The adventure of DemoTeam Italia at Interski 2015 has concluded with the entire delegation returning to Rome. The final official act for the “National Ski Instructors Team” took place on Saturday, September 12, when they were hosted at the Italian Embassy in Buenos Aires. Planned well in advance, it was an informal occasion to receive institutional greetings (before returning to Italy) thanks to the presence of the Ambassador, Dr. Teresa Castaldo, who stated at the end of the meeting:
“It is a great joy for me to have welcomed you to the Italian Embassy for a heartfelt appointment that had long been on our agenda. These are historic days for Italian sports, and you are part of them with the excellent result achieved during Interski 2015 in Ushuaia, where 30 nations participated. Naturally, we are proud to have such sporting excellence because, let us not forget, sport is a vital cultural tool that helps people get to know Italy, appreciate it, and understand that our country is united. You are an example of this, coming from so many different regions, and in doing so you contribute to national awareness, together with ethics and teamwork. For those of us abroad, all of this is a source of great pride”.
INTERSKI 2015
Over five hundred ski instructors across the disciplines of alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, telemark, and snowboarding, representing 30 nations, gathered from September 5 to 12, 2015 in Ushuaia (ARG) for the 20th International Ski Congress – Interski. This major international event can be considered a grand showcase dedicated to snow sports instruction. Essentially, each country aims to make a great impression by presenting its very best, both technically (Demo Show) and educationally through indoor lectures and on-snow workshops. The Italian Ski School was represented by DemoTeam Italia, a squad prepared by AMSI in collaboration with FISI (Co.Scu.Ma), composed of four formations: Alpine Skiing, Nordic Skiing, Snowboarding, and Telemark, totaling 22 members. Everything went splendidly for Italy, upholding the tradition that sees our “School” recognized for excellence both in demonstrations—technical skills on the slopes—and in teaching effectiveness. All in all, it showcased the very best of one of the most important components of winter tourism in our country.
A WEEK OF INTENSE WORK
Describing everything that took place during the week of Interski 2015 in Ushuaia would undoubtedly require several pages, but let us focus on the highlights. The Opening Ceremony took place on Sunday, September 6, attended by the Argentine Minister of Tourism, Enrique Meyer, and Interski President Erich Melmer, who was re-elected for another four-year term during the Delegates’ Assembly held in Ushuaia. During the Ceremony, the 30 delegations were introduced, after which each DemoTeam performed a run down the “Demo Show” slope.
From Monday the 7th through Thursday the 10th, the schedule was tightly packed. In the morning, from 9:30 to 11:30 at the Cerro Castor resort (30 minutes from Ushuaia), choreographed performances by the various DemoTeams took center stage. Following that, from 11:30 to 13:30, the scheduled workshops took place. Monday also featured a thrilling Giant Slalom race, where all nations fielded their most competitive instructors. Italy performed brilliantly: winning first and third place with Alberto Schieppati and Matteo Magnani respectively, while in the women’s race Daniela Ceccarelli took 2nd place. Also from Monday to Thursday, in the afternoon, the “lectures” were held in the city of Ushuaia: an important moment in which nations presented selected teaching topics that represent the flagship of their respective Ski Schools.
Italy presented the following topics for Alpine Skiing, Nordic Skiing, Snowboarding, and Telemark respectively: “From Ski School to racing and focus on the children’s teaching manual”, “From Ski School to racing and focus on children on cross-country skis”, “New Italian Snowboard Technical Manual 2015”, and “From ski school to racing in Telemark”. Feedback gathered during the 4 presentations was very positive, confirmed by the large number of participants who subsequently followed Italy in the on-snow workshops as well. Finally, on Friday, the Closing Ceremony took place, and everyone—happy, somewhat moved, and certainly tired from such an intense week—arranged to meet again at the 2019 edition of Interski, which will take place in Pamporovo, Bulgaria.
