Since the Membership Meeting covered a topic vital to every coach in the US, I am reporting on that topic first, before finishing my summaries of other presentations.

PSA Membership Meeting - Kelley Morris Adair
This turned out to be a very important meeting because the new Continuing
Education Requirement (CER) was discussed. Coaches are being given 2 years to comply with the CER, so that full compliance is required by 2010. This requirement is a joint effort of the PSA and USFS. It will be up to LOC's and clubs to insure that it is met by all participating coaches, but the USFS will foot the bill in case of legal action against an LOC or club.

There are three levels of CER:

A) Coaches accompanying students to qualifying competitions
B) Coaches accompanying students to sanctioned events such as non-qual comps and test sessions
C) Coaches teaching group lessons only.

Level A coaches must complete 4 credits each year, level B coaches must complete 3 credits each year. There are currently no requirements for level C coaches, but there will be in the future. Coaches may test out of the education requirements in any of the categories, and testing can be done online, with the ability to re-test after 24 hours of a retry. The cost to coaches for testing will be $40/year. Unfortunately, I did not jot down the categories of education required, but do recall that some level of sports science/medicine is among them.

Lest any of us think this will not affect us, remember that a coach must sign every USFS test application, and every USFS sanctioned competition application. Tracking the CER will be automated with coaches receiving a 90 day and 30 day notification of their credits expiration date.

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Would there be another level, B- perhaps,

Coaches who teach group lessons and private lessons to students who want to learn for the fun of it, without testing and competing.

How costly is this CER for our coaches? Will these requirements price some great part time coaches out of skating? The conference fee, air fair and hotel fees are not cheap, so...

Will coaches be forced to raise their fees to cover the added expense of more testing?

Do the elite coaches have to take these tests?

Do Russian or Canadian coaches who coach in the US have to become certified?

I'm all for continuing education for coaches, but is this just another money maker for the USFS?

Pat

As I wrote above:

Level C - Coaches who only give group lessons. This includes coaches who may give private lessons, but whose students do not participate in any USFS sanctioned events such as test sessions, shows, non-qualifying competitions. Most coaches at this level will be teens who are registered as Basic Skills coaches with a USFS Learn To Skate program or an ISI program.

Again, above - $40/year

Foreign coaches with foreign students in US events do not have to meet the CER. Foreign coaches with US students do have to. Even elite coaches will have to meet these criteria. As I said above, one can test out of the requirements, but must pay for the tests.

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As I wrote above:

Level C - Coaches who only give group lessons. This includes coaches who may give private lessons, but whose students do not participate in any USFS sanctioned events such as test sessions, shows, non-qualifying competitions. Most coaches at this level will be teens who are registered as Basic Skills coaches with a USFS Learn To Skate program or an ISI program.

As an adult skater I've coached at this level at my old club before I moved last year, and would like to coach Basic 1-4 again at some time. But if the students are in shows....I guess this level ( or any) won't work for me in the future. Thank you for you clarification.

Again, above - $40/year

But this is on top of buying insurance. And I lived in a rural area when indoor rinks are only open in the winter, about five months of the year. 18 weeks of group lessons at the most. Not a lot of time to recoup the costs for a low level coach who could only teach at most one hour a week.

Foreign coaches with foreign students in US events do not have to meet the CER. Foreign coaches with US students do have to. Even elite coaches will have to meet these criteria. As I said above, one can test out of the requirements, but must pay for the tests.

So my wonderful dance coach from Canada may not want to go through the hoops to coach in the US. This is what I feared.

I'm not trying to shoot the messenger! Thanks for your information - I'm just trying to clarify what it may mean to me if I am able to coach again, and now I must wonder about my future ice dance lessons.

Where would testing occur? Could it be done online? How expensive would study materials be? I know I cannot afford to travel to take a test. Anybody know?

Kay

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I'm concerned about this, too. Currently I would fit into Level C - I teach group classes, and private lessons to skaters below testing level. Coaching group numbers for shows would mean I'd have to be Level B, though. I currently belong to PSA and have their insurance, but my day job does not allow me to attend workshops, so I've been thinking of dropping my PSA membership and getting my insurance through USFSA. If I have to do continuing ed requirements for USFSA now, too, it may be too expensive for me ever to do anything above Level C, which would be an issue for our club, since we use lower level instructors for the group numbers for our shows. I'd like to retain my PSA membership, I'd actually like to do continuing ed, and I'd like to be able to keep helping my rink and club by instructing, but this may force me to remain at the lowest levels due to the cost. If our teen instructors find themselves in the same boat, it's really going to overload our full-time coaches when it comes to show preparations. What about synchro? I'm currently the coach for our adult synchro team - does that automatically mean I'd need to be Level B, since we do shows and competitions?

Foreign coaches that move to work in Canada must become Canadian certified within two years of coaching and that includes American ones as well. Certainly credit is given for some courses for coaches with World medallists etc....and they can be fast tracked --- but all coaches must be NCCP certified in order to work with skaters in that country. So I wouldn't expect the USA to be any different.

