Mason Hosts Second Annual All-Female Coaches Clinics

U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Slopestyle and Big Air National Development Coach Nichole Mason is back at it again, hosting a total of five USASA freeski and snowboard Level 100 and 200 coaching clinics, including two all-female clinics in Aspen Snowmass, Colo., Dec. 2-3 and Vail, Colo., Dec. 11-12. 

“I am truly looking forward to kick-starting the season with another set of USASA coach clinics,” said Nichole. “I always enjoy getting to know all the coaches from around the region and capturing a healthy dose of mental stimulation to set us up for a successful season. The aspect I enjoy most is learning from the participants and helping to strengthen the voices of our female community. If we can continue to learn and train with each other, we will grow stronger as a community.”

The all-female coaching clinics are a result of a deeper U.S. Ski & Snowboard focus to increase participation amongst women throughout the organization. 

“As in most other sports, gender ratios in ski and snowboard coaching do not reflect the ratios of athletes,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Club Development Manager Ellen Adams. “On the athlete side, gender ratios are nearly 50/50. On the coaching side, the total number of women in ski and snowboard coaching is far below the number of men. Less than 24% of coaches at the grassroots level are women, and as you move up through the phases of athlete development to the elite level, that percentage falls significantly. In an effort to recruit, develop and retain more women in coaching, we must work both from the top-down and the bottom-up. This means increasing opportunities for engagement and development at the grassroots level, like the all-female coaches clinics being led by Nichole, where women can share and learn from each other, as well as lead by example with more women coaching at the highest levels. We are committed to making progress on both ends of the spectrum.”

The Level 100 clinic will target intro-level coaches who will be working with Phase 1 and Phase 2 athletes. The Level 200 Clinic targets more experienced coaches who have been working with athletes for a number of years and whose goals are to expand their knowledge and skillset to better work with Phase 3, 4 and 5 athletes. Each clinic contains both on snow and course-based work. In addition, prerequisites differ for the Level 100 and 200 clinics. Click here for more detail on course prerequisites.

The USASA Coaches clinics have been so beneficial, some clubs have chosen to make attendance mandatory for their coaches, including Tori Koski, the Snowboard Program Director at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. 

“In the past, none of our coaches ever really pursued their USASA certification unless they were coaching at USASA events,” said Tori. “We did our own in-house training. Then we really saw the importance of working with Nichole and USASA Executive Director Mike Mallon. The snowboard department agreed that everyone needs to be certified and we will figure out a way to pay for it to make it easier on our coaches. Immediately after implementing mandatory coaches clinics, we noticed faster progression with the kids. In addition, the clinics also gave the coaches the tools to continue to progress. We even had some level 200-300 coaches have some strong takeaways.”

The benefits of attending USASA Coaching clinics extend far beyond understanding core concepts and continuous learning. The ski and snowboard industry is one that thrives on networking and these clinics provide coaches an opportunity to not just learn from Nichole, but also the coaches around them. This dynamic can create relationships that last throughout a coach’s career. 

“Nichole keeps the connection alive with all the coaches that participate,” Tori added. “It’s cool to see our community grow with such strong relationships,” 

Amanda Poindexter, a coach working out of Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club, echoed Tori’s sentiment. “It’s not only very inspirational being surrounded by other rad women who coach, but it was really helpful to see other’s coaching strategies, drills, and approaches to coaching,” she said. “Nichole has so much knowledge, experience, and a great coaching philosophy. I can say with certainty that you will leave the clinic a much better coach.”

If you are a coach, it’s fair to say that the pure fun of snowboarding is what initially attracted you to the sport and probably what keeps you giving back to the community. Nichole has not forgotten this important philosophy when leading these clinics. 

“It’s a very friendly open atmosphere, with a lot of laughs,’” said Tori. “Frankly, it’s a blast to talk about snowboarding and be surrounded by like-minded people who are all very good at what they do. In addition to Nichole’s expertise, I think a lot of it is us learning from each other.”

USASA has over 25 clinics currently scheduled across the United States. For additional information or to register for another clinic visit the full clinic schedule here. 

MASON’S CLINIC SCHEDULE
Full USASA Clinic Schedule and Registration

Nov. 23-24: Steamboat Springs, Colo. -  level 100 - co-ed
Dec. 2-3: Aspen Snowmass, Colo. -  level 200 - all-female
Dec. 4-5: Aspen Snowmass, Colo. - level 100 - co-ed
Dec. 9 -10:  Vail, Colo. - level 100 - all-female
Dec. 11-12: Vail level 200 - co-ed