Lincoln Outdoor Club Gearing up for Winter, Appreciative of Support

As winter approaches, the Lincoln Outdoor Club is preparing for fun activities including cross-country skiing, ice skating and other outdoor adventures.

The club, which was formed more than twenty years ago through the school, has made a comeback in recent years.

During a meeting of the Base Camp group in early 2016, then-Seeley School Superintendent Chris Stout came to talk about their very active outdoor club, which was started by a mother there wanted to take the kids skiing. As parents and members of the group, Karyn Good and Sue Lattin thought," why can't we do that here?" From there, they started meeting and the club came back to life.

The Outdoor Club is run through the Lincoln Public School as it had been in the past, and in doing so, they need to have a school staff member present for all activities. Without the support of the school, they wouldn't be able to do all they do.

Last year they partnered with the school's Pounce program. "Both the school and the Pounce program have been very supportive." said Lattin.

One of the benefits of the school's sponsorship of the club is the collaboration between the school and students. Christy Maharg, the school's new PE teacher, is very excited about the Outdoor Club and is looking forward to working with them. She played hockey for fourteen years and is thinking of all the things she can do with her PE class using the small ice rink the club sets up in the winter. Collaborating with the club provides them with another resource and allows her to utilize it for her classes. Stacey Mannix, another teacher at the school, is also very involved and enjoys taking the kids skiing.

The goal is to continue to grow the program and Lattin says having the teachers excited helps.

The club began working with the elementary school-aged kids in hopes that kids would develop an appreciation of being outdoors and being active that would become engrained in them by the time they get to high school. Currently, they take the kids skiing or ice skating each Friday, depending on the weather.

The community has been supportive of the club. In addition to the more than $3000 in donations, the Outdoor Club had an anonymous donation of $3500 to purchase their start-up skating rink kit. Another donor come through with $1,000 for the purchase of equipment, and other donors held a raffle and donated the proceeds to the club. The support has enabled the club to purchase 30 sets of cross-country skis and ice skates.

In addition to donations, the club has been awarded a grant from the Wilderness Society and has been hosting fundraisers. Currently it is selling raffle tickets for an opportunity to win a stand-up paddle board that will be raffled off at the Lincoln Community Benefit Saturday, Nov. 2. Tickets are still available for $5 each and can be purchased from Sue Lattin, Karyn Good or Wendi Dietz. Tickets will also be available at the Community Benefit before the raffle.

One of the visions for the club's future is to increase the size of the skating rink in the hopes of hosting Community Skate Nights that would allow children and adults to come and skate. Lattin is excited about the idea and thinks it will be a lot of fun.

"I've already been hearing very positive feedback from people who would like to participate," she said. "People who haven't skated in years are looking forward to being able to do so again."

Currently, the 25 x 50 foot rink is only big enough for the kids. If they could secure an additional $3,500, they could double the size of the rink. They are also looking to purchase –or have donated- a snow blower and some snow fencing. Last year, Lattin and her husband, Josh had to shovel the rink and the pathway leading up to it before they could take the kids skating, which was time consuming.

The club is working on a calendar of events that will hopefully encourage more participation. Typically, about twelve kids have participated in the past, and they are hoping that by getting the schedule out early, more will come participate.

In addition to looking for more financial support, Lattin and Good are also looking for more parents who are willing to volunteer with club events.

"If more people were involved, we could get more done. We could get the word out better, get more fundraising done, and of course, have more activities with the kids." Lattin said. She added that 'It's helpful to have folks who want to come out and ski, because kids are all at different levels."

Looking to the future they would like to expand the program to include summer activities such as hiking, biking and fishing. They are also hopeful that POUNCE, which lost federal its grant funding earlier this year, will see its funding restored and be able to partner with them once again.

Lattin wanted to thank the Forest Service, who she says has been very helpful. They have been grooming a cross country ski trail in Sculpture in the Wild, which gives the kids a place to ski on Fridays.

The next Outdoor Club meeting will be scheduled soon. Watch the BVD for more information on club dates. If you would like to get involved or make a donation to the club, please contact Sue Lattin at 406-459-4168.