interested in helping me start my program that would be a satellite of their own. Next, I approached the local elementary school to spread the word, emphasizing that my program was free and we would ski on areas across from the school, so no
Learn more about this program at
http://catamounttrail.org/programs/ ski-cubs/ and http://catamounttrail. org/category/youth-2/
money or transportation was required. T e school principal was enthusiastic from the get-go. One of the school paraeducators happened to be an avid cross country skier and was very excited to help with the program – a huge boon for me. Now I just needed skis!
I visited all the ski sales I could, buying 8 pairs of inexpensive skis, 10 pairs of boots, and 7 pairs of poles. T rough the satellite agreement, CTA gave me 12 pairs to round my fl eet up to 20. I waxed them,
got student sizes, and labeled each piece meticulously. As the number of sign-ups came in, we realized we would need two sessions so we would have enough skis for each child. Trying to fi gure out the split was one of the more complicated puzzles I’ve worked through. I was fl oored with how much time this was all taking – wasn’t I supposed to be “not working”?
TIME TO ADD SNOW… OF ALL KINDS! T e last element needed was snow. We lived in the notorious “tropics of Vermont” – the southwestern-most valley that usually received the least amount of snow. On our fi rst day, we had half an inch on frozen ground. I feared for the life of the skis, but the kids were so excited. T ey halfway listened to my lecture on the history of skiing, the CTA, snowfl akes, and anything else I could talk about to keep them off the “snow.” But fi nally out we went, and the kids were bundles of enthusiasm. T ey chorused; “I can’t put on my skis… help me,
help me!” My plan of orderly instruction went out the window: I got the skis on the kids, gave a quick demo of body position, and off they went. At the end of the session, I felt I hadn’t given them the lesson they deserved, but it didn’t seem to matter. T ey were excited for more. After another session
in mid-January
with lean snow, our luck changed and our region stole the snow spotlight. By then, another school was fi nally able to accept my program off er, so now I had one lesson day with two sessions and another lesson day with three sessions – a total of 78 kids! I was fortunate to have six volunteers who were so valuable in giving the kids the attention they deserved. Each session was slated to be an hour, but with gear swapping and snafus, we often settled for less. We were so grateful for the new 15- plus inches of snow pack because the lessons could take place right next to the schools, but it actually made skiing on these sites very tough. T e snow pack was notoriously unconsolidated and even after
Teaching is your business.
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