Are You Ready for the Upcoming Season? – Well, after a long summer, we have arrived at that time again.  It’s time to put down those summer floaties, time to put down those summer frosty drinks, and strap on those skis and snowboards, because it is Student Ski Patrol TIME!

So what did you do to get yourself prepared for opening day?  Did you eat all the right foods to keep your body healthy?   Did you exercise routinely in order to keep your muscle tone in tiptop shape?  Well you may not have been able to complete all of those things, but there a few things you can do NOW to be better prepared.

To begin with, refresh over the basics out of the OEC manual.  It is not just enough to know how to ski, you have to be able to asses your patients and provide appropriate first aid techniques to them during an emergency.

One of the most important skills to refresh is your patient assessment.  Without this skill being honed to perfection, it stands to reason that you cannot treat the things you cannot find.  The better your assessment is, the more responsible and appropriate care you can provide.  Be creative.  Practice on your siblings, pillows, parents, or who ever else will act the part of an injured patient.  Have them come up with injuries, and not tell you what they are until you find them on your assessment.  See how well you do.

Practice the important hands on skills like the art of using triangular bandages.  With one of these bandages, you can treat just about anything you come across.  You can control bleeding, apply splints, complete long and short boards, improvise, heck, you can do just about anything with a couple of triangular bandages, especially if you fold them into cravats.

If there is an OEC class that is on going in your area, contact the lead instructor and ask if you can stop by and help out with practical skills days.  This is the best way to stay up on perishable skills.  The best way to master something is to teach it to others.

It’s also not to late to start those exercises.  Jogging, walking, stretches, and strength training are activities that can be easily accomplished in order to get you physically ready to perform your best on the slopes.  Remember, its not just you that needs to make it to the bottom, but the patients that you load into the toboggan that needs a safe ride to first aid.

So, ask yourself, are you ready for the upcoming season?  Are you mentally and physically ready to take on the challenge of providing a safe and fun environment for the skiing public at your ski area?  You are an important part of the safety team, and someday may be called upon to take the place of those who are running the patrol currently.

YOUNG ADULT PROGRAM START UP MANUALFor those who have been around for a while, you may remember that the NH Region, in conjunction with the State of Massachusetts and the National Office, worked on a Young Adult Program (YAP) start up manual.  Many hours of work and effort went into this manual and covered topics that range from approaching your local area and getting approval, working with parents, and the local media to promote the program.

To learn more about how to get the manual for your patrol, follow this link…

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? – This is a new segment for our newsletter.  As the information becomes available, we will do our best to tell you the success stories of people who were Juniors, Student Patrollers, or Young Adult Patrollers in years past, and where they are today.

Our first spot lighted patroller is a Junior patroller from Temple Mountain who first entered the scene in 1996.  Mitch Cady first joined the ranks of the ski patrol along side of his father at the now historic Temple Mountain Ski Area which was then located on the town lines of Peterborough and Temple, NH.

Mitch Patrolled at Temple until 2000.  Simultaneously he patrolled at the Dartmouth Ski Way during the 1997-98 season.  He participated in multiple Regional training seminars and during the 1998-99 season was awarded the National Outstanding Junior Patroller award and the Gold Merit Star.

Wynett, MFP Arson Dog at work investigating a fire

That was just the beginning for Mitch however.  Now that he has aged out of the Junior program, he has moved on from the Ski Patrol and works full time for the City or Manchester Fire Department as a fire investigator and Accelerant Detection Canine Handler.

Mitch is tasked with citywide fire inspections of businesses and arson investigation.  Clearly Mitch has made a name for himself within the New Hampshire Fire community and the city of Manchester.  You can follow him and Wynett’s Fire Department activities at their FaceBook page

For all that Mitch has accomplished he can trace it all back to his humble beginnings at a small town family ski area and a little program know as the Young Adult Patroller Program.

