Ski School Instructor Weekly Email

 

Happy Thursday Everyone!!

 

It’s time again for another amazing weekend to be just around the corner. I hope we are all excited to kick off another awesome weekend of programs and I am sure we will be hopping like Bunnies in the CLC as well.

 

 

 

Monday the 26^th we have Beaverton, Sandy and Hood River Schools out.  Also on the 28^th, 29^th and 30^th this week we have Portland, Lake Oswego Vancouver and Hillsboro schools out.  This means we will be seeing an increased amount of skiers and shredders coming up here to take lessons with the Best Instructors This side of the Country! (Best in the West)  Please email Mark, Sue if you are able to make it up to help us out. 

 

We are also seeing a need for more instructors for the next few weeks.  If anyone needs to pick up some hours or just wanting to help out it would be greatly appreciated.  Wednesdays have also been busier than expected with a higher amount of guests here for lessons than expected.  If anyone wants to add this day to their schedule please let us know.

 

We will be having a Full Timers meeting Friday Morning at 8am in the back of the CLC.  Please be thinking of a good class handling technique or teaching Tip to share with everyone at the meeting.  I always find some of the best tips and tricks are the ones I steal from other instructors.

 

We will also have an 8:45 Huddle Saturday and Sunday on snow for both the normal adult lessons and Trailblazer/Adult Programs.  Please be thinking of a good teaching tip or class handling technique to share with the group as well.

 

The Children’s Learning Center will also be having an 8:45 meeting Saturday and Sunday in the back of the CLC.  This is a great time to share with everyone ways to be keeping our little skier/shredder entertained and engaged while teaching them new skills.

 

 

Programs

 

The Evening bus groups have been arriving between 5:30 and 7 so we will be having 2 lineups depending on which day of the week you are scheduled.  The 4:45 lineup time will be the same Wednesday thru Sunday but the Bus group/Program lineup times may vary depending on the day.

 

 

 

It’s time to touch upon Program Make Up Procedures to everyone so that we all have the correct information in case our guests ask us while we are out on the Hill.

·        We are allowed 1 make up Lesson per program.  If we miss more than 1 day, we apologize but only 1 make up day is allowed.

·        Make up Vouchers are applied to the guests profile approximately 1 week after the end of each program.  The guest only needs to go to any point of sale to redeem this voucher.

·        The guests Lift Pass is already pre-loaded with the total amount of days for the program.  This means the original Lift pass will be able to be used for the make-up lesson.  If the guest uses the pass on a day that is not for the program, the guest will need to purchase a lift pass for the day they plan on using the make-up lesson.

·        Make up lessons are run out of the CLC for ages 4-12 and out of the Adult Rental Department for ages 13 and up.  If rentals are needed they will be able available at both locations.

 

Teaching Tip

 

Let’s all be thinking of ways to be keeping our guest excited while teaching them a new skill. Can you say Maslow’s Mountain!!    One of my Favorite Games to play is….

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Gun Academy Jet Fighter Game.

 

We start out at the “Top Gun Academy” where we are just learning dogfighting skills with our wingman.  I will then have the kids find a partner to be their wingman or assign one myself.  I instruct them that you never leave your wingman behind and you have to cover their 6 0’clock in preparation for missions in the future.  The lead pilot will do his best to fly in formation and not lose his wingman while performing banking turns to the left and the right down the assigned terrain or slope.  The wingman has to follow his line exactly or he will lose his wingman and lose points in the training mission.  I will then switch the Leader and Wingman so that everyone gets a turn to lead.  This goes on and on with myself as the Training Leader, giving the Lead Pilot a task to perform (examples for skiers are picking up the inside ski while turning and for shredders hopping off of a clean edge with both feet simultaneously while in a traverse).   This game works great with young and older kids to keep them excited to ski/shred.  This is also an excellent trick to keep them in control and contained!  Can you say easy class handling?  If you have an odd number of students you can have one student be the MIG Fighter in the front while the other two chase after the MIG.  This is an excellent game to use while in a Multi-Week lesson or program.  The first lesson can be the Training mission while the subsequent missions/lessons that follow can be Sorties that the Pilots fly against targets.  How about a Bombing mission (with Snow Balls of Course) off the Eastern Seaboard where a group of Pirates have hijacked a submarine and are making a run for it?  The possibilities are endless with this game!!!

 

Put that one in your toolbox!

 

 

 

A word from the Amazing and Talented Tyler Barnes…

 

 

SAFETY, FUN, LEARNING in that order!

Here is a question, “Why do kids take lessons?” The typical answer is, “Because the parents signed them up,” however that is the answer a parent would give (and maybe what a child would say AT THEIR FIRST LESSON). But if you ask that question to a child, especially after their first lesson, the answer should always be, “BECAUSE ITS FUN!”

 

The tenants of teaching snowsports are: SAFETY, FUN, LEARNING specifically in that order. Setup a teaching environment that is SAFE – this means choosing appropriate terrain (not going somewhere too challenging) and choosing safe stopping areas. Create an environment that is FUN – this means you create an activity or adventure or game that is FUN. When you create a SAFE and FUN environment LEARNING will occur. Yes, you must share information (teach/coach) during the FUN, where you have a purpose for the activity your are doing, but if you are too focused on LEARNING and not FUN, then you are wasting your time.

 

Keep in mind that a progression is a logical series of steps where the next step builds skills on the previous step, however this is a foundation for you to build from, and being student centered means adjusting the progression when necessary. For example, if a 4 to 6 year old is not “getting” one step of the progression, it is OK. Try it in a different order, try teaching it a different way – and remember anything goes in a shark attack and sometimes teaching is like a shark attack. This is the “real” vs. “ideal” concept. Yes, we want all our students to know how to do everything perfectly from step 1 to step 9 or 20 or 100, but this is not EVER going to happen. Keep in mind that when students are SAFE are having FUN they will LEARN. 

 

 

Business Cards and Pro Sites

More snow will come …. and in the mean time you can setup a Pro Site and order some business cards! There are already several part time instructors using their pro sites to share photos and video they have taken of their students – this is a great opportunity to connect with your clients and get more repeat and request private lessons. 

 

Step 1) If you want a Pro Site signup here – your profile will appear on the skihood.com website too:

https://mhm.snowproportal.com/full-time-bio-and-pro-site-submission/

 

Step 2) If you want business cards order your business cards here:

https://mhm.snowproportal.com/current-staff/self-promotion-tools/bulk-business-order-28/

 

This is a NEW business card design and allows for you to include a photo of yourself on the business cards. I will be sending in the next batch of business card orders on Sunday, so I need you to get your orders in by no later than Friday night.

 

 

 

Tech Training

 

We will be having Tech Training both Saturday and Sunday at 5pm in the Children’s Learning Center this weekend.  The Fantastic and Talented Miss Kelly Howle while “Wow you” with quick, easy  and accurate methods of teching skis and snowboards for those of you who want a few extra hours or just want the ability to fix any wonky rentals while you are out on the hill.  For Liability reasons we should not be touching the bindings or changing ski/board lengths without this training. When in doubt…let the Rental Department work it out!

 

For those of you who have already attended training, your RTP Logins and quick sheets are available for you in the CLC.  Just see Kelly and she’ll get them to you!