Our kids are our future. Pure and simple. Any time we can invest in making our kids knowledgeable, competent and confident is time well spent. Make sure your kids are exposed to as many things as possible and learn from making their own mistakes and therefore make better choices.
Grand Nordic spends a good portion of its budget on providing ski equipment for pre-schools and elementary schools. We want our little ones in Grand County to learn that the outdoors in winter is a place to be active and have fun. We want them to learn how to be comfortable and confident that they can handle snow and cold and be able to go make snow angels or slide down a hill. We invite parents to help in our free programs at the schools, rec departments, and especially at Snow Mountain Ranch on Friday afternoons in January and February. We want parent to learn how to let go and teach their kids to function as individuals with confidence even as a young child. It is amazing to watch a 4-year old in a couple hours transform from a clingy individual who sits down and says I can’t do it to a bundle of energy striding down the trail looking for Mom to show her how great a skier he is!
We spend time showing our parents how we make this transformation and how to encourage kids to get out and explore what they can do. We so appreciate our volunteers who help in this transformation. Please volunteer to help with a program – we teach you to be a better skier as well.
These little skiers feel comfortable enough to join the Middle School Nordic team which welcomes beginners and the main focus is having fun. Success along the way instills confidence and the kids are off and running. When high school comes around, they are ready and raring to go with competition among themselves and Nordic skiers across the state. And we offer scholarships for these school programs and more technical training programs now available in Grand County.
One good way to start is skiing is the Barnelopet this Saturday at Snow Mountain Ranch. The Sons of Norway have inspired kids for decades sponsoring a free 1k 2.5k and 5k “race” for kids up to age 16 where all finishers earn their own medal! They even offer beginner ski lessons from 10a-11a before the main event starts at 11:15am. You can even get free ski rentals at the Snow Mtn Ranch Nordic Center but get there early as the demand is high… Enjoy refreshments afterward and talk about how your kids can learn more about this age-old way of enjoying winter outside. Call Lois Hodne at 303-795-6695 or [email protected] for more information.
To learn more about Grand Nordic, our programs, and our fundraisers for kids programs, call Diana Lynn Rau 970-887-0547 or [email protected]. Get out and enjoy the snow with your entire family!
