How many coaches are teaching at your rink?

[sceptique]

I'm doing a market research project and one of the numbers I need to find is the total number of ice coaches in US. Unless someone knows where I can get this number, can I ask you to help me to get an estimate by telling me how many coaches work at your ice rink?

Thanks a lot!

[renatele]

You could get a better idea of total if you took, for example, the number of PSA-registered US coaches, or USFS-registered coaches. Keep in mind that many coaches are registered with all three skating organizations (PSA, USFS, and ISI), so adding the numbers up from all of them would give wrong result.

I guess if you contact those organizations, they might be able to give you the numbers?

Your poll has the same problem - many coaches teach at more than one rink.

[Mrs Redboots]

The situation is different here in the UK, Renata - I do agree that we do have a few coaches who teach at more than one rink, but I rather suspect they are in the minority.

Olga, you may find you get more information about UK coaches and rinks from the British Ice Teachers' Association (http://www.bita-uk.com/) website - I think coaches are listed there, or maybe on the NISA (http://www.iceskating.org.uk/) site.

[renatele]

I thought she specifically said she needs the number of coaches in US? :)

[Mrs Redboots]

Duh! I can't read straight.....

[kayskate]

At one of the rinks where I teach, there are a lot of teenage "coaches" aka "jr. pros". I believe they are PSA members, but probably not full members. I do not know how common this is across the US; however, this is the 2nd rink I've worked where kids have been teaching.

Kay

[Skittl1321]

How are you defining coach? We have several LTS instructors who do not do private lessons- is that still a coach? (I am not a PSA member, but am registered with USFS as an instructor. But many of our best coaches are not PSA members)

If you count instructors, I know of approximately 15 coaches who are regulars at our rink. Those are just the ones I see though, I don't skate in the morning, so there could be many more. We are very close to another rink- and there are 3 or 4 of their coaches who frequently visit when their ice is shut down, I didn't count them though, just the coaches from that rink who also take students at our rink.

[Isk8NYC]

Your poll isn't going to give you an accurate estimate. Let's say I reply for my current rink with the number "20." At least half of which are assistants for group lessons. If another coach from my rink replies, he might say "15" by including five coaches that only teach privates. Plus, there are "guest" coaches who are not on staff, but teach/coach at the rink.

When you add them up, you're going to get 35 coaches when there are probably only 17.

Contact the USFSA to get a reliable estimate. Most coaches are included in one or more Basic Skills programs, and there is a "Coaches" category for membership. This does leave out the ISI coaches, but most are also USFSA members.

PSA membership won't give you a reliable estimate of "who's coaching." I was one of the very few (<5 / 15) staff members with PSA membership.

[AshBugg44]

I think you'd get better estimates calling rinks and asking how many coaches they have.