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News Release
July 23, 2008 – Lakewood, Colorado -- The Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI) announced several staffing changes as PSIA-AASI and the National Ski Patrol (NSP) finalize reorganization, resulting in independent operations. [Read More...], [View All Press]
PSIA-AASI Announce National Teams...
The sun was shining and the winds relatively calm for the final day of PSIA-AASI’s National Team Selection on Friday, May 2.
A total of 139 candidates came out to Mammoth Mountain, California for the weeklong tryouts, where they had to contend with variable and challenging conditions, including frozen “coral” in the off piste reaches, high winds, and deep slush. Nonetheless, candidates for all four teams—alpine, snowboard, nordic, and the first-ever adaptive team—used the opportunity to showcase the top level of expertise that characterizes all of this year’s contenders as truly the best-of-the-best in snowsports instruction.
The week started with snow sliding tasks on and off piste and in the terrain park before two cuts narrowed the field to 51 people for the final two days of the selection process. On Thursday and Friday, the remaining candidates took part in teaching and learning activities, an in-depth interview process, and group project assessments.
Friday’s selection determines who will represent PSIA-AASI as National Team members for the next four years. Under the accomplished direction of Teams Manager Katie Fry and coaches Rob Sogard (alpine), Lane Clegg (snowboard), Scotty McGee (nordic), and Bill Bowness (adaptive), national team members will be instrumental in charting the course of United States snowsports instruction. Chief among their duties will be representing PSIA-AASI as the public face of the association, and working with PSIA-AASI divisions and snowsports schools throughout the country to inspire lifelong passion for the mountain experience.
PSIA-AASI is proud to announce the 2008–2012 National Teams:
Adaptive Team:
Bill Bowness (coach), Geoff Krill (alternate to the team)
Alpine Team:
Rob Sogard (coach), Robin Barnes, Matt Boyd, Jeb Boyd, Mike Hafer, Nick Herrin, Eric Lipton, Dave Lundberg, Dave Lyon, Bobby Murphy, David A. Oliver (freestyle specialist), Doug Pierini, Michael Rogan (alpine team captain), Jim Schanzenbaker, Jennifer Simpson
Nordic Team:
J. Scott McGee (coach), David Lawrence, Charlie MacArthur, Tom Marshall, Ross Matlock
Snowboard Team:
Lane Clegg (coach), Scott Anfang, Gregg Davis, Dave Lynch, Tom Morsch, Eric Rolls, Josh Spoelstra
May Official Supplier Update
Sponsors continue to jump on board and show their support for PSIA-AASI. Four more Official Suppliers signed on during the month of April. Bolle and Swany both return as Official Suppliers for another four years. New to the supplier list are helmet and body armor manufacturer POC, and après footwear company Tödi who have both signed on through 2010.
PSIA-AASI Team Selection Update:
Thursday, May 1, 2008
“Perfect spring snow, like it should be in May” is how one local described Thursday’s conditions at Mammoth Mountain—and the upshot was that everyone was smiling for the fourth day of PSIA-AASI’s National Team Selection. As of Wednesday evening, the field had narrowed to a candidate pool of 24 alpine skiers, 14 snowboarders, and 10 nordic skiers. There are still 3 candidates for the Adaptive Team. On Friday, May 2, final selections will be made and the 2008–2012 PSIA-AASI National Teams announced.
Teaching and learning are the foci for the final two days. On Thursday morning, nordic, adaptive, and alpine candidates took part in ½-hour interviews to discuss behavior-based questions relating to teaching scenarios, customer service ethics, and job perception. Movement analysis and on-snow teaching clinics were part of the day’s tasks for all groups.
Some highlights of the day include the following: Candidates for the Adaptive Team taught clinics in a real-life scenario thanks to local volunteers and instructors from Mammoth’s adaptive program. Nordic group members had the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity in a video assignment in which each person recorded an on-hill teaching tip, with the group teaming up afterwards to score each person’s video. Snowboard Team candidates presented clinics on teaching and learning concepts such as the CAP model, multiple-intelligence theory, and teaching styles versus learning styles, to name a few. Half of the group in the running to make the Alpine Team presented hour-long teaching segments on a concept or belief relating to mechanics, with the other half scheduled to take their turn at the task on Friday.
Thursday was a long but fun day for the candidates, who met back up at 6 p.m. to take part in a round-robin-style station activity, with each station representing a different challenge aligned with what National Team members will be expected to do during their 4-year term. For example, at one station candidates discussed topics culled from PSIA-AASI’s online discussion forums; at another they drafted correspondence to new suppliers touting why the team member would be a valuable affiliation for the supplier. Friday is the final day of the selection process. Good luck everybody!
