National Team Members Share Their Teaching and Riding Goals

One of the reasons PSIA-AASI National Team members are so inspirational – both to their students and other instructors – is because they never stop looking for new ways to improve their own teaching and riding.

Here are just some of the ways team members are working to “improve their game” this season. You can read more responses here.

“I want to provide easy-to-remember and repeatable cues that help people coordinate their movements and take advantage of how they view their relationship to the snow. I also want to explore the relationship between stance, stability, mobility, and coordination. Finally, I want to explore how the Centerline concept provides relevance and context for the application of fundamentals and skills. The concept provides skiers with common threads throughout their development, which can then be altered to meet any skiing situation. I think Centerline provides the answers of how to apply the fundamentals in a way that creates great skiing at any speed and in any situation.” – Joshua Fogg, PSIA Alpine Team

“With teaching goals, I am working on slowing my pace for students. In the past I have been very focused on delivering results. I still believe that this is important, but I want to slow down and focus students on more skill building. Taking the time to create mastery and celebrate those wins, no matter how small, will create a more enjoyable and thorough learning experience for students. My riding goal for this season is to create more autonomy in my freestyle riding by using tactics that will clean up my tricks and make them more consistent.” – Lyndsey Stevens, AASI Snowboard Team

“My push for personal development is geared toward how I can help the next generation of instructors and trainers. I have been working on developing my leadership and facilitation skills so I can be a better resource for those around me. As the training manager at Mt. Bachelor, I have been using my connection with the national team to help develop a more powerful staff training program.

On the technical side, my big focus is overall fitness – keeping my strength and mobility up to be able to create more dynamic skiing. I have also been working on my mental game and improving my awareness of my body and how I am moving. I would also really love to up my alpine skills this season.” – Gregory Dixon, PSIA Telemark Team Coach

“I want to take every opportunity to be out on snow with members and clients. I love facilitating positive group dynamics in a learning environment and want to continue to have these opportunities. It sounds kind of basic, but as a team member and coach we wear a lot of different hats. Over the past few years, I’ve come to realize my favorite hat is still to be on snow with instructors and clients, learning together.” – Emily Lovett, PSIA Cross Country Team Coach

“I am excited to be more deliberate about my teaching skills this season. In particular, when coaching larger groups, I want to work on attending to everyone’s goals and targeting my coaching. I also want to be more intentional about choosing external cues for coaching.

I want to improve my ability to train teaching skills. My tendency in running training is to rest on technical content. I will deliver more teaching content and hold myself to a higher standard to meet learning outcomes.” – Ann Schorling, PSIA Alpine Team

“Teaching skills: I hope to challenge my ideas of the ‘perfect’ lesson or clinic. I hope to push my comfort zone when it comes to teaching and leading clinics, again in an effort to give students and instructors the support they need to find success in their own abilities. I hope to guide people to their own answers and understanding of our sport instead of simply telling them what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’

Technical skills: I hope to improve my own abilities to deliver specific feedback to instructors and candidates in assessment situations to help them better understand their performance and how it compares to the standards we have created.” – Chuck Hewitt, AASI Snowboard Team