Different Elements of Parks and Recreation

In my last blog I talked about why I thought recreation is important and it absolutely is. However, along with recreation, comes parks and different elements that make it possible for activities. There are other employees that do not work in the recreation department, facilities that must be used/cleaned and special events outside of sport. I will break down what I consider important elements that make a successful recreational program.

Parks Crew: The employees not noticed enough

(Parks employees laying new clay for softball fields) Photo Credit: SPARD

Recreation professionals have partners in the field that are even more behind the curtains, the parks crew. Park employees are the ones who ensure that it is possible for recreation employees to host sports/events. In order to have a successful program we have to have the facility. Who takes care of those facilities you might ask? The park crew and field maintenance crew. These employees are the ones who will work overtime to mow the lawn, trim the bushes, line the fields, move the base and take care of pests. You name it and these employees will take care of it. They are AWESOME! During each sport we host practices Monday through Friday. The park crew are the ones who make sure that the fields are mowed, ants are killed and stickers are not bad. We host adult softball, kickball,  flag football youth baseball. Football and softball almost every day of the week depending on the season. The field crew comes in each day and measures out where the bases have to be, line the bases, and marks the field lines and in-zones. For special events such as the Arts of Crafts fair, these employees are setting up eight plus tables and chairs, putting down temporary floor and running lines for electricity to each spot. When I say they will do anything to help our department, I mean it. To recognize these employees I feel like we could put on some sort of employee appreciation luncheon or ‘employee of the month’. We do not have a budget for it yet, but we have talked about taking the money we make from game protest and starting an ‘employee appreciation account’ in the budget. Once we did that it would be easier to host luncheons, dinners or get the plaques for employee of the month.

Aquatics: The summer fun

(Opening day at Splashville) Photo Credit: SPARD

Most recreation departments host few sporting events through the summer. Summer is vacation time so numbers decrease. Nevertheless, the one thing that stands out is aquatics. This is what I consider one of the best times of the year. There are lifeguard certifications and trainings. Someone is in the background working on chemicals, maintaining the pool and making sure it is good to operate. After the trainings of staff and maintenance comes the real fun. Hosting of water aerobics and swim lessons. Obviously, being open to the public is a bonus but getting to see a child learn to blow bubbles for the first time or a senior citizen feeling the burn during a workout is rewarding. At SPARD we are trying to offer more programs because we hold limited classes. I have found that you can turn the simplest event into a family fun aquatics event. “When developing new programming, land-based or in-water, be sure that your plans have a clear focus, says White. That could be water safety education, health and wellness, or even general fun and recreation.”2 I think it is important to find new ways to reach out and make it a summer to remember. For adults I think a program such as ‘aqua yoga’ or something such as ‘adult swim’. Aqua yoga is kind of like water aerobics but yoga poses in the water and adult swim would simply be to clear the pool every two hours for fifteen minutes to allow the adults to swim and the lifeguards would supervise children at the splashpad are.

Special Events: Family fun for everyone

(4th of July Parade) Photo Credit: Stephenville Chamber of Commerce

Each town you go to has a plethora of special occasions or holiday events. Here in Stephenville, we focus on Fourth of July, Halloween and Christmas. SPARD partners with other businesses, such as the Chamber, to hosts the Fourth of July parade and park celebration, safe trick or treat on the square and Holly Jolly Christmas at the downtown plaza. Sure, we do smaller events such as Thanksgiving food drives, movie night in the park and Parent’s Night Out but they are not as big as the holiday events. Being a somewhat small town we are limited on what we can do because of budget and supplies. If you google other cities such as Fort Worth, their list goes on and on. Regardless the amount of events your town has, they are still important. This is a chance for family and friends to get together and celebrate special occasions. Most of the time, events as such are free. Which is a plus!! There are some negatives that come with being a smaller town. We have the population but we are limited on budget. Compared to other municipal recreation departments we are limited on budget and really the amount of events we host. I browsed the recreation website of a fellow Region Four TAAF (Texas Amateur Athletic Federation) City, The Colony. As I was browsing I found that they had a catalog for each season; Fall, Summer and Spring. As I read through the ‘Fall Fun Times’ I noticed the plethora of special events they had.1 I feel that Stephenville could network with some of these cities and get information on how they run their programs. Whether it be donations, pairing with other businesses or other sports/special event organizations they get it done.

These three subdivisions of recreation are just some of the ones that I believe to be important. As a Recreation Coordinator, they are really the ones I like to focus on. Of course, youth and adult sports are fun and important but it is not the only event that is important. If you think you want to step outside the sports aspect of recreation, DO IT! The reward of doing so will not only be awesome but it is also good for your professional development.

References:

1 Fun Times Catalog . (2017, January). Retrieved November, 2017, from https://www.thecolonytx.gov/Depts/PARD/FunTimes.html

2 Kozen, K. (2012, March 01). 5 Ways to Pump Up Your Programming . Retrieved November 01, 2017, from http://www.aquaticsintl.com/facilities/5-ways-to-pump-up-your-programming_o