Positive Energy & Attitudes for the Level 1 Athens, Greece

By ICP Examiner Natalia Santamaria

Travelling to a different country to teach a Level 1 Program is always a challenge. There are different rules, different ways of living, and different ways of understanding skating. So having an open heart on both sides, teacher and students, is the key to a successful program. This is what I love most about ICP program; so much to learn and so many ways to grow as instructors and people for all involved!

The program started on Friday afternoon with a skating skills review session with candidates coming not only from Athens also from Thessalonica. A wonderful near August Mediterranean climate kept us skating with around 30⁰. There was a lot of positive energy in a group which made the skills easy going. After the evening theory session and presentation we were ready to go for the teaching part on Saturday.

Saturday was a revealing day as always! Watching the process of understanding of how to teach and how to teach better unfold in each instructor candidate, is always rewarding. After a long day of learning and skating, the instructors were sent home to study and prepare for the Sunday practical and theory assessments. 

Sunday was hard and exhausting for all of us. This is nothing new. However, the instructor candidates made the day easy with very well structured lessons. A storm surprised us, dropping the temperature a bit, which helped us celebrate our weekend accomplishment!

This program wouldn’t have been possible with the incredible support of powerskate.eu and the heart of this company,  John Kousparis. John is one of the first ICP instructors in Greece and has been helping the sport growing up continuously. This was John's first Level 1 as an Apprentice Examiner and he really did an amazing job! 

A brilliant future lies ahead for the skating scene in Greece. New instructors will help create a solid base in the sport which will keep Greece rolling for years to come!

More to come for ICP in Greece in 2019!