It Takes a Village: How to Keep Tahoe Kids Skiing
Tahoe Cross-Country Ski area believes in introducing children to cross-country skiing and helping them take their cross-country ski experience wherever they may have the desire to take it. Perhaps that might be learning about the sport and making it a part of their Tahoe lifestyle, or it may be taking it the next step up to becoming a ski racer. And hopefully for all of the kids, it will be the beginning of many decades of enjoying cross-country skiing, or as I always call it, the greatest sport on earth.
The Process of Keeping Youth Programs Alive & Strong
The pipeline to a love of cross-country skiing begins with Strider Gliders, the flagship Tahoe XC program that provides after school introduction to cross-country skiing beginning in first grade. In sixth grade, alas it is time for Strider Gliders kids to leave the nest, and move on to the next step: the North Tahoe School program for 6th to 8th graders (also known as the middle school) which provides both racing and a chance to have fun skiing with their friends. The setting is perfect as both North Tahoe School and North Tahoe High School’s parking lot backs up to the edge of the Tahoe XC trail system.
Sixth grade is also a time that some skiers choose the Tahoe XC Devo Team, where they can train more extensively to become ski racers, as well as race for North Tahoe School.
After middle school and Devo, comes the North Tahoe High School and the Tahoe XC Comp Team. At this level racing is still mostly about fun, but the competition steps up a bit. The comp team is for those who are truly dedicated to becoming better skiers, while having a great time with their friends who are equally excited about cross-country skiing.
High School & Beyond
After high school, Tahoe area kids who want to race can join college teams and race more extensively. Some have gone on to the highest levels, including Tahoe XC’s own JC Schoonmaker who began with Strider Gliders and raced for the US Ski Team in the last Olympics.
The chain from Strider Gliders through high school relies on a dedicated group of individuals, both paid and volunteers, to keep kids cross-country skiing. This past winter we almost lost an important cog in the chain when the middle school was having trouble finding a coach. A strong school team requires not only a coach and an assistant coach, but a lot of parental involvement which is usually found in the form of a a few parents every day out skiing with the kids. At the middle school level there can be wide disparities in ability level, which creates the need for a good number of parents to ski around with the different levels.
Just in the nick of time TTUSD Nurse Zan Larkins stepped in to rescue cross-country skiing at the middle school this year. “I saw the posting in the district and thought maybe I can be an assistant coach, but then Jamey Hinkle (the Athletic Director) said if there wasn’t a main coach there wouldn’t be a team,” said Larkins. So she stepped up to the coach level, and now it looks like there will be over 20 kids and there is also an assistant coach Mario Andrighetto.
“I love the ski community, have been skiing here for 15 years. Anybody who can share the love of skiing is a good thing,” said Larkins. She is enthusiastic for the new position and said she would love more parent volunteers. “It’s all about creating love for the sport.”
Tahoe XC Executive Director Ben Grasseschi says that “the middle school is an important building block for the high school team, as well as Tahoe XC’s Devo and Comp Teams.” To be successful the program needs more parental interest and involvement. “We just need parents to show up, they don’t have to be great skiers, or know teaching, just need to be there on a consistent level.”
If you think you might like to volunteer with the North Tahoe middle school program contact Zan Larkins at zlarkins (@) ttusd.org.