Taking a bus load of youth skiing for a day

Wondering what our chaperones do during our annual TGSC SOY DAY and where your donations go? Here is a sampler and remember that all costs of lift tickets, rentals, lessons and meals are funded by your generous donations!

Timing is everything!

• 8:30 am bus leave SHC with TGSC Bus Leaders
• 9:30 am arrival of TGSC Ground Leaders at MSLM
• 9:45 am meeting of all TGSC volunteers who are not on the bus
• 10:15 am bus scheduled to arrive at MSLM
• 11:00 am lessons start
• 12:15 pm lunch
• 1:30 pm back on the hill
• 4:00 pm bus leaves

The Day

Arrival

Once the bus arrives (expected by 10:15 am, 10:30 am at the latest), we have to move quickly to help the SOY participants sign their rental agreements, distribute their lift tickets and lesson vouchers then shuffle them quickly to pick-up their boots first.

From there you will need to help some get their boots on, especially for first time participants - they just don’t know how to do it. And expect that 25% will have asked for the wrong size boot and they will need to be exchanged.

As soon as they are geared up, they need to pick up the rest of their ski / snowboarding equipment, including MANDATORY helmet - we’ve had some divas before that refused to wear the helmet and we simply don’t tolerate it: helmet on or lift ticket will be voided.

Lessons & Lunch

Instruct them to wait by the door outside once they are ready, as we need to have all of them out and ready by 10:50 am to meet their instructors at 11:00 am sharp.
The lessons are 1 hour then we all break for lunch. $15.00 meal vouchers will be distributed for all.

Afternoon

After lunch is where the real chaperone work begins: there are 8 TGSC Chaperones and the SOY participants must be with one of our volunteers at all time, especially with the participants that have requested a full mountain access lift ticket: one of us has to be with those kamikazes at all time, not negotiable.

In practice it means we alternate our TGSC volunteer time between the bunny hill and the main hill, rotating every half hour or so.

This is where you become a cheerleader: some will want to give up and you will want to encourage them to try again. We are not teaching them skiing and snowboarding but we are there to give them tips, and help them when they fall.

As they are changing at the end of the day, make sure to remind them to bring back all of the clothes they borrowed back on the bus with them - it’s their responsibility.

The Money

Taking a bus load of youth skiing costs a lot of money.  Mount St Louis Moonstone resort is incredibly supportive with deep discounts for the group, but there are still costs.  Throughout the year TGSC works on a number of different initiatives to fundraise the funds to give these youth a special day out on the slopes.

You can help.  It's through generous donations like yours that we're able to cover all the costs of lift tickets, rentals, lessons and meals, not to mention the bus to get them all there.

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