Whole Athlete Development: Featured in Ski Racing
Julie Glusker, Director of Athlete Career & Education (ACE) at U.S. Ski & Snowboard recently worked with Ski Racing Media to publish a piece entitled "Whole Athlete Development: Planning for the Season." In this piece, Glusker takes a deeper dive on the notion of a whole athlete development plan and what it entails.
As Glusker writes, "Like many sports that require dedication, organization, sacrifice, and tenacity, ski racing is an excellent environment within which athletes can practice and hone their whole human development. Skiers of all levels must frequently cope with challenges, including weather, equipment, terrain, injury, finances, logistics, sacrifice, discomfort, adversity, and even (yes) success. Skiers must learn to listen, attempt, follow, fail, adjust, try again, and practice. They ultimately need to master technique and skill and also must learn to lead as competitors and teammates. All of this development occurs in an iterative process every day on the slopes, in the gym, on the trails, in the classroom, or in a workplace."
The aim is to development the athlete as a whole person, equipping them with the resources and tools necessary to create a plan towards achieving balance in order to feel organized, prepared and productive - enabling them to achieve goals.
"A whole athlete development plan provides a detailed outline of activities and tasks required to accomplish a goal, and it breaks down the process into actionable steps based on a given timeline. No matter the end goal, a plan offers a clear roadmap for how to get there."