HPER offers skiing course

For many students, the ski slopes in Aspen, Colorado are a favorite winter and Spring Break destination, but normally students plan and go on the trip on their own. The School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation is opening a door to change by allowing students to receive three credits for the skiing experience.\nAll students are invited to take HPER E296: Basic Alpine Skiing either the second eight weeks of the Fall 2002 semester or the first eight weeks of the Spring 2003 semester. The class will be held once a week for 2 hours. Students will be required to take a trip as a class to Aspen at the end of the course, with the fall semester students traveling January 5-10 and the spring students traveling March 16-21.\nDuring the eight weeks of classroom instruction, students will have the opportunity to learn about the diverse elements which are a part of the mind, body and soul while one skis. \nBody concepts which will be addressed are conditioning for peak performance, fatigue avoidance and altitude adjustment among other things. Psychology of success, such as the identification of goals, focus and concentration and skiing awareness will all be brought up in the mind section of class. Spiritual content includes how the basic Alpine skiing course will affect a person as well as the creation and realization of the Aspen Idea, something else which will be studied in the class.\nEquipment and apparel, skills and techniques and mountain environment are all topics Professor Gerald Pugh plans to address in his course. He also plans to include the history of Aspen to help the students understand the reasons behind why this is such a revolutionary course.\n"The focus is not on teaching, but on learning for this course," Pugh said. "One of those things that occurs (in Aspen) is a life-changing experience in a setting that is majestic." \nWhen students travel to Colorado, they will have five and one-half days of instruction from teachers who are certified by the Professional Ski Instructors of America. The slope instructors will educate IU students on the techniques of turns, stopping, weight shifting and skiing in general. \nStudents will be taught the very latest in modern ski technique, where they will learn how to usskis for pleasure and control. Control on varied terrains, safety and etiquette will also be addressed so students and other skiers can have the best time on the Aspen mountains. \nAt the end of the course, students can expect to be able to handle the green circle (beginner) terrain as well as some of the easier blue square (intermediate) terrain.\nDirector of the Ski and Snowboarding Schools of Aspen Weems Westfeldt hopes students will enjoy this opportunity that combines school and a vacation.\n"Our main goal is that students have a wonderful time in Aspen and that they learn how to ski," Westfeldt said. "If they do have a lot of enjoyment on the slopes, then they might realize it's just as cool of a place to go (on vacation) as the beach."\nOne of the main advantages voiced by Pugh and Westfeldt was the opportunity to skip much of the instruction given to people who have never skied before.\n"The advantage that they have is that the people who come to us without any indoor experience come to us as a blank," Westfeldt said. "What happens if they have classroom time is that they will have a quicker and deeper knowledge of what the sport entails. The belief is that they will probably cut their learning time in half because they won't have to conceptualize and learn at the same time."\nWhile the classroom portion of the course is paid for by a student's tuition, to complete the course, students must pay extra fees of lodging, food and transportation as well as a designated fee from the school in Aspen which pays for slope instruction, boots, poles, skis and a lift pass.\nFreshman Abby Zemel is looking forward to the possibility of registering for such a class.\n"I have never skied before, but the opportunity seems wonderful," Zemel said. "The course seems like it would allow me to learn more about skiing than if I went to Aspen with my family to ski. Plus, it would be cheaper"