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ENSC Jackrabbit Programs2009-2010 Season The Jackrabbit Program is designed to introduce children aged 3 to 12 to the sport of cross-country skiing. It is structured in much the same way as Red Cross and YM/YWCA swim lessons are: children become proficient in the sport by moving through a series of skill levels. In most cases, children will complete one level per ski season. The emphasis of the Program is on fun, participation, skill development and safety. The objective of the Program is to provide the opportunity for children to learn to cross country ski at their own pace, based on their personal abilities, skills and interests. Parents are welcome to learn to ski while helping out with your children. Nordic skiing is a family activity, with our emphasis on having fun with your children. This winter, you have the choice of registering your children in one of our two Jackrabbit Programs: Saturday Jackrabbits, from 1:30pm to 3:00pm, starts January 2nd and ends March 13th. Sunday Jackrabbits, from 1:30pm-3:30pm, starts Januray 3rd and ends March 7th. Saturday Jackrabbit Coordinator: Chris Stockdale and Kelly Ness have volunteered to Coordinate the Saturday Jackrabbit Program. Thanks Chris & Kelly! Jackrabbit Parents: please talk with Chris and Kelly 780-463-4805 to offer them your leadership as a member of the Saturday Team of Jackrabbit Leaders. Sunday Jackrabbit Coordinator In-Training: Ray Cislo and Julia Kleenliside have offered to volunteer to Coordinate the Sunday Jackrabbit Program for one more winter. We are looking for a new Sunday Jackrabbit Coordinator for next winter, 2011. They have enthusiastically coordinated Sunday Jackrabbits for the past few years, and are willing to work with a Jackrabbit Co-Coordinator In-Training this winter, to pass their knowledge on to a new coordinator. If you are interested in being our Sunday Co-Coordinator with Ray this year, please talk to Ray Cislo 780-435-2326 Note: We are looking for an organizer. You do not have to be a good skier. Your position is to delegate jobs to Coordinate our Sunday Team of Jackrabbit Leaders, and, represent our Jackrabbit Program as an executive member of the Edmonton Nordic Ski Club. Saturday Information (back to top) Saturday Information (back to top) The program is based on Cross Country Canada’s Skill Development Program for Children - http://www.cccski.com/main.asp?cmd=doc&ID=2533&lan=0. The Skill Development Program is comprised of three levels or stages- Bunnyrabbit, Jackrabbit and Track Attack. The Saturday Jackrabbit program includes the Bunnyrabbit and Jackrabbit stages, while the ENSC Lynx Program encompasses the Track Attack Programs for older kids. The overall objective of the Saturday Jackrabbit program is to assist children in the development of a love of the outdoors, a healthy lifestyle, excellent technical skills and a good level of physical fitness within a sport environment. The primary focus of our program will be FUN and developing skills through games and informal activities. Our aim is to provide an atmosphere that will encourage cross-country skiing as a life-long sport. We aim to do this by providing an integrated progression of development opportunities, from Bunnyrabbit and Jackrabbit through to the Lynx, Mammoth and Biathlon Bears junior development programs, continuing on to the Edmonton Nordic senior and master competitive and recreational group opportunities. As we did last year, we also hope to involve junior development level club skiers as assistant and guest coaches. The Jackrabbit program relies heavily on parent volunteers to organize and coach. As such, a parent volunteer commitment is required for each child registered in the Saturday Jackrabbit program. Examples of volunteer commitments include helping with coaching, registration, social events, fun days and communication – more details are provided below. It is beneficial (but not mandatory) for coaches to have the Introduction to Community Coaching (NCCP Level I Technical) course, which will be run prior to the start of the season for parents interested in coaching. Attached to the Jackrabbit registration form is a volunteer commitment form. Families must choose two volunteer commitment options for each child registered in Jackrabbits. Registrations will not be considered complete without a volunteer commitment. We strongly recommend that children come ahead of time to get skis waxed, scarves wrapped, bladders emptied, etc. We will cancel lessons if the Environment Canada website at noon of the day of lessons has a forecast high of -25C ambient (no windchill), or if temperature plus windchill combined is colder than -30C. The link