TPS Archives

Reprints From The Professional Skier

Fall 1997 - "Teaching Parents To Be Effective Mileage Coaches" by Grant Nakamura and Katie Harvey-Fry

This article is reprinted from The Professional Skier. All copyrights apply. Please see our copyright and disclaimer notice page.

Parents that are proficient skiers or snowboarders; often enroll their children in ski school expecting that soon they will be able to ski or ride together as a family. It's an admirable goal but one filled with potential frustration for parent and child alike--unless the parents know how to take over where instructors leave off .

Teaching children to ski and snowboard is an ongoing process that requires more focused practice than students can get through weekly lessons over the course of the season. If you are a children's instructor, you have a valuable opportunity to train parents to be mileage coaches who serve an active role in their child's learning process. With a little effort, parents who ski and snowboard with their children can become your unseen assistants.

The Learning Partnership

The first step in grooming parents to become mileage coaches is to establish a learning partnership between you, the child, and his or her parents. Discuss all the partners' hopes and needs--including your own--before each lesson to open channels of communication that are often overlooked. A discussion that involves all the partners lets everyone know what to expect and when milestones have been achieved, and your openness in this regard brings the parents deeper into the learning process. When parents understand how you plan to help their child become more versatile in the mountain environment and know that you are willing to discuss the plan, they often become more involved in the learning partnership.

Parents need to be involved, whether or not they realize it. Some parents attempt to give up much of their responsibility in the learning partnership--the "drop-off-and-run parents." Other parents--the "Little League parents"--may be a bit on the over-involved side. As the instructor and coach you need to be proactive, that is, help the parents find their appropriate role in the learning partnership rather than let them struggle to find their place and then react to their frustration later. This is not always an easy task, but it is definitely worth the effort.

Encouraging them to be mileage coaches helps the "Little League parents" by showing them that their child's enjoyment of the sport is not based solely on how the child performs. Involved parents begin to see that their child is developing as a whole individual: intellectually, emotionally, and socially, as well as physically. For under-involved parents the obvious benefit of becoming mileage coaches is that they are more involved in the partnership and can see how their child is growing as a skier or snowboarder.

The Learning Situation

Establishing the learning partnership is only part of the parent-to-mileage-coach conversion process though. Instructors must also consider the time they will spend interacting with the parents. Season-long programs, for example, offer different opportunities to interact with parents than week-long lesson plans do. School programs, walk-in group lessons, and one-time private lessons provide much less exposure to your students' parents than season-long programs. You need to tailor your interaction with the family for each situation, but the goal is still the same: open the lines of communication and establish goals and objectives for your students.

Season-long programs give you the opportunity to see or talk with the child's parents each week. And providing that you established goals and milestones early in the season through conversations with the family, all partners should share the same game plan. The "drop-off-and-run parents" will require more work on your part, and you may need to make some phone calls to update them on their child's development. As the parents see your commitment to their child's development, they may also decide to increase their level of involvement. Encourage the families to ski or ride together during the week so they can reinforce the things you've covered in your lessons.

When the family is taking part in a week long program, your goals and milestones are, of course, less extravagant. You should focus instead on how to fill this short time with enjoyment and vibrant experiences, a task that takes planning and very good communication between you and the family at the beginning of the week. Be prepared to provide the family with updates and suggestions for practice at the end of each day's lesson.

Mileage Coaching

To ensure that the child continues to improve even after the lesson ends, you need to share some information with the parents. Let them know that you especially want to go over the lesson with them when it's over. This is your opportunity to tell the parents which goals were met and which ones are still on the horizon. You can discuss the activities you covered during the lesson and the games the child especially enjoyed.

The parents may also want to know where you spent your time on the mountain and what terrain is appropriate for the family to explore together. When you advise parents on this matter, be specific. For example: "Today we worked on moving from foot to foot while skiing to improve your child's balance and weight transfer skills. This was especially effective when we skied steeper terrain. We spent most of the day on blue trails but tried an easier black diamond trail after lunch. I recommend that as a family you stay on blue terrain until your child and I have more time to work on balance and weight transfer skills on steeper terrain."

