Ten Reasons to Add a Junior Program to Your Glider Club

On Sunday, October 5, 2014 9:33:04 AM UTC-4, XC wrote:
Ten Reasons to Add a Junior Program to Your Glider Club



We at Harris Hill are always going on about our club's junior program. It is because we all take great pride in it. Many other clubs are doing a great job at this too, but not enough.



I get the sense that a lot of clubs view subsiding youth gliding as unnecessary expense. On the contrary it pays dividens in many ways. If you need help convincing your board of directors, here are 10 reasons to have a youth group.



1. Adds youthful energy to your club - It is just more interesting to have multigenerational club.

2. Seeing the kids grow is very rewarding - Kids show up and don't even know how to shake hands properly. Before you know it they are off to the military or college full of pride and ready to take on the world. What a joy to be part of it.

3. Adds purpose to your club - Being on the board of directors is a pain. Meetings, disagreements, grief from members. Volunteering at the club takes on a deeper meaning and members give more of themselves when it is benefiting the young people

4. Fun to pass on what you know - The collective knowledge of a glider club is pretty amazing. One guy's an A&P, one guy's an IT genius. We have one member whose job is inventor. How cool is that? Great to see young people gather knowledge and skills.

5. May qualify your club for tax exempt status - If your club is truly helping young people you could qualify for 501(c)3 status.

6. Glider club becomes part of the community - Once your club is not just about your flying, you'll be surprized at the number of ways local governements and groups are willing to help your organization.

7. Helps with membership recruiting - It works in multiple ways. Adults in the club have their children join or parent and child join together. We've also had several cases when the parents joined after seeing how much fun the kids were having. Soaring is a great family activity.

8. Helps with membership retention - Especially in the case of families. A family atmosphere, with some facilities for families, allows for Mom or Dad to stay in the club as the family grows.

9. Cheap labor - Let's face it the young members do a lot of work for the club. It would be much more expensive to pay someone even minimum wage to do that work.

10. Junior members return to be senior members - Several young members have returned to the area after college and initial job experiences. Our club helped to bring them back.



I have a lot more tips about starting a youth club, what works, what doesn't, if anyone is interested.



XC

It was pointed out to me that there are many ways to read newsgroups, and just because Google only shows 300 readers, there can be many more.

Yes, we too lose them for the family/career phase, but we have been doing this long enough to have seen that after that, many will, if the hook is set deeply, come back. Hence the focus on ADVANCED soaring. The Bronze Badge is a structured way to follow on their previous training with a Pilot Training Record. That sets out goals, and mentors are key to urging focus and facilitating progress. We have room for improvement here, but each year seems a little better. And the dual X/C is part of that, a taste of 40:1 and away from the backyard. 3 club owned Fly with CE's also help, but are still under utilized.

We had a collegiate soaring club, - even sponsored the ab initio training for a group of aerospace engineering students, but only one is still flying, and the club went inactive the third year.

We use a Member's Forum, but I suspect it is not as effective as the Yahoo Group we previously used that would push out messages to all. Members must log in to access.

We have both a very comfortable and welcoming clubhouse, with renovated everything: kitchen, pilot's lounge, etc. and WiFi in the clubhouse and the campground. And yes, and swing set/sandbox too.

We have free on field accommodation for youth in the program, a bunk house trailer that sleeps 10 and for the young ladies a few donated trailers.

On Wednesday, October 8, 2014 9:12:02 AM UTC-4, Charlie Papa wrote:
On Sunday, October 5, 2014 9:33:04 AM UTC-4, XC wrote:

Ten Reasons to Add a Junior Program to Your Glider Club







We at Harris Hill are always going on about our club's junior program. It is because we all take great pride in it. Many other clubs are doing a great job at this too, but not enough.







I get the sense that a lot of clubs view subsiding youth gliding as unnecessary expense. On the contrary it pays dividens in many ways. If you need help convincing your board of directors, here are 10 reasons to have a youth group.







1. Adds youthful energy to your club - It is just more interesting to have multigenerational club.



2. Seeing the kids grow is very rewarding - Kids show up and don't even know how to shake hands properly. Before you know it they are off to the military or college full of pride and ready to take on the world. What a joy to be part of it.



