Natalie Kretlow

February 24, 2015

Leisure Program Critique
Part I: Involvement
1.
Marquette Mountain is the agency I was involved with. I took part
of the ski school, and workers have the opportunity to gain a PSIA
certification. The agencys mission was not clearly stated, nor available
on the website, but the mission is along the lines of being safe
cautious, and importantly, have fun. The PSIA mission is We support
our members, as a part of the ski and snowboard industry, to: develop
personally and professionally, create positive learning experiences, and
have more fun.
2.
Marquette Mountain Ski School and the type of leisure activity is
recreation, and more specifically, learning how to ski or snowboard, or
perfecting ski and snowboard skills.
3.
One of my passions is skiing so I thought it would be fun to go
out to Marquette Mountain to see what kinds of volunteer opportunities
the company had to offer. I thought they maybe needed help setting
up for a race or rail jam, but when I got there the owner had me
explain the project and she gave me the contact information for the ski
school. A few days later, I called the ski school director and I went
down to the mountain within the hour, and we began chatting about
the Rec Program and my interest in skiing. After some talking, I got
offered an interview for a ski school instructor position, so we did that
on the spot. I got trained in as well as watch and participate in a ski
lesson. I was taught the basic boot and footwork with out the skis.
Other days I went out and shadowed two different lessons, and got
taught how to teach different beginner lessons by the ski directors.
I participated in the Marquette Mountain Development Team
Program on Friday nights. Designed for skiers and riders ages 7-14
years to develop and hone all-mountain skiing/riding skills in a fun,
positive environment. This is an excellent opportunity for young people
to gain experience, grow in ability, and share camaraderie on the
slopes. Participants are also introduced to freestyle features within
their ability levels with an emphasis on good on slope decision
making.
4.
The dates I shadowed a program were Friday, February 13, 2015
and Wednesday February 11, 2015, but I also learned different ways to
teach lessons on February 20, 13, 5, and 11. I spent 4 hours involved in
the program watching ski lessons and how the program works.

5.
I arrived thirty minutes early to get ready and listen to the
rundown of how the day was going to work, and meet the students to
start the lesson. The ski director informed me that they have not had
the best of luck with ski instructors so the students basically had a
different instructor every week. The lesson was one of the last ones of
the session so the students had the basic boot work down and moved
passed the bunny hill. The student dynamics were wide ranging and
the lesson seemed chaotic because the ages varied. The class was so
energetic to ski that many did not listen at times, but that is a good
problem to have. The ski director taught the lesson, and was very well
organized. The instructor made slight progressions adding a new
instruction and then built upon the first main skill. The drills were
unique and the instructor was able to assess students and change the
lesson based upon how the students reacted. The lesson shadow was
helpful because I got to see how the program worked, and got to
observe how a ski lesson works. One thing that really stood out to me
was the way difficult students were handled. Typically, lessons are
taught by two instructors, so one of the instructors should pull the
student aside, talk with the parent, and let the parent deal with the
behavior. That way the student is not embarrassed to be scolded in
front of peers, the situation is out of sight, the parent typically knows
their child well and can get them to behave, and other students can
continue with the other instructor to not take away time from the
others lesson. Marquette Mountain Ski School was an amazing
experience and by going out and being active, even more opportunities
opened.
Part II: Interview
1. Marquette Mountain is a snow sport area for skiing,
snowboarding, hosts races and events, has a gear shop, sports
bar, and concessions, day care center, and has a ski school.
2. Ben Bursack, Ski School Director, oversees ski school operations,
and helps other departments as needed.
3. How did you get involved in skiing? The director always had
a passion for skiing since he was young. He grew up in Illinois
and learned how to ski at the big hill in Illinois, Wilmont. Ben
fell in love with the sport instantly and wanted to make skiing his
life.
What made you decide to work in the field?
Ben was always skiing as a kid and young adult, and wanted to
make a career out of what he loved. Ben attended Northern
Michigan University in 1999 for Ski Management, but Ben ended
up getting his degree in Secondary Education with a focus on

Business and English because he loved the hands on teaching

aspect of skiing. He completed his student teaching and did not
like the school system politics, and the results of teaching were
not immediate. The students he taught were not going to apply
the knowledge in the field for another 10 years, so that became
discouraging. Ben loved to ski
How did you get involved at Marquette Mountain?
After graduation, Ben moved out west to Colorado because he
had a friend that lived by a ski hill. His friend knew the mountain
was hiring so Ben got the job lined up, went to Colorado for a
year, and taught ski lessons. He was trained PSIA. His girlfriend
at the time, now his wife, was still in school at Northern and it
was too difficult to be away so Ben came back Marquette. He
started teaching lessons for a year or so, and then became Ski
School Director for a few seasons. He went to the power plant for
a few years and is now back again as Director.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis? What are some of
the main responsibilities?
During the week, Ben gets to do a lot of skiing! As soon as he
walks in, he checks the books for lessons He helps with night
lessons and after school programs. The ski school oversees the
day care, or Marquette Mountain Adventure Center. The area is
supervised and has toys and things for the kids to do. The
Adventure Center is also used for the ski school to warm up, take
a break, and enjoy a snack. A lot of times, busloads of people will
show up and want ski lessons, so he has to prepare for that on
the fly. He also teaches private lessons and other drop in lessons.
Sometimes there will be events on weekdays and he will help
with the rentals if it gets busy. On the weekends, more
instructors are available and there are more convenient hours for
participants so Ben does most of his managerial work on the
weekends. He makes sure customers are happy or answer
questions patrons may have. Ben supervises, and helps the
lessons run smoothly. He also does scheduling, payroll, and
assess the programs. The program aspect is more day-to-day;
making sure the program is followed through the whole season,
by having trained staff and participants for the programs. The
PSIA curriculum is the main basis for the program, so the design
portion is mostly revaluating programs at the end or middle of
sessions and changing things, and training employees on new
changes.
4.

