The USSA Sport Education Presentation Series is made up of live webinars led by respected speakers on a variety of topics of interest to ski and snowboard coaches. The live webinar format allows any coach across the country to participate and ask questions. These presentations are an excellent way for coaches to gain new ideas that they can implement in the upcoming season. The webinars also count as continuing education for certified coaches*. If you cannot attend the webinar live, you may also register to view the recorded version.

2012 Presentation Schedule

October 11 5-6pm MDT

Effective Communication and Feedback Strategies for Coaches, Lauren Loberg, PhD
Dr. Loberg is a former elite athlete who is now part of the performance psychology consulting team for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team athletes. Having worked with athletes across the USSA sports, she has a unique perspective on areas where ski and snowboard coaches unwittingly struggle to communicate their message in the right way to keep their athletes motivated, confident, and making positive changes. In this presentation she will provide practical examples and solutions for all coaches to better communicate and provide feedback to their skiers and riders.

October 16 5-6pm MDT

Heavy Lifting for Endurance Athletes, Michael Naperalsky
Michael Naperalsky is the High Performance Strength and Conditioning Coach for the U.S. Nordic ski teams. This session will review previous training recommendations and contrast those with more contemporary research and applied practices relating to strength and plyometric training for endurance athletes. We will discuss physiological mechanisms, practical issues of training, and suggest strategies and benefits of resistance training for use among endurance athletes. This presentation is aimed at cross country and nordic combined ski coaches.

October 25 5-6pm MDT

Conditioned to Last, Jon Nolting
Jon Nolting is the USSA's Director of Sport Education. This presentation will cover fundamental conditioning concepts that apply across the spectrum of USSA sports showing the progression of skills, areas of emphasis, and motivational factors for the conditioning domain based on the USSA Training Systems and child development. This presentation is targeted to all ski and snowboard coaches who have responsibilities in the fitness training and education of their athletes.

Registration information:

Cost :

$10 USSA certified member coaches -- enter coupon code ussacertcoach and include your USSA number in the notes section.

$15 non-certified USSA member coaches -- enter coupon code ussanoncertcoach and include your USSA number in the notes section.

$20 non-USSA coaches

Registration deadline Noon on day of presentation

Participants will need access to a computer to view the presentations. Audio is available through the computer or by a phone call-in.

*Certified coaches must register for the webinar and verify their attendance by entering their name when logging on to the webinar to receive continuing education credit. Clubs wishing to view the presentations as a group whose coaches need continuing education credit contact USSA Sport Education ([email protected]) for pricing.

Q: What is the USSA Fast Start Coaching Course?
A:  It is an on-line course designed to provide the ski or snowboard coach with essential tools they can apply with their sport knowledge to guide their athletes toward more success and enjoyment in skiing or snowboarding. The course also helps coaches understand the USSA athlete development model and age-appropriate training and familiarizes coaches with the concept of safe sport.

Q: Who needs to take this course?
A:  It is mandatory for any new USSA member coach and all renewing coaches who have not already completed the course and are not already certified.

Q:  Why do I need to take the USSA Fast Start Coaching Course?
A:  As a coach, you have a profound impact on each skier or rider you work with. Every level in the development of an athlete is important. Whether you will be volunteer coaching a few times in a season or coaching full-time, you will want to be prepared to make the most positive impact on your athletes as possible, and this course has been designed for that purpose.

Q:  What is the cost of this course?
A:  The Fast Start Coaching Course will cost $10 for coaches who are required to complete it with their coaching membership.  The $10 charge will automatically be assessed when the coach registers or renews.  The course may be purchased by a coach who doesn't wish to pursue USSA membership, or by a coach looking to use it as a continuing education credit, for $20 (click here to order).  The subsequent Fast Start Update courses will be free (update courses begin in 2015).

Q:  What are the benefits of taking this course?
A:  This course is designed to provide coaches with a basic knowledge of the fundamental coaching skills for skiing and snowboarding that will make them more effective coaches. It is full of resources and tools so that coaches will know where to find information when they need it. In addition, coaches who complete this course will receive a $20 credit to be used in the same season toward a USSA coaching clinic or toward several of the educational CDs and DVDs offered by USSA Sport Education at the Education Shop.

