Snowboard instructors go bi.
August 28, 2008
Filed under Extreme Sports, Freestyle, How to snowboard, Instruction, Snowboarding
Tags: 360, AASI, beginner snowboarder, bi, Burton snowboards, community and culture, Freestyle, Freestyle Accreditation, freestyle skiing, fun box, half-pipe, how to snowboard, Instructor certification, learning tips, Park and Pipe, park ski, PSIA, ski, ski instructor, ski tip, ski tricks, skiing, Smart Style, snowboard, snowboard instruction, Snowboard instructor, snowboard tip, Snowboard tricks, Snowboarding, Terrain Park, Twin Tips
The American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI-Central Division) will soon announce changes to its Freestyle Accreditation.
Instead of the single-level exam of yester-year, the new Freestyle Accreditation has three levels, allowing riders to progress and earn accreditation in their desired ability. The new format also mixes both skiers and snowboarders in one clinic. Small groups will be led by one bi-freestyle clinic leader qualified to evaluate both sports. Riders across all ability levels mix in one collaborative, cross-disciplinary group to share teaching tricks, personal style and progress skills.
I like the idea of a combined class because it mixes the methodologies from different camps. Perhaps ski instructors can adopt the casual, play-based style that’s common among snowboard classes. And maybe snowboarders could benefit from structured lessons and all that skiing-in-formation–okay not the skiing-in-formation part, no one wants that.
I also like that the new levels cover a broader range of teaching and riding skills. Good coaches will still pass even if they can’t demonstrate all the difficult tricks. I can teach a 360, but couldn’t demonstrate one on command off an icy jump for a clip-board holding examiner.
Level 1 (Beginner) is intended for instructors who are new to the terrain park. The two-day course introduces freestyle concepts and requires instructors to demonstrate and teach basic fun-box, rail, jump and half-pipe skills.
Level 2 (Intermediate) focuses on progressing riders from their first tricks to bigger, more complicated maneuvers.
Level 3 (Advanced) is for experienced park coaches looking to showcase their own freestyle skills and progress their competition-ready students onto large features pulling big tricks.
Good work AASI-Central. It’s about time skiers and snowboarders ride together, learn together and progress side-by-side.
Check PSIA-C.org for updated standards, a fresh study guide and Freestyle Accreditation dates in your area.
That definitely sounds like a better way to do it. This line worries me a bit though: “Good coaches will still pass even if they can’t demonstrate all the difficult tricks. I can teach a 360, but couldn’t demonstrate one on command off an icy jump for a clip-board holding examiner.”
I wonder what criteria they use to determine a pass/fail then?
Good point Will! I forgot to mention that the new exam structure prioritizes superior teaching ability over doing complex tricks. As the exam level rises, so does the expectation of demonstration. While a fabulous teacher would have failed the previous exam for not being able to demonstrate a 360, they would now receive Level 1 certification with the new program. If you’re both a talented coach and sweet rider, you can pursue Level 2 or 3.