6 minute read
Looking Back at the 2020 Virtual Summit
The 2020 PSA Summit and Trade Show was months in the planning and was coming together seamlessly with the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg as the backdrop for a wonderful week of continuing education. We were preparing for the U.S. Open, rating exams, networking with fellow coaches and trade show vendors, and attending the many social events plus the multitude of things to do in Chicago. The theme was “20/20 Coaching Vision: A New Perspective on Coaching.” Well, then came March 2020 and COVID-19 hit.
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We had to scramble as events all around us were being cancelled because of the pandemic. We had great content already planned around four session series: 1) Professionalizing the Profession – focus on professionalism, 2) Technique Acuity – technical detection and correction, 3) Rules and Programs – rules in view for coaching success, and 4) Sport Sciences – coaching with athletes in sight and mind. PSA was committed to the health and safety of its members, registrants, and presenters, so the decision was made to transition to a virtual event. The schedule was modified and all presenters were contacted to see if they would be willing to be a part of the inaugural “PSA Virtual Summit.” Our PSA Summit Chairs Tim Covington, Becky Stump, and Teri Hooper stepped up to serve as showrunners for the event.
Decorated skater Patrick Chan explored skating hindsight, insight, and foresight for Summit viewers
Tim Covington said “Working on the summit during the pandemic was a Godsend for me. I was able to devote my time and passion for skating in the middle of this crazy turn of events into a Virtual Summit. It was so much fun being behind the scenes and working with the presenters. And best of all I learned and learned and learned!”
“I was so honored to be asked to be a 2020 Summit Showrunner and my biggest hope was that I could live up to the enormous job I was given and help direct a positive strong education for all members. Yes, it was a success and a Summit to remember. I now am looking forward to 2021 when we will hopefully be able to all be together again,” shared Teri Hooper.
Scott Brown shared his choreography discoveries and insights during the 2020 Summit
Becky Stump reminisced saying “it was such a joy to work alongside the U.S. Figure Skating, the USOPC, the PSA Staff, and our Summit presenters to build this Summit! We all became a team, working together and discovering new ways to bring quality education to our coaches.”
The virtual summit was a huge success with a total of 974 registrations by the end of the week and with registrations still coming in on the PSA TV platform. Nine of the registrants were judges, and coaches registered from all over the world including Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, Asia, and of course from the U.S. Some presentations were recorded “live” while others were prerecorded. Perhaps the best part of going virtual is that all sessions can be viewed over the next year. All registrants were awarded 35 PSA educational credits for attending the Summit.
PSA Coach of the Year (2019) Laura Lipetsky shared her insights for coaching
PSA Senior Director of Coaching Development Heidi Thibert stated “I think that what we all learned was that all the years of collective coaching experience of problem-solving and creative-thinking enabled the PSA staff, showrunners, presenters, and coaches who registered for the Virtual Summit the ability to pivot from a traditional event to something we never thought possible—a widely popular and effective educational event—completely online!”
Maude White, a PSA member since 1959, had this to say: “I liked the fact that the presentations were all recorded and that you could go back and review them again when you have time. I always love Christy and I really like what Janet has to say as it’s easy to get to. Although we weren’t able to see people in person, we saw them in a different way.”
PSA President Alex Chang and Executive Director Jimmie Santee wrap up the 2020 Virtual Summit.
The fact that the summit was presented virtually gave many more coaches the opportunity to attend because they did not need to travel. One coach from Europe was in the middle of moving back to the United States. The Virtual Summit was the perfect solution to fit into her timetable and not conflict with her schedule.
Betsy Wilson shared her feedback saying “presentations could be watched at your convenience and when I couldn't sleep I would watch something. If you missed a point you could go back and hear it again. I also appreciated the time and cost savings with no travel, no time away from family, and no missed lessons. Of course, I missed the social aspect of a live summit. Skating is a small world and at the yearly summit we spend time together.”
PSA Executive Director Jimmie Santee and family hosted the 2020 Virtual EDI Awards from PSA headquarters during the 2020 Summit.
We were pleased to have Wendy Enzmann, a high ranking ISU official for singles, pairs, and synchro, present live. She gave us a peek into what U.S. Figure Skating and the ISU is currently doing and how it affects the athletes in the upcoming season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We were fortunate to have the United States Olympic Paralympic Committee (USOPC) present a few sessions including cuing for technique and gaining perspective on the array of challenges associated during growth and development. Patrick Chan was the PSA Summit Keynote speaker sharing terrific personal insight into his journey. Cirque du Soleil covered the practice application of some sport science philosophies from professional skaters who live it every day. The inaugural Virtual Summit offered a great range of educational material such as talent identification, warm ups and cool downs, Program Director workshop, coaching Generation Z, moves in the field and figures, jumps, spins, choreography, and adaptive skating, to name a few. PSA introduced specifics of the revised Apprentice Program renamed as Accelerated Coaching partnerships. In addition, Learn to Skate USA presented details on the new U.S. Figure Skating Aspire Program. An exciting evening event, the President’s Reception was held live during the week of Summit and recorded. What an exciting night to listen to many great comments and stories from several of our past PSA presidents! Overall, the PSA recorded 38 presentations and events with approximately 75 presenters.
PSA Senior Director of Coaching Development Heidi Thibert speaks with coach Denise Myers and skater Bradie Tennell
One of the highlights was the closing live presentation for the summit “The Great Debate” by the Santee brothers. It was a fascinating look back at the influential skaters in the history of our sport. Such a great history lesson and a stroll down memory lane for some of us!
“What an outstanding experience to participate in the first-ever PSA Virtual Summit 2020,” said Bob Mock, past president of the PSA. “It was a giant leap into the future of coaches’ education by combining outstanding presentations with the newest technology. I came away equipped with the latest technical information and ready to take the ice for the new season! This may go down in history as one of the best most innovative conferences ever!”
Now, we have so many partners to appreciate. First, thank you to U.S. Figure Skating! We appreciate all that you do and we are honored to be in partnership with you.
Previous PSA Executive Director Carole Shulman with husband and previous Legal Council to PSA and past PSA President, David Shulman during the 2020 Virtual President's Reception.
The virtual President's Reception was an inspiring event with past presidents, board members, and our talented membership.
Thank you to our sponsors that presented: Jackson Ultima, EPIC Insurance, and Coach Concierge. Thank you to Graf Skates for sponsoring our keynote session with Patrick Chan.
“It was a summit to remember!” said Teri Hooper.
DID YOU MISS SUMMIT? Don't fret! You can still register at skatepsa.com and view all of the presentations on PSA TV!