is at http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-50_metric_e.html. At temperatures warmer than this attendance is up to your discretion, especially for the younger skiers. Saturday Jackrabbit Details: The Saturday Jackrabbit program will run from 1:30pm to 3:00 pm. Jackrabbits will start after Christmas and run January 9 through March 13, 2010. There is a one week break on February 13 due to the Birkebeiner Ski Loppet. For Bunnyrabbits (ages 5 and under) we would appreciate at least one parent per skier at the Bunnyrabbit level. This program usually works best when Mom or Dad is around, but sometimes the kids are “braver” when Mom or Dad is out of sight. Please work with your child's instructor to ensure that your son or daughter has the very best experience possible at Jackrabbits! At all other age levels, it is usually best for parents to let their kids attend the class without direct parental involvement. The instructors are great with the kids, and the kids are indeed braver this way. Each class also includes a helper who makes sure that kids are all together, and equipment is working and zippers are done up and mittens are not falling off. Please bring snacks for your kids, as we will not provide group snacks as there are many allergies to watch out for, and every family has a different idea of what constitutes a good ski snack. We will, however, as always, provide hot chocolate for the kids at the end of the lesson. Sunday Jackrabbits Information (back to top) Welcome to Edmonton Nordic’s Sunday Jackrabbit (JR) Program! This year’s program begins on Sunday January 3rd and runs for 10 sessions, the final one ending on Sunday March 7th. The Program runs in the afternoons from 1330 - 1530 hrs. It is structured this way:
Parent volunteers will provide juice at the snack break but families are responsible for bringing their own snacks. To reduce waste, families are responsible for bringing their own reusable cups or mugs – please label them. As part of the Program, each child receives (or should still have from last year) a booklet describing the skills he or she will be taught and is expected to achieve at each level. To encourage kids to ski, the Jackrabbit Program awards stickers to children based on how often they ski, how quickly they ski, and how well they ski:
Progress can be tracked in the booklets. For children new to the Program, instructors will distribute the booklets to those children by the second or third lesson. Download the Full Sunday Jackrabbit Calendar & Information If you’ve got questions or concerns, please Ray Cislo at
or 435-2326. The telephone works best if you need a quick response. Jackrabbit Program Levels (back to top) What level should I register my “Jackrabbit” in? This is often a difficult decision to make, especially for parents who are new to the program. The following is offered as a guide. Words of Advice: • When in doubt, register at the lower level. It's always easier on everyone to move "up" a level as opposed to "down" a level. Jackrabbits Skills Progression
Parental Involvement (back to top) Our Club runs the Jackrabbit Program as a cooperative. How else do you think we can offer such a great program for less than what you pay the teenager down the street to baby-sit your kids for an evening out? It takes quite a few people to ensure that the program runs smoothly and effectively; this is where you come in! Jackrabbit Leaders and Helpers: Our Jackrabbit Program depends upon you, our team of parents, adults or young volunteers to lead our program. Your active involvement with your children is valued and encouraged. Many hands make light work. Our Coordinators will work with you as part of our team leaders to: structure our program, schedule our events, choose Jackrabbit Leaders to lead the different groups children, put children in the appropriate groups depending on their skiing skills-ages-friends, etc. At the end of the day, all that we ask of you as volunteer leaders, is to organize a safe program to have fun with our kids, while teaching them how to ski. This is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding volunteer efforts you will ever share with your family and friends. You are simply providing an experience that results in happy, smiling, laughing kids on skis. Jackrabbit Leaders: Your leadership is the most important part of our program. The key to the success of our program is your ability to teach a group of up to 10 kids how to ski, improve their technique, and have fun with their friends. Your goal is to lead a challenging program of: ski technique instruction; drills and exercises to practice ski technique; games and relays to use the ski techniques; small ski tour