Three Year Old Kids Can Do a Lot

Wednesday morning, December 11 was gray, breezy and lightly snowing.  In spite of the overcast weather, three girls- sporting snowboard gear and brightly colored outfits – were getting ready to start the season with their Scouts snowboard group. Sophie, Lilah and Ava, local three-year-olds, would meet each Wednesday to ride, explore and play.  The coaches that ride with them each week are Michele “Princess” Fletcher and Roslyn Cordell. The mood was excited- small voices telling stories, yelling goodbye to their parents and shrieks of laughter at their coach’s goofy jokes.

Three-year-old kids can do a lot of things…they can use a door handle, they can dress themselves, they can count to 20 (or higher!) and….they can SNOWBOARD. Early youth programs, spearheaded by companies such as Burton, are springing up all over the country.  The Mountain Sports School’s Pioneer and Scouts programs are two prime examples. Jackson’s programs are setting the industry standard for these littlest rippers.

“There’s a LOT of hands-on time to start,” explains Cordell.  “We use lots of props!” In the toy chest- the Burton Riglet (a leash like device attached to the board), hula hoops and vests that have vertical handles on the back. Cordell and Fletcher corral the girls in the ‘catcher’s mitt’- a dish-shaped snow platform.  Adjacent to the catcher’s mitt is a Burton sponsored Riglet Park- a terrain enhanced learning area designed specifically for children.  “We (the coaches) stick pretty close to them at first.  It’s a matter of confidence” Cordell says.

For the next several Wednesdays, coach-led games and drills introduce sliding, standing on a flat board, riding the heel side and ‘sitting in the chair’ to slow down and stop. There are hot cocoa breaks.  Lunch is a social affair- jokes and stories from the morning are shared between groups.  In the afternoon, practice masquerades as ‘adventure time’. Tree trails, a visit to the Pirate Ship or a ride through the Riglet Park- all on their tiny little boards- wrap up the day.

By the end of the first four sessions, these little rippers were heel-side sliding happily on their own down Pooh Bear. They can manage their gear and get in and out of the gondola on their own.  Parents begin to suspect their young shredders may just prefer to ride with their coaches rather than Mom or Dad. Which would be understandable- ‘Princess’ and Roslyn are pretty cool…..

Next step- whoop whoop- turning!