Canadian Association of Nordic Ski Instructors

XC Ski Your Best Program Posted on Jun 30th, 2006

1 comment

The XC Ski Your Best Program is skills award program administered by CANSI certified instructors to skiers whose focus is improving their skiing technique. It also provides an option for higher level skiers who don’t necessarily want to become certified instructors. Participants achieve different levels based on the skills they demonstrate across the different cross-country ski maneuvers. In 2005-2006 season the program was piloted by 1 club (the High Park Ski Club in Toronto) with 10 instructors and approximately 60 students participating.

Does this maneuver-based program work with CANSI’s skills-based approach to instruction? Instructor feedback was that it helps provide structure by putting skills into context of achievement for students.

Other instructor feedback:

• It was effective for grouping people of similar skill levels to create uniform classes
• It was a great way of putting end-of-lesson individual feedback in context (ie, reinforce the skills that need to be developed to perform a maneuver at a particular level)
• Instructors were able to administer the program themselves but stressed the need for training to be able to better apply the criteria!

Revisions to elements of the program:

• New name: “XC” Ski Your Best Program (to differentiate from a “Telemark” Ski Your Best equivalent, which could be developed in the future).
• Revised class card:
  - Eliminated/merged some maneuvers for a smaller card
  - Downhill section that applies to both classic and skate
  - Fits onto 1 side of page for easier printing, ease-of-use
• Criteria, and student information sheet also revised

Next steps for next season?

• Instructor training on how to administer the program will be piloted
• Two other clubs (Tony Chin at Hollyburn in BC, and Keith Payne at Blow Me Down in Newfoundland) intend to administer the program next year
• Discussion topic for the technical committee [to discuss at Silver Star?]: How can this program work so that individual CANSI instructors are in a position to administer it (ie, without the need for instructor training in a club setting)?

Steve Gentles
XC Technical Director
CANSI Ontario