1 WINTER 2015 The Official Publication of the ProfessionalSnow Ski Instructors of America Eastern / Education Foundation Regions 1 & 2 Election Issue Pro PSIA-E Spring Rally for ALL Disciplines! – March 28-29, 2015 Mount Snow, VT nce a year we invite ALL PSIA and AASI members for one final hurrah! All Alpine, AASI, Adaptive and Nordic members are invited. The Spring ORally is a great way to catch up on your PSIA-E/AASI education credits and ski or ride with new and old friends for the weekend. Ski and ride groups are organized according to certification needs, ski experience and education desires. The Annual Spring Rally race (optional) will be held on Sunday. The Mount Enjoy the Bluebird Express and bluebird day skiing and riding at the Eastern Division Spring Academy & Rally at Mount Snow, VT! Snow Bud Light Reggae Fest provides lots of entertainment with live music, Sink or Skim competition and Duct Tape Derby. You can expect this party to be swinging, with music entertainment and lots of great people. PSIA-E Alpine Spring Academy - Mount Snow Grand Summit and Snow Lake Lodge are offering discounted March 26-29, 2015, Mount Snow, VT lodging for PSIA AASI members. There are also many other properties offering discount lodging as well, please refer to the Eastern Website for complete listing under “feature events.” ome join the new Alpine Eastern Team Members as they prepare you If you are looking for a fun, dynamic and educational event for the end of the for skiing out West this spring! You can expect plenty of ski time and season, then this is it. Coaches working this event will consist of PSIA-E Examiners Clots of individual feedback at this event! This clinic will focus on tech- and PSIA-E Eastern Team members. The groups will be small, with a maximum niques and tactics to deal with the conditions du jour which helps prepare skiers of 8 members per trainer. You can expect plenty of ski time and lots of individual for a broader range of conditions. The groups will be small with a maximum of feedback! eight members per coach. Four skiing filled days will provide a fun, dynamic and Start now to gather up your friends and colleagues for this end of season hurrah educational event for the end of season. in March at Mount Snow! Register online NOW at: www.psia-e.org/ev/feature-events/ spring-academy-spring-rally << Après-Ski and other Activities include: • Saturday: Après-ski with all Spring Rally participants at 4:00pm – Join in Mount Event 205 – Alpine Spring Academy March 26-29 $350 Snow’s Bud Light Reggaefest with live music! • Sunday: Participate in the Annual Spring Rally Race (optional) or sign up to join Event 206 – Alpine Spring Rally March 28-29 $195 in the Bud Light Sink or Skim competition. Event 475 – AASI Spring Rally March 28-29 $195 Spring skiing doesn’t get any better than this. You won’t want to miss this one. The Spring Academy registration deadline is March 11, 2015. Event 580 – Adaptive Spring Rally March 28-29 $195 Event 678 – Telemark Spring Rally March 28-29 $195 inside President’s Message 2 Zipperline 4 Around the Regions 7 Candidate Profiles 10 Your Turn 27 Photo credit: Mount Snow, VT Photo credit: Mount Snow, 2 I am happy to report that we have made significant president’s message progress in negotiating a new affiliation agreement PSIA - Eastern for the Eastern Division with the PSIA-AASI national Education Foundation and Eric Jordan association. We are down to one remaining issue and PSIA/AASI - Eastern Division we continue to working on language that will be ac- reetings Eastern ceptable to both parties. This language centers around Staff members, I hope disclosure/transparency of divisional agreements. Michael J. Mendrick Gyour season is go- The good news is that all parties are in support of the Executive Director Don Haringa ing well. As you could expect, concept, the tricky part has been finding language that Director of Education & Programs everyone can agree to. I am hopeful that we can have things have been very busy on Sue Tamer the PSIA front and our Eastern this wrapped up shortly so that we can sign off on a Director of Operations Division office staff has been new long term agreement in the near future. The good working diligently to provide you with the highest news is we are very close and your BOD is committed Board of Directors level of member service possible! to making this happen. President We have also been very busy implementing our As you may have read in the recent edition of 32 Eric Jordan Vice President “Push for Public Awareness” campaign” (PPA). Dur- degrees, National will be implementing a $6 increase Ross Boisvert ing the month of January, you will be seeing an exciting next year. In an effort help to absorb this increase and Immediate Past President new twist to our PPA campaign. We will be giving away make your membership as affordable as