Description:
The Freestyle Specialist 1 affirms that the instructor is qualified to teach freestyle in the beginner/novice zone on beginner/novice terrain (typically identified as “green”) as well as extra small to small terrain park features. Candidates will review, and be assessed in, the basics of park and pipe (as available), skiing/riding skills, and teaching techniques. Please reference the PSIA-AASI Freestyle Specialist National Standards for more information.
The Freestyle Specialist 1 is an assessment based certificate that provides instruction to aid participants in acquiring knowledge of teaching introductory level Freestyle lessons AND evaluates the achievement of the intended learning outcomes. Certificates are awarded to those who meet the Specialist Standards.
The event is run with either an Alpine-specific or a Snowboard-specific focus. Attendees must participate in either Alpine equipment for the Alpine Freestyle Specialist 1 (which is noted in the event title) or Snowboard equipment for the Snowboard Freestyle Specialist 1.
The Freestyle Specialist E-Learning Course must be completed before registering for your on-snow event. This E-Learning Course is offered in a Snowboard or Skiing track, costs $25, and offers 1 CEU credit upon completion. You can access the course here:
- Freestyle Specialist E-Learning Course for Snowboard Track
- Freestyle Specialist E-Learning Course for Skiing Track
Learning Experiences:
Specific activities will vary depending on the group’s needs and environmental conditions and typically include:
- Recognizing verbal and non-verbal communication with trainers, peers, and mentors.
- Understanding professionalism, behavioral responses to emotions, and the roles of instructor self-awareness and self-management
in the snowsports learning environment.
- Identifying active listening strategies, motivation tactics, emotional needs of the group, and the role of social awareness in group dynamics.
- Planning learning outcomes in the beginner/novice freestyle zone.
- Implementing learning experiences in the beginner/novice freestyle environment.
- Identifying and communicating performance changes.
- Practicing the application of discipline-specific fundamentals in isolation and combination – in or on a variety of terrain features.
- Varying tactics for speed, pop, spin, and line to develop the versatility required at the FS 1 level.
- Off-snow activities such as cross training to enhance agility, strength, and kinesthetic awareness.
- Group activities, with instructors performing various tasks and discussing the similarities and differences of each.
- Analyzing freestyle skiing/snowboarding to better understand practical applications of discipline-specific fundamentals.
- Exploring how to apply TIRD (timing, intensity, rate, and duration) to discipline-specific fundamentals, based on the desired freestyle outcome.
- Taking e-learning courses and studying recent PSIA-AASI educational materials in various formats.
- Attending local, regional, and national education events.
- Group activities, with instructors performing various tasks and discussing the similarities and differences of each.
- Analyzing freestyle skiing/snowboarding to better understand practical applications of discipline-specific fundamentals.
- Exploring how to apply TIRD to discipline-specific fundamentals, based on the desired freestyle outcome.
- Using different types, sizes, adjustments, and purposes of gear in multiple types of terrain and snow conditions.
Learning Outcomes:
- Able to utilize verbal and non-verbal communication to support the emotional state of a subset within the group in the freestyle environment (Assessed when teaching)
- Plans learning outcomes and organizes progressive learning experiences relevant to beginner/novice students in the freestyle environment.
- Facilitates learning experiences that guide students toward the agreed-upon outcome and engages them in the process in the freestyle environment.
- Uses the discipline-specific fundamentals to demonstrate desired freestyle outcomes in beginner freestyle terrain, including extra small and small features.
- Uses current PSIA-AASI resources to identify and describe elements of a personal or observed performance; applying discipline-specific fundamentals and considering tactics and equipment choices.
- Articulates an accurate cause-and-effect relationship between equipment and body performance within any single discipline-specific fundamental – comparing one phase of ATML to another and taking equipment choices and stance setup into consideration – to offer a relevant prescription for change for riders performing FS 1 activities.
Prerequisite(s):
Discipline Level I Certified
Recommended Learning Resources:
Recommended: Review Freestyle Technical Manual
Equipment/Materials Needed:
Twin tip skis are highly recommended OR any board that feels comfortable to try freestyle maneuvers on.
Find Events Like this on the Eastern Calendar:
Freestyle Specialist 1 information is available on the Eastern website at https://easternsnowpros.org/education/freestyle-specialist/