The philosophy of the US Ski Team is to develop good skiers, then great racers. Good skiers possess the balance and control on skis that is a foundation for the elements that are required for alpine racing success. Alpine ski racing at all levels, throughout development, is measured by the clock yet the elements that are needed to compete well under the clock are not all objective. The USST feels that the ski fundamentals are the first step in developing an athlete. This resource addresses the fundamental ski skill areas the current US Ski Team staff feels are necessary to achieve the speed, control and balance to compete at the highest level.
The sport of Alpine skiing is a technical sport that requires the refinement of basic skills. Periodically the National team athletes revisit fundamentals with the intention of acquiring or refining their ski skill base. A US Ski Team yearly skiing planning sheet gives an indication of when and how fundamentals are incorporated into the yearly plan. The junior development coach should incorporate the fundamental concepts from this plan into their yearly plan. For example, skiing fundamental work happens first, whether it is a yearly plan, camp plan, or daily lesson plan.
Question: Why should a coach become certified?
Answer: Certification represents a commitment to furthering one’s skills as a coach. It also represents a level of professional development and recognition within the coaching community, indicative of one’s experience and expertise. Maintaining one’s certification is indicative of a coach that never stops learning. No matter one’s level of responsibility within the sport, a coach should always seek better methods of teaching skills, new and innovative drills, and ways to make skiing and competition a more enjoyable overall experience for everyone.
Answer: For entry-level coaches, USSA offers an Alpine Level 100 “Club” certification.
(3) Level 100 USST Alpine Ski Fundamentals course: This course is a day and a half on-snow and an evening classroom session. The content is based on the two USST Alpine Fundamentals CD-ROMs. These CDs are available to coaches outside of the course. There is both a written open book exam, as well as an on-snow skiing evaluation requirement.
For further information on all three of these requirements, please review the clinic course descriptions found in the Coaches Resource Center website. The site also includes a schedule of available clinics and on-line registration.
Question: If a coach was certified under the “old” system, what has happened to their certification?
Answer: There are many veteran coaches who had taken a fundamentals course many years ago but are now missing the ASEP course requirement for certification. For those coaches with five years of coaching experience or more, USSA has an alternative option and that is purchasing the USST Alpine Ski Fundamentals CD-ROM II, reviewing it, and taking the on-line open “CD-ROM” test. After taking the test (80% is passing), the USSA Education office will issue a pass (or fail, if need be) in lieu of the ASEP course requirement.
Coaches who fit into this category of “veterans”, and who want to begin the certification process, should contact the USSA Sport Education Department directly to discuss their particular coaching history and levels of experience before beginning the certification process. Prior to that conversation, please send Sport Education a summary of your educational work (list the date of the Fundamentals Course and the name of the instructor) and a copy of your current First Aid/CPR card. If all Club requirements have been met (including the ASEP alternative option above), you will be issued a Level 100 Club certification.
Answer: There are eight requirements to be a certified Level 200 coach. This is a significant increase in educational requirements, but it is indicative of the responsibilities that are associated with coaching any sport in America today. Many of the courses can be taken on-line, limiting travel time and expenses away from home.
The requirements are divided into areas of competencies or educational domains:
(2) Sport Management: Take and pass 2 of 3 courses from the courses listed below.
Note: USSA continues to partner with a number of educational institutions in the nation to develop a greater variety of on-line courses. Additions will be made to the list below in the coming years. The initial courses for USSA coaches have been developed in collaboration with the International Institute of Tourism Studies at The George Washington University. They cover the following subjects: Management and Leadership of Sports Organizations, Funding Sports Organizations, and Sports Event Management. Descriptions of these course are provided below.
Coaches can register for these courses at:
In addition, the three Elite Performance Series CDs are state of the art educational material from the best minds in all of athlete development and training. Again, the content is designed for use by coaches at all levels. It features a common sense, scientifically based approach, user friendly, and completely applicable format for the information presented. The Sport Science staff of USSA represents some of the best minds in athlete development.
Answer: This question is asked often from a variety of coaches, those previously certified and seeking a higher level, or young coaches advancing their way up the certification ladder. The Academy has been put on hold as new USSA/USST curriculum is developed. This includes six educational CD-ROMs (with more to come), all new Level 100 and 200 clinics with the accompanying instructor training, and an integrated National Junior Development summer project. For those coaches who are interested in working for or with the National Staff and the National Development System (NDS), there are limited openings in the June NDS project. Interested coaches should contact their USSA Regional Director to discuss the possibilities of their participation. Selection is based on club athlete participation, regional representation, and future career opportunities with USSA.
Answer: Good coaching is no longer just putting gates in the ground, it hasn’t been for a long time, and therefore all coaches have an obligation to keep learning. The domains of coaching extend far a field from the work done on-snow. The requirements to be a national team coach are so broad and demanding that it has become a challenge to find coaches with the level of education and experience to fill the position. Therefore, USSA encourages coaches to continue learning by requiring a Continuing Education Credit every two years. This may be accomplished through a wide variety of educational options listed below. Coaches are not only restricted to the options listed below, coaches are also free to pursue educational opportunities directly related to their level of athlete/program responsibilities or coaching interests outside the suggested list.
A coach will be listed as "inactive" if they do not fulfill the two year continuing education credit requirement or if they allow their CPR and First Aid certifications to expire.
Furthermore, a coaches’ certification level will not be recognized until they are back in compliance. Once all necessary continuing education credits have been completed the coach will regain their "active coaching" status and certification.
Note: In addition to the First Aid/CPR and Continuing Education requirements, USSA Alpine Officials are requiring by 2009 that all coaches serving on a jury or as a course setter, at either a FIS or USSA scored event, will need a current Level 1 Referee license, and will need to maintain their license through a referee’s update every two years.
*The above are some, but not all, of the courses that are acceptable as continuing education credits. With questions on other courses please contact the USSA Education Office.
Email: csteinbach@ussa.org
May 2009 eNewsletter