Educators from the small towns of Greenville, East Millinocket and Danforth traveled to Orono this week to attend Maine Winter Sport Center’s new community instructor workshop, a two-day hands-on lesson on leading successful outdoor sports programs.
“The goal is, ultimately, to have people leave here thinking, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do something,” Mike Smith, MWSC programs director and chief operating officer, said.
Smith led the workshop with Lauren Jacobs, MWSC youth development program director, at the Maine Bound Adventure Center on the University of Maine campus. The first day was all about the fundamentals of teaching outdoor activities; the second day was devoted to teaching a specific outdoor skill — in this case, mountain biking.
“It’s through education — workshops like these — that we really stand to make the greatest impact,” Smith said.
“Our goal is to run as many of these workshops as we can across the state,” he continued. “We believe knowledge should be open source. We want to share best practices.”
Maine Winter Sports Center was created in 1999 with the mission to make a difference in Maine communities by promoting healthy, active, outdoor lifestyles through recreation and competition programs. In 15 years of operation, the nonprofit organization has received a great deal of media attention for training 15 Olympic athletes and hosting the state’s first World Cup Biathlon in 2004. Also during that time, MWSC has reached 140 Maine communities with a variety of outdoor programs for all ages.
“There are a lot of organizations in Maine trying to do really good things, and all they need is some equipment or a curriculum,” Smith said.
“We really believe that lifelong, human power-based sports are critically important to the future of Maine, for the future of Maine’s tourism and the health of our own citizens,” Jacobs said.
MWSC has undergone several major changes over the past couple of years. Last winter, the organization lost its chief source of funding from the Libra Foundation. In response, MWSC announced a redefined mission and launched a $20 million endowment campaign to support its programs well into the future.
MWSC programs include a world-class racing program, guided wilderness excursions for high school students and adults, year-round outdoor programs for youth, a statewide outdoor equipment rental program, a club development program for communities interested in starting outdoor clubs, a trail works program to help communities develop non-motorized recreational trails, and education programs for volunteers and professionals interested in running outdoor programs in their communities.
East Grand School in Danforth, a small rural town on the eastern border of the state, is one place where these programs have really made a positive impact.
“Four or five years ago, I contacted Maine Winter Sports Center to see if we could use their ski trailer,” Tammi Matula, who teaches health and physical education at the school and was one of the educators in attendance at the Community Instructor Workshop, said.
East Grand School’s student population hovers around 140, grades pre-K through 12, Matula said. The small school has long offered an outdoor recreation program to students but lacks some of the equipment necessary for certain outdoor activities.
MWSC staff arrived at the school with a trailer filled with cross-country skis, boots and poles of all sizes, Matula said, and they trained the students and the school staff members to use the equipment.
“Now, they’ve been involved in our school programs for years,” Matula said. “They’ve lent us archery equipment and training, and each year, they support our adventure race. They’ve just basically been big cheerleaders for us.”
On May 9, the school held its 10th annual East Grand Adventure Race, a 20-mile race over land and water during which teens and adults tested their outdoor navigation skills and teamwork to race on foot, bike and boat.
MWSC programs have supported the growing outdoor-related curriculum at Schenck High School in East Millinocket.
“We’ve been struggling to keep the school open since the mills have closed and people have moved away,” Joyce Smith, an ed tech at Schenck High School, said. “Our goal is to combine outdoor education with classes through the whole school — to specialize in outdoor experiential education. We may be able to bring in more students.”
Joyce Smith was one of three staff members of Schenck High School who attended the Community Instructor Workshop in Orono this week. It was a trial run, with invited participants. MWSC has led similar workshops for years, but this is the first time they have expanded the workshop to two days, splitting up general information about outdoor instruction and the skills required to instruct a specific sport.
“The idea is that people can attend the second day of multiple workshops to learn about different sports without having to review the fundamentals again,” Jacobs said.
Future community instructor workshops will specialize in different outdoor sports, including skiing and paddling, and will be open to the public.
“For virtually every sport, there’s a governing body of education, and we’re not trying to replace that,” Mike Smith said. “But professional certification in a sport isn’t in reach for many folks, so they’re held back from making things happen [in their communities]. Our interest is in bridging that gap.”
For information about Maine Winter Sports Center and their programs, visit mainewsc.org or call Mike Smith at 227-0250 or email him at mike@mainewsc.org.