SUMMER 2014 at PAC!

PAC NEWS…

“We Challenge You to a Great Summer!”

Summer planning at PAC is complete; the Activity Guide has gone to press; and the burgers for Summer EXPO are in the freezer!  However, the most important ingredient in this recipe will be the PEOPLE that make PAC the community recreation center that it has grown to be! 

Summer will launch officially at PAC on April 30^th from 3:30-6:30pm as we host the annual Summer EXPO.  We encourage all town and county residents to visit our lobby and see all the opportunities for youth and families that exist during our short, but beautiful rocky mountain summer.  PAC, BOCES, 4H and the Library are just four of the agencies and organizations that will be represented at this summer kick-off event.  We hope everyone will attend this free informational event.  EXPO provides face to face visits with program providers, opportunities to ask questions and register for programs, all the while enjoying a light supper meal.

To let you know how we’re doing….PAC broke its own record for attendance in January by hosting over 10,000 visits in a single month!  We are very proud to accommodate all ages in our classes, activities and special events, especially this year as we strive to motivate our patrons to “Accept the PAC Challenge!”  That includes summer….

Beginning with the IRON MAN Challenge late last fall, folks got warmed up to participate in our annual PINEDALE INDOOR TRIATHLON in January.  By then, many folks were signed up to swim their twenty-two miles for the FREMONT LAKE CHALLENGE; followed by our current WIND RIVER AND WYOMING RANGE BIKE CHALLENGE that (virtually) winds 235 miles through scenic Wyoming.  Charting your progress as you master these challenges provides a great sense of accomplishment while maintaining or improving your fitness level. 

This summer we challenge our patrons to enjoy the great outdoors that make our area so special.  June 27^th, PAC is partnering with the Town of Pinedale to host the first ever GREAT AMERICAN BACKYARD CAMPOUT on one of the town’s newly formed park areas (Burzlander).   Families are invited to pitch a tent, enjoy a cook-out, and participate in group activities and a campfire.  A free will donation will go 100% to the National Wildlife Federation’s initiative to get youth outdoors.

In July, PAC will promote the NATIONAL PARK AND RECREATION MONTH.  We will create a master recreation calendar on our website including events from all over the county taking place in July.  Also, look forward to our July “CHALLENGE of the DAY,” which will be featured on our PAC Facebook page.  “OUT is IN!”  Time to be outside with friends and family, get moving, and feel better for it!

Another way PAC is challenging youth this summer is by increasing the volume of off-site ADVENTURE DAY trips.  There will be seven Tuesdays throughout the summer that youth, grades 3-6, will head out for an outdoor adventure.  These adventures include white water rafting, trail hiking, archery, horseback riding and fishing, canoeing, Grand Teton Nat’l Park and Granite Hot Springs!  And kids in grades 7-12 will have the opportunity to participate in three different overnight OUTDOOR ADVENTURE trips.  From backpacking to Fayette Lake to exploring Yellowstone Nat’l Park, PAC promises some awesome summer challenges!  All of this in addition to other exciting PAC programming for kids, such as climbing club, competitive swim program, creative cosmic kids dance, (grades 1-5), dance jamboree (Pre-K & K), fit kids, toddler time and swim lessons!  Did we mention there is a tennis program and that Jr. Wrangler football and cheer start mid-August?  New this year starting in August is Jr. Wrangler volleyball (grades 3-5). 

Our LITTLE WRANGLER DAY CAMP will be going strong this summer from June 9^th – August 22^nd.  You can “drop in” for $30 a day, $125 a week or $1100 for a full summer (a $550 savings if purchased this way)!

Before we begin our summer hours and launch our summer programs, PAC will CLOSE FOR MAINTENANCE  June 2-8.  During that week, we will be repairing and replacing tile in the locker rooms and pool areas; repairing and replacing doors, grinding and painting the slide tower and climbing wall and various other necessary maintenance tasks. 

Starting Monday, June 9^th, SUMMER HOURS begin: 

·         Monday – Friday, 5am – 7pm;

·         Saturday, 10am – 6pm and

·         Sunday, 12-6pm.

Membership and Activity Scholarships are available to all who meet financial eligibility.  Pick up a form at Guest Services or obtain it online via our website:  www.pinedaleaquatic.com.

As our mission statement proclaims:  “The Pinedale Aquatic Center seeks to provide family recreation and leisure services for Sublette County residents and visitors.    Programs will promote healthy lifestyle by offering life-long skill development in an innovative, friendly and well maintained environment.”

Be sure to come on April 30^th for SUMMER EXPO, to pick up your own ACTIVITY GUIDE so you can track what is going on.  And, never hesitate to check online, www.pinedaleaquatic.com or call 367-2832, ext. 3 for Guest Services, or select a department extension if you want to talk to one of our great staff. 

PAC strives to make a difference in the community; and to be the place none of us can imagine living without!

To that end…

I invite YOU to accept the PAC Challenge!

JJ Huntley

 

To a Season Well Done

Written By: Recreation Specialist, David Kieffer

Now that PAC’s 2013 Football/Cheer season is over, a short recap of its successful nature is in order. The program had 76 youth participants, spread between Flag Football, Tackle Football, and the Cheer Team. Practices began on August 19^th and ran through the last football game on October 19^th.

Program athletes practiced twice a week, and had one game per week beginning in week three. The Cheer squad provided consistent support for the football teams as they battled all season, both at in-house games, and those with Big Piney and Jackson’s youth football programs, all with amazing success.

