Workshop At Library On November 22 —

Mom Writes A Parents’ Guide

For ‘Teaching Your Kids To Ski’

By Kendra Bobowick

Teaching, skiing, and motherhood all came together for Newtown High School graduate Amy Smith McKearney in her new book, Teaching Your Kids To Ski.

“It’s about teaching your kids and the subject happens to be skiing,” Ms McKearney said.

She did not have a book in mind in November 2010, when trying to answer some skiing questions for a friend, but a few notes quickly turned into paragraphs, an outline, and finally an effort to publish her work, which she recently self-published. Ms McKearney will share her book and its lessons at a workshop at the C.H. Booth Library on November 22 at 7 pm. Looking forward to returning to her hometown for the workshop, Ms McKearney, now from Thomaston, said, “I want people excited about the book, and to ask questions.”

Copies of Teaching Your Kids To Ski will be available for $19.95. She will also sign copies, “and if someone wants me to sign and write a special message, I’ll absolutely do that.”

Young, aspiring skiers are also welcome. “I wouldn’t want anyone to miss the opportunity,” she said.

Explaining her unexpected foray into book writing, Ms McKearney remembers talking to her friend: “I said I would try to write some things down, and that’s when it all started.” As she outlined her thoughts and answers, “It blossomed into a book.”

Her book is “targeted to parents and is really basic,” she said. Teaching Your Kids To Ski “assumes you know nothing about skiing or teaching a child,” she said.

The book also operates with the theory that “you can certainly teach kids to ski,” while also reinforcing lessons and “getting your child to the next level.”

With three children — Kelley 5, Meghan 3, Diane 10 months — a background in ski instruction, motherhood, and a love of teaching, it all came together quickly.

She said, “I love to teach people, whether it’s computer questions or skiing; I love to teach in a way they will remember, not just give an answer.”

Ms McKearney taught skiing and snowboarding for ten years, starting at Mount Southington, and later at a condominium community in Torrington. She taught mostly children, then took time off to become a stay-at-home mother.

Although teaching and skiing are familiar topics, publishing was a new experience for Ms McKearney. “I have never published a book,” she said. “I spoke with friends who had published children’s books; I talked to them and I went through the self-publishing route, so I really molded my book and made it my own.”

She was also able to get her book in print in roughly a year.

What’s Inside?

Chapter one, Your Child And Skiing, talks about children’s learning and development rates, and keeping a young child’s attention.

Ms McKearney disscusses how to teach a small child, what clothing they should wear, weather dangers, and the importance of routine schedules.

Chapter two, Getting Familiar With Equipment, focuses skis, boots, bindings, brakes, edges, how to fit a child into a boot, and equipment uses.

She is “really proud of” chapter three, Skier Safety. “Safety is huge and I don’t think it’s taught enough,” she said. What if children become separated from their parents? Ms McKearney answered, “I teach kids that police and firemen are friends, but so are ski patrollers.” She wants children to know who can help them reunite with mom and dad.

Noting several common sense things “that I think people don’t think about” in regard to safety, she said, “Meet at base or inside, not at the top of the slope or in the cold.”

The book’s last chapter talks about playing games with kids. “At a young age they just want to play, they don’t really understand it’s skiing. I give all sorts of games from being in the boot to turning.” To teach children how to stop on their skis, she said, “We play red light green light. They don’t know it’s stopping, but it’s learning to ski in control.”

The games are not new games, but lessons that all professional ski instructors use, she said. “It’s a standard of teaching. It’s universal for certified instructors, so if kids play these games with parents, they won’t be finding something new with instructors,” she said.

Writing While The Kids Sleep

A stay-at-home mom, Ms McKearney said, “I wrote the book while kids were sleeping at night, so I have not had a lot of sleep!”

Regarding her children, she said, “I love being with them. I am always teaching them something.” She said, “It fascinates me, they don’t know everything but they want to know everything, even the baby wants to walk, and I am not ready for that.”

Thinking again of Kelly, Meghan, and Diane, she said, “I never thought I would have three kids. They’re great, really are.”

A 1990 Newtown High School graduate, she moved to Thomaston in 1997 and married Scott McKearney, a Bristol firefighter. Before she had children she graduated with bachelor of science degree and worked in IT for a health care company.

Although she ended her ski instruction career to raise her children, Ms McKearney said, “When the kids are older I’ll go back to it, I am that passionate about it.”

For now, she is teaching her children to ski. “Last year the middle child was 2½ and we had her on skis,” she said, answering a common question. She said, “ Everyone asks what age is a good age to start teaching, but all kids develop at different levels. Physical capabilities are one thing, but it’s about getting them out there and excited about it.”

She said, “I really feel I am an expert in teaching kids to ski.” She has years of experience and certifications behind her instruction, and has skied in Colorado, Utah, California, Alaska, Connecticut, and Vermont. She said, “I believe that Connecticut is best place to teach kids to ski — no big intimidating hill, and children can learn on something smaller.”

Connecticut also has “great ski programs and a lot of good deals,” she said.

During high school Ms McKearney “fell in love with the sport.” She said, “It’s such a great family sport and you can be out there with your family and all levels of skiers can be together.”

As for the beginners, she said, “You don’t need much of a slope to get them going.”

As described in her book, Ms McKearney taught skiing and snowboarding for more than ten years in Connecticut. She was certified by the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI). She is an advocate for ski school and encourages parents to put children in group ski lessons.

(Join Ms McKearney’s workshop on November 22 at 7 pm at the C.H. Booth Library. The event is open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing.)