MARCH 12-14,
2021
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However, in the coronavirus pandemic era, nothing happens as it once did, so the Ratings Prep event for 2021 was held in the living rooms, family rooms, garages, home offices, basements, man-caves, or she-sheds across the country. And in South America as well. Through the magic of video chat technology, coaches from around the country “gathered” in Zoom link “rooms” March 12-14 to attend any of more than 30 sessions for coaches in free skate, moves in the field or group instruction. The event included a “social event” the night of March 12, an equipment seminar for all coaches, and a question-andanswer summary session on the final afternoon. Based on interviews with both presenters and attendees, the event was virtually a success. No, wait, it was a virtual success! Perhaps it was both. The event details Created and conducted under the watchful eye of PSA staff members Heidi Thibert and Barb Yackel, the Virtual
50 min
50 min
ed Leve Spin El l: Jump and ements
Senior
3 pm PT / 4 pm MT / 5 pm CT / 6 pm ET
GRP
3:45pm
/ 2 pm
with Ja
10 min
Break
/ 3 pm
ckson Ult
MT / 3 pm CT
10 min Break / 3 pm MT / 4 pm
Certifi
CT / 5 pm ET
ed Leve and Ju l: Pre-Juveni venile Tests le 45
min Br PT / 4: eak 45pm MT / 5:45pm CT
Senior
Level: and Nov Intermediate ice Test s
GRP
/
4 pm ET Regist ered Le vel: Pr eand Pr elimin Preliminar y ary Test s 2 pm PT
ET
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/ 6:45 pm ET
Regist Fundam ered Level: Teachi ental Skills an ng Met hodolo d gy
Certifi Skills, ed Level: Fu Teachi ndamen ng M ta Specia ethodology l lty Cla , and sses
50 min
Senior Leve General/Stroking Teachi l: Fundamen and 4:45pm 10 min ng Met tal Skill Exam Common Thre Mas General/Stro Break kingPT and/ 5:45pm ads ter Leve Specia hodology, an s, MT / l: JumExam lty Cla Com d mon 6: Thre p 45pm Spin El ads sses 10 minute break CT / ements and 7:45pm ET 4 pm PT / 5 pm Maste MT / 6 pm CT / r Level: 7 pm ET Juni and Se nior Te or Maste sts r Leve Drawing Patterns FS : Teachi l: Fundamen Pre-Pre through ng Met tal Sk Juvenile Group Class Man agement Specia hodology, an ills, Ex lty Cla d er 10 minute break cise MIF sses 9 am PT Skills an s For Introd / 10 uc am MT 5 pm PT / 6 pm d in C g or MT / 7 pm CT / / 11 am CT 8 pm ETrecting Er / 12 rors pm ET GRP Analyzi Drawing Patterns ng Vide 2: os Inter-Senior Group Lesson Plan 10 Rules m ning in 10 am Break Safe C & St PT / 11 lass En 10 minute break Progra andards an am MT vironm m Con / 12 ent pm CT struct d 6 pm PT / 7 pm / 1 pm ion MT / 8 pm CT / ET 9 pm ET Rules & Stan da Ratings Rendezv rds ous Reca OPTIONAL Comm 11:30a p AL SOCI 30 min & REVEN evieTw m PT / un Break / Final 12:30p Busines ication and Though m MT / s Prac 1:30pm ts tices CT / Recap 2: 30pm & Revie ET w / Fina l Thou conti nued gh ts 12:30p 10 min m PT / Break Recap 1:30pm & Revie MT / w / Fina 2:30pm Quest l Thou CT / ions & ghts 3:30pm Answer ET s and Su mmar y Sess ion
Sund
ay, M
Analyzing Videos
arch
14
50 min
Spins
Level: Spin El Jump and ements
1 pm PT
T / 2 pm CT
50 min
50 min
Drawing Jumps and
50 min
Satur day, M
arch 13
Regist ered Le ve Spin El l: Jump and ements
MIF
PT / 1 pm M
ent Q& A
Certifi
MIF
General/Stroking and Exam Common Thre ads
12
50 min
FS
12 pm
Equipm
50 min
very year, the Professional Skaters Association hosts a Ratings Prep event to aid coaches in preparing for rating exams. Before the pandemic, this was an event held at a designated location with coaches moving from lecture to lecture and demonstration to demonstration, then enjoying the camaraderie of colleagues while preparing for the next day of courses.
le
30 min
E
Universal Ses sions • Welcome/ Intr oduction to Rat ing/ Initial Ass • Exam Catego essments ries and General Evaluations Exp • Drawing Tur lained ns & Steps for All Disciplines Demonstrating , Drawing and Basic Elements for All Discipl • Answering Exa ines m Q’s, Virtual Exam Tips & Exa • Equipment (Jac m Pitfalls kson Ultima)
Friday, March
By Kent McDill
Pre-Recorded
50 min
Virtual Ratings Prep
50 min
Virtual Sched u
Ratings Prep offered pre-recorded sessions explaining initial assessments, exam categories, drawing turns and steps for all disciplines, as well as basic elements for all disciplines, tips on how to succeed, what to watch for in exams, and an equipment update. The live meetings were conducted one hour at a time with three different sessions per hour for the different categories of coaching (see schedule inset). Just as with an in-person Ratings Prep, Friday’s three hours of sessions started in the afternoon, Saturday included five hours of instruction and Sunday had four one-hour morning sessions, including a final wrap-up Q&A and summary. As far as the schedule went, it was conducted just as if everyone was meeting in one place and had to run off to an airport or other transportation Sunday afternoon to get “back home”. After a year in which much of the instruction and even some of the competitions were held virtually, everyone seems to have grown accustomed to the process and its shortcomings. But was the Virtual Ratings Prep event a success? PSA spoke to both presenters and partic-
ipants to see what went well, what was missing, and whether virtual instructional events of this sort can continue while the nation continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The presenters “I think the Education Committee and the PSA staff have a great deal to be proud of,” said presenter coach and PSA Board of Governor member Patrick O’Neil. “They made it easy from beginning to end for people to sign up and enjoy a weekend of education.” “As with all this virtual stuff, the strength of the bandwidth you have matters, but I do think it accomplished the mission as well as if it were held in person,” said current PSA Vice President and event presenter Denise Williamson. “Demonstrating can be a little challenging for the presenters to do, but with everything we have gone through in the past year, we have become accustomed to demonstrating. We know how to move the screen and present effectively.” In-person ratings prep events allow for a great deal of back-and-forth between presenters and attendees. The same
PS MAGAZINE
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