We’ve Come A Long Way
Baby!
by Deb Mithoefer, ED S&T Steering
Committee
I would like to take
this opportunity to say thank you for a job well done. Teamwork is a very
powerful tool. Many members of our organization have worked with me, and each
other, to brainstorm, create, plan, and implement a very successful version of
the Toboggan and Skiing (sorry Riders, I am still politically incorrect)
Enhancement Seminars. The list of folks I want to publicly thank is longer than
any list we hear on television during the Academy or Country Music Awards. So,
instead of making a list and checking it twice and still forgetting names, I
will only mention one special thanks to Dave Walker. Dave gave me the freedom
to work outside of the box and allowed us all to create one terrific
educational opportunity. I don’t
“In the beginning,” I
identified three long-term goals for our Women’s Clinics. One goal was to
provide the opportunity to practice ski & toboggan handling skills in a fun
and comfortable clinic format. Another goal was to help each of us learn how to
identify our strengths and weakness and to then create a personal, comfortable
strategy for success. My third long-term goal was to encourage as many women as
possible to accept the challenge of personal improvement and to accept
positions of leadership within the ski and toboggan programs of our division.
So many of our division members stepped forward and helped me realize all of these
goals. As of the writing of this article, the various regions will be offering
at least 12 women’s clinics. These clinics are organized by women throughout
the Eastern Division and are staffed by numerous women who are toboggan
instructors, trainer evaluators, and division staff members. Please continue to
go forth and multiply!!
I am changing my role
within the women’s clinics. I will leave the details of how the regions
structure the clinics to “y’all.” You know your needs better than I do. Please keep
in mind that we are an educational organization with rules of the road.
Consistency in clinic organization, teaching methodology and skills knowledge
has contributed to the success of the enhancement seminars as well as other
S&T programs offered by the division. With this in mind, I ask the regions
to please be sure to register clinics with the national office and to send
copies of the clinic records to Laura Tucker and me. If you would like some
help structuring your clinic or if you need a list of trainer evaluators or
toboggan instructors in or near your region that just happen to be women,
please email or call Laura or me and we
will send you the list. Also, please remember that it is important to have at
least one S&T trainer evaluator help organize and staff your
Some news from the
outside…Central Division (out west?) is a big supporter of these clinics and
has been offering variations of the women’s enhancement seminars for almost as
long as we have. Southern Division is so encouraged by the excitement and
momentum we have created with the women’s program “up north” that they are
offering clinics of their own “down south.” I was lucky enough to have traveled
to
Debra Daniels Mithoefer
802-228-5032
Laura Tucker
413-499-1795