Once you and your Head Coach have decided that your athletes are ready to get evaluated, certain steps have to be followed in order to have the optimal assessment conditions and that athletes will get the most out of it.

 

Planning the Assessment

  1. Tell your athletes and their parents the date you plan on doing the evaluation (the weekend before is a good time frame)
  2. Let them know of any specific equipment needed
  3. When you do a drill or work on a skill that is in the evaluation, let your athletes know that this is a skill they will eventually be evaluated on.
  4. Print your Assessment card here (same card is used for mid and end of season, one card per athletes is required)
  5. If end of year Assessment, print certificate here
  6. Use a pencil to mark (have a few just in case!)

 

Assessment day

  1. Ask yourself: are the conditions optimal to conduct the evaluation? (weather, snow conditions, skiers on the mountain, etc?)
  2. If conditions are optimal, proceed to next step. If conditions are going to affect results negatively, please select another day.
  3. Make sure you select the appropriate terrain to do your evaluation
  4. Let your athletes know how the assessment will be done (which run, how long it will take, when you will take a break, etc.)
  5. Let you athletes know that what will be evaluated are drills that they have done before (reduce the stress to a minimum)
  6. Once you have started your assessment, keep the athlete's waiting time to a minimum (use chailift to review your results)

Don't be afraid to do a skill twice if you judge that your athlete's first attempt wasn't what he/she is capable of.

 

TIPS to a successful Assessment

  • Seek high level of proficiency when assessing
  • Don't be in a rush to move to a different task
  • Use good demonstrations as often as possible (coach, peer and/or video)
  • Promote a soft touch or "feel" for the snow
  • Discourage robotic, stiff skiing

 

At each level, assess the athlete's overall form of skiing. From the snowplow skier to the ski racer, you will be able to see if the athlete is confident linking turns with speed and consistency. Always look for the orchestration of fluid movements and a relaxed attitude on the skis.

 

While assessing your skiers, these words should come to mind. These elements can be present even in a snowplow.

  • fluidity
  • Flowing
  • Rhythm
  • Musical
  • Dance
  • Orchestration
  • Linking
  • Relaxed
  • Easy
  • Soft
  • Light