BLACKWATER SKI AREA IN FULL FORCE WITH STUDENTS – Blackwater Ski Area is located in Andover, NH and is maintained by Proctor Academy, a private prep school for high school age students.  All though the ski area has been there for years, it was not until recently that they came on board with a full student program thru the New Hampshire Region.  Blackwater has three trails and 2 lifts, which include a T-bar.  It hosts the local area skiers and ski teams for recreation and practice.  Hundreds of patrons use this facility each week and outside of the adult advisor that oversees this operation, the first aid care is provided almost solely by the Young Adult Patrollers.  This provides an incredible opportunity for young folks at the school.

Currently there are four new Blackwater students enrolled in the Pats Peak Ski Area OEC program in Henniker, NH.  Being the Young Adult Patrol Advisor for the Region, I have had a chance to teach in this program several times thus far and have worked with the Blackwater students.  They clearly bring a level of professionalism and excitement into the course with their hard work and determination.

This is not a weekend venture for these students however.  This program is fully integrated into their school life, as each of them is a full time student at the prep school.  The students receive credit for being a part of the program, so not only are they helping injured skiers, they are also working toward their graduation requirements.  This constitutes a win-win for both the students and the school.  This program can easily serve as a model program for other prep schools or high schools that want to offer an alternative to ordinary club activities in their school district.  There is no doubt that the students at Blackwater will receive a great education and a life experience that is unmatched.  We, at the New Hampshire Region, look forward to many more years of interaction with the students of Blackwater.

2010-11 NH REGION STUDENT SEMINAR LOCATION ANNOUNCED – Each year the New Hampshire Region hosts a regional seminar that is located at a ski area within the State.  This seminar provides an opportunity for all active young adult patrollers throughout the Region to get together for a day and receive expert instruction on all things ski patrol.  The event is lead and presented by a group of volunteer instructors and patrollers from across the region.  They come to donate their time and share their knowledge with the students to help make them more proficient in their chosen avocation.

This year’s seminar will be held at Loon Mt Resort in Lincoln, NH.  This will be the first time that the regional seminar has been brought to Loon as they have not had an active young adult program within their patrol.  But, we certainly hope to change their minds and foster interest in developing such avaluable resource.

The event date will be February 20th, 2011 and will begin promptly at 8:30am.  Participants will gather at the Ski Patrol First Aid Room for roll-call and opening remarks.  From there participants will be sent out on to the slopes with representatives from the New Hampshire Region Ski & Toboggan evaluation team to hone ski, snowboard, and rescue tobogganing techniques.

After a break for lunch will be given (students provide on their own), the group will reconvene around 1pm for OEC practice with the Region OEC Administrator.  On the hill scenarios will round out the afternoon until about 4:30pm, at which time, students will gather back at our meeting location for a review and closing remarks.

The purpose of this event is two fold.  Not only are students developing new skills and the tools needed for becoming better patrollers, but they are also being prepared for the Eastern Division Student Training Seminar which will be held at Sugarloaf Resort, Maine this season on March 18th through the 21st, 2011.

The Division Young Adult Seminar is a multi-day experience and for those that have been in the past, they know this is an event that should NOT TO BE MISSED. Photos of last years Eastern Division event, held at Jimminy Peak Resort, MA can be seen by following these links:  Riding, Rescue Toboggan Handling, OEC, miscellaneous photos, and awards.   More information on both the NH Region and this season’s Eastern Division Young Adult Seminar will follow in the next edition of the Young Adult Program newsletter.

Registration for the New Hampshire Region can be found on the NH Region Calendar under February 20, 2011.  We encourage all NH Young Adult Patrollers to follow the links to register for the Loon Mountain YAP event.  Registering allows us to accurately gauge the count of participants for planning purposes.  Once you register, we will send you additional information and other forms that might be required.

Questions can be directed to me, please follow the email link below:

[officers-table shortnames=”yap” officertitle=”Staff” contactform=”http://nhnsp.server285.com/topshack/?page_id=84″]

Anyone interested in downloading an application for the Eastern Division 2011 Young Adult Seminar at Sugarloaf Resort in Maine, held on March 18th through the 21st, 2011, please follow this link. This event fills up quickly, space is limited and the official deadline is February 18th, 2011.