Coaches must be competent in benchmarking and assessing at which stage of skill development their skiers are performing. This will allow the coach to recognize the appropriate time to move a skier on to more challenging tasks of skill development.
Training and achieving the benchmark tasks in each level will lead the skier through the necessary building blocks that suit the "Windows of Trainability" for this phase of growth and maturity.
Each level is described in section Athlete Development System.
Each level is a guide for the coach to design a training plan that ensures competency in fundamental motor skills and fundamental ski sport skills.
How do I incorporate Snow Stars Benchmarking into my Training Plan?
- It is recommended to conduct a mid-season and an end of season assessment . A program can choose to assess individual tasks at any suitable time. Your club Head coach can help you to identify appropriate timing.
- It is suggested that drills of the same genre be trained for variety, leading into the particular task assessment.
- The coach will set up environments that teach skills through active, guided play and will support "Show" and "Do" activities within each of the skill areas.
- Each individual may be working on different tasks at the same time.
- The level may take more than one season to achieve. Therefore, results and comments should be recorded for Athlete tracking from year-to-year.
- The videos and CSCF U12 app can be used to view most of the skiing tasks. Also use it to help creativity for your program.