ALPINE SKIING
Giacomo Bisconti, head of Alpine Skiing, emphasized the importance of the work carried out at Interski 2015, both on the slopes and in the lecture rooms. Italy received compliments from many nations for the choreographies performed on the snow as well as for the quality of its lectures and workshops. The tremendous work carried out over the past 10 months, driven by passion and professionalism among the members of DemoTeam Italia, thus came to full fruition. The resulting image is highly positive, confirming that when there is close synergy between the components—namely AMSI, FISI, and the Collegio—as happened on this occasion, the results are widely appreciated.
NORDIC SKIING
Giuseppe Piller Cottrer, head of Nordic Skiing, highlighted how the message presented in the lecture “From Ski School to racing and focus on the child” was appreciated by the other nations (7 in total). They found the uniformity of language used in the teaching manual—regardless of the student’s level—particularly “interesting.” Other Ski Schools, in fact, tend to work in separate compartments in this respect. Looking at specifics, Switzerland is working on a new Manual, while the United States focused on marketing aimed at increasing student numbers in ski schools. Australia, on the other hand, is virtually at “year zero” and therefore needs coaches, including from other nations, as Nordic skiing is experiencing a major revival there.
TELEMARK
Roberto Parisi, head of Telemark, noted the importance of returning to Interski with this discipline for the first time since the 2003 edition in Crans-Montana (Switzerland). In Ushuaia, there was strong interest in us from the 18 nations that brought Telemark, which is an important sign and also enabled very engaging lecture-workshops with a significant exchange of information. Among the nations presenting interesting topics were Switzerland, as well as Canada, the United States, Norway, and New Zealand, along with “emerging” nations such as Hungary and Poland, which showed both keen interest and potential for this discipline.
SNOWBOARD
Andrea Costa, head of Snowboarding, confirmed that this Interski was very positive for snowboarding, with all nations represented in this discipline. This led to an excellent exchange of information on both teaching methodology and technical aspects. The snowboard group worked somewhat independently, and Italy certainly made a strong impression with the topics covered in the lectures and workshops, attracting considerable interest. In particular, countries like the United States and Canada—the leading nations in snowboarding—appeared very interested in the new 2015 technical manual, especially regarding the structure and methodology of the work.
The four working teams were coordinated by Luciano Stampa, head of DemoTeam Italia on behalf of AMSI.
Statement by AMSI National President Maurizio Bonelli:
“We returned from Interski very satisfied and with confirmation that we are at the pinnacle of ski and snowboard instruction thanks to top-level demonstrations, heavily attended lecture-workshops, and Alberto Schieppati’s victory and Matteo Magnani’s third place in the men’s GS, along with Daniela Ceccarelli’s second place in the women’s event. This is a sign that the Team worked well and that our instructors gave their very best. For AMSI it was an important trip, made possible thanks to the support of our partners—Alitalia, Pernigotti, Valtellina, Descente—and our various technical suppliers. I believe that after this week a strong image of excellence emerges for the Italian Ski School and the instructors who are part of it, especially considering the role they play in the mountain tourism sector. In this regard, the meeting held on Saturday, September 12 in Buenos Aires at the Italian Embassy was a concrete signal. It is no coincidence that tour operators, business representatives, and media were present; everyone recognized the importance of the ski instructor for winter tourism, alongside the beauty of the Italian mountains. I also want to emphasize the personal financial effort made by the delegates to take part in the trip to Argentina. The next appointment is now for Interski 2019 in Pamporovo, Bulgaria”.
Statement by the President of the National Ski Instructors Board (Collegio Nazionale Maestri) Luciano Magnani:
“On behalf of the Collegio Maestri, I thank AMSI for the invitation to Interski 2015. For the Italian ski instructor sector, it was a unique opportunity for visibility and recognition, further confirmed by the presence of FISI President Flavio Roda during the event. Now it is a matter of building on the work done so far, naturally in support of our students and the instructors themselves, who must increasingly believe in professionalism”.
For more information and AMSI initiatives: www.AMSI.it
Photo credits: Marco Trovati-Pentaphoto
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