3. Adds purpose to your club - Being on the board of directors is a pain. Meetings, disagreements, grief from members. Volunteering at the club takes on a deeper meaning and members give more of themselves when it is benefiting the young people



4. Fun to pass on what you know - The collective knowledge of a glider club is pretty amazing. One guy's an A&P, one guy's an IT genius. We have one member whose job is inventor. How cool is that? Great to see young people gather knowledge and skills.



5. May qualify your club for tax exempt status - If your club is truly helping young people you could qualify for 501(c)3 status.



6. Glider club becomes part of the community - Once your club is not just about your flying, you'll be surprized at the number of ways local governements and groups are willing to help your organization.



7. Helps with membership recruiting - It works in multiple ways. Adults in the club have their children join or parent and child join together. We've also had several cases when the parents joined after seeing how much fun the kids were having. Soaring is a great family activity.



8. Helps with membership retention - Especially in the case of families.. A family atmosphere, with some facilities for families, allows for Mom or Dad to stay in the club as the family grows.



9. Cheap labor - Let's face it the young members do a lot of work for the club. It would be much more expensive to pay someone even minimum wage to do that work.



10. Junior members return to be senior members - Several young members have returned to the area after college and initial job experiences. Our club helped to bring them back.







I have a lot more tips about starting a youth club, what works, what doesn't, if anyone is interested.







XC



It was pointed out to me that there are many ways to read newsgroups, and just because Google only shows 300 readers, there can be many more.



Yes, we too lose them for the family/career phase, but we have been doing this long enough to have seen that after that, many will, if the hook is set deeply, come back. Hence the focus on ADVANCED soaring. The Bronze Badge is a structured way to follow on their previous training with a Pilot Training Record. That sets out goals, and mentors are key to urging focus and facilitating progress. We have room for improvement here, but each year seems a little better. And the dual X/C is part of that, a taste of 40:1 and away from the backyard. 3 club owned Fly with CE's also help, but are still under utilized.



We had a collegiate soaring club, - even sponsored the ab initio training for a group of aerospace engineering students, but only one is still flying, and the club went inactive the third year.



We use a Member's Forum, but I suspect it is not as effective as the Yahoo Group we previously used that would push out messages to all. Members must log in to access.



We have both a very comfortable and welcoming clubhouse, with renovated everything: kitchen, pilot's lounge, etc. and WiFi in the clubhouse and the campground. And yes, and swing set/sandbox too.



We have free on field accommodation for youth in the program, a bunk house trailer that sleeps 10 and for the young ladies a few donated trailers.

Sounds like you are doing a fine job. I want to visit that club - sounds like a fun place.

I hope more folks can get on board with the mentoring of advanced soaring as a way of keeping soaring pilots interested through these early life transitions. It may involve more loaning of gliders if a club does not have that sort of equipment available.

XC

On Tuesday, October 7, 2014 7:51:50 PM UTC-4, wrote:
What's sad is each of the 300+ viewers can read my egregious typos and run-ons in my original post...



Many great points in there, Charlie Papa. Most striking is the idea that minting new solo students does not necessarily achieve the desired goal of carrying on the sport.



8 of us soloed one summer in the early 80's at Harris Hill. (Thank you Howard Trampeneau, Cliff Wilcox, and Ed Jensen!) I am the only one still flying gliders. It is really a shame, too. What a great, dynamic group of guys and girls.



They fell away at 2 general stages.



1. End of high school / Leaving for college

2. Married and starting a family



Here is what I think should be done to keep a young person in Soaring through the college years:

1. Before leaving for college they should have at least a Silver Badge. Better yet dual cross country flight experience or check out in a high performance sailplane. This is the most important indicator of junior member retention.

2. Offer collegiate membership rates to members who are leaving for college and students who are attending college nearby.

3. Make sure they continue to get emails and newsletters throughout college years.

4. Have some club events during Holiday breaks. At HHSC we have the Snowbird Contest. It is a little guys contest with spot landing and exact duration tasks. It takes place the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving with a banquet Saturday night. We give out some club awards and wrap up the season.. It is great to see returning college students attend. (70+ years of Snowbird fun at HHSC. Always looking for more clubs to come.)

