INSYNCH
Wendy Deppe and Megan O’Donnell Building a team PLAY SYNCHRO is an effective recruitment program
Editor’s note: After hearing Susi Wehrli-Mc- Laughlin, senior director of membership at U.S. Figure Skating, speak at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Training Festival several years ago about a recruitment idea called PLAY SYNCHRO, director and coaches of Team Delaware and the Universi- ty of Delaware Synchronized Skating Team Megan O’Donnell and Wendy Deppe decided to adapt this concept as the focal point of their recruiting efforts. Here’s their success story. Building our grass-roots program was im-
portant to us, because the future of this sport be- longs to those young skaters aspiring to become synchronized skating athletes. At Delaware, PLAY SYNCHRO is held in
March leading up to our auditions in late March and early April. We work with Angie Cardello, the director of our learn-to-skate program, to co- ordinate times and dates. She is a wonderful asset and an advocate of our teams who works with us to help in our recruiting efforts. We encourage our existing skaters to come (dressed in team ap- parel) and help at the PLAY SYNCHRO sessions so that the kids can meet them. Our skaters sign
up for times and dates early on, so that we can plan on having at least three to five of them there each day. We block off one-third of the rink with cones (during practice time) and the coaches of our beginner teams assist the new PLAY SYN- CHRO skaters with the help of our skater vol- unteers. Some of our other skater volunteers go around the rink while skaters are practicing and invite them to join in the fun. Tose enjoying PLAY SYNCHRO will be able to do a circle, a wheel and an intersection, to name a few of the elements. Tey will have fun and meet our skat- ers. PLAY SYNCHRO is effective, because the skaters not only see it, but can actually do it. We have two coaches, including the director,
standing at a booth off the ice — decorated with videos, pictures and candy — answering parents’ questions. When the kids leave the ice, there’s a sign-up sheet so that they may receive more in- formation. Each skater receives an email from the director the next day with information about our synchronized skating program, detailed informa- tion about our beginner teams, as well as an in-
vitation to attend our open house (which is the audition name for our beginner group). Tis past March we had 25 new skaters attend our open house.
Over the past two years, we have gained 27
skaters under the age of 11 through our PLAY SYNCHRO efforts. Last season, nearly our entire Beginner 1 team came from our learn-to-skate PLAY SYNCHRO program. Tis team went on to compete at two competitions, placing first and second in their events while making wonderful friendships and memories that will last a lifetime. Te PLAY SYNCHRO program has been
by far the single-best recruiting tool for our pro- gram. It has allowed us to gain younger skaters in our hometown through the learn-to-skate pro- gram, helping our grass-roots program. We find that at the competitive level we have skaters coming from out of town to skate on our teams, and we wanted to build on that commu- nity of athletes by gaining skaters from our own learn-to-skate program at our home rink. Tis allows us to continue to offer a program that has multiple levels, so that our skaters can grow in their skills and be challenged at various levels of synchronized skating.
Te skaters on our first beginner team are
now skating at the novice level and were able to explore three to four other levels on the way over the past four or five years. We value the learning experience that each level brings to our skaters, as well as the lifelong friendships that are made along the way. We highly recommend PLAY SYNCHRO to any organization that is looking to build a strong grass-roots program.
54 JUNE/JULY 2014
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