USSA points out how to improve club ed programs

The point of the “Excellence 2008: An Elite Conference for USSA Clubs” last week was to point out ways to build the pipeline for junior racers, a high-priority goal for USSA in 2008-09. Finn Gundersen, USSA’s director of alpine education, spent one of the sessions pointing out trends that need to be improved upon if juniors at the club level are going to make it to the U.S. Ski Team.
    Below are a few outtakes from Gundersen’s lecture titled, “Old vs. New.”
    — During the past year observing junior-level races, coaches’ and parents’ behaviors, Gundersen pointed out the ways of the past. Generally, the coaches would work one to two weeks on fundamentals and then prematurely head right into gate running. Then, he learned that coaches would set the course and stand at the bottom; the athlete were told something different before/after every run; coaches weren’t on the same page and didn’t have a clear goal for the day’s training; and the training environment didn’t support the drill/skill. “Really, are we accomplishing what we want when it comes to developing skills?” Gundersen asked the club participants in the audience.
PARK CITY, Utah — The point of the “Excellence 2008: An Elite Conference for USSA Clubs” last week was to point out ways to build the pipeline for junior racers, a high-priority goal for USSA in 2008-09. Finn Gundersen, USSA’s director of alpine education, spent one of the sessions pointing out trends that need to be improved upon if juniors at the club level are going to make it to the U.S. Ski Team.
    Below are a few outtakes from Gundersen’s lecture titled, “Old vs. New.”
    — During the past year observing junior-level races, coaches’ and parents’ behaviors, Gundersen pointed out the ways of the past. Generally, the coaches would work one to two weeks on fundamentals and then prematurely head right into gate running. Then, he learned that coaches would set the course and stand at the bottom; the athlete were told something different before/after every run; coaches weren’t on the same page and didn’t have a clear goal for the day’s training; and the training environment didn’t support the drill/skill. “Really, are we accomplishing what we want when it comes to developing skills?” Gundersen asked the club participants in the audience.
    — Gundersen offered ways to improve the “old” patterns of the past with some suggestions for a successful future. As for the “new,” Gundersen pointed to the following: Create the club culture, vision, mission; be a role model for passion, commitment and work ethic; build town, school and resort relations; make staff accountable; educate parents; build board relation; offer program evaluations/planning. “Really start to think outside the box to start selling skiing,” he said.
    — Gundersen said there could be a “new paradigm” if clubs are proactive in development. For example, to engage the community, develop new ways to sell the sport, the club, and recruit. He emphasized reaching into schools and offering free clinics or community service. Also, engage the ski resorts by reaching out, negotiating, enlisting support, working with ski schools; develop and build first-rate facilities; educate the coaches and “keep raising the bar for the sport,” Gundersen said; educate the parents because “If you don’t educate them, they will,” he added; work with USSA (NDS, Education and Sport Science); and be curious since there are unlimited resources available including ed material at www.ussa.org .

—    Fore more information regarding the education department, visit www.ussa.org . The book presented to the clubs at Congress will be posted on the Web site soon.