If your wonderful Canadian dance coach is certified in Canada, then he should be well prepared to become certified in the USA. The certification requirements for coaching in Canada are very demanding, especially at the national and Olympic level - and both time consuming and costly....much more than the proposed American system.

In Canada, a coach must be NCCP Level 3 certified to take a skater to Canadians - and be Level 1 to partner/coach dance (theory level 1 $50, level 1 canskate course $350, take home assignment and marking, level 1 primary coaching $350, first aid $120, video lesson assessment fee, plus mentored coaching hours without pay, and once completed - coaching insurance and membership ( $120 per year approx.) before you take in any private students!!!

Plus Canadian coaches also have a continuing education program that is voluntary at the moment - but adds to their cache if they are CEP Gold status, which means 50 credits over two years of courses, etc.

So you can see why lazy Canadian skaters move to the US to coach, where all they have to do is hang up their shingle and start coaching. It's a lot of work to become a coach in Canada!

And all those Canadian coaches you see at World's or Olympics - are Level 4 certified.....which means they have not only had skaters in the top ten at Canadians but have completed at least 20 courses or tasks covering everything from sport management to injury recovery and regeneration and nutrition, along with technical courses -- to become certified in the sport.

BTW Marina Zoueva is Level 4 certifed in Canada, and I can think of half a dozen Canadian coaches working in the States with high level skaters, who are at least Level 3 certified in Canada before they left. So the USA got the best end of the deal with a highly trained, professionally certified coach!!!

I think if you are coaching groups only for shows, then you should be OK, but they are going to have to clarify that, IMO. The reason I think it's not going to require the CER is that you do not have to sign anything or send in any kind of application to have a group in a club or skate school show.

Testing is done online - thank goodness! There wasn't much about study materials. Typical PSA study guides are around $15 apiece. PSA also currently offers some online courses, which are priced at about $30 per credit.

There are certainly a lot of issues to consider. Hopefully, in a case like yours, your club/skate school would help you foot the bill. I do think you could get away with the shows, but since your synchro team competes, you would indeed be bumped up to level B.

It does seem like another money maker for USFS and PSA, but I'm not surprised that they are tightening the requirements for coaching in the US. I saw this coming years ago, which is why I joined the PSA and attended a conference in 2004, when my coaching income just barely covered the costs.

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Is this the same "Coaches Membership Fee" that includes the annual rulebook or is it in ADDITION to the $40 special membership fee?

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I won't mind it if the education requirements are actually useful & informative. If the tests are so basic that anyone could pass them, then it will clearly be just a money making thing.

To do that, the educational products would have to be effective BEFORE the testing.

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Honestly, to me this is distressing. I'm pretty certain that these requirements will mean I'll lose my coach. (Or at least, can no longer test unless I find a new one.)

Similiarly, once Group C has requirements, I'll no longer be able to be a snowplow sam instructor. The amount of money these tests cost is not worth it for the compensation I recieve. I do it because I love working with the kids. But really, its an hour a week. I did "on the job training" to learn how to be an instructor. I have no delusions that I'm a high level coach, and for the level I am- I can't/won't output those fees.

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That's the problem a lot of Canadian skaters have with coaching the learn to skate classes -- not enough time to take the three day course just for teaching CanSkate (or not enough courses in your area because they get full fast) -- and it costs about $500 to get certified once you add in the theory and first aid courses plus the technical course. But for a university student who is certified - the money is much better than flipping burgers at McD's and you get to do something you love.

There are also personal skating requirements to pass course for learn to skate level too! I think its two of junior bronze skills (MIF) dance or freeskate -- just to teach learn to skate! I know some skaters who never did dance or skills but had their gold freeskates, who had to go back and get their dances or skills in order to be certified. At least this maintains a standard minimum level of personal skill for coaches.

Some clubs get around the certification requirement by using skaters as program assistants, who are supervised by certified coaches. Maybe the US will adopt that system so that smaller clubs will still be able to function. I know some some clubs in Canada have one certified coach on a sesssion and four or five program assistants who give group lessons. The program assistants are paid a lot less - but it's still better than flipping burgers at McD's.

I actually think McDonalds pay is comparable to what the hourly rate is for lessons (for low level coaches at least)- and they could probably offer me more than 3 hours a week. (And really, I only teach 1 most weeks)

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-Jessi
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No. That is for the background check. The $40 covers the background check and a rulebook. That becomes effective this year. You won't be able to register as a coach this year without the background check.

Wow. ANOTHER $40 each year. The industry is going to lose a lot of good part-time coaches; maybe that's what the powers-that-be want, but I think it's a mistake from a business perspective.

All coaches have to pay for memberships in the ISI/USFSA/PSA, liability insurance coverage, seminar fees, PSA/ISI certifications, and now the USFSA background check/rulebook plus this new Education requirement/testing. If you're making a decent living doing this full-time, it doesn't have the impact. Part-timers have to think about how many lessons they have to teach to make a profit. Having been an independent IT consultant, the only way to cover the expenses was to increase rates and work more hours. Those aren't always options for part-timers with families or "day jobs."

