Hellloooo XC Members!

 

We hope that the summer has been one filled with adventure and that you all are looking forward to the falling snow as much as the RM Staff are!

 

This is the first of many e-mail blasts that you’ll receive this season. The primary goal of these is to keep you (our XC members) up to date with upcoming events, to celebrate recent certifications, and to give you tidbits of XC knowledge that our Ed Staff are learning while they’re traveling to deliver incredible education to all of you!

 

The calendar of events has been released, and it’s shaping up to be a good year with many new events that we want to highlight!

 

New Events Offered This Year:

 

Interdisciplinary Teaching Deep Dive (Jan 25 @ Gold Run) – Spend a day with Justin Arndt, focusing on connecting your unique interpersonal skills to your individual teaching style! This clinic will serve as a unique opportunity to focus only on teaching and people skills. While open to certified instructors of all disciplines, you choose whether you take this clinic on either classic or skate cross-country skis.

 

New Webinars Offered This Year:

 

Cross Country Movement Analysis Series (Dec 10 & 17 – 4 CEUs) – This webinar series, led by Emily Lovett and Dale Drennan, asks you to submit videos of your Cross Country skiing to be reviewed with the group. Staff will let you into their thought process in MA, giving you the opportunity to learn from the best!

 

Pro Tip: If you attend both webinars, that combined 6 CEUs will count as a whole day of continuing education!

 

Other National XC Events that should be on your radar:

 

National Women’s Summit (Mar 3-5 @ Steamboat) – The Women’s Summit is a national gathering designed to elevate, empower, and connect women in snowsports education. This summit is about building networks, developing confidence, and finding the tools to transform aspiration into inspiration. Together, we’ll celebrate women who are shaping the future of our industry–and create space for the next generation to rise.

 

Cross Country National Academy (April 17-20 @ Mt. Bachelor, OR) – XC National Academy has been moved to the springtime! This end-of-season event promises to be an incredibly fun and inspiring way to wrap up the season, with clinics taught by current and former National Team members.

 

Assessments:

 

The Level 2/3/Trainer Assessment will be held Feb 2-3 @ Gold Run. If you don’t have your preps done but still want to join us for this event, please see our updated policy on Prep Courses.

 

There are, of course, plenty of Level 1 Preps and Assessments this year spread out around the state! Please encourage your staff and people you think should get their L1 to check out the events calendar!

 

Pro Tip: The same clinics and assessments you love (including Spring Fling, MA Performance, Teaching Beginner Skiers, and Level 1/2/3/Trainer Assessments) are on the calendar too – go check out the whole list at https://www.psia-rm.org/events/.

 

Phew!

 

That’s a lot of good events this year – you’d better sign up now before you forget!!

 

We’d like to finish this newsletter with a piece of XC intel that’s fascinating to learn (at least for one of our Ed Staff who raced in college):

 

There was a recent court settlement that requires all NCAA institutions to move from scholarship limits to roster limits. For those of us who grew up in the collegiate ski racing world, it is undeniable that this will change the future of college athletics, and it will change the way that our alma maters manage their racing teams. A UW graduate student recently wrote an op-ed about the impacts of this decision on collegiate ski racing – it’s worth the read.

 

Enjoy the last rays of summer, and we’ll see you on-snow soon!

 

The PSIA XC Ed Staff