How to Prepare for Your Child’s First Ski Lesson

By Herbert K. Naito

He spent 40 years in the medical profession. For fun, he coached skiing for over 20 years. He is a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America, and is certified in Alpine Skiing, Level 2; Adaptive Specialist, Level 1; Children’s Specialist, Level 2; and Children’s Specialist Trainer. Currently he is employed by the Vail Ski Resort Management Group and is presently on the Vail Educational Staff. He was the former Director of the Children’s Advanced Training Specialist, and the Express Pre-School Ski School Programs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781663209900

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Copyright © 2021 Herbert K. Naito.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or

mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the

written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-0926-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-0990-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020918763

iUniverse rev. date: 03/22/2021

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SOMETHING ABOUT THE AUTHOR

He spent 40 years in the medical profession. For fun, he coached skiing for over 20 years. He is a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America, and is certified in Alpine Skiing, Level 2; Adaptive Specialist, Level 1; Children’s Specialist, Level 2; and Children’s Specialist Trainer. Currently he is employed by the Vail Ski Resort Management Group and is presently on the Vail Educational Staff. He was the former Director of the Children’s Advanced Training Specialist, and the Express Pre-School Ski School Programs.

INTRODUCTION

It happened to me. It may have happened to you too; not only once, but twice, or even more. How many times have you gone into the store to purchase a product or service, only to find that the salesperson misdirected you and you were not satisfied? Perhaps, you did not do your research to prepare yourself to purchase what you were really looking for and you were at the mercy of the salesperson. This is no different in the Snow Sport industry. If you do not know how to select the best ski instructor available, you will probably be handed any available coach who is currently available; some good, some not so good. This book is intended to prepare yourself every step of the way, from how to mentally prepare your child for the first ski lesson, how to dress for the outdoors, preparing for safety, getting the right equipment, what to expect from the first lesson, to how to choose the right coach. No stone will be left unturned; you will be fully prepared for your child’s first ski lesson. Many of the common ski tools are copyright protected; thus, I have substituted words that are similar to the original words (plastic hoop, flying/plastic disc, people mover/conveyer belt, ski harnesses, ski-tip connector).

I would like to graciously thank Jennifer Barnwell (PSIA Alpine, Level 1), a local photographer, and Jon Stepelton (PSIA Alpine, Level 3; PSIA Telemark, Level 3; Children’s Specialist, Level 2), graphic artist, for their outstanding work and artistry, which allowed me to put this book together. This published book was made possible by a generous grant from the Dr. and Mrs. Herbert K. Naito Charitable Foundation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Something About the Author

Introduction

Chapter 1: Mentally Preparing your Child for Skiing

Determining the Proper Age to Begin this Sport:

PSIA CAP Model

To Evaluate Whether Or Not Your Child Is Ready For Skiing, Here Is A Checklist:

Motivating Your Child:

Figuring Out What your Child Wants to Learn:

Chapter 2: How to Prepare Your Child for the Outdoors

Proper Ski Clothing Outfit:

Chapter 3 : Obtaining the Proper Equipment

Proper Skis:

Proper Helmet:

Proper Ski Goggles:

Proper Ski Boots:

Proper Ski Poles:

Chapter 4 : Preparing for Safety

Frostbite

Allergies:

Chapter 5 : What you Should Expect from Your Child’s First Lesson

What to expect for a 3- to 4-year-old Student

What to expect for a 5- to 7-year-old Student

What to expect for the 8-year-old and older Student:

Chapter 6 : How to Choose the Best Coach for Your Child

What to Ask the Snow Sport or Scheduling Desk

The Critical Importance of Bonding and Trust

REFERENCES

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CHAPTER 1

Mentally Preparing your Child for Skiing

Not every child is mentally and emotionally prepared to leave their parents and take their first ski lesson. They may experience separation anxiety, and some will be physically too young to venture out into the cold to want to learn how to ski. This chapter will focus on four things:

16229.png Determining the proper age to begin this sport

16229.png How to motivate your child to want to learn to ski

16229.png Figuring out what your child really wants to learn

16229.png How to assess if your child is mentally, physically, and socially ready to tackle this sport

006_a_reigun.tif

Figure 1. A child that doesn’t want to go skiing and is pouting because

he is not motivated and is not mentally prepared to go skiing

Determining the Proper Age to Begin this Sport:

The Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA), educates, trains, and certifies instructors in various disciplines, i.e., Alpine skiing, Snowboarding, Cross-country skiing, Free-style Skiing, Adaptive skiing, Telemarketing skiing, and Children’s Specialist skiing. the PSIA CAP Model 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 24, 29, 33 (Figure 2) is used extensively for assessing a child’s mental, emotional/social, and physical developmental stages. This model helps the instructors to better understand each child’s readiness, and to help prepare an appropriate lesson specifically for your child. It will also, help you, as a parent, to understand about the