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So I've been asked by my school to start a school winter sports club, primarily based around skiing and snowboarding, as I have over 10 years snowboarding experience and about 15 years. My coworker would be in charge of the skiing element, and I would be in charge of the snowboarding side of things.

 

I was wondering if anyone else on here has gone about a similar route in setting up a school winter sports club? Moreover, how about getting a license in teaching snowboarding in Japan? I think it would be useful but I have no ideas about how to get one, and moreover, if I could do it in an inside ski center, such as Snova in the Kawasaki area.

 

Thanks in advance for your replies.

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Well we're looking at going away at weekends during the winter months, and also doing some indoor ski slopes during other months.

 

Probably some teaching I guess too.

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My basic advice would be keep it as informal as possible because the risk with any club is that you'll end up in typical Japanese organization hell. Lots of meetings and tegamis and time spent on Line or something similar. Best avoid taikais too, because they'll involve even more organization and lots of standing around not snowboarding.

 

If your club is informal, you don't need to get qualified as a snowboard instructor, but make sure you do first aid courses. If you are keen to improve your ability as an instructor, there are courses with Canadian or NZ accreditation in Hakuba and Niseko. There are courses with Japanese accreditation all over the place, but my own impression about ski snowboard instruction in Japan is that it is geared towards badge tests and a single way of learning regardless of who is doing it. I think the tests take the fun out of the sport.

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I've had a think about this and I reckon step one should be to get together with the other person how much of this has to be a school thing. If it is a school thing, it'll have to get the blessing of kouchou sensei and kyouto sensei and operate within all of the rules of the school, esp. if you want to take peoples' kids away overnight. There is also the risk of people pushing your club in a non-fun direction toward badge tests and taikais because that is the limit of their imagination.

 

There are loads of activities that kids do outside school, so its not the only way to organize things.

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I've had a think about this and I reckon step one should be to get together with the other person how much of this has to be a school thing. If it is a school thing, it'll have to get the blessing of kouchou sensei and kyouto sensei and operate within all of the rules of the school, esp. if you want to take peoples' kids away overnight. There is also the risk of people pushing your club in a non-fun direction toward badge tests and taikais because that is the limit of their imagination.

 

There are loads of activities that kids do outside school, so its not the only way to organize things.

 

Bang on the money. We had to ask LOTS of people in the school and show evidence that we have experience. Unfortunately 9000+ posts on Snow Japan doesn't count, but the galleries did. We have made it to be a fun club; however, we did get asked about badges etc. We managed to delay that problem by saying it depends on how popular it is. Even got some posters made up too. All going ahead from next month.

 

Thanks for the help, Mr. Wiggles.

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Well done Man-in-Japan.

 

On badge tests, my daughter who is a third grader JHS just completed her badge test level 2 & 1. She really enjoyed doing it.

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