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ANDREW RAE People of APSI |
Certification/s and year achieved.
What was training with the APSI like when you achieved your certification and how would you compare it to current times?
The APSI both now and in the past have always strived to provide exceptional training to its members, the only difference is back then we had more international trainers for our in-house training, showing how many Aussies we now try to promote.
Secondly my personal journey allowed me to experience/attempt things like Interski and providing training earlier in my certification process than most people today. I assume now days the APSI expects some experience before signing people up.... understandable now when I reflect on it.
Which Australian Snowsports School did/do you work with?
Perisher 1992- still here as the current custodian of the Snowsports school. I have also worked in Falls Creek (loved the experience) and many years full time for the APSI.
Did/do you also teach in the Northern Hemisphere and where?
What position/s did/do you hold in the APSI (include year's held)?
Coaching the APSI National Demonstration Team, 2007 Interski, PyeongChang, Korea
APSI National Demonstration Team, Interski 2015, Ushuaia, Argentina
Interski 2007, Pyeongchang, South Korea
Approximately how many members did/do the APSI have during your involvement?
Approximately 750 members up to today.
What made/makes you most proud of the APSI at that time?
Simply the dedication of those who worked their hardest to help the APSI evolve over the years with whatever resources we had available to us, no matter how limited they were in the beginning.
What important events happened during your time with the APSI?
With regard to your work with the APSI, what accomplishment/s are you most proud of? (share all that apply)
Helping guide the updates of multiple ski and snowboard teaching manuals as well as introducing the APSI App.
I am most proud of how we were able to share the knowledge of past trainers like Mike Sodergren into a format that is not only easier to digest but also easier to understand when and why to use this knowledge. I clearly remember the exercises Mike taught me, and I hope the work we all did on those projects helped others do their job better.
How did the above accomplishment/s change the APSI moving forward?
I think it helped the APSI look at itself, pull apart what we offered and strive to evolve by moving forward and constantly make improvements.
Describe how the APSI compared/s to international instructor organisations at that time?
I feel as though many international organisations underestimated the APSI until they either skied/rode with us or spoke to us about what we were trying to achieve from the other side of the world. That is when many international organisations appreciated what we had to offer.
Front: Tim Robertson, Left: Andrew Rae, Right: Richard Jameson, Back: Chris Allen
How did/do international organisations view the APSI? Was/is there much communication/sharing of information between organisations?
This changed over time, I will give you an example; at my first Interski we were on older equipment than others (behind in technology) and we were lucky to receive even a handout from those countries presenting to bring home and learn from.
Over my time with the growth of social media and technology the world has gotten smaller, this includes the sharing of Snowsports technique. However, face to face experiences like Interski still give us all a live comparison of organisations, in comparison to social media where the highest 'likes' to determine what I see. Events like Interski still remain a place where we can view other organisations and they can view us, while technology has allowed us to share more information more often and more efficiently.
During your time with the APSI, who were some influential/inspiring people within the organisation?
There are so many, here are some key people:
Please share a funny or interesting APSI story from your time with the APSI.
I have plenty of personal 'funny experiences' that happened to me along the way, i.e. Taking notes while Bruce Hawkins showed me how to teach a first-time lesson 15 minutes before, I had to take over and teach before I had even signed up for the 'hiring clinic' OR trying out for Interski in my first year, all before attempting my level one, because my brother was doing it.
However, the teaching philosophy of one of my colleagues who I worked with in my first few seasons always sticks in my mind. To keep this person anonymous let's just call him 'Ben".
Ben used to choose an exercise or teaching concept for the day (sometimes the week) like 'down stemming' and he would teach every guest he had that this concept no matter whether they needed it or not.
Although this may not have produced the greatest guest experience and I certainly do not condone the practice, it did help Ben become a better Instructor. It helped him work out what exercise worked with which student and at what ability level.
Today however the APSI helps new members work this out through specific training as opposed to the 'process of elimination' approach.
This story sticks in my mind as it taught me to be 'inventive' with my teaching, this is something I still try to do today.