As for marriage and the new family years, ask yourself:

1. Does your club have a quiet and comfortable place for a new spouse to read a book?

2. Does your club welcome new people and children? Not just old guys heads down and swearing while they fuss with their electronic boxes.

3. Are there social events?

4. Is there a swing set and slide?



XC

I would add that as a general statement, young people don't have the financial resources to progress beyond pretty much local flying. Once they have mastered the local club fleet, they likely will stagnate unless provided with some "sponsorship" by someone with more resources. Only a very few clubs have the depth of resources that HHSC has such as a Duo as well as a Discus intended for the juniors.
Helping that promising young pilot along by loaning a glider can make a huge difference in continued progress and the associated enthusiasm.
Most privately owned gliders are seriously under utilized so the sacrifice to the owner is minimal. It also ensures a crew for a long time.
UH

Justin Craig
34 Years Old
Father is a glider pilot
Flown since birth
Part of London Gliding Club Cadet scheme (well in the past)
Owner of Std Cirrus

Supporting junior pilots can be very rewarding in a few different ways. I
have been fortunate over the years to have been given the use of some great
gliders (LS8 amongst others).

In return I maintained the aircraft, paid some some of the insurance and
other running costs. Jobs included annual hard wax, trailer jobs, C of A
work...anything that needed doing really.

I see this arrangement frequently at my club in the UK.

Owners get their glider looked after and in some cases financially
recompensed. I also see the pleasure that "older" guys get from helping
worthy youngsters.

Other juniors now fly my glider, and I am pleased to pass it on.

Find the right junior to help and they will help you. It will very
rewarding for everybody.

JC

On Wednesday, October 8, 2014 10:58:34 PM UTC-4, gotovkotzepkoi wrote:
XC;890208 Wrote:

What's sad is each of the 300+ viewers can read my egregious typos and

run-ons in my original post...



Many great points in there, Charlie Papa. Most striking is the idea that

minting new solo students does not necessarily achieve the desired goal

of carrying on the sport.



8 of us soloed one summer in the early 80's at Harris Hill. (Thank you

Howard Trampeneau, Cliff Wilcox, and Ed Jensen!) I am the only one still

flying gliders. It is really a shame, too. What a great, dynamic group

of guys and girls.



They fell away at 2 general stages.



1. End of high school / Leaving for college

2. Married and starting a family



Here is what I think should be done to keep a young person in Soaring

through the college years:

1. Before leaving for college they should have at least a Silver Badge.

Better yet dual cross country flight experience or check out in a high

performance sailplane. This is the most important indicator of junior

member retention.

2. Offer collegiate membership rates to members who are leaving for

college and students who are attending college nearby.

3. Make sure they continue to get emails and newsletters throughout

college years.

4. Have some club events during Holiday breaks. At HHSC we have the

Snowbird Contest. It is a little guys contest with spot landing and

exact duration tasks. It takes place the Friday and Saturday after

Thanksgiving with a banquet Saturday night. We give out some club awards

and wrap up the season. It is great to see returning college students

attend. (70+ years of Snowbird fun at HHSC. Always looking for more

clubs to come.)

As for marriage and the new family years, ask yourself:

1. Does your club have a quiet and comfortable place for a new spouse to

read a book?

2. Does your club welcome new people and children? Not just old guys

heads down and swearing while they fuss with their electronic boxes.

3. Are there social events?

4. Is there a swing set and slide?



XC



A glider club that I visited in Germany has all four of points 1-4

above. The club is Paterzell in Southern Bavaria. It has a small

playground, a nice club house with a restaurant and patio overlooking

the field. It's genuinely a nice place to hang out for non pilots. A

marked contrast to the the burnt grass, dust, sheds and antique gliders

at the majority of US operations.









--

gotovkotzepkoi

Sounds like another great place to visit!

Here is the link for the HHSC junior's web page. There may be some useful information there for someone wanting to start a junior program.

http://www.harrishillsoaring.org/HHSC/Juniors.html

I'll also pass along the link for the annual Snowbird Contest. Good time and a great way to keep those college aged pilots engaged. Along with a tradition of New Years Day flying, the contest also helps maintain some flying currency through the off season.

We would love to see more clubs represented.

http://www.harrishillsoaring.org/HHSC/Snowbird.html

XC