Hopefully, the $40 will go for more than salaries and overhead. I don't have a problem with education or certifications, but they should be affordable and well-designed. From the various programs I've participated in, that's not in existence now.

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If you are being charged $40 for a background check, ask where that money goes! In Canada, all coaches must be police checked or background checked every two years for a cost of $26.25 submitted to the BackCheck company that has been independently hired to perform the checks. However, the forms MUST be notarized (even passports don't require notarization!!!), which can cost more money if there isn't a lawyer in your club....

Some coaches have been denied membership based on failing the background check and have had to seek employment outside the skating world.

My understanding is that if you are not coaching anyone participating in USFS sanctioned activities, you don't have to satisfy the CER requirements--because there are no actual licensing requirements for coaches (i.e., backed by law) the PSA/USFS can only control those hoping to participate in their own activities. Therefore, you must fulfill the CER to coach Basic Skills or take students to competitions, including Basic Skills competitions, but you can coach private students on public skating ice, or coach for club shows, without having to fulfill the requirements.

They weren't very clear about the testing--it almost sounded as though EVERYONE had to test as well as taking the CER. I'm not sure they really have a complete road map for what everyone needs to do at this point.

We have continuing education requirements for attorneys, and I have to say I haven't noticed an increase in the quality of the bar since the requirements were instituted. However, our state bar IS a lot better funded!!

In many cases club shows, and certainly skating school shows, do (or should) receive sanctions.

I thought they were clear about the testing - it's an alternative to the education credits. That is, one could "test out."

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It's $40 for a background check and a rulebook. The rulebook costs $18. So really, coaches should only be spending an extra $22 for the background check because every coach should have a current rulebook.....at least I hope so. If they don't, then shame on them.

There is no savings at all for those of us who are independent members of the USFS and get our rulebook that way!

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Very true...forgot about that. Good point. It is apparent that some bugs need to be worked out. I'm in total agreement of each coach having the background check though.

Skate Canada already has it's coaches doing on going education for coaching. Though I don't know if Skate Canada's courses would apply to the USFSA or PSA?

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Now I pay for PSA full membership + insurance. That is almost $200/yr. Now I will have to add $40. This season, I also paid for ISI, but my rink converted to USFSA Basic skills, so I will drop ISI next season. Then I will have to find the $ for the tests and study materials.

Problem w increasing your rates to cover these expenses: economy in the US is already bad. It was a very slow yr. I work at a recreational rink. Our club went bust for lack of membership and funds. It was a slow yr for everyone. If I raise my rates, I am further pricing myself out of the market. I am already sucking up increased commute costs and cannot afford to drive to the rink to teach one private. Also kids will take a few privates to get over a hump in a LtS class then stop taking privates. If you get to pricey, you can lose that business. A lot of our students are *not* going to take privates b/c they cannot afford it.

I hope this testing is not just "ticket stamping". That would be a shame and a burden to good coaches who love to teach but cannot earn a full-time living doing it. IMO, it is very hard to earn a FT living as a coach unless you are elite. I know plenty of coaches w excellent credentials who have "real jobs" and lots of college student coaches w excellent credentials who are planning a different career b/c they cannot earn a living in coaching. Unless this testing is really value-added, it will push a lot of quality ppl out of the largely part-time profession.

Let's face it, we all teach basic skills, unless working at an ISI rink or rink that does its own thing, but those are getting less common, in my exp. Anyone who has worked a winter season knows how busy LtS is at its peak. Our manager had to hire lots of extra ppl to pick up the extra classes. I wish the rink would just give LtS more ice time so each coach could have more classes, but that is not practical w the high value of ice at peak season. Now those extra ppl will not be certified. Who will teach the peak season classes?

Kay

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It's okay that you didn't realize there were independent member coaches who already receive a rulebook. However, it was pointed out to the USFSA on the coaches' group board when the initial proposal came out. I had thought that an allowance was to be made, but I guess it didn't make the final resolution. I actually asked for a CD/ROM copy, which I've found invaluable. It's far less expensive for the USFSA to package and ship, but they insisted on sending me the bulky paper version instead. Now I would be getting two copies. Arrrgh.

It's very easy to cross-check the membership rolls electronically. If an independent member renews, then the coaching membership rider should be less. Only one copy of the manual should be sent.

I have no problem with a background check, but I think it's overpriced. Our little swim league only charged $10 for a full-blown background check on our coaches. (Which we coaches paid.) Maybe someone underwrote the cost anonymously? Still, you'd think that the USFSA would be able to get a break on the cost given the number of coaches involved.

Sorry to be so negative, but the MBA in me is getting indignant at the barriers to entry that have been put up by the USFSA in the past few years. I don't like the fact that the US has been so very lax in coaching requirements in the past. The Olympics are still two years off - many coaches and skating programs are just hoping to hang on for the wave of new skaters that will result.

The USFSA just hired a new Development Director - couldn't they ask him to look into funding sources to keep the startup costs lower for these two endeavours?

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