Here are some ideas to share with parents:

a Relate how the child's accomplishments met the parents' desires and the child's needs.
a Tell parents about the types of turns their child is making, and describe what terrain is most appropriate for their child's continued development in his or her comfort and challenge zones. Warn them of their child's "Yikes!" zone, that is, the terrain that is intimidating to the child, thereby inhibiting rather than enhancing learning.
a Explain any specific things the child should be practicing. Share certain cues you used in the lesson to help refine movements, and relate these cues to movements the parents can easily observe. This will help them determine if the child is performing the movements correctly. Cues can be anything you used to help the student practice, whether it is a game, a song, an image, etc.
a Recommend the next step for the child. Share your expectations of their child's performance: Is he or she in a holding pattern where a lot of practice and vertical feet are needed or is the child almost ready for a major change in skills? Should the child stay on terrain that's comfortable or move to slopes that are more challenging?

Many parents are good skiers or snowboarders and have considerable experience planning a day at a ski resort. But despite this experience, they might not know how to apply it to a day spent on the trails with the family. Keep in mind that some families have never before been to a resort and have no idea what to expect during their stay at your area. This is where you, as "resort ambassador," can positively affect any given family's time together.

Here are some examples of advice to give parents who are planning a day of skiing or snowboarding at your area with their children:.

a Remember to eat a good breakfast.
a Don't forget to bring water and snacks, sunscreen, and proper clothing.
a Be aware of the peaks and valleys in children's performances throughout the day.
a Pace the day: Take time for a morning break/snack, eat lunch at the usual time, and have another break/snack in the afternoon. (Recommend specific areas at your resort that offer easy access to eating facilities and bathrooms.)

Other sage advice to pass on to parents is that they divide the day into thirds--for play, practice (drills), and adventure. This method is also an effective way for parents to keep their children excited about the sport. Recommend the family structure the day this way to help remind the child of your lesson and its content. A day divided into thirds allows the child to apply skiffs in many different situations, from playful to serious. Using skills in this wide spectrum of contexts will deepen the child's learning and versatility.

Here are some tips for helping children and parents shape their day of play, practice, and adventure:

a Ask your students to tell their parents what their favorite runs are. Let them take their parents where they love to go.
a Suggest that the parents give their children goals on where to ski and stop, enabling them to have freedom while the parents are still able to keep an eye on them.
a Encourage the parents to let their children lead down the runs, allowing them to show their parents what they have learned.
a Have the children share their favorite games and exercises with their parents.
a Remind the parents that their children may fatigue sooner than they do, so tone down the terrain but turn up the adventure at the end of the day.
a If your area has a U.S. Forest Service naturalist, suggest that the parents seek out this resource for an afternoon adventure.
a If your resort has a program that highlights the relationship between the ski area and its natural environment, such as SK-ECOLOGY, explain to the family how they can make use of the program.

Parents are vital partners in their child's learning experience. As the child's other partner, you have a great opportunity to encourage parents to become more involved in their child's development. To begin the parent-to-mileage coaches conversion process, chat with the family before the lesson to learn about their desires and needs. Be willing to share your assessment and recommendations for practice to nourish the process. Finally, provide suggestions that will help parents plan their family's recreational ski days in ways that will foster their children's skiing growth and development. Parents who evolve into mileage coaches not only can increase the whole family's enjoyment of the sport, but they can make your job more fun and rewarding.

Grant Nakamura, M.D., is a member of the junior Education Team (JETs). He is a Level III certified instructor at the Afton Alps and Blizzard ski schools in Minnesota.

Katie Harvey-Fry is a member of the Alpine Demonstration Team and an examiner for PSIA-RM. In addition, she is a Level III certified instructor and an instructor trainer at the Ski Schools of Aspen in Colorado.