adventures to explore new trails; all while having fun with the kids and helpers. The positive experience you provide to our children during their first few years of skiing will encourage them to ski for life! Jackrabbit Helpers: No experience or knowledge of skiing is necessary at all. You will work with a Jackrabbit Leader who is leading a group of up to 10 kids. Your job is to help manage and look after your group of skiers, while your Leader leads. You will be a big help as you: have fun with kids; keep kids warm and protect them from the cold; help kids get up when they fall down; keep the kids focused on following the Leader; keep the group together; carry a small backpack to put their extra clothes in when they get warmed up; and most importantly, provide lots of encouragement to the "kids at the back of the pack" who are just learning how to ski and who need lots of positive feedback. Jackrabbit Parent Supporters: There are also a number of small project for busy parents, who are looking for easy to do jobs, such as: helping organize special fun events, organizing hot drinks for the kids, time-keeping at fun events, organizing fun family events and year end parties, helping Jackrabbit Coordinators with some of their tasks, etc. Please consider helping out with the delivery of the program. We need your help and will provide you with all the assistance you need to do your "job". Remember, many hands make light work! Training for Jackrabbit Leaders and Helpers: Our Edmonton Nordic Ski Club provides free training for all of our Jackrabbit volunteers. You have three choices to develop your skiing leadership skills: #1 Course Certification; #2 Leaders Clinics; and #3 Learning on the Job. #1: You can take a Jackrabbit Leaders Course, like this one below, and we will reimburse you for your costs: Sunday November 29: Level One Jackrabbits Leader Course, also called "Introduction to Community Coaching" for people who want to learn how to become a Jackrabbit Leader or ski coach, including: parents who want to be Jackrabbit Helpers or Leaders (you do not have to have any experience or knowledge of skiing), teenage skiers or adults interested in leading Jackrabbits or coaching youth. Location: Devon, Devon Town Office, #1 Columbia Avenue, right behind the A&W. Normally a course that takes a full day and a half, this will be just one full day, starting at 8:00 am and finishing around 5:00pm. Cost: $75 (our club will reimburse you). They have 6 spaces remaining to be filled, on a first come - first served! For information-registration contact: Nicole Reynolds #2: You can take part in any of our many Edmonton Nordic Ski Technique Teaching and Coaching Clinics (free of charge) put on by Edmonton Nordic's ski team coach Les Parsons on weeknights and weekends - We are offering these clinics to any adults who are interested in joining our team of leaders, instructors and coaches. Our goals are to improve your own personal skiing technique; focus on our progression of teaching the fundamentals of proper technique; bring together our coaching team to share our variety of coaching drills and exercises from our bag of tricks; and have some FUN as we continue to build our leadership team of leaders and coaches. #3: You can "Learn On The Job," by assisting one of our experienced Jackrabbit Leaders, while you help them to lead a group of children this winter.
Equipping Your Jackrabbit (back to top) Information on necessary, and appropriate ski equipment is available in Cross Country Canada’s Skill Development Program for Children Guidebook, which is available on the internet at http://www.cccski.com/main.asp?cmd=doc&ID=2533&lan=0. Used equipment is available at the Edmonton Nordic Ski Swap on November 5, however, selection is usually limited. Retailers in the Edmonton area who sell ski equipment include:
Contact Information (back to top) Chris Stockdale and Kelly Ness (Saturday Coordinators) or 463-4805 Ray Cislo (Sunday Co-ordinator) 435-2326 Registration Forms (back to top) To register, you will need to join the ENSC (Information on the Club registration page) and complete a Jackrabbit program registration form (see blow). Please keep in mind that we may have to restrict the number of children in the program to ensure that class sizes are not so large that the instructors cannot provide adequate time to each skier. The number of skiers in the program is directly related to the number of instructors we have available. Register early and avoid disappointment. Volunteer to assist with instruction and guarantee a spot for your children! To Register for our 2009-2010 Jackrabbit Programs, download the Registration form:
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