possible, I Ron Kubicki several “Lift, Learn & Turn” packages to the general am proud to announce that the Eastern Division Region I public; in fact – one for each of our seven Eastern is not planning a dues increase for 2015-16 Director – Tom Butler Division regions from Maine to North Carolina. Our season. This will mark the fifth consecutive Representative – Ross Boisvert new ads will direct consumers to our web site where season that your eastern dues have not been Region II increased. Equally as important, we have been Director – Katherine Rockwell they can register to win a free day of skiing as well as (Secretary, PSIA-E) a free private lesson from a “certified pro” at a resort avoiding dues increase without decreasing the services Representative – Curtis Cowles of their choice. This exciting program would not be that you want and need from us and even though our Region III possible without the generous donations from mem- budget has remained steady at $1.8 million for 7 Director – Dave Beckwith bers. We received $2695 from 27 members which has consecutive years. Representative – Richard Paret allowed us to enhance the PPA program and giveaway That’s all for now. As always, please feel free Region IV these free lift and learn packages to further promote to contact me or your regional representative if you Director – Bob Shostek have any suggestions, thoughts or concerns. I can be Representative – Steve Kling our members as well as the value of taking a lesson (Treasurer, PSIA-E) from a certified pro. reached at [email protected]. << Region V As long as we are talking about the generosity of Director – Wendy Frank our Eastern members, how about THIS? In two hours Representative – Dick Fox at our annual ProJam & Master’s Academy raffle Region VI YOU donated more than $8,100 to the Education Director – Brian Smith Representative – Jack Jordan Foundation – a record amount by more than $1,000! TEACHING Region VII That is more than $10,000 voluntarily contributed by Director – Paul Crenshaw Eastern members so far this season to enhance both the way it was Representative –Ty Johnson our promotional and educational scholarship efforts. That is awesome – thank you! MEANT TO BE. Committee Chairpersons As you may have heard, we mixed things up a bit Umbrella Steering Committee Park City Mountain Resort is looking for certified Ross Boisvert this year and decided to hold our annual member- ski & snowboard instructors and supervisors Alpine Education & Certification Committee for the 2014-2015 season! ship meeting at the start of the season during Pro Peter Howard Jam versus at the end of the year during the Spring Snowsports School Management Committee Rally. This change was extremely well received and Deb Goslin we had the largest turnout in years. More than 80 Alpine Education Staff/BOE members were in attendance and we received some Keith Hopkins excellent questions, feedback and suggestions. Due to Children’s Committee this success, we are once again planning to hold our Jeff "Jake" Jacobsen PSIA Representative annual membership meeting at Pro Jam next year. If Bill Beerman you missed this year’s meeting, I would encourage to Adaptive Advisor attend your annual regional meeting. These meeting Kathy Chandler are very informative and they provide you with a great Nordic Coordinator opportunity to ask questions and give your input re- Mickey Stone garding the direction of the organization. You should AASI Advisor be receiving information from your regional Board of Ted Fleischer Interested certified instructors should visit Race Programs Committee Directors shortly regarding the dates, locations and parkcitymountain.com/jobs for more information. Brian Smith times of your upcoming meetings (see Around the Apply online or submit a resume to: Dave Lundberg Area Rep Program Coordinator Regions for updates on dates and regional contact Ski & Snowboard School Senior Manager Joan Heaton information). Park City Mountain Resort PO Box 39, Park City, UT 84060 435.658.5559 . [email protected] 3 • Each package winner will be informed of the The Official Publication of the ProfessionalSnow Ski Instructors of America Eastern / Education Foundation executive tracks participating resorts in their region and instructed MICHAEL MENDRICK, to contact the Eastern Division office in advance to Pro EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Volume 41, Number 4 request a date and resort for their complimentary lift Michael J. Mendrick, Editor Eastern Division ticket and private one-hour lesson. The official publication of the Professional • We will coordinate communication between Ski Instructors of America-Eastern Promotion supports the package winner and snowsports school to ensure Education Foundation Learn to Ski & all parties are fully informed (including the school 1-A Lincoln Avenue director) of the guest visit plans.