February 27, 2015 at 2:23 p.m.
Sno-Dags wrap up successful first year
Sno-Dags wrap up successful first year
The Sno-Dags are sponsored by the Northwoods Nordic Ski Club and focus on developing the sport in the area's young people.
Sno-Dags director Mike Preul said the group fills a niche that was sorely needed, especially for a city with as rich a skiing history as Rhinelander.
"There hasn't been a youth development program for Nordic skiing in Rhinelander for 10 to 15 years," he said. "There hasn't been a middle school team for six or seven years either. Last year, we really decided we needed to really put some effort into developing this program and get some kids on skis. We want to introduce a new generation of kids and families to skiing, and it's going well."
In year one, Preul and the rest of the leadership team focused on numbers. In that regard, it was mission accomplished.
"It was a really successful year," he said. "It exceeded expectations. We had about 50 participants and that's kids that are in grades second through fifth. Getting to 50 was a big number, and I think we have a lot of momentum. I can really see it taking off next year."
While it's important to think about the future of the program, Preul said he's most excited about this past year. The kids embraced the sport and the way they each improved only solidified his resolve.
"Seeing the progress of the kids from the beginning was great," Preul said. "We had a young lady from California that moved in. The whole family had never really seen snow. They were really excited to embrace the winter culture. She could barely get up a hill, as most people have that problem when they're starting. She came to our race, Havoc at CAVOC challenge and she made big progress. By the end of the year, she was just flying around. To see the kids go from barely being able to get up hills and go down hills, to flying through the woods and doing jumps was amazing. They're playing games on skis. They're playing tag and playing broomball. They're fearless and we let them be kids. There's not a ton of structure. It's about having fun on skis."
Preul said the future is bright for the Sno-Dags. Before long, he hopes to personalize the experience for kids of all age groups.
"I see us expanding, and offering more opportunities to the community," he said. "As the group grows, I see us breaking it down into more specific group based on age and skill development. We want to offer other opportunities too by expanding to additional techniques, like skate skiing versus classical skiing."
Next year, Preul is looking to expand the Sno-Dags program. It won't just be geared toward area youth, but entire families who would like to pick up Nordic skiing.
"This is about introducing kids and families to a lifelong sport," he said. "It would be great if they participated on a team someday, but this is all about enjoying winter in the Northwoods. What's going to be big for us next year is we will offer some sort of adult and parent lesson at the same time we will offer the Sno-Dags. We want to really try to get the family out."
In its first year, the reception to Sno-Dags was more than Preul could have hoped for. They created plenty of positive momentum along the way, and he's already looking forward to building on the group's strong inaugural season.
"As long as we have a good winter, this is really going to take off because we have a really great organizational group," he said. "Everyone wants to learn and they're kind of intimidated by it. We have a great club in place, and between this year and next year, we're going to have a fundraiser campaign to get additional equipment. We want to make this as inexpensive as we can for families so they can participate with as little cost as possible."
For more information about the Sno-Dags and to see pictures from this season, visit the group's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Rhinelander-Nordic-Skiing/714403471984634.
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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