Long Absence and Personal Update

So I got hammered by freelance work in the past few weeks and it’s still rolling in. I work full-time and do extra on the side, so right now I have no life and no time. I did go on vacation to Florida last week to visit family (they all ditched me for the warm weather, but it’s just a vacation spot for me). I was working over vacation though and now I’m finally getting over my Florida sunburn and the blood blisters on my hands from the jet skis. I maxed them out at 51mph! I have a great camera (Nikon D50), but I just loathe carrying extra things around. I’m contemplating buying a small hand held camera. Suggestions?

The next things for me in the coming months are to knockout a few of these freelance projects I have going and get my life in order. Everything kind of hit at once and I had to drop personal stuff for business. Once I get things out the door and business organized again, I have to devote time to my personal web site, valuredesign.com, and this blog. I have been slowly trying to change the design over, but that hit a brick wall. I have a design waiting, so when I get things on track, it will appear (the final version should appear, lol).

Summer is going great. I’ve been hanging out with some friends at the lake when it’s break time, which isn’t as often as I’d like, but oh well. Summer is always super busy as I take on less freelance work so I can snowboard more. The excess of work in the summer pays for my winter obsession

AASI should be releasing their schedule of events and clinics for the upcoming season, so I’m excited to see what they offer and choose what I’m taking. I want to take my Level 2 Prep course right away and see where I’m at riding wise, and if money permits I want to take the Level 2 Exam and another clinic, just because they are fun. If a vacation is possible, I might drop the extra clinic.

I finally got back on a bike (mountain bike) after like 8 years or so. The reason for that is because my brother liked to take things apart when we were younger and not put them back together or be able to fix them, and not much has changed actually. I like it and it’s good exercise. I have a new bike rack in the mail, so I will take pictures and post them. It’s eye-catching; that’s all I’m saying.

And speaking of bikes, I went on a Harley! I love it. If time and money were of no matter I would learn to ride and buy a street bike though.

More to come…promise.

Intro To The Riding Model for Snowboard Instructing

For those of you who want to get into teaching snowboarding, let me introduce you to the Riding Model, or the Y-Model. The Y-Model consists of the core elements in riding and proficiency levels of each for teaching and becoming certified. It goes like this:

AASI Y-Model

It starts at the bottom with New Riders, and moves properly up through the turns: basic and dynamic. Now this is a brief model as there are multiple ways to do a dynamic turn. It moves on up to 180’s, switch riding and carving. Now, for a Level 1 Instructor, you must have 90% proficiency in everything up to dynamic turns and a 50% proficiency in the categories above.

But don’t think that because you’re a great rider and have better than 50% in the upper levels, means you can become a Level 1 Instructor. A large portion of the Level 1 exam is geared toward professional knowledge. This includes riding concepts, teaching concepts, movement analysis and professionalism and on-hill safety.

When I took my level 1 we had enough people at my home mountain and requested an exam be held there. In those 2 days I learned that AASI is not there to harshly criticize your riding or teaching skills, but there to guide you. These people truly enjoy and have a passion for their sport love to ride and share with you. It’s not about who’s better, who has moved up levels, but about having fun together and learning along the way. Having a passion, feeling so strongly about something so much is a gift that most people haven’t experienced. I further my skills and share my love of the sport by teaching and I hope to for a long time.

Next: I might dive into the differences between a basic and dynamic turn.

Keep Snowboarding Fun, Do The Penguin

As an instructor, it’s important to keep things fun: for students and yourself. If I’m crazy busy teaching all day and don’t even get in a free run, the only relaxing I do is at the lodge bar after lessons. This shouldn’t become a permanent solution. Whether it be in your lessons, pro clinics or in your everyday riding, you must keep it fun and interesting.

I did my first penguin at Wachusett Mountain, MA. I was attending a 2-day AASI Level 2 Riding Concepts event and it had been raining all day and we were getting kicked off the mountain by ski patrol. Granted we had been riding since 9am and it was now 3pm, but still. So we’re leaving the terrain park and we head on down to the halfpipe. The walls were really wet and falling out from under those who attempted. So one of the proctors for the group suggested something better and told us to proceed half way down the pipe deck. We were instructed to lay on our stomachs and pull ourselves toward the edge. The key to not scratching your face to pieces is to hold your head up (zipping up your jacket all the way helps too). You keep your hands at your sides and bend your legs at your knees so your board doesn’t get caught on the wall. Then we were supposed to inch ourselves over the edge and cruise down the 22-foot wall on our stomachs. Talk about intimidating, I was not totally pumped about this lesson, but the 70-year-old guy next to me did it, so I had to.

The first time I did it I was scared, now I can’t wait for the next rainy day to do it again. Try it, at your own risk (of your body and your lift ticket).

The Key To Being A Good Snowboard Instructor

In order for you to become skilled at something, you must practice. When you have such a passion for something it becomes a part of you, there is not one day that it is absent from your thoughts. The key to being a good instructor is to always train. When you ride, have goals, have a focus. If you’re out on the trail, riding with in your comfort zone, you will not progress. Every run I take has a purpose; even in my warm-up runs I practice flexing and extending to get my muscles going, to time my turns and evaluate board reaction. When you’re riding the trail, think of how you would explain to a group of children what your legs, hips and shoulders are doing to make the board movements they see.

Getting to that level also takes patience. You can’t say I’m going to learn to ride switch today, but if you begin a season by saying “I want to be more comfortable riding switch this year,” you’ll progress. Progression is not something that happens overnight. Becoming a good instructor means that you are always open to new ideas, new ways to teach something, you’re dedicated and willing to take criticism. To become a better instructor, you must become a better rider.

Snowboarding Could Get You Your Next Job

This caught my eye on the HighlyObsessed blog the other day and had to comment on it.

I recently was recruited by a company for a position as their Web and Print Designer. Was it my skills, youth and personality? Probably, but a recent study reports that snowboarding, or other extreme/action sport, is more attractive to a future employer than say cooking, as a hobby.

A potential employee that takes part in an extreme sport shows ambition, risk taking and independence (as many are not technically team sports). Though, a professional instructor, I’m sure would get extra points. As a member of a national association in my sport, it requires dedication, goal setting, time management and people skills. During the season I work with many people, fellow instructors and students. I also take part in region specific events to further my knowledge of teaching and my riding.

I’m glad something I put so much into pays off. I continue to be a member of AASI and teach snowboarding in the winter every day I’m not pulling the regular 9-5. And I will until I can’t. I’m young and I have plenty of problems and injuries, but who gives. The feeling I get from riding with friends and passing on my knowledge and passion about snowboarding far surpasses any pain I feel.

You can read the original article here.