7 Questions with PSIA-AASI National Team Candidate Kevin Jordan

Catch up with members of the PSIA-AASI National Team, and the candidates who have been invited to 2021 Team Selection, as they discuss how they are staying in shape this summer, making goals for next winter, and creating new educational resources for the association.

This week, we talk to PSIA Alpine Team Candidate Kevin Jordan, who works as Senior Coordinator at the Snowmass Children’s Ski School.

How are you staying busy?

I am home schooling my two kids (age 5 and age 3). My wife is a nurse and she has been working full time since the middle of March. It has been a bit of a role reversal for us. I have even more appreciation and admiration for my wife.

The silver lining is I am spending a lot of time with my kids and watching them grow and develop. The classes that we excel in here at the Jordan Academy are physical education, environmental science (hunting for bugs and other critters), math (specifically, geometry – I taught them the pythagorean theorem the other day – we are still working on it), and spelling. Our home economics course (cooking and cleaning) and advanced calculus leave something to be desired!

What is your go-to offseason workout?

Normally, trail running and mountain biking, however, I have had to get creative at home. I have been doing a lot of workouts that I may not have done otherwise: yoga and Pilates are now part of my routine, in addition to H.I.T.T. (High Intensity Interval Training). I also have a rowing machine and use it more now. We still ride a lot of bikes, but we are doing that with the kids in flat, wide open parking lots.

Big goals for next season?

Team Selection has been a goal of mine for a while. I am optimistic that PSIA-AASI National Team Selection will happen and I am continuing to prepare for it. Kudos to the coaches and organizers for making the decision to postpone the selection by a year. I know it was not an easy decision. I also see it as an opportunity. I now have more time to prepare and will be even more ready when it is time.

A more short-term goal is to learn more and understand the PSIA-RM Rocky Mountain Trainer process. I have many peers seeking my assistance in training for it. What better way to help someone than to understand or be on the other side of the evaluative process?

Which digital resource would you recommend for other members right now?

There are many great things out there. Two quickly come to mind:

1. Chris Rogers and Josh Fogg have been doing awesome webinars for PSIA-RM. Josh has been doing a series called “Beyond the Scorecard.” It is like a radio talk show and the guests include Jim Shaw, Michael Rogan, Jonathan Ballou, Deb Armstrong, and members of the Alpine Committee. You can find it on PSIA-RM Facebook page. It is available to any member, free, and reminds of me of the type of conversations you would have in the locker room at the end of the day. It helps keep my mind engaged in snowsports during these unprecedented times.
2. “A ski instructor’s guide to the physics and biomechanics of skiing” by Juris Vagners, PhD. 1995. This resource is a free PDF available through the PSIA-AASI Catalog. I just finished re-reading it for the seventh time. It is a great resource, free, and when else will you have the time to read it?

What’s your favorite ski movie?

Would it be too cliché to say Aspen Extreme? I saw that movie before I ever moved to Aspen.

What educational initiative or taskforce project are you working on right now?

The most recent project is the Children’s Education Materials Taskforce. This group of subject matter experts are taking a hard look at what current children’s materials we have out there and what do we need?

I believe I am in this group because of my experience co-authoring the Freestyle Manual with Tony Macri and countless other individuals, and spearheading the Delivering the Beginner Experience – Alpine e-learning course. These projects came to fruition with the help of many people. Personally, I have learned a ton by being involved in projects like these.

Any shout outs you would like to share?

Special thank you to all the healthcare workers, first responders, and other frontline essential employees. To Josh Fogg and Chris Rogers for leading a webinar charge in Rocky. Ron Shepard and many others doing things for Central. Matt Naschak has been organizing a group of RMT Candidates here in Rocky through Zoom. We are practicing presentation skills and tech talks.

I would like to personally thank Hestra Gloves for their donation of 38,000 gloves to first responders. I have only met Dino from Hestra a couple of times, but when I saw their post, I was certain this was something I could see him doing.

In closing, things will get better. I try to use the slogan of “stay positive, stay safe, stay healthy.” I am looking forward to getting back on the slopes this winter.