The interview was very helpful to gain insight on what I

have to do to reach my goals to move out west. The mountain
offers training so I am able to get my official ski instructor

training. The ski director also trains the staff so everyone is on

the same page. I asked interview questions when we were riding
up the lift so the whole mountain was the classroom and was a
very cool learning environment. Ben seemed to be in a similar
boat as me when he was in college and it was neat to hear his
story and how things worked out. Ben seems extremely happy to
be doing what he loves every day.
Part III: Program Elements
1. Interacting People
a. People were children of both genders, ranging in ages 6-14
in the Marquette Mountain Development Team. The semiprivate lesson had a female student of about 11, and a
student who was approximately 25.
a. The 25-year-old was from Africa or a Tropical country, was
in the U.P. for an internship, and wanted to give skiing a try
because he had never seen anything like skiing before.
Some of the students wanted to learn how to ski so they
could do family ski days or vacations, others wanted to
learn just for fun, and some students were there because
their parents made them.
b. The private lessons can be challenging because there is no
age restriction so adults and kids can be in the same
lesson, but there is a questioner to fill out at initial sign up
of the lesson to kind of see where the student should be
placed. The specific lessons such as Marquette Mountain
Development Team, Little Snowflakes, Chicks on Sticks,
etc. are set up as to attract specific people to programs
with similar people. If this aspect was taken out, a beginner
skier might be in a lesson with a race skier who wanted to
fine tune sharper parallel turns. Having two different skill
levels would deter learning because some things would not
be comprehendible to a young beginner skier, and some
things would be redundant for a pro, even though all
practice is good.
1 Physical Setting
a. The program was located at Marquette Mountain, mostly
being interactive on the mountain.
b. The setting was unique because it was not in a typical
classroom setting, in the Midwest ski areas are only open
seasonally, so one can only participate a few months out of
the year.

c. For this particular event, there were no physical limitations,

but one may see the Midwest as being a physical limitation.
Marquette Mountain is quite steep and wide, but not tall in
height, compared to ski areas in other parts of the country, so
the runs are much shorter
d. For some events at Marquette Mountain certain runs are
closed to the public and special grooming must take place for
races or terrain park competitions. A special area of the
mountain is designated for beginners, the bunny hill The
slope is not very steep in this area and a tow rope was placed
instead of the chair lift for easier access. The ski and
snowboard areas are trails that had to be made, and must be
maintained.
1 Leisure Objects
a. The essential leisure objects are skis, poles, boots, and
people.
b. Physical objects were skis, poles, boots, and a mountain to ski
on. The social objects were an instructor and participants for
the activity, and like-minded individuals with like-minded skill
sets. The symbolic objects would be the instruction of skiing,
rules of the mountain, and safety guidelines.
1 Structure
a. Responsibility code:
1. Always stay in control
2. People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your
responsibility to avoid them.
3. You must not stop when you obstruct a trail or are not
visible from above.
4. Whenever starting downhill or merging onto a trail, look
uphill and yield to others.
5. Always use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.
6. Observe all posted signs and warnings. Keep off closed
trails and out of closed areas.
7. Prior to using any lift, you must have the knowledge and
ability to load, ride, and unload safely.
There is a rental agreement form and Program Registration
Form, (attached), that states skiing and snowboarding is
dangerous, there is risk involved, and that the mountain is not
responsible for any damages or injuries that may be involved.
I was given a packet on exercises and terminology for easing
students into skiing and making turns, as well as, guidelines
for instructors, (attached).
b. The program format was an educational skill-building program.
Students learned how to ski and had social interactions with other
students and the instructor. The students learned basic safety

procedures and learned different ski progressions for going down

slopes.
1 Relationships
a. No pre-existing relationships were required for program
success. Introductions and icebreakers were used to make the
students feel comfortable in the learning environment. If
students fell or got frustrated, one instructor would stop and
help and the other instructor would keep the lesson moving so
there is not a crowd.
1 Animation
a. The program was set into motion through Marquette
Mountain. Many people come to the mountain for the first
time and sign up for drop in lessons. People selling tickets let
patrons know about lessons when they buy tickets.
b. The program was sustained because students enjoyed the
activity and signed up for more classes. The people who were
in the classes would tell their friends and the friends would
sign up as well. There are flyers, brochures, and information
on the company website that advertises ski lessons.
c. The ski directors or leaders were Mr. Ben and Mrs. Becky.
There were a few snowboard instructors, and a lot of ski
instructors.
d. Information about the participants movement was
distributed. As a volunteer, I had to go through a few hours of
training before I could shadow a lesson. I was given thorough
instructions on proper skiing techniques so I could
demonstrate proper skiing while riding with the students.
During the lesson the instructor had me follow the lesson, be
interactive and participate in the lesson, and I monitored
group activities if the instructor was working with another
student.
e. The animation of the program included automation of writing
down lessons, and keeping track of lessons and instructors.
The director keeps track of how many people sign up for
programs, how much revenue is generated, and payroll.
Everything is documented on paper, and the owner takes care
of inputting the data.