Q:  Is a coach who completes this course "certified", and do they need to complete continuing education every two years?
A:  No, coaches must complete the Level 100 requirements for their sport in order to become certified. A coach who has not started on the certification track (by completing a Level 100 course in their sport) will need to complete an on-line Fast Start Update course every three years. This update course will include current safe sport guidelines and sport coaching updates.

Q:  Does a formerly certified coach who has let their certification lapse (no continuing education record on file and USSA database shows status as expired) need to take this course upon registration?
A:  No. However, the Fast Start course may be used to satisfy the continuing education requirements for a Level 100 or 200 coach to re-gain their certification status. This course may only be used for continuing education once. Level 300 coaches and higher may not use the Fast Start course for continuing education.

Q:  What are the details of the USSA Fast Start course?
A:  The course is completed on-line and will take approximately 60-90 minutes. The coach will be asked multiple choice questions to confirm their knowledge of the topics. The course directs the coach to many useful websites and supporting documents that they can retain for future reference, so some coaches may spend much more time in the course as they find materials that are of particular interest. The coach will be able to leave the course at any time and progress will be saved.

Q:  When should the course be taken?
A:  The course should be completed when registering or renewing USSA membership, or within 14 days from registering for membership. The coach's membership status will show as pending until the course is completed. Remember, a pending coach will not be permitted to act in a coaching capacity at USSA events and will not receive coach lift tickets or access to the venue.

Q:  How do I access the course?
A:  If the course was added during your membership registration, go to my.ussa.org/ussec and use your myUSSA login to access the course. After this initial log-in, the course will be available from your myUSSA dashboard using the USSEC Courses link in your tools. To purchase the course for continuing education, click here. You'll receive an email from USSA Sport Education when you have been registered and you'll be able to access the course as described above. Note: you must have a myUSSA account.

Q:  Are membership fees refunded if membership is canceled due to not completing the Fast Start Coaching Course?
A:  No.

Q:  What if I plan to attend an early season Level 100 course (USSA or USASA)?
A:  You will still need to take the Fast Start coaching course. The content in Fast Start is complementary to the Level 100 courses for each sport and will give you a background that will be helpful for the Level 100. Plus, with the $20 credit from completing Fast Start, you will save on your Level 100 registration!

Q:  What if I am in the process of getting my Level 100 certification but haven't completed all the requirements?
A:  You will need to complete all of your Level 100 requirements and complete your certification prior to renewing, or else you will need to take the Fast Start course.

Download FAQ's to print

Have a question you don't see answered here?

Contact USSA Sport Education:
Phone: 435.647.2050
Email: [email protected]

The USSA needs your feedback as we move into spring planning. We are also working to collect valuable information that will help USSA and your clubs to provide the best possible programming for you as a USSA member. We're inviting USSA coaches and athletes along with their parents to take our on-line survey and questionaire.

Even if you've filled out a USSA Member survey in the past, we encourage you to complete the survey this year as we've added some different questions that will provide very useful information. We're also asking for parents and athletes both to fill out the survey this year, with different questions for each.

Take the Parent and Athlete survey here

Take the Coach survey here

Thank you for your time! We will share summarized results from the survey on the USSA website and in the Excellence e-newsletter.

Starting in the 2012/13 season, USSA member coaches who are not certified will be required to complete a new Fast Start Coaching Course before their membership will be activated. This new course is designed to give coaches core tools and resources for coaching skiing and snowboarding to assist them in their coaching.  The course will be taken on-line and will be around one hour in length.  It will be a great way for coaches to gain greater knowledge specific to their USSA coaching role in a convenient way that will allow them to explore areas that interest them in more detail.  The USSA Fast Start Coaching Course will be available this spring.

Current coaches looking to become certified that take a Level 100 course this spring or summer will not need to take the Fast Start course if certification is completed before renewing membership.  Look for Level 100 course information for your sport:

Here are some USSA Fast Start course FAQs.

Q: What is the USSA Fast Start Coaching Course?

A:  It is an on-line course designed to provide the ski or snowboard coach with essential tools they can apply with their sport knowledge to guide their athletes toward more success and enjoyment in skiing or snowboarding. The course also helps coaches to understand the USSA athlete development model and age-appropriate training and to familiarize coaches with the concept of safe sport.

