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KERRY DODD 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?
When I started, the battle between ASAA and APSI was in full swing. While it was a tough time, I think it helped to form the strong Association that APSI is today. In those days there were very few Australians involved. I remember Pete Reynolds being a Rookie in 1978 when I failed my first attempt at the Associate, the Level 1 of the time. There was not a Red Book to my knowledge and it was all pretty loose.
Which Australian Snowsports School did/do you work with?
Did/do you also teach in the Northern Hemisphere and where?
What position/s did/do you hold in the APSI (include years held)?
Approximately how many members did/do the APSI have during your involvement?
Good question... no idea!
What made/makes you most proud of the APSI at that time?
So many milestones:
Interski Norway 1999, Interski Finland 2023
What important events happened during your time with the APSI?
I guess I covered this above, but I believe the Redbook and the Manual re-writes have been the cornerstone to our professional position. And embracing all forms of Snowsports.
With regard to your work with the APSI, what accomplishment/s are you most proud of? (share all that apply)
The fact that we stand as an independent organisation today. The debate with the ASAA was very heated again in the late 1990's. With the team we had at the time and the knowledge of Robyn Bowen, our Executive Administrator, we forged an updated Memorandum of Understanding that allowed us to remain well supported yet independent.
How did the above accomplishment/s change the APSI moving forward?
We remained! It really is that simple.
Describe how the APSI compared/s to international instructor organisations at that time?
That is a really interesting and almost impossible question to answer. I was lucky enough to work in both Austria and America. I worked hard to achieve my Tirolean Landes (5 weeks of amazing learning and skiing in Obergurgl) but not hard enough to start my National training. I guess it was an honorary Full Cert PSIA when working in Vail as it was only a week to complete.
I think we worked towards having a 4 Level certification system comparable to all international standards.
How did/do international organisations view the APSI? Was/is there much communication/sharing of information between organisations?
I believe that Aussie Instructors are held in high regard wherever they work. Our presence at Interski - what we bring and what take home. This congress has grown over the decades and facilitates the most communication and sharing between all the nations. But we can not under estimate that individual Aussie! Our work ethic and broad approach to teaching snow sports makes us great assets to any school.
I think my most memorable moment was with the Late (Great) Professor Hopplicher: In about 1994 I had the great pleasure of spending an afternoon with him. We talked for many hours about The APSI and skiing. He said, "the APSI is in the most enviable position. We have learnt and worked beside the Austrian and the Americans. We have the ability to make a year round career of instructing and our training and certifications are among the best in the world."
APSI Demo Team, Interski Japan 1995
APSI Demo Team, Interski Norway 1999
During your time with the APSI, who were some influential/inspiring people within the organisation?
So many, and I'm sure when I press send or read this article I will remember more.
From my early days going through my Levels some stand outs are Mike Porter, Peter Funkhauser, Alexi Sudan and Peter Reynolds (as mentioned earlier as a Rookie Trainers amongst all the Internationals).
My peers and those that kept me going: Brad Spalding, Rhonda van Heek (nee Sloan), Jill O'Malley (nee Gibson) and Libby Bow (nee Jenkins) in the early days. Then Josie Priess, Bob Irwin and Mike and Mim Sodergren.
And from a committee point of view: Les, the first paid administrator, Robyn Bowen a force to be reckoned with (thank you, I learnt so much), Don McInnes and Colin Hackworth (we didn't always agree, but we forged the APSI to what it is today) and all the people that volunteered hours of work on Technical Committees from 1974 to today.
Please share a funny or interesting APSI story from your time with the APSI.
Is there anything else that you think would be interesting to share about your time with the APSI?
It only dawned on me the other day that my career as an instructor and the APSI both turn 50 in 2024! When I turned down the invite to join the very small and elite Falls Creek Race Club in 1974 to teach skiing with the Falls Creek Ski School with very little (ok no training) beside a very small team of Austrians I had no idea 50 years later I would still be teaching, coaching and training skiers of every age and stage of their journey on the snow.
Kerry Dodd, Interski Finland 2023