My name is Holly Teti, and I am a junior instructor with the Adaptive Sports Foundation. The junior instructor is a program for 14-15 year olds who are interested in being selected to be a volunteer instructor with the ASF when they turn 16. We meet for trainings on every Sunday during the ski season. Our sessions cover instructing basics like the beginner progression, but we also spend a good amount of time developing our own skiing abilities. We learn about specific adaptive equipment like the bi-ski or how to “adapt” the beginner progression to students depending on their disabilities.

A couple Sundays ago, we had our first bi-ski training day. The bi ski is for a person who either does not have use of their lower extremities or their overall muscle tone is weak.  We started out learning the different parts of the ski and how to properly load the bi-ski onto the lift. Once we started riding the lift, we rotated in the order of our birthdays to see who would be the wingmen and who would assist the instructor on the lift. After lunch, we put our knowledge of how to be a bi-ski assistant to the test by making a video about what we had learned. One group made a video that showed the steps of loading and unloading the biski off a lift. My group made a parody movie trailer about kids on a mission to become the greatest bi-ski instructors ever. Making a movie was a fun way to bond with the other Junior instructors, but we also are more comfortable with using the bi-ski independently. I hope you enjoy our video!

Holly is a third generation volunteer with the ASF.  Her mother, Mary Alice is a volunteer instructor (and a trainer for the Jr. Instructors) and her grandfather Jim is a volunteer instructor.