Q: Who needs to take this course?

A:  It is mandatory for any new USSA member coach and all renewing coaches who are not already certified.

Q: Why do I need to take the USSA Fast Start Coaching Course?

A:  You have a profound impact on each skier or rider you work with. Every level in the development of an athlete is important. Whether you will be volunteer coaching a few times in a season or coaching full-time, you will want to be prepared to make the most positive impact on your athletes as possible, and this course has been designed for that purpose.

Q: What are the details of the USSA Fast Start Course?

A:  The course is completed on-line and will take approximately one hour. The coach will be asked multiple choice questions to confirm their knowledge of the topics. The course directs the coach to many useful websites and supporting documents that they can retain for future reference. The coach will be able to leave the course and return where they left off.

Q:  Is a coach who completes this course "certified", and do they need to complete continuing education every two years?

A:  No, coaches must complete the Level 100 requirements for their sport in order to become certified. A coach who has not started on the certification track, by attending a Level 100 course, will need to complete an on-line Fast Start Update course every two or three years.  This update course will include current safe sport guidelines and sport coaching updates.

USSA is pleased to debut a new program called SkillsQuest through a "beta" release of its skiing skills assessment. The SkillsQuest program provides clubs, coaches and athletes with a vehicle to work on and reward fundamental skills in all areas that will lead to long-term success and enjoyment in ski racing. The skiing skills portion of this program is an integral part. By using the SkillsQuest skiing assessment, coaches and athletes can track their progress in the development of core skills that are not always evident in racing results at younger ages, but that are essential for a bright future in skiing. Through the assessment, coaches can better evaluate their skiers' strengths and weaknesses and design appropriate training.

Click here for the SkillsQuest website

For the second year, USSA Sport Education is pleased to offer a series of FREE webinars for parents of USSA skiers and snowboarders. Parents invest an extraordinary amount of time and resources for their children to compete in skiing and snowboarding, and for that investment you should expect a great return. There are many things you need to know about your child's development in skiing and snowboarding that can help make sure they reach their potential and find their involvement rewarding. USSA Sport Education Director Jon Nolting will share important tips for parents on their role in bringing out the best in their child. He will cover basic long-term athlete development concepts that parents should understand (will help provide perspective for any sport your child may be involved in), specific challenges for ski and snowboard parents and how to work through them, what to expect from your child in skiing and snowboarding, and ample time for questions afterward.  The webinars were held for each region January 31-February 7.

The recording of the final presentation is posted below, with the questions and answers from all three presentations at the end.

Download the slides from the presentation

Performance vs. results article

Selected excerpts from the presentations can be found below from our Center of Excellence TV site.

While skiing continues to evolve, coaches must continually seek learning opportunities to stay current with their coaching.  With this understanding, USSA requires that alpine certified coaches complete an approved continuing education credit every two years to keep their certification current.

You can check your current status and coaching activities record from your myUSSA dashboard.  If your certification shows as expired, it is because USSA does not have record of any continuing education activity for you in the past two years. Once you complete a continuing education credit, your certification will be re-activated at its previous level.

There are many opportunities that count toward continuing education.  Check here for details.

To learn more about certification, choose your sport, then select Coaches, then Certification and Testing.

If you have questions about your certification, contact USSA Sport Education at 435.647.2050 or email us.

The 2010/11 season alpine World Cup Winning Runs DVD is a must have for any ski racer's or coach's video library.  This year's video features well over 100 of the fastest runs on the World Cup, with bonus high speed camera footage from the Alta Badia men's GS, athlete commentary from Ted Ligety, Julia Mancuso, Stacey Cook, Nolan Kasper, Laurenne Ross, and Leann Smith, and descriptions from national team coaches.  USSA members receive a $10 discount!  Just enter USSAMember under coupon code when checking out.

Also new since last year is the Level 300 Giant Slalom Techniqe and Tactics DVD set, featuring a comprehensive look at giant slalom skiing for coaches with the largest compilation of GS video anywhere, order yours at the USSA Education Shop now.

These, and many more videos and educational resources for alpine, cross country, snowboarding, as well as conditioning, nutrition and performance psychology for all USSA sports can be found at the USSA Education Shop.