Firstly, a massive THANK YOU to all the women who filled in our survey last November. We’ve been working through the pages of answers over the summer and have a plan in place for the next two years.
The goal… to increase the number of Level Three and Trainers certified women in our industry.
There were a number of common opinions that we gathered from the survey and some other key data from courses ran over the past 10 years…
– SBINZ is hugely lacking female representation among Examiners
– On average, it takes longer for women to get to the higher cert levels
– Pass rates at Level One and Two are higher in women (yew!)
– Pass rates at Level Three and Trainers are similar in men and women, once exams have been attempted, but men generally attempt higher level exams earlier in their careers and typically persist longer
– Female attendance in freestyle-specific courses is extremely low
– There is a need for mentors, male or female, to help encourage and support the women in our industry
– SBINZ needs to provide a more encouraging culture for women in general
Key Initiatives
With the above in mind, here are the key decisions:
1. Park Cert – We have removed the Park Cert as a pre-requisite to Trainer’s Cert (Pipe component was previously removed in 2020). Park Cert remains as a pre-requisite for all Level Two Examiners.
2. Snowboard Committee – The Snowboard Committee has co-opted Jamie Hill (SBINZ Trainer and AASI Examiner) onto the committee for a rolling one year period until we have more females qualified at Trainers Cert. Once this happens, a voting process will resume with two positions always being dedicated to female representation.
3. Discounted Trainer’s Cert – Due to the lack of females in blue jackets, we are offering a 50% discount on both Trainer’s Cert Workshop and Exams for women in 2022. This is to boost and encourage female participation at this level.
4. Webinars – We plan to deliver a number of webinars with both the SBINZ team and outside professionals, on a few different female-specific topics (to be announced).
5. Mentorship Programme – To provide support in the form of structured mentorship for a one year period (from mid-season 2022 to mid-season 2023), whilst implementing a system whereby the mentees continue to provide mentorship for future women.
First Webinar
The first Webinar will delivered by Claire Dooney and a few others from the Snowboard Committee, and will be wrapping up the survey results, answering questions and laying out the plan for the Mentorship Programme.
We encourage all Female Snowboarders to attend on the 25th May 2022 at 7pm NZT.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89492610098