The Industry View on Spring Skiing

[Puck it]

Youth sports are out of control these days. I had to do it again. I would not do what I did.

Good luck to your boss's kid. I now a lot of parent's that spent more than me on hockey and their kids ended in DIII programs with no scholarships.

 

[VTKilarney]

OK. So if I follow your logic, when the football season starts in Sept., everyone should shut down all the baseball fields because no one wants to play baseball any more.

You and your supporters keep saying, "No marketing campaign can change that (i.e. losing the conflict with other sports seasons)" and you may be right. But until someone makes a serious effort, I say, "nobody knows."

How do you shut down a baseball field?

You are missing the point. The baseball kids are playing fall baseball, not football. And the football kids are playing spring football. in order to be competitive, kids these days are being forced to focus on one sport.

 

[hammer]

Youth sports are out of control these days. I had to do it again. I would not do what I did.

Good luck to your boss's kid. I now a lot of parent's that spent more than me on hockey and their kids ended in DIII programs with no scholarships.

My daughter, who is a senior this year, participated in sports but it was more for the social aspect (having knee issues didn't help). Much happier to see her get the good grades and the merit scholarship offers, has made it so that she has choices of which school to go to in the fall.

Going back on topic, at Sunapee yesterday it looked like most of the people there were pass holders who were there for just a few hours and if they were there all day brown-bagged it. Felt like I was one of a handful of "paying" customers and even I came in with a 50% pre-purchase discount.

 

[Puck it]

How do you shut down a baseball field?

You are missing the point. The baseball kids are playing fall baseball, not football. And the football kids are playing spring football. in order to be competitive, kids these days are being forced to focus on one sport.

True, hockey was year round for us. Tournaments from as far Miami up to Montreal.

 

[gmcunni]

How do you shut down a baseball field?

You are missing the point. The baseball kids are playing fall baseball, not football. And the football kids are playing spring football. in order to be competitive, kids these days are being forced to focus on one sport.

and most HS athletes i've talked to about skiing say they are forbidden (strongly discouraged) by their "main sport" coach from doing it.

 

[Smellytele]

How do you shut down a baseball field?

You are missing the point. The baseball kids are playing fall baseball, not football. And the football kids are playing spring football. in order to be competitive, kids these days are being forced to focus on one sport.

My oldest son was not "forced" to play one sport. He only wanted to. When he was younger we introduced him to soccer, football, basketball and baseball. He only liked baseball and stopped playing the rest on his own.

 

[VTKilarney]

My oldest son was not "forced" to play one sport. He only wanted to. When he was younger we introduced him to soccer, football, basketball and baseball. He only liked baseball and stopped playing the rest on his own.

My comment was not specifically about your son. My comment was a general observation that in order to keep up competitively more and more children have to play a single sport nearly year round - which is a sad thing. But the reality is that if the other kids are doing it, it is harder to keep up with those "other kids" for a child opts out.

 

[hammer]

and most HS athletes i've talked to about skiing say they are forbidden (strongly discouraged) by their "main sport" coach from doing it.

I could see this for a professional player but really?

 

[BenedictGomez]

Last fall during his junior season, his son got benched. So, what did Dad do? He researched what other schools in the state have good football programs and needed a QB. He rented a house in a town two hours away from home (his wife visits on the weekends ) to get his kid a starting QB roll.

He's a sicko.

My boss's rationale is....He wants his kid to be happy

Do you really believe that? I imagine there's a 20% chance it's true, with an 80% chance he's one of those many parents living vicariously through his son, and/or has what certainly sounds like (given the benching) unrealistic expectations.

If I had a nickel for every parent on my baseball, basketball, tennis, football, etc.... teams growing up who thought their little Johnny was much better than he really was......well.....I'd have more nickels than I do now.

 

[gmcunni]

indoor facilities make many outdoor seasonal sports possible year round. we have one place that has indoor baseball in the winter. it is a modified game (and equipment) but the really dedicated can play/train if they want to

 

[VTKilarney]

I'd also willing to bet that a kid who was benched during his junior year has no chance whatsoever of a scholarship that will justify the expense of relocating to a town with a team that will play him. At the very best it's a horrible bet.

