What’s special about this Interski team is the balance of new faces and old hands. And the new guys are really stepping up: influencing the direction of the team and our participation in Argentina. Here’s some thoughts from Ashley Murphy who will be attending Interski for the first time.
Preparations are well underway and the days are flying by as Interski draws ever nearer.
The NZSIA/SBINZ Interski team is heading to Argentina to showcase how we attract, retain and develop skiers and snowboarders in New Zealand and worldwide. This theme is the basis of our indoor presentations.
‘Developing Inspiring Snow sport Professionals’ is the title of the indoor presentation that will be delivered by Tony Macri and myself in Argentina.
Without giving away too much prior to Interski; there are some significant initiatives being undertaken by the NZSIA and SBINZ to develop both our members and our guests. We look forward to showcasing these initiatives to the international snow sports community. We will also highlight the growth and development of international events and athletes that are inspiring the next generation within NZ.
Ash ripping it up at Coronet Peak
Another great topic we are taking to Interski, involves a shift in direction we are promoting within New Zealand; from Safety – Fun – Learning to a more outcome based Safety – Fun – Achievement model. This change is a response to the uniquely kiwi ski and snowboard industry…..lessons are short and students are highly motivated to develop.
The best lesson is one that leaves your guests feeling fulfilled, that their money was well invested and the milestones were reached.
It is a great topic of conversation that continues to evolve within our organisation and ourselves. What is learning versus achievement? How do you differentiate the two? Many a debate has been started over what this truly means.
For me, achievement has a deeper level of satisfaction that resonates on an emotional level. Think back to when you were a child and a significant outcome was achieved. How does that moment still resonate with you all these years later? It may have been something you were particularly proud of, something that resulted in a more meaningful result. Try switching the phrase, directed for example at a child from ‘what did you learn today?’ to ‘what did you achieve today?’ and you could very well get a different response.
This initiative has also been the catalyst for a shift in the way the NZSIA delivers its courses; in particular the Level One exam, our entry qualification. The NZSIA is committed to ‘teaching excellence’ to develop inspiring Instructors, producing members who have a deep understanding of how to teach as well as what to teach. This is to be covered in more detail at Interski so please stay tuned via our blog; it is very exciting time to be involved in the organisation.
This year also sees a further enhancement of our children’s certifications (there are now two!) and Free ski, starting with an introduction level, followed by two further levels. E-Learning is also a new addition to the NZSIA framework.
I hope you can start to think about how to create more memorable achievements in lessons with your own guests to develop and inspire them. Learning may just be happening while they are busy achieving those milestones you have set together!
In the meantime here is some footage of me training at Coronet Peak in August 2014. Thank you as always Coronet Peak and NZSki for your huge support.
cheers Ash
Video Credit: Paul Bowman