President’s Message by Greg Lyons – from the Edge 2017
President’s Message by Greg Lyons, President PSIA/AASI-West
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
– George S. Patton
My self-imposed challenge in 2017 is to ski at least one day every month. I was able to ski until the
The Lyons family, Kayla, Greg, Karleen and Kylee (l to r) on “The Patch”
end of April at my home resort of Heavenly. Mt Rose was outstanding for Memorial Day weekend and Squaw was open for fun sliding in June and July. In August, accompa- nied by my family, we ventured up a dirt road off Carson Pass, fol- lowed by a short hike to “the Patch”. We found snow in September near Highland Lake off of Ebbets Pass. October? Well, we’ll see where the search for snow take us.
Last season offered up its own challenges, with its record- breaking precipitation and snowfall. It was also a huge year for the Western Division. Our membership topped 3,300 and we had the most members ever seeking to improve their skills and qualifications through certification. Best of all, the preparedness level of candidates was impressive. Congratulations and great job to our members and their trainers!
Please welcome Kristi Prochazka to her new role as Administra-tive Director of PSIA/AASI-W. She has been a critical piece of the
western office team for nine years, and is well prepared to further contribute to the success of our division.
We are also grateful to Mitch Dion for his many years of outstanding leadership of the Western office. His caring and respect for all of our members, members resorts and stakeholders in the snowsport business set a very high standard. Mitch will continue with the Western office as the treasurer. He continues to provide excellence in his new role.
Much of the work of the Association is done by volunteers. Allie Ace and Jamie Marso-Tanner have joined the Membership Linkage Committee, which will act as a conduit for information between the membership at large and the national organization. In addition, congratulations to Jamie for being the recipient of last season’s “Rising Star” award. Heidi Ettlinger, in addition to her roles as a Western Director and a National Team member, is also volunteering for the Education Leadership Committee. This committee is made up of education and certification leaders from across the country and is do- ing critical work toward consistency among, and making new learning products available to all divisions.
We welcome the PSIA-AASI National Board of Directors meeting which will be held in conjunction with our NorCal Winter Session at Squaw Valley this January 21-22. We appreciate the efforts of the National organization to come out west and interact with our membership. Take advantage of this opportunity!
Enjoy the challenge in life. – Greg
