CHILDREN’S


Children are sure to have a great time in lessons -- and develop a lifelong passion for snowsports -- if they have fun and conquer their fears. KIERSTYN TOTH


LESSONS IN COURAGE … LEARNED FROM A 9-YEAR-OLD


By Nancy Dengler


can be even more meaningful than guiding kids to a perfect turn. I am blessed to work in a multi-week


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program, teaching skiing to the same core group of kids during a season. It’s a feeder program to our competitive racing team, with children ranging in age from 4 to 12. Some kids go on to ski competitively. Others remain in the program as assistants


106 | 32 DEGREES • FALL 2016


TRIUMPHS AND TRIALS WITH 9-YEAR-OLD CALLIE


Tree weeks into the program a lovely young lady joined my group. At 9 years


hildren’s ski and snowboard lessons are filled with fun adventures, but, for some, the first order of business is to help students find courage and overcome fears. Tat,


and eventual coaches, but nearly all form a lifelong passion for skiing or riding.


old, Callie was one year older and a head taller than the others. As the oldest, she could process more advanced and complex information and was quick to learn new tasks. She was eager to go first and excited to be on the snow… unless we were skiing anything more difficult than green terrain. Ten her skiing was reluctant at best. It was easy to recognize that Callie was three


weeks behind with on-snow skill development, speed skills, but – most importantly – her skiing confidence was well below that of the other kids. I realized that she threatened to stall the


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