Shannon Rucker's "My Level II Preparation in 10 Steps"

My Level II Preparation in 10 Steps

by: Shannon Rucker

It takes more than you think.

I've always been good at tests and I didn't realize how much of a hindrance this was for me until recently. My first season at Liberty, I took my Level I examination and passed at the end of the season. I moved into my second year assuming I would clinic some and work on my Level II skiing for the following year and that's what I did.

I went to ProJam and did the Level II ski prep group. I was excited and knew these 5 days were going to get me nearly ready to take the exam. I figured that coupled with a little extra work back at Liberty and I would be in great shape for an end of the season exam. I was horrifically wrong. I learned a lot at Pro Jam and my skiing definitely improved however; what I didn't realize was exactly how far away from the standard I was. I left somewhat frustrated and upset. This was compounded when I heard the same thing upon my return to Liberty.

I clinic'ed frequently on my return (every Saturday and Sunday) but never felt as though I was making any real progress. No one told me I was getting better or closer to my goal. One day while whining/sulking with another instructor in the dungeon between lessons, Becky Frederick overheard us complaining about not being ready for Level II. She asked us how we were coming along with the manuals.

Manuals? What manuals?

Becky informed us that (at a minimum), we should be familiar with the Alpine Technical Manual, Core Concepts, and Children's Manual. I went home and ordered the books that night. That day was the day I realized I was actually going to need a plan to be successful at this goal. I wasn't going to be able to just be a good 'test taker' and succeed. I was going to have to work.

The following is the basic structure of my plan that led me to attaining my Level II skiing:

1. Purchase the above 3 manuals, download the exam guide and study guide, buy Capron's DVD

2. Read the above 3 manuals and guides and watch Capron's DVD

3. Re-read the above 3 manuals and guides making notes and jotting down questions. (Example: "what is a leaper and why is it an exam task? How does it relate to the standard?")

4. Get the answers to the questions I wrote down (in clinic, in the locker room, in my own lessons that I taught and 'self discovered' the answers, by re-reading the materials)

5. Have your skiing evaluated in the 3 arenas by our clinicians and demo divas: demos, drills/stupid human tricks, and mountain skiing. Make notes as to what you need to work on

6. Develop a training schedule. This will be personal to everybody but across the board, it should involve double the skiing you think it should. Mine looked like this:

• Clinic only once each weekend to prevent information overload
• Determine which 2 things you need to work on the most. Practice them in each clinic and share them with your clinician when they ask at the beginning "what are you working on"
• Go to every conceivable weeknight exam prep clinic you can manage
• On the day you are not clinic'ing, get to the mountain at the same time and go practice the 2 things you need to work on in your own skiing for that first hour before lineup
• Each time you do not 'catch' a lesson, go ski. With purpose. Work on the things you need to work on, drill the drills you are weak on. Especially when it's raining/icy/cold/windy/you're tired
• At the end of the day after your last lineup, go ski at least 2-3 runs
• During every lesson, practice perfect demos and skiing: be forward when you get off the chair lift, skate appropriately when getting your group to the chairlift or skating up the hill to ski with the next skier, make sure you've got a touch of counter when you're showing wedge turns, etc

7. Listen to the training staff. They know what they're doing. If they say you're not ready, believe them. If they say you're close or you're there: be honest with yourself. Will an unsuccessful attempt crush you? If so, prep a little bit more so you're closer to a 2.3 consistently.

8. Listen to yourself. Once you're committed: be mindful as to how much 'new' information you take in. Last thing you want to do is try something new in your skiing at your exam. For example: one of my last clinics was with Brian McVicker (who is amazing). We were working on pivot slips. I was not doing them well. This began shaking my confidence and 'gunking' up my skiing. I politely told him I needed to leave the clinic and then skied 2-3 runs with my normal focus to come back to a confident place.

9. When you're successful: thank everybody who helped you: Your clinicians, your examiners, your friends and colleagues who supported you, and your family who put up with you.

10. Celebrate and then continue improving. While you might not need to put in as many hours as you have been to maintain/improve, it's important that you make the hours you put in quality hours.

Just as you accomplish that, it's time to start thinking about the teaching exam. How I prepped for my teaching exam:

*attend the preseason Movement Analysis workshops at the mountain and in Annapolis (and always when inclement weather causes us to do it indoors during the season)

1. Purchase the above 3 manuals and download the exam guide and exam study guide

2. Read the above 3 manuals and guides

3. Re-read the above 3 manuals and guides making notes and jotting down questions (example: "What is VAK?")

4. Get the answers to the questions you wrote down (in clinic, in the locker room, in your own lessons that you teach and 'self discover' the answers)

5. Understudy lessons from instructors and clinicians you respect (if you're not sure where to start, talk to the training staff). Make sure this is done with both 'regular' classes and in a CLC/junior dev setting

6. As early in the process as possible: sit down indoors with Tom Swope or Stuart Ginsberg (or someone similar) to get a grasp of how the exam works and how to build a lesson plan/progression and get used to 'cards'. The earlier you can get familiar with structure...the better. I wish I had done this sooner

7. Begin teaching upper level lessons. Figure out what goes well and what is challenging for you. Use this to help you develop your focus of what you need to work on (movement analysis, prescribing a fix, developing a progression, presenting the info, etc). Work on those things:

• Work on them while you ride the chairlift.
• Work on them while you teach lessons.
• Work on MA with students/skiers coming at you, going away from you, from the chair, etc.
• Run progressions/questions by training staff while standing at lineup.
• Re-read your books during your lunch break.
• Go home and watch skiing videos on YouTube. Analyze the movements. Figure out a plan/prescription. Develop a progression.
• Have a ‘study buddy’ you can bounce your ideas off when you’re done (ideally this should be someone in a mentor capacity however; a buddy who is also prepping may be helpful at times)

8. Get back with Stu or Tom and practice the cards outdoors on the mountain (believe me, it’s different outdoors)

9. Immediately after #8, go review the exam guide to see the 4 elements they will be scoring you on for each module. Evaluate your performance and ask if you did those 4 things well.

10. Repeat. More than double what you think you should. I honestly spent hours each week reading and writing and thinking and drilling in bare feet at home in the weeks leading up to my exam.

Some other helpful resources and things I've learned:

-http://divaskitips.blogspot.com/ is packed with awesome information (and the answers to many of your questions as well as sample drills and progressions)

-ProJam is worth the money if you can manage it

-Getting/being very fit in the offseason drastically improved my skiing

-Learning to self coach/"feel" has allowed my greatest improvement. There's not always a clinician available, but if I can learn to coach myself then I don't always need them

-Seek out other resources: I got some great pocket size materials from other instructors, I found helpful blogs online, I practiced transferred learning from other areas of my life so I got better at it for my students.