Photo: Kate Howe, PSIA/AASI
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Cold morning winds led to afternoon sun Wednesday at Mammoth Mountain, but the pressure continued all day as those candidates to make the first cut of the PSIA-AASI National Team Selection process came out once more to prove their snow-sliding expertise.
From a field of 94 Alpine Team candidates, 41 returned April 30th. For Wednesday’s selection events, skiers had their choice of two out of four electives—GS racing, all-mountain skiing, bumps, and park and pipe
Of the 27 Snowboard Team candidates, 20 were invited back. Snowboarders had a choice of one specialty area in the morning, with options including backcountry, all mountain, big park, and jib park. Those vying for a spot on the Nordic Team spent the morning at the cross-country ski center while candidates for the Adaptive Team showcased their skills in the park and pipe.
All groups met indoors for a group project that called upon them to offer a presentation on how ski and snowboard schools are associated with PSIA-AASI and what value they get from the organization. Alpine candidates presented on Tuesday evening and those with their sights set on the snowboard, nordic, or adaptive teams presented Wednesday afternoon. The second round of cuts for the alpine, snowboard, and nordic teams is Wednesday evening, with final selection of the adaptive contingent to take place on Friday.
April 29, 2008
High wind warnings were in effect April 29th for the second day of PSIA-AASI National Team Selection with gusty conditions forcing the majority of lifts to shut down shortly after 1 pm. However, neither the winds, the firm morning snow, nor the deep, sticky slush on Mammoth Mountain’s sunny slopes prevented candidates from demonstrating their skills—and their versatility—in time for the first round of cuts Tuesday evening.
After a late Monday debriefing on the required tasks for day two, the contingent of 94 Alpine Team candidates were prepped, grouped, and ready to go early Tuesday morning. Stations on and off piste included medium-radius turns without poles, dynamic short-radius turns, round bump turns, and multiple sets of 6–8 short turns called "lane-changes" to name a few. The skiers’ silly side came out in the afternoon in the form of a dizzying competition to see who could run 10 times around a ski pole, head down, and then race to the finish without falling down.
After focusing on telemarking Monday, the 15 candidates for the Nordic Team turned to cross-country skills on Tuesday, including freestyle skating and classic in-track, as explained by USSA cross-country expert Bryan Fish. Members of the nordic group, who have given each other nicknames as a way to build team spirit and alleviate tensions, seem to be laughing and supporting each other through the tryouts.
The 27 snowboarders were in three groups Monday—on piste, off piste, and freestyle—with the same teams of two selectors evaluating as each group cycled through. Creativity, terrain usage, and balance were among the skills sought in the off-piste group. As a part of Tuesday’s tryouts, candidates took part in a “slopestyle competition” through the park, with all riders required to demonstrate their freestyle ability in a clean run through medium to large tabletop jumps, boxes, and rails, with extra points for spins and inverted maneuvers!
Three candidates are vying for spots on the Adaptive Team, new this year. Contenders include two skiers on mono-skis and one snowboarder with a prosthetic leg. For the first two days of the tryouts, the skiers ripped it up with round, fun turns both on and off-piste, while the snowboarder demonstrated his skills riding with candidates for the Snowboard Team.
April 28, 2008
The air was filled with good energy on April 28th as 139 candidates rounded out day one of selection for the PSIA-AASI national teams at sunny Mammoth Mountain, California. This selection determines who will represent PSIA-AASI as members of the national alpine, snowboard, nordic, and adaptive teams for the next four-year term. These teams are, in many ways, the public face of the association and are responsible for promoting, supporting, and assisting in the development of snowsports education programs and activities.
Approximately, thirty-one team members will be selected during the week-long event, which started with a variety of on-hill tasks taking place on piste, off piste, and in the terrain park. Applicants are scored by selectors comprised of current and past team members, national and international coaches, and select PSIA-AASI division examiners. Later in the week, candidates who make it past the initial cuts will be asked to demonstrate their on-hill teaching abilities, go through an in-depth interview process, and undergo assessment while developing a group project.
There are several new developments in the 2008 National Team Selection. This is the first time that an Adaptive Team will be named separate from the Alpine Team. On the alpine side, at least one "freestyle specialist” will be named, and candidates for the Snowboard Team will be able to devote more time to park and pipe riding because of the available terrain. These moves are designed to increase freestyle representation on the teams. Those vying for spots on the Nordic Team will spend more time on track and skate skiing in order to provide more representation relative to telemark.
