Skiing after school…what could be better than that?
By Tim Hauserman
People are initially attracted to Lake Tahoe for its incredible natural beauty and recreational opportunities, but once they begin to live here what they really love about this place is the attitude of the people. Tahoe people are not as much focused on making money as they are on exploring and enjoying this gorgeous place we live in. And they want to make dang sure their kids follow in their footsteps. One example can be found every winter weekday afternoon at Tahoe Cross-Country Ski Area in Tahoe City, when the Strider-Gliders and North Tahoe Middle and High School Nordic ski teams hit the snow.
Strider-Gliders is an after school cross-country ski program for kids from pre-school to 5th grade. Over the past few years it has grown to include over 250 kids who now spend an afternoon a week skiing with their friends and several of the 60 volunteer instructors who join the kids on the trails. The program costs less than $100 for the winter, and the kids have access to the equipment for the entire season so they can take their parents out for a ski on the weekends. An interesting side benefit of Strider-Gliders is that many parents who were not cross-country skiers in the past, have taken up the sport after they see how much fun the kids are having.
A good portion of the Strider-Glider students go on to become members of the North Tahoe Middle School Nordic team, which is the largest sports program at the school, comprising about 1/4 of the school’s enrollment. Like the Strider-Glider kids, the Middle School team can be seen on the Tahoe Cross-Country trails every afternoon between three and five, skiing instead of watching TV, playing video games or hanging out at a mall. Tahoe has some pretty lucky kids.