Windell's Academy substitute coaching

The Windell's Academy is an all actions sports heaven for young student athletes. High schoolers from all over the world are granted the opportunity to ski, snowboard and skateboard year round on private terrain with some the best coaches in the industries. Life a the Academy consists of sports in the morning and academics in the afternoon.

I had the opportunity to step in as a substitute coach at the beginning of fall semester this year. It was a really cool experience. Skiing in the middle of september was a trip. The lifts were shut down for maintenance, so we hard to drive the vans up the dirt roads full of switch backs to our private snow field. This was the only place in North America to participate in organized skiing. Although it wasn't all that much different then the summer skiing that had concluded just weeks prior, these days felt special.

The excitement for the coming year was contagious. Whether the students were new or returning for another year at the Academy, the possibilities seemed endless. There wasn't much work for me to do. I was basically just another excited student ready to have as much fun as possible. My only real responsibility as a coach was to motivate them to get their ski legs back in a safe timely matter. It was all about the basics and fun of course. This gave me plenty of time to get some shredding in myself. I took full advantage of this situation and worked on some rail tricks.

Other then shredding, one of the coolest parts about the Windell's Academy private snow field was being able to design the features on our own. The students and coaches were the only diggers available. Some people might find setting up rails to be a pain in the butt. I on the other hand have always enjoyed working hard to design my own snow features. I find so much satisfaction in doing tricks on a feature that I helped build.

My time as a substitute coach was sort but sweet. It gave me a great little glimpse into the life at the Academy. Any student athlete that is serious about taking their action sport to the next level should look into the Windell's Academy. I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to be a part of their program even if it was just for a short few days.