The milder winters haven’t stopped students signing up for KINES 012: Snowboarding. On any given night at Tussey Mountain during the spring semester, says instructor Laura Gillham ’07 A&A, there are 80 snowboarders on the slopes, from beginners to experts. “The only difference between a first-timer and a professional is the way you move your body,” says Gilham, assistant director of marketing for campus recreation at University Park. “It’s about getting the response out of the snowboard based on what your body is doing. That’s what makes this a kinesiology class.”
Gilham, a Philipsburg, Pa., native, also teaches KINES 011: Downhill Skiing. She began skiing at the age of two and learned snowboarding in high school. She’s been a Tussey Mountain instructor since the age of 16. “It used to be that skiing was more popular,” she says, “but there’s been a shift in the past few years, and snowboarding has become more popular with our college students.”
Snowboarding students are split into four groups, beginner to advanced, and divided into sub-groups of five and 10. To avoid overcrowding on Tussey Mountain—and so that students get plenty of hands-on experience—each group is out on the slopes once a week. They spend the rest of their time online, studying theory based on the requirements of the PSIA-AASI, a global professional organization for skiing and snowboarding. Sixty percent of the snowboarding class requirement is based on this online component, Gilham says. For the remaining 40%, students are evaluated on their performance on the slopes. “We look at whether they have progressed, how much they’re trying and whether they’re participating,” she says. “We’re looking for different aspects of snowboarding that instructors get tested for at the national level. Because you could have the best snowboard ever, the same one a pro has, and it’s not going to give you any advantage. It’s about teaching your body how to move, learning that range of motion, and being able to get the response out of the snowboard based on what your body is doing.”
Students are also evaluated on how well they connect with others. Personality is important, Gilham says, for those who might go on to become snowboarding instructors.
