SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) — Some Sioux Falls 8th graders are spending part of their winter learning how to snowboard. Their free lessons are courtesy of the non-profit, Promising Futures Fund. These outings at Great Bear Ski Valley provide a chance for kids to learn snowboarding, who otherwise might never give the sport a try.
These Whittier Middle School 8th graders are gaining an introductory foothold to the sport of snowboarding.
“Having one foot on and trying to do the right and left stuff and everything,” Whittier 8th grader Kamira Hemphill said.
Mastering snowboarding requires a keen sense of balance and perseverance. Some of the students were a little reluctant at the beginning to give it a try.
“At first, I was a little nervous. But then, I thought it would be something that would be fun for me and would make me more active as a person,” Whittier 8th grader Jema Meleyi said.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire provides transportation to and from Great Bear.
“We’re able to pick up the kids at Whittier, we bring them here, and then we bring them back to Whittier, back home afterwards, after the lessons. That’s kind of our part of it. We were able to enroll them in our program which allowed us to be able to do that,” Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire CEO Stacey Jones said.
The young beginners take a lot of spills during their lessons. But that’s all part of the learning process. And they’re all becoming quick studies.
“Last week, some of them were like, I can’t stand up, I can’t do this, I can’t do that. We have to explain to them you’re learning a new sport and learning things takes time and when you learn it, you learn it forever,” Suzannah Reaves of the Whittier After School Snowboard Program said.
Lessons for a lifetime that bring plenty of smiles to the slopes.
“And just see the smiles on their faces makes my day and everybody’s day at Whittier, so it’s great,” Reaves said.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Jema said.
The classes are split into two groups of 12 students each. Each class lasts three weeks.