Park Stories

Retaining instructors is the key to a quality program By Stephanie Chelar The heart and soul of any fitness center is its group-exercise program. Nearly 40 percent of members will participate in these classes at some point, and the American College of Sports Medicine designated group fitness within the top-three trends of 2020 (Thompson, 2019). So, it makes sense that the makeup of a group-fitness...

How a former golf course became the first veterans park in Geauga County, Ohio By Sandy Ward At the center of Geauga County, Ohio, along the main artery Route 44, lies a new park with more heart than most. Veterans Legacy Woods quickly gained recognition as the county’s 27th park and its first dedicated to U.S. veterans.

Horseshoe Bay Nature Park offers visitors an opportunity to explore the region’s natural heritage By Sarah Yant Visitors to Horseshoe Bay Nature Park are welcomed at the entrance by a cedar coyote fence bearing the park’s distinctive logo: a purple Texas thistle nestled in the curve of a horseshoe. It’s a fitting symbol for a place whose existence bridges the past and future and strengthens the ti...

Making the position part of the youth-sports lineup By John Engh  My memories of being a volunteer coach of my kids’ teams rarely involve anything to do with the sport I was coaching. Sure, I remember some of the conversations with players after a particularly fun game, certain kids making great plays, and those times when one of my lesser-skilled players rose to the occasion and did something in...

Conversations can lead to common-sense solutions By Ron Ciancutti Long before business meetings included projections and metrics, the people sitting around a table talked about how things were going. They asked about the families and inquired about the “work family”—the gang that worked together all day. In the park system where I worked, there were separate groups under the parks and rec umbrella...

Aquatic-fitness classes explode in popularity thanks to a dedicated instructor By Mike McLaughlin Envision 112 people in a pool jumping and shooting baskets, pulling aqua dumbbells through the water and thrusting them into the air, while doing kicking exercises underwater. They smile, laugh, and sing along with the music as energetic instructors run them through a three-hour event. The 2022 Sunflo...

Creating a rec center with a farmhouse feel By Zach Bisek and Lauren McKissack What began as a homestead fueled by the Gold Rush and then turned into an agricultural hub, the town of Berthoud, Colo., has not-so-slowly morphed into a growing destination for young families and modern-day Coloradans looking for a slower pace of life and lower living costs than in its neighboring cities. With both a p...

From napkin sketches to developing lasting landscapes By Douglas Gerber Whether a master-planning idea emerges from public-outreach efforts, community initiatives, or common needs, an idea takes hold and exploration ensues. These flashes of brilliance may have significant impacts on the built environment, but where to begin? This article will explore how that idea can be developed into a defined p...

Use shade to increase use of sports facilities By Mary Helen Sprecher One of the great advantages of sports is they bring people together. Let’s face it—it’s just plain fun to catch up with friends, whether watching kids in Little League or finishing a great game of pickleball or tennis and wanting to unwind and talk. In other words, the social experience is its own part of the game. If your park...

Focus on ability instead of disability By Heidi Lemmon Public skateparks have come a long way in the last 25 years; they are no longer single- or even double-use facilities. Chances are your park is being used by skateboarders, BMX riders, scooters, rollerbladers, roller skaters, and even wheelchairs. All genders, all ages, abled and disabled riders, create a huge melting pot of active users who m...

Help players develop a lifelong love for a sport By John Engh When I was younger, I couldn’t wait for the next season to start, and it didn’t matter for what sport. Baseball was my first choice, but basketball, football, soccer, and wrestling were all big in my house. My two older brothers were big into wrestling. And while my mom was the real jock in the house, having played two varsity-level spo...

Carousel restorations honor tradition while preserving recreation for the future By Jefferey Spivey When visitors buy a ticket to the Balboa Park Carousel in San Diego, their likely objective is a few minutes of traditional, family-friendly fun. But they’re actually experiencing part of the city’s history. 

Day-to-day communication keeps MLB coming back to Lee County facilities By Jefferey Spivey Throughout 2023, one of the biggest stories in major league baseball has involved new rules with the addition of a pitch timer, bigger bases, and limitations around defensive shifts. The changes are designed to shorten the average length of games and encourage more viewers to tune in. So, all season long, di...

