Certification Secrets: Level III Alpine Instructor MaryLu Cianciolo
In this installment of the “Certification Secrets” series, Level III Alpine Instructor and Chicago Snow Studio Owner MaryLu Cianciolo explains why even starting down the path to certification can create more success – and fun – in your teaching.
Q: Why would you recommend to other professional instructors that they aspire to gain advanced certification or specialist credentials?
A: If you’re committed to providing a quality experience to your clients, the more knowledge you have the easier it is to handle unusual situations.
Q: How would you set up a strategy for members to achieve advanced certification or specialist credentials this season?
A: It starts at the end of the previous season. For Levels II and III, fitness is critical to perform more advanced skills. Study groups are important to work on an assessment form focused preparation program. This is more than just reading the manual, it’s understanding your national standards and performance guides and practicing the skills so they’re ready and visible to the evaluator during the assessment process.
Q: What are some of the key resources – both personal and professional – that you would recommend to help guide them?
A: Get a mentor!! Find a current ed staff member and be willing to meet them regularly in Zoom calls during the offseason, at fall camps, and where they are during the season.
Q: What are some of the key takeaways from your own certification/specialist story – both good and bad – and what did you learn from them?
A: I was lucky my SSD was both an ed staff member and female, which was rare 30 years ago. She took me under her wing, and I did what she said. I trained year-round attending summer and fall camps to bring my race background to skilling that was more PSIA oriented. I had my Level III in four seasons.
Q: How do you build on your experiences if you don’t first achieve advanced certification or specialist credential?
A: I failed my Level III the first time. I spent that summer working on a plan for fitness, skiing, and knowledge, so when I took an early season Level III, it was just like a day of work.
Q: How do you build on your successes if you do?
A: I’m always looking for new challenges and opportunities to improve my knowledge and spread my love for snowsports. Everyone needs to find this for themselves.
Q: What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started on this journey?
A: Wow! How I would be doing this 30 years later when I was just looking for a job to make money after getting laid off.
***
Read the other “Certification Secrets” Q&As: Former PSIA Cross Country Team Coach Scott McGee, Stowe Mountain Instructor and Staff Trainer Mark Aiken, Mount Snow Ski Instructor Christine Holden, PSIA Alpine Team member Joshua Fogg; Mount Snow Ski & Ride School Senior Manager Maureen Drummey; 2021 Education Excellence Award Recipient Stacey Gerrish; and PSIA-AASI Eastern Examiner Bonnie Kolber.