 

[Domeskier]

indoor facilities make many outdoor seasonal sports possible year round.

Ain't that the truth!

 

[deadheadskier]

I'd also willing to bet that a kid who was benched during his junior year has no chance whatsoever of a scholarship that will justify the expense of relocating to a town with a team that will play him. At the very best it's a horrible bet.

In theory yes, but there are exceptions. In this case the son is a passing QB. The team lacked talent at WR, so they switched to an option offense with a running QB. Kid for certain has talent. BC and UNH started scouting him as a Sophomore. That said it's not a choice I would make with my kid, but too each their own.

 

[joshua segal]

...
, if it were no-doubt clear cut profitable to operate as late as possible, would Powdr have changed Killington's operating schedule? The fact that they tried to shorten their season proves that it's more complicated than any of us realize.

Killington's skier visits fell dramatically when POWDR took over. POWDR was clueless of what made Killington tick and the reason Killington is back is because customers (not the marketing department) told them that both early season (Oct.) and late season (Jun.) were fundamental products for Killington.

 

[Puck it]

Even DIII programs are a full time commitment in college now. Very little downtime for anything but school and practice. And no money for an athletic scholarship in DIII programs.

 

[gmcunni]

i think this is a dying sport. 10 years from now it will be us old people skiing, the youth will have "better" things to do that cost a lot less.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

I've known a couple kids that have given up skiing to focus on other sports and have never really been a fan of the idea. I think for the large majority of kids, sports in highschool never pan out into anything more than memories, it seems dumb to me to give up skiing in order to better oneself in other sports that have such low success rates in the long run. Obviously there's going to be star athletes that progress to high levels, but for the general population I feel that its better to be relaxed and have players set goals geared more towards enjoying themselves and building team bonds rather than having them feeling pressured to excel.

 

[Smellytele]

My comment was not specifically about your son. My comment was a general observation that in order to keep up competitively more and more children have to play a single sport nearly year round - which is a sad thing. But the reality is that if the other kids are doing it, it is harder to keep up with those "other kids" for a child opts out.

I agree. I was just saying not all kids are forced some choose on their own. My youngest son has chosen to play 3 sports (baseball, soccer and basketball)plus loves skiing. Trying to get him to not play basketball but he seems to like it although not as much as skiing and the other 2.

 

[VTKilarney]

I've known a couple kids that have given up skiing to focus on other sports and have never really been a fan of the idea. I think for the large majority of kids, sports in highschool never pan out into anything more than memories, it seems dumb to me to give up skiing in order to better oneself in other sports that have such low success rates in the long run. Obviously there's going to be star athletes that progress to high levels, but for the general population I feel that its better to be relaxed and have players set goals geared more towards enjoying themselves and building team bonds rather than having them feeling pressured to excel.

Very well said. 99% of these kids are chasing something they will never catch. They would be much better served by having diverse experiences when it comes to sports.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

oh, and this is what I originally came to say before I read and weighed in on all the sports stuff:

Gunstock was niiiiiiice on Sunday. I was not planning to ski this past weekend but checked the forecast Saturday afternoon, saw 45 and sunny on the radar for Sunday, and couldnt pass up the opportunity to make some turns. Headed up for the day and was blessed with prime spring conditions, creamy new england chowder like you read about!!!! I rode the lift with a local season pass holder who was bummed to inform me that Easter Sunday would be the Stock's last day of operation. The elderly gentlemen seemed fairly upset that they were going leave so much snow on the mountain and nobody was gunna be around to ski it. I have to agree with him, the groomers still had a decent base, and although the woods were roped off bc of spotty coverage, I poached em in the afternoon once they softened up, found some decent remaining lines and had one of the better runs of the day thru there. It saddens me to see areas closing up, although, I do understand that most areas cannot make profits spinning the lifts for only a handful of riders.