What's Your Master Plan?

BY JAN TREMER, SFF, CD, MG, MPD, MM, RC

Well it’s summer… finally! Here on the east coast it has been an endlessly long winter followed by a very short spring. Everyone is very happy to see July arrive. We’re all hoping summer will last and last and last! Warm weather always signals new music and new programs and the competition season begins to heat up. Bring it on! We’re ready.

Hopefully, you were able to escape your everyday life for a few short days in order to attend the 2018 PSA Conference in Orlando. Time spent learning and networking with old and new friends is priceless. For me, it’s always a juggling act to help manage certain events and to attend others; regardless, I always leave stimulated and ready to get back in the rink refreshed and eager to try new things. I sincerely hope that after attending you feel both validated in your teaching and excited about the new information you learned.

The ratings taken at the Orlando Conference were very inspiring. Over 120 coaches bypassed the temptations of Disney to upgrade their professionalism by taking ratings. Mickey is proud! Their students thank them. Their colleagues applaud them! In addition, the conference hosted some ratings “firsts”: the new free skate exam debuted and video analysis was introduced into the master moves in the field exams. The upward trend of coaches taking figure rating exams continued. Thanks to the renewed interest in figures, Carol Rossignol and her Figure Ratings Committee have worked tirelessly updating these exams. A potential candidate has already expressed interest in taking the master figure exam in November. Everything old is new again! As our sport and our coaching evolves, tweaks and changes to the exams are necessary. It is the always the goal of the Ratings Committee to keep these exams fresh and relevant. We continue with our mission to make these exams more about teaching technique and less about memorization. The new exam motto is “if you’ve taught it and thought it, you’ll own it”.

If you were unable to attend this year, then it’s time to think ahead. Beautiful Palm Springs, California should be a wonderful lure. Just ask anyone who attended the last conference there! They will tell you it is not to be missed!

Now is a great time to start setting some personal coaching goals and put in place a few ratings resolutions for the upcoming year. Working towards taking any level of rating requires goal setting, planning, and preparation. It is not too soon to put a “master plan” together for next year’s exams. As the saying goes “when opportunity knocks”… well, you just can’t wait for that doorbell to ring; you have to be dressed and ready to go!

To feel confident in both your teaching and your rating experience, it is necessary to know both technical information and how to deliver it. We have you covered with a variety of educational events.

To help you fill your “content tank”, PSA is pleased to introduce Patrick O’Neil as our new Seminar and Webinar Chair. Already hard at work, Patrick is teaming with Barb Yackel, Carol Rossignol, and the National Education Committee to bring new, exciting, creative, innovative, and informative PSA seminars and webinars to member coaches everywhere around the country and the world. Seminars offer the chance to gather in person to learn and share with colleagues. There is a nominal fee to attend. Webinars provide an opportunity to learn by participating electronically in the comfort of your home. Listen and watch in your pajamas and bunny slippers or at a “webinar party” with close friends sharing munchies and ideas. Attend in real time with the potential to ask questions or through archived topics at your convenience. Webinars have no travel expenses or loss of income! How great is that! Some webinars are free and some have a small fee. To advance your knowledge, take advantage of the choice of seminars, webinars, or a combination of the two. Seize the moment. Free your mind from your daily regimen. Break from routine. Further your education and obtain credits to maintain ratings by participating in these events. Creating personal competence is what it means to be an ethical professional. Afterwards, it’s fun applying all that information to your own teaching.

But wait, there’s more! Why not earn a professional credential that acknowledges the excellence of your knowledge and teaching? It’s time to take a rating. Scary stuff? No, not really if you know how to deliver the information in an odd setting (off ice and without skates) and in a logical, succinct manner. Sign up for Ratings Prep where you learn strategies and obtain feedback that allows you to deliver a killer rating. Learn how to untangle your tongue. Practice accurate walk-throughs. Brush up on your drawing skills. Learn how to think precisely. Select how to accurately deliver concise descriptions of your teaching technique. No more mumbling and fumbling! Ratings Prep delivers even more as you explore discipline-specific content by listening to and sharing with other participants and the course leader. Ask questions galore! I always say don’t go to Ratings Prep simply to learn how to take the exam, go to learn how to be a better coach. All of this is under the guidance of master rated examiners in specific disciplines. This past March we had an excellent Ratings Prep in West Palm Beach, Florida and I know the coaches who attended left feeling better prepared for their upcoming conference exams.

So join me right now. Get out your calendar, whether phone, computer, or paper, and mark these dates as important to your professional development. You’ll be glad you did!

Happy coaching. See you at ratings!

As always please check the PSA Calendar on the website at skatepsa.com.