Building cool parks to beat the urban, heat-island effect By Rupsa Roy, Julie Eaton Ernst, and Indrani Ghosh  Parks and open space function as critical infrastructure for public health as well as for mitigating and adapting to climate change. This is especially evident in island environments, where there is limited vegetation, paved surfaces, and dense development. These compounding factors result...

 From less mowing to attracting pollinators, there are plenty of reasons to consider them By Lydia Major and Nikki Schlepp The benefits of turf alternatives have been debated for years. Members of city councils, the parks commission, or perhaps even community members have touted the benefits: fescues that need only occasional mowing, saving staff time and reducing fossil-fuel consumption; clovers...

Attracting teams for tournaments and the keys to keep them coming back By Mike McLaughlin So, you have built a premier sports complex. How do you make it pay? By keeping it busy every day. “When you build a leading-edge, multi-use facility, sustainability is the number-one concern,” says Darren Tolin, Shawnee County Parks + Recreation (SCP+R) sports supervisor in Kansas. “It’s a double-edged sword...

Driven by demographic shifts, the sport is growing at the municipal level By Mary Helen Sprecher There’s no end to the number of sports that have been brought to the USA through immigration, such as soccer, field hockey, and rugby. And that’s not even taking into consideration other popular fixtures on the competition calendar like wrestling and track and field. The fact is, one would be hard-pres...

Dividing a baseball field brings three times as much activity By Casey Wooddell “The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.”  --Moliere, French Playwright In Oxford, Ohio, this quote fits well for a field-renovation project that’s been ongoing for nearly half a decade and has finally wrapped up. Divvying up one adult softball field into three youth baseball and softball diamonds is almos...

Using synthetic turf to minimize dark days and maximize facility usage By Haley Darling It’s no secret that northern climates impose challenges to practice and game time for outdoor sports like soccer, football, and baseball. While southern states enjoy the outdoors, their northern neighbors endure drastic conditions, from blizzards and ice to rain, winds, and floods—often cutting several weeks fr...

A betrayal of trust destroys credibility By Ron Ciancutti  I do some consulting work regarding the completion and structure of bid documents and contracts. Unlike my previous career in government work, these private-sector clients can make decisions based on emotion and preference. In the public work, agencies were obliged to research bids to determine if the lowest bidder was really of the best o...

Senior programming evolves to meet modern needs By Jefferey Spivey Some longstanding senior programs endure regardless of trends. “There’s still the staple bingo that seniors absolutely love,” says Mercy Santoro, Assistant Director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation. But that hasn’t stopped her department or other departments around the country from diversifying their...

Disability Dirt Days show participants what’s possible—regardless of physical ability By Kate Layton Hosted by Oakland County Parks (OCP) in Michigan, Disability Dirt Days pair volunteer, off-road vehicle (ORV) drivers with participants with disabilities for thrilling rides around Holly Oaks ORV Park. The park is situated on former and active gravel mines and offers a wide variety of extreme terra...

Tips and best practices for adaptive programming By Troy Houtman On a Saturday morning at Miracle Field in Wichita, Kan., one will find a group of special athletes participating in America’s pastime—baseball. While some use wheelchairs or walkers, others are blind or have intellectual disabilities—all are ready to have a swing of the bat, round the bases, and catch a ball.  Every child has the rig...

Wheelchair courses make fitness more attainable By Tammy Martinez In 1983, members of a local disability community helped bring a Wheelchair Accessible Heart Trail to John Prince Park, located in Lake Worth, Fla. In 2018—35 years after the original course was constructed—the community made renovations and additions to the now-called Wheel Course. Improvements included installing new equipment, wid...

Communication boards give children a voice at playgrounds By Carolyn Mondlock Water, food, air, and shelter are essential for survival. But to thrive instead of just surviving, a person needs more, such as sleep, clothing, and education. Perhaps beyond anything, the most significant need is to feel love and acceptance; this feeling is based on human touch and communication. But what if an individu...