To culminate the 2013 Tackle Football season, the 4^th and 5^th graders combined into one team to play 11-player games with Big Piney and Jackson.

Big Piney traveled to Pinedale this year on Thursday, October 10^th, where the Pinedale volunteer coaches had the challenge of combining four individual teams into one cohesive unit. A positive experience was had by all, and the Pinedale Jr Wranglers came out victorious, beating Big Piney 26-0.

The next week, on Saturday, October 19^th, the same team traveled to Jackson for the first ever meeting with Jackson’s youth football team. The Jr. Wranglers kept the momentum going, and beat Jackson 38-6.

The final two wins were great accomplishments for the players and coaches of the program, and will provide encouragement for those K-3^rd grade football players to STICK WITH IT, and remember, The Future Starts with YOU!

PAC would like to thank all those who had a part in this year’s season, and the great leadership and sportsmanship they displayed. It takes a collaborative effort from the players, coaches, parents, officials, and all supporting individuals to make a season like this run!

Cheer Team: Tara Barnes and Stephanie Kervitsky

Flag Football: Spencer McMillen, Steve Green, and Nick Jaquez

Tackle Football: Mike Gregory, Jon Goetsch, Jamison Ziegler, Brian Gray, Charlie Lopeman, and Randy Keating

A Haunting Good Time with a Cause

Every year, on the Thursday and Friday prior to All Hallows’ Eve, PAC releases the ghosts and goblins for a haunting good time.  Over the years, we have overtaken PAC, going up and down the elevator and stairs, using areas inside and out, include both pools.  We have haunted the halls of BOCES, and, now, we spend the nights wandering through a dark, winding maze in the PAC gym.  PAC’s annual Haunting has become a tradition, an annual event we look forward to offering the community each year and an event that is the largest contributor to the PAC scholarship fund.

We are proud to say we have successfully survived the 6^th Annual Haunting with over 570 people testing their courage as they ventured through a haunted town maze, resulting in a fundraiser of over $2800 for the PAC scholarship fund. 

Financial scholarships are available to assist youth, adult, and families in funding enrollment fees for PAC activities or PAC memberships.  Scholarships are awarded on an ‘as needed’ basis and all information is confidential.  So whether you are interested in enrolling in swim lessons, summer camp, Jr. Jazz, or purchasing a PAC pass, we may be able to help!  Activity and membership scholarship applications are available online at www.pinedaleaquatic.com or at our Guest Service Desk.  If you have any scholarship specific questions, or to see if you qualify, contact our Director, JJ Huntley, at jhuntley@pinedaleaquatic.com or (307)367-2832, ext.6245.

Thursday Night Haunters

Friday Night Haunters

On a final note, PAC would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all of the volunteers, sponsors, and visiting patrons who made this year’s Haunting a success.  We look forward to seeing you next year… October 23 & 24, 2014… come if you dare!

A Committed Community

by Amber Anderson, Recreation Coordinator

As we review and evaluate our summer season, I am reminded of the numerous individuals and organizations that generously donated their time and services to making the summer of 2013 a great season for the youth of Pinedale.  From off-site trips to on-site visitors, the summer at the Pinedale Aquatic Center was positively enhanced by the Pinedale community.

We launched our summer in Little Wrangler Day Camp with a visit from the Sublette County Sherriff’s Office who led the group through bike safety.  These safety skills were put to use as we biked around town for varies off-site trips including archery with Mark Kroger from the Wind River Archery Club and attending free kids movies, generously sponsored by the Pinedale Entertainment Center, the Pinedale Preschool and the Sublette County Recreation Board.  We visited the Sublette County Library to check-out books, research our favorite super hero, and participate in a number of their interactive youth activities.  We also had the opportunity to take a trip to the Daniel Fish Hatchery and Sommers Homestead Ranch, although these trips did not include bikes!

Along with our off-site trips, we had the honor of hosting a number of guest presenters on-site at the Pinedale Aquatic Center.  We expanded our knowledge with projects about nutrition, including cooking practice, with Sam Harnack and soil experiments and wild fire demonstrations with Kari Bousman from the Sublette County Conservation District.  We panned for gold with miner enthusiast Jon Crockett and were introduced to the farm with a visit from Heather Grossman and her 4-H animals.  We even learned about the various types of trout in the area with the Wyoming Game and Fish and the areas wildflowers with botanist enthusiast Lincoln Proud.

Our summer adventures continued with themed weeks that included focused activities.   Animal week was enhanced with an educational visit to Faler Brother’s Taxidermy, while Wild West week was enriched during a visit to the Mountain Man Museum as well as a visit from a posse of Mountain Men from Rio Verde Engineering.  Super hero week was made real with a visit to the County Jail and a visit from the Pinedale EMS, which included a full tour of the ambulance.  We practiced our tricks and skills during carnival week with a hula hooping challenge with Michelle Fenn, a friendly game of bowling at Big Piney’s Flicks & Pins, and watched live demonstrations at the Sublette County Fair. 

The above list is amazing!  All of these organizations and individuals volunteered to make the summer of 2013 educational, adventurous, and memorable.  Thank you Pinedale for your commitment to the youth of our community!  As the saying goes… “it takes a community.”

College Colors Day

Today is National College Colors Day! Come in wearing your college colors and receive free admission to PAC!