21/22 Season Wrap up
Many people have asked me…What was your first year on the team like? How was it? What was it like? I thought maybe I could answer those questions here. In short, it was awesome! I loved every minute of it. I still have a lot to learn. Here are some highlights from this past season.
I remember Jeb Boyd saying that when you are named to the team, you are still the same person the next day. Yes, it definitely felt that way. I also felt a little bit like Spiderman - “With great power, comes great responsibility.”
I am grateful the for opportunities that came this past season. I had the opportunity to work with CARV and film some ski tips. I am not very good on camera or “show turns” so I wanted to work on that. If there is one thing that I learned, you can get better at anything with practice.
What was interesting about this past season is that events like the CARV shoot happened in my own backyard. For example, the Rocky Mountain Academy was hosted at Aspen and at Aspen Highlands.
Master’s Academy at Killington was a little homecoming for me. I went to school in Vermont and did all my levels of certification in the Eastern region. It was so fulfilling to see many people that I have not seen in such a long time. For example, I saw Pam Greene, who was one of my examiners. I remember her telling me that I was “going places” after I passed my Level 3 creative teaching module. It is amazing to reconnect with people like Pam. Killington had some “good for your skiing” snow conditions. I am bringing better tuning gear next year.
Another cool opportunity I had this past season was leading a Livestream talking about technology in snowsports. We discussed using CARV and Givego in lessons. CARV is a digital ski coach app and Givego is a movment analysis platform. There were 347 people on the live call. One of the things I learned this past year is it is scary to put yourself out there. However, if you do, you will learn things about yourself. I had prepared and practiced for the presentation and I didn’t have all the answers. That is okay and I found out the answers to some of the questions I didn’t know the answers to.
National Academy was another highlight. It was amazing to literally be on the other side of the coin. I have attended 4 National Academies as a participant. This was the first one I led. I have a whole story about it.
In summary, here is what I learned:
Put yourself out there. Raise your hand - early and often
You may not have all the answers - that’s okay
Be yourself - don’t try to teach or ski like anyone else. Be you. That’s what makes you great.
I am looking forward to 22/23 for a number of reasons - the biggest one being Interski in Levi, Finland in March 2023.