Canada Snowboard and the Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors (CASI) are pleased to announce a collaboration arrangement that will see the two organizations work more closely than ever before in their shared goal to develop skilled, knowledgeable and effective on-snow leaders.
This arrangement, which takes immediate effect, will allow CASI Instructors to more easily become certified snowboard Coaches, while equally enabling Coaches to more readily become qualified CASI instructors.
Beginning this season, individuals who have been certified under the Canada Snowboard Coaching Program’s Competition Introduction Advanced (CIA) Course will be able to jump immediately into CASI’s Level 2 instructor certification program. Equally, instructors who have completed CASI Level 2 Instructor certification will now be able to bypass Canada Snowboard’s introductory coaching course and proceed directly to the Competition Introduction Advanced Course when beginning their training as a Coach.
“CASI training continues to be the gold-standard sought by resorts and snow-schools around the country,” said Jeff Chandler, CASI’s National Technical Director. “It’s fantastic news that Canada Snowboard and its member clubs recognize the value of CASI training and are welcoming our instructors to enter into their Coach training program at a higher level than they were previously able to do. I expect this new agreement will add clarity to the training pathway and provide many new on-snow leadership opportunities for those with a CASI background.”
“We are constantly on the lookout for ways to develop our national and provincial team athletes, and better coaching is a key element of that,” said Dustin Heise, Senior Director of Sport Development at Canada Snowboard. “We have found that many of the people who are beginning their journey as a Coach have previous training through CASI, but they were being prompted to attend our introductory coach training course. This new agreement recognizes that individuals who have completed CASI Level 2 have a strong base of technical and teaching skills, and would make for great candidates to become CIA Certified Coaches.”
An important element of this agreement is the financial incentive being offered to Coaches seeking CASI training and vice-versa. CIA Certified Coaches will receive a 20% discount when registering for the CASI Level 2 course, while the same discount will be applied to CASI Level 2 instructors when they register for the CIA Course.
“When it comes to training on-snow leaders, our two organizations have worked in parallel for many years,” said Heise. “We’re pleased to have this new opportunity to work more closely together. Ultimately, it should lead to more members of the snowboard community being able to share their knowledge with the next generation of recreational and competitive riders and that benefits everyone.”
To find a listing of upcoming Canada Snowboard Coaching Program Courses, visit www.canadasnowboard.ca/en/programs/coaching/courses
To find a listing of upcoming CASI Courses, visit https://casi-acms.com/course-schedule/.
photo: Matt Forsythe