Coaches for the 2008-2012 teams are Rob Sogard, alpine; Lane Clegg, snowboard; Bill Bowness, adaptive; and Scotty McGee, nordic. Katie Fry is teams manager.
Rider Rally Makes Scene at Mammoth
April 28, 2008
Conditions were firm and fast for the first few days of this year’s Rider Rally, held April 20–25 at Mammoth Mountain, California—but that didn’t keep the 25 or so participants from rallying together to find the good snow and make the event a success.
For nearly a decade, riders from all AASI divisions have come from far and wide to attend the Rider Rally, which is usually held at a new mountain each year. Long hosted by AASI’s Northern Rocky Mountain Division, this year the event went national but the modus operandi remained the same: participants party it up while exploring a new mountain with members of the AASI Snowboard Team. The traditionally loose structure of the Rally is in many ways the antithesis of traditional clinics, and it is precisely this outside-the-box approach that is one of its biggest draws. This year’s Rider Rally was led by 2004–08 Snowboard Team coach J. Randy Price and team members K.C. Gandee and Chad Frost, with a few special guest coaches making appearances along the way.
For the first two days, Rider Rally participants honed their skills on the ice both on and off piste, in some cases hiking for sun-warmed spots. The ice didn’t keep this hardy crew out of the park and pipe either. Then after a windy storm dropped a few inches midweek, the powder hunt was on. The week ended with two of the sunny, slushy spring days for which Mammoth is famous.
Many of the folks who come out for the Rider Rally return year after year, with some in attendance as long as eight and nine years. Old friends reunite and plenty of new friendships are forged as well. Among this year’s participants was a large and rowdy contingent from Bridger Bowl, Montana, in addition to quite a few Eastern Division members. A retro-gear ride day, four square tournament for swag, and pizza party were among the highlights of the après-ride scene at the 2008 Rider Rally. This is not an event to be missed!
March Madness!
Momentum continues in 2008 as PSIA-AASI signs on 13 more Official Suppliers to long term contracts. Suppliers see great value in their association with PSIA-AASI, as the association is a critical link between the manufacturer and the professional snowsports instructor. These relationships allow for growth on a variety of levels within the snowsports community.
"Because there are so many great synergies, we support PSIA-AASI on every level,” said Jason Newell, director of sports and marketing promotions for Rossignol. “That support is the foundation for the exchange of information between two important entities in the snowsports world, educators and manufacturers. Whether developing new ski and snowboard products with the feedback from some of the hottest feet on the PSIA-AASI National Teams or working with top level educators to keep the development of educational products in accord with modern methodology, the communication and subsequent results are a real benefit to the sport.” Rossignol has signed on to be an Official Supplier of alpine, nordic, and snowboard equipment through 2012.
Burton returns for four more years as Official Supplier of snowboard equipment. RED and Anon have re-signed through 2012 as Official Suppliers of helmets and eyewear respectively, and softgoods manufacturer Reusch has extended its contract as Official Supplier of gloves through 2010. New to the supplier list is VOZ, a two way communication helmet manufacturer. Alpine and Nordic equipment manufacturers Elan, Dalbello, Tecnica, Volkl, Blizzard, Marker, and Twentytwo Designs have all signed on through 2012.
AASI-PSIA Sponsorship Renewals Strong at SIA Show.
The annual Snowsports Industries America (SIA) show in Las Vegas proved to be very successful, as AASI welcomed the return of several Official Suppliers. AASI-PSIA's longstanding relationship with Duofold will continue through 2012, making this innovative company an official sponsor for more than 20 years. “We are excited to continue this longstanding relationship with AASI-PSIA, Duofold knows our products have to excel at the highest level,” said Don Burton, director of marketing for Duofold. “There is tremendous satisfaction knowing that this country’s elite skiers and snowboarders are wearing and recommending Duofold.” Duofold is the Official Supplier of baselayer products to AASI-PSIA.
Among the other suppliers that extended their partnerships during the SIA show are Booster, Dale of Norway, Grabber, and Leki. Earlier this season, VIO joined AASI-PSIA as official technology supplier with their flagship POV.1 helmet-mounted video camera.
AASI Snowboard Team selection information is now available! Please download and read the National Teams selection overview before downloading and filling out the team selection application. Candidates must appear on a divisional nomination list prior to submitting application materials. Divisions will submit their written list of candidates to the PSIA-AASI education department by December 31st, 2007. Please do not apply prior to this time, as your application will not be accepted.
AASI Snowboard Team Bios are online. Check out the link and get to know the best of the best.
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