Take Action: Learn to Ski and Ride This Month!
Posted
by
WinterKids
on Thursday, January 16, 2014
January has been branded by the snow sports industry as Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. Ski resorts all over the country are making it easier than ever to become a skier or snowboarder for life this month! Treat your kids to a Beginner Package deal at more than 50 resorts across North America and they'll receive a lesson, equipment rentals, and a lift ticket for an amazing deal. Be sure to visit the Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month site for invaluable beginner tips and information for a great experience on the mountain - including where to find lessons in your area, where to find ski and snowboard jackets for kids, as well as games and contests. A number of states also offer school-aged children special opportunities called Passport Programs, which enable youngsters an affordable (and sometimes even free!) way to ski and snowboard at resorts in their respective states. Now is the time to gear up your little ones in their new kids snowboard clothes that Grandma and Grandpa bought for the holidays and bring them out to the local ski hill in your area for an unforgettable experience that will keep them coming back for more!
Based on the results of a survey, over 75 percent of people stated that they got involved in snow sports because of a friend or family member. With Mother Nature in full force this season, there is no better time than now to grab their favorite kids snowboarding jacket and introduce your children to the sport that we are all extremely passionate about here at WinterKids.com. Skiing and snowboarding are fun and healthy outdoor activities that allow kids to become and remain physically active by helping them build muscle mass, endurance, and balance. Plus, it's an activity in which they are able to have fun in a mountain environment, which is a tremendous experience for kids and adults alike. The ski industry has done some great work in the last few years with equipment for small children and their parents. For instance, there's now a harness device parents can use to tether very small children to retain control. Basically, if a child can stand and walk, they can learn to ski and snowboard! However, be sure to check the age limitations of children's lessons at your local resort. Lessons usually begin for children ages 3 and up for skiing and 7 and up for snowboarding, due to the fact that preschool-aged kids don't have the muscle development and coordination yet for snowboarding. Worried about not starting your child with snowboarding? Don't worry - skiing is a great prerequisite to snowboarding!
An elementary school in Vermont has beaten us all to the punch with the introduction of exercises into the physical education program that builds on snowboarding fundamentals. Burton has teamed up with Williston's Allen Brook Elementary School, where children get to try out this ingenious in-school snowboarding program. The idea started with a class project that eighth-grader Jeffrey Boliba was assigned. His initiative was that he wanted to bring snowboarding to the younger kids at Allen Brook, where he had been a student. He worked together with his father, Jeff Boliba (who currently works for Burton), to put on an event that was a huge success. The event got his father wondering if the schools could do something like this on their own. He teamed up with Allen Brook's Physical Education instructor, Lyn Porter, to develop a program that a P.E. teacher could manage.
"Balance is key," Porter states. "We have a lot of kids who struggle with core strength, and core strength is huge in balance."
According to Boliba, the next stop is a school here in Colorado, with an expected launch date of January 29th. Then Burton hopes to take the idea to other states and eventually worldwide.
"I would bet that one of these little tykes here, standing sideways for the first time...you might see them in a future Olympics," says Boliba.
With such an amazing program in place geared towards teaching kids how to snowboard at such a young age, you better believe it!
To read more on this great story, visit here.
We'd love to hear about your child's first experience learning how to ski or snowboard. Feel free to share your story in the comments below!
Categories:
Skiing & Snowboarding
Tagged: Burton Snowboards, kids, family, skiing, snowboard, fitness, health, learn to ski and snowboard month, physical education for kids, ski, snowbaording, toddlers, vermont
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