View from the Chair

Volume 48, Number 3 Kathy Brennan, Managing Editor Karen Haringa, Assistant Editor Mark Aiken, Assistant Editor

The official publication of the Professional Ski Instructors of America-Eastern Education Foundation 5 Columbia Circle Albany, NY 12203 Phone 518-452-6095 Fax 518-452-6099 www.psia-e.org

General Information

Submission of articles, photos or other items for publication is invited. Articles are not to exceed about 1000 words. Receipt of submissions will be confirmed to the writer. Upcoming deadlines are published in each issue of SnowPro. Material should be sent to “SnowPro Editor” at: psia-e@psia-e.org as an MS Word document attachment.

All submitted material is subject to editing. Its use, whether solicited or not, is at the discretion of the editorial staff. All published material becomes the property of PSIA-E/EF. Articles are accepted on the condition that they may be released for publication in all National and Divisional publications.

SnowPro is published three times per year by the Professional Ski Instructors of America-Eastern Education Foundation. Permission is hereby given to all National and Divisional publications to copy original material from this newsletter providing credit is given to PSIA-E/EF and the author, and the material is not altered. Articles that contain specific copyright notices may not be reprinted without written permission from the author.

Note: Material published in SnowPro which has been provided by persons not writing in an official capacity, and for official purposes, is the responsibility of the author, and is not necessarily endorsed by the Association.

PSIA-E/EF reserves the right to refuse or edit all advertising.

PETER HOWARD

The Demise of PSIA-AASI E (not)

For years it has been predicted that the aging boomers were all that’s left and when they were gone, well PSIA-AASI in the East was toast. Pie charts and bar graphs of member trends looked bleak, but thankfully, this season the reality at the grass roots appears different.

Covid caused the resignation of older people who didn’t want to risk working in a public venue. Some older members either ended or curtailed their career and the amount of their involvement with snow sports schools, but guess what? Younger folks filled in the gaps and are getting the job done. At mountain orientations, supervisory meetings, and training sessions, younger people are delivering the messages and making decisions.

At this season’s Spring Rally nearly 60 people became level I members.

At Stowe 50 members, many of whom were young, attended the Development Team, ACE Team, and Examiner Training Squad tryouts. The At-Large Board seats which will soon be decided have over 25 nominees, and several of the candidates are people under 40 years old. This season, we have an increase of almost 6% in new members as compared to last season and an increase of 21% in new members compared to two seasons ago.

It is said nature abhors a vacuum. It is also said life will find a way even in a harsh environment.

Why would youthful snowsports enthusiasts join PSIA-AASI when many members are old enough to be their parents? It’s simple really, like the Arby’s slogan says, “We have the Meats.” The Learning Connection model and its fundamentals are the meats of snowsports instruction. If you know these fundamentals and can put them into practice, your value in the snowsports industry will be assured. You can get the skills to ski big mountains, ride in boarder cross, tether the disabled, and share the gift of snowsports with children. You can also learn to speak clearly, concisely, and positively with people from all walks of life.

In the eighties I was told by a very good friend about the “Hamburger Model of Feedback.” In a way, it was the crude predecessor of the Learning Connection Model. The Teacher had to build a bun of trust with the customer to place the meat of the lesson on. When you got to the meat, it had to taste good but couldn’t be bologna. The garnishes were the warm benefits, and future possibilities placed on top. If this was well done, it was an appetizing experience.

Even then we had the meat(s).

The new National Certification Process and supporting education pieces are bringing credentialing closer to college credits and perhaps a college degree. I suppose you could surf around on the internet and figure out what information is useful, but apparently smart young people know a good thing when they see it. If the trends of this season are any indication, there is an infusion of new life entering our organization and its demise is most unlikely.

Peter Howard

Eastern Region Board Chairman <<

Women’s Summit held in the East for the first time ever in 2022!

Back in the office we are already working on the event schedule for next year. We hope to create a schedule that aligns with your needs. By popular demand, the Event Poster, will be returning. One thing we learned during Covid is the benefit of being able to add programs throughout the season. This nimbleness makes the Event Poster out of date the day it is printed; however, having our message posted in your locker room is invaluable. The poster will not include the complete schedule but will likely include premiere events, assessments and the development pathways for the different disciplines, with a QR code to quickly access the full schedule. Among other projects, we also hope to revamp the website to make it easier for you to find the information you need.

The future looks bright. I’m looking forward to getting the results of the National Member Survey in May; however, simply looking at member numbers and attendance this season things look promising. We have the most members (9,851) and the most event attendance (5,257) since 2018. In addition, we had the most New Members (1,235) since 2015. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) of the 2,097 event surveys submitted is 79 (73 for assessments and 83 for clinics). An NPS over 70 is considered excellent. Many people were successful during assessments this season. Check out pages 22-24, for a list of newly certified members and be sure to congratulate your friends and colleagues. Furthermore, my congratulations go out to anyone who participated in an assessment or tryout this season. It is never easy to have something we care passionately about put under the microscope to be evaluated; however, the process makes us better instructors, athletes, and skiers/riders. Thank you for all your efforts to improve yourself and provide better service to your guests!

I hope you all have a wonderful summer and stay tuned for some special summer programs! <<

KB’s Listening Tour Stops

Beech, NC Blue Mountain, PA Butternut, MA Canaan Valley, WV Cannon, NH Cataloochee, NC Gunstock, NH Jiminy Peak, MA Killington, VT Loon, NH Maple Ski Ridge, NY Massanutten, VA McIntyre, NH Mount Snow, VT Ober Gatlinburg, TN Seven Springs, PA Snowshoe, WV Stowe, VT Sugar Mountain, NC Timberline, WV Waterville Valley, NH White Grass, WV Whitetail, PA Windham, NY Wintergreen, VA Winterplace, WV Wisp, MD