Ski for Light Event Planning Manual

May 2013

11. Guide Skier Matching Coordinator

The matching of Instructor/Guides and VIPs and MIPs is an important task at every SFL event. Careful attention must be paid to the appropriateness of every pairing. Good pairings lead to a good week for attendees in most cases, while inappropriate pairings can lead to frustrations and an overall SFL experience that is not positive.

Guide/Skier matching takes place on the Saturday at the beginning of the week, and involves the efforts of seasoned SFL personnel with good knowledge of both veteran and new attendees. Always included in this process are the Instructor/Guide, VIP and MIP Applications Coordinators, the two Guide Training Coordinators and the SFL President. Also involved if his/her schedule permits is the Event Chair.

The role of the Guide/Skier Matching Coordinator is to gather the information about guides and skiers that will be useful in the matching process, to distribute this information in a useful format to those involved in the matching process ahead of time, and to lead and facilitate the actual matching meeting. The person selected to be Guide/Skier Matching Coordinator can be one of the coordinators already involved with the meeting, or someone else who has broad experience in SFL.

The matching meeting is generally more efficient and productive if there is a Recorder of matches available to participate in the meeting. This person creates and controls the master list of matches, using the entire list of skiers and guides as a starting point.

Pre-Event

Three Weeks Before the Event

• Secure from the Event Chair the time and location for the matching meeting.
• Send a reminder message via e-mail to those who will be included in the matching meeting, giving them the date and time of the meeting. In recent years the meeting has been held on Saturday afternoon, and continued Saturday evening if necessary. The Guide Training Coordinators do not attend this initial meeting because of their Guide Training responsibilities. They become involved on Sunday when they evaluate the skills of first- time guides, and help to fine-tune the final list of matches.
• Obtain from the Instructor/Guide, VIP and MIP coordinators a copy of their attendee spreadsheet or database. Begin extracting from these data the information that will be necessary for matching.
• Obtain a copy of the match history database that contains the guide/skier matches for each event over the last ten years.

Two Weeks Before the Event

• Prepare the following documents and lists for use during the matching meeting:
  • A list of guides and skiers who have requested to ski together.
  • A list of guides who would prefer to be matched with a MIP, and a list of guides who have no preference between guiding a MIP or a VIP. In most cases, first-time guides should be excluded from these lists.
  • A list of first-time VIPs and a list of veteran VIPs, both arranged alphabetically. For each VIP include: age, name, SFL year, skiing ability, skier type, vision, height, weight, hearing problems, experience, and any application or coordinator comments.
  • A list of first-time guides and a list of veteran guides, both arranged alphabetically. For each guide include: age, name, SFL year, skier preference, height, weight, and any application or coordinator comments.
  • A list of Beginner VIPs, and a list of guides who would prefer to guide a Beginner VIP.
  • A list of guides who want a minimal skier.
  • A list of Aggressive VIPs, and a list of guides who would prefer to guide an Aggressive skier.
  • A list of veteran VIPs and the names of each of their guides over the past five events. Arrange this list alphabetically.
  • A list of veteran guides and the names of each of their skiers over the past five events. Arrange this list alphabetically.

One Week Before the Event

• Create a Dropbox folder entitled "Guide Skier Matching", and invite all of those involved in the matching process to join the folder.
• Place a copy of each matching list or document in the folder. Update and revise as necessary until the event.
• Send an e-mail message to each meeting attendee telling them that the data for the meeting has been placed into Dropbox. Send the documents as e-mail attachments to anyone who cannot access Dropbox.
• If braille copies of the data are requested by any attendee, send the lists to the Alternate Format Communication Coordinator and request that such documents be created and brought to the meeting.

International Week

Saturday

• Chair and facilitate the matching meeting.
• Experience has shown us that the best matches are generally those of guides and skiers who have similar skiing goals for the week, and when possible, of similar ages and personality types.
• First-time VIPs or MIPs should not be matched with a first-time guide, unless extenuating circumstances exist.
• Guides and skiers who have been matched together for any of the preceding five events should not be matched again, unless extenuating circumstances exist.
• The order of matching that generally works best is as follows:
  • Review the list of match requests. Unless extenuating circumstances exist, these requests should be approved. Note that a request must be mutual to be considered.
  • Review the list of guides who would prefer to guide a MIP, and the list of guides who have no MIP versus VIP preference. Select guides for each MIP.
  • Select appropriate guides for those few VIPs whose skiing speed and competitiveness could cause safety problems if not guided by an experienced SFL race guide.
  • Pair each first-time VIP with an experienced guide.
  • Pair any remaining Beginner VIPs with an experienced guide.
  • Pair each first-time guide with an experienced VIP.
  • Pair Aggressive skiers with an appropriate guide.
  • Pair remaining veteran VIPs and veteran guides.
  • If any guides or VIPs remain unmatched, add them as a second guide or skier to certain already created matches, or assign them as a Rover.
  • Go back over the entire list of matches to see if on second thought any seem problematic. Make switches as appropriate.
  • Generate a print list of matches to give to the Guide Training Coordinators Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

  Sunday

  • The Guide Training Coordinators and Guide Trainers should review the tentative matches for each first-time guide, and indicate concerns as warranted.
  • The Guide Training Coordinators should review the list of veteran guide matches, and indicate concerns as warranted.
  • After Guide Training has ended, the Guide Training Coordinators meet with the SFL President, Event Chair or Guide/Skier Matching Coordinator to review concerns and potential problems. Make match switches as needed.
  • The final list of matches must be transmitted in an appropriate format to those involved with Sunday evening skier introductions and guide assignments. Copies should also be given to the Guide Training Coordinators, each applications coordinator, the Event Chair and the SFL President.

  Post-Event

  • Update the matches database to include the pairings and race/rally results of the completed event.

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