As most recreation program coordinators can attest, the task of providing programs for the teen population is one that may take a lot of trial and error and sometimes results in program cancellations, due to lack of interest. One successful program that never seems to have a problem in attracting teens is the Annual IPRA All-Night Teen Ski.
This year’s, 15th Annual IPRA Teen Ski was held at the Chestnut Mountain Resort in Galena, Illinois on February 3-4, 2006. The co-chairmen for this year’s event were Gina Brynes, Recreation Supervisor from the Oak Forest Park District as well as Bart Desch, Recreation Supervisor of the Sycamore Park District and provided final participant figures for this successful event. Skiers and snowboarders, numbered over 1,100 teens, representing 39 park districts, both large and small, throughout the State of Illinois. Various park districts from as far away as Normal, Illinois participated in this event. This is one of the rare IPRA programs that continues to attract established as well as newly formed park districts throughout the state.
The history of this event dates back to 1989 with three or four park districts planning a co-op teen ski trip. This first trip was held at Wilmot Ski Resort and attracted several hundred teens to the event. Alex Brown, formerly of the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District, and Gayle Mountcastle, currently Superintendent of the Recreation for the Des Plaines Park District, are two of the original IPRA Teen Committee members who developed the idea for the teen ski trip. Before this time, there were no statewide co-op trips offered by the IPRA or its subcommittees.
This event, sponsored and coordinated by the Teen Committee of the IPRA, is unique in that no park district, either too small or too large, is unable to participate. The number of teens brought by park districts has ranged from two teens all the way up to over 100; as has been the case of the New Lenox Community Park District. For the third year in a row as the largest park district represented at the Teen Ski event, based on the number of teens participating, this park district’s, Superintendent of Recreation, Shirley Braglia, summed up the success of this annual teen event by saying, “This trip has grown tremendously for us throughout the years. Our teens look forward to this trip and even block out the usual weekend in advance.” To illustrate its success, Superintendent Braglia added, “As a regular event offered for the last ten years of our winter programming, we are now seeing adult volunteer chaperones who attended this event when they were teens. It’s a wonderful track record of continuing participation we enjoy.” Proving this trend is Anthony DiCarlo, a past teen participant who has been a chaperone for New Lenox teens for the last three years. The New Lenox Park District, as well as other quickly expanding park districts, continues to receive the assistance of past
participants to provide adult chaperoning. This trend is one that can ease the burden of seeking adequate adult supervision for program coordinators. For their agreeing to volunteer, chaperones are provided with the opportunity to ski or snowboard at no cost to them. For many enthusiastic winter sport adults, this opportunity to assist creates a win-win situation for both the volunteers and park districts.
For an event of this size and stature, the safety of each teen is paramount. Throughout the event, which runs from approximately Friday evening at 10:30pm to Saturday morning, at 5:00am; and the teens skiing all-night, adult chaperones monitor the teens both inside the resort and on the slopes in order to ensure a safe experience. All adult chaperones for this event provide a united front wherein the safety of all teens is addressed. This is accomplished through the use of identifying armbands by all adult chaperones. Teens are informed that if assistance of any kind is needed, they can seek help from any of the chaperones. Parents of the teens that attend the All-Night Teen Ski find it reassuring that with a venue of participants close to 1,000, assistance for their child is never too far away.
In order to implement additional safety measures, the New Lenox Park District has also implemented the use of a Medical Information Card. This laminated card contains each teen’s name, contact information, medical issues, and emergency contact information. Each teen receives this card which must be carried with them at all times during the skiing and snowboarding event. Although, they hope there is no need for it, this medical card provides additional piece of mind if the teen is seriously injured while on the slopes.
In addition, most park districts will agree that liability becomes more of an issue when an event is planned that incurs a greater risk such as skiing or snowboarding. Superintendent Braglia, of New Lenox, noted that, “For this event, our park district takes whatever additional measures are needed to ensure an adequate level of assurance is maintained on behalf of the park district as well as the parents. The use of the medical card, as another safety component, provides this for both our park district and our parents as well. The parents are happy to know that additional precautions have been taken during an event where their child is awake all night and away from home.”
A logistic problem that plagues smaller park districts in participating is the ability to obtain cost-effective transportation for the event. This dilemma has been solved through the use of a co-op transportation plan wherein park districts share the cost of transportation with other neighboring districts. This plan is highly encouraged by the Teen Committee of the IPRA. Many small park districts could not participate if they were forced to absorb the entire cost of transportation. This sharing of costs allows for all park districts to offer the All Night Teen Ski at a cost attractive and doable to teen participants.
An additional benefit for park district’s to participate in this event is the marketing opportunities it presents. This event can provide teen program coordinators with a unique database of participants for all future teen programs. Specifically, the New Lenox Park District has created a database distribution list using Teen Ski participants in order to market current and future teen programs via direct mail. Also, with most teens heavily involved in electronic mail, this park district has increased its efforts to offer email announcements to teens on upcoming events. Of course, all email addresses must be obtained with the permission of the parents.
To further other marketing efforts and to increase the input from teens in their district, the New Lenox Park District also plans on using this teen ski database in order to successfully create an active and vital Teen Council. The teens who participate in this program are very likely to want to play a more active role in decisions made by the park district on behalf of the teens. Further, it will provide a wonderful sounding block for future teen programming decisions.
For the many park districts who currently take part in the All-Night Teen Ski will agree, that although participation in the IPRA All-Night Teen Ski event may present additional responsibilities and planning, the benefits it creates for teen programming are well worth the effort. In addition, long-participating park districts have many of the procedures in place that new participating park districts can gleam from. This creates a win-win situation for both the individual park districts as well as the IPRA.
Posting submitted by Lauren A. Lotz, Teen Coordinator of the New Lenox Community Park District.