ussg News Board |
Our 2006 Education Conference will be held on August 26th in Seattle, WA.
Keep
in mind
A
total of only 2 CEC points are needed prior to your 2007 renewal. To
earn CEC's submit an article or picture for our e-newsletter and website.
For the complete
list of CEC options and the required form go to www.unitedskateschools.org/CECs.html
Instructor
Examination Programs - IE
The ussg is
holding instructor examination programs for new candidates in Washington
DC, Houston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston, and more. For details and registration
go to unitedskateschools.org/ExamIEnew.html.
Membership
and Insurance Upgrades Available
Members may upgrade their
membership or insurance at any time. For more information email ussg@unitedskateschools.org.
Kathy's
Corner
by ussg Skate Education
Specialist
Kathy
McSparran
How
Can I Handle Students At Different Levels in a Group Lesson?
One technique to keep everyone happy in a class
with students of slightly different skill level is to work on the same
skill while assigning different performance goals at each step of the
way.
For example, if you are working through the three steps of the heel stop, ask the real newbies to just do a ready glide and then a scissor glide. At the same time have the more skilled skaters to do a ready glide into a scissor glide and then ask them to hold the scissor glide position for 3, 5, or 10 seconds to really master balance in that position.
If the beginners need more practice, challenge the experienced skaters to test their confidence by skating at a slightly higher speed. Set up a couple of pairs of cones and have them "thread the needle" between each pair of cones.
When it is time to add Step Three -applying the heel brake- explain the next step to the whole group together. Then have everyone try it slowly once, but on subsequent turns give different goals to the students based on their ability level. The newbie might be asked to just brush the brake on the ground gently and keep his balance, while the speedster might be asked to get his brake to make a skid mark or emit an audible squeaking sound. This keeps everyone challenged and interested, while keeping your class more manageable.
Never give a student a challenge that is so difficult for them that it puts them in danger. Make sure your lower level students don't mistakenly think you want them to try the speedies' challenges too.
Challenges
you can give to the more advanced students:
-
Slightly increase the speed of the exercise.
- Maintain a position over a greater distance.
- Make turns sharper.
- Demonstrate the skill as if you're a teacher.
- Skate on a more challenging surface.
- Do three good skills in a row.
- Combine and link skills.
Kathy McSparran
katimac@cox.net
www.phxinline.com
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Blurb?
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us know! We'd love to share your news. Send to members@unitedskateschools.org
Save
the Date! The 2nd Annual ussg Instructor Education
Conference will be held on August 26th in Seattle, WA. The conference
will offer skate education workshops, business seminars, on-skates teacher
training, skill development courses and more. The weekend will be preceded
by a Level 2 Instructor Examination (IE) Program and followed by the Seattle-Redmond
Skate for MS. 
While
visiting my father recently in Greece I found a bicycle trail they recently
painted throughout the city. Not many seem to acknowledge its use as of
yet.... kinda humorous. So far it has become a parking lane. However a
few days before I left, a group of what looked like 5th graders had their
bikes on the trail with a TV camera. They had done a little tour. They
were trying! I of course put on my skates thinking I might participate
and hopped on out there but their tour had ended. Off I went up the road
and down the trail just to test it out. Skaters are nonexistent. I've
never seen a skater there. Moving at top speed on the trail up the road,
then on the way back, slight downhill, I was keeping up with the cars!
What a site for the people, they thought I was crazy, but smiles on the
faces non-the-less. A quick pass by the school yards caught the attention
of the kids. So cool to see the awe because it's something they rarely
see. I jumped around thru traffic, you would have thought I had two heads!
A priest driving by yelled out, are you going to make it up the mountain?
I jumped curb to the outdoor restaurant where my dad was playing cards
with friends. One of them had seen me take off earlier and said, "Wow,
like a bullet!" Anyway, I think the two-way bicycle trail was painted
because it has to do with European Union requirements. That's my guess.
That is the extent of my skating experience in Greece. I do however hope
that the trail is a success and that maybe, maybe skating is something
I can bring there in the future. Many of the kids know about it and would
love to do it.
The
ussg has amazing members and they are
living and loving life. Answer these three questions
and win a skate bag! (1) One of our members was on TV with Jimmy Kimmell
at the Super Bowl. Do you know who that was? (2) Which instructor is flying
this ultra-light? (3) Which ussg Advisor was working
in Torino with the Winter Olympics? 
My
school specializes in a variety of levels of classes with a huge base
of returning students. The number one comment they write on our questionnaire
is: I didn't know there was so much you could do on skates. We offer 8
levels of classes with over 15 instructors. The average skater takes about
12 lessons with some students easily taking up to 150 lessons.