secondary.
The Lessons:
It may appear that the volunteers are dedicating their time to help others, but once involved, you find that the volunteers walk away with more than they give after some of these lessons. At first I was a little deterred by the time commitment (16+ volunteer days to be a regular instructor), but after a few lessons with some experienced lead instructors and inspiring students, I couldn’t get enough. I found myself coming to volunteer on my days off. The smiles, laughter and tears shared with students are worth coming back for. I was lucky enough to start out my season assisting in a lesson with 2 very experienced lead instructors and a returning skier who had suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury and was skiing for the first time since his injury several years ago. He went directly to stand up skiing with a slider. By the end of the lesson he was linking turns on the bunny slope and his smile could light up the world. His family was there to support him and ended up crying out of joy for his success. After the student shared many grateful hugs and left for the day, the experienced instructor turned to me and said “that is why we do what we do”. From then on I was hooked and there were many more rewarding lessons to follow.
A day in the mono-ski:
Another season highlight for me would have to be my personal mono-ski lesson. I happened to be there on a day when there were plenty of volunteers and not so many students. I was free and so were 3 very advanced ski instructors, so Tom C. (senior instructor, trainer, and the best mono-skier I’ve ever seen) threw out the idea of a mono-lesson. How about trying out a bucket myself, 3:1 instruction? That was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I had been hoping to try out the mono-ski, a piece of equipment that so many of our instructors and students with spinal cord injury or other lower extremity disabilities use, and here was my chance. I had 2 mono-skiers to demonstrate moves and instruct and Tom T. (ASF staff person, senior instructor, and the best 3-tracker I’ve ever seen) to lift me up each time I fell, which happened to be a lot. Well, it didn’t take long to enhance the respect I already had for mono-skiers. Talk about a test of balance, discipline, concentration, strength, and GUTS! Luckily I had great instructors and was able to link a couple turns on the bunny slope. Then I took the chair up and made my way down a green trail. I went home sore but happy, with a better understanding of the mechanics of sit down skiing. Unforgettable!
So, would I recommend this experience to others? Absolutely… as with most things in life, you’ll get back what you put into it. To get the most out of your first year as an instructor, seek out every opportunity to learn from experienced instructors and students. Participate in clinics and ask for a variety of students. Try out the various adaptive equipment that our students use. Ask questions. Challenge yourself. Absorb the smiles and joy of your students… SOAK IT UP!! I found myself drawn immediately back after the season to help out with the summer program and I am eagerly anticipating another rewarding winter season… I think I’m hooked for life. Join us!
~Karen Smith, PSIA Level 1 Adaptive