November Field Notes - Building Community In The Cold
Mike Smith | OSI Executive Director
For several years I had the privilege of coaching an adult ski program in Aroostook County, ME called “Arooskis”. The program ran from November to late March with weekly sessions in a couple different locations. Our sessions were held in the evening after people were out of work for the day. This meant we were always gathering in the dark, either at lit trail systems or with head lamps. Even though it was a ski program, we didn’t wait for winter. We started out on foot before the snow would fall, practicing form, hiking and jogging with our ski poles, and learning how to care for our ski equipment.
Some people were preparing for the annual citizen race series, others were just trying to get comfortable enough to enjoy a ski outing with their kids. Whatever the motivation, the goal of the program was pretty simple, help folks get better at cross-country skiing. At least that’s what I thought.
I learned pretty quickly that what the program really provided had little to do with skiing, even for me. Instead it offered a social outlet, a reason to get outside, and a sense of community at a time of year when we all might otherwise feel a bit lonely. In the years since running that program I always notice how strong the urge is to withdraw indoors against November’s harshness. Then I marvel at how the Arooskis program had me and others doing just the opposite, and I think about why.
I don’t believe anyone in that program was thrilled about dragging themselves out into the cold at night, or hiking across wet, frozen ground in the dark. I certainly wasn’t. I was just too busy thinking about the people involved to care. That’s the power of community, to draw us out of our inner worlds, and remind us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. This feels especially important to remember this season.
Pandemics aside, this time of year creates plenty of challenges to getting outside and seeing others. I’m as compelled as the next person to hide away and wait for brighter, longer days. Each fall, however, when that urge to hibernate sets in, I consider myself profoundly lucky. The amazing people that joined me week after week through the harshest months of the year in Maine’s hinterlands gifted me an important lesson: community is an antidote to gloom.
COVID may limit the way in which we can gather, but it doesn’t have to limit our sense of community. Outdoor programs can play an even more important role than usual in helping us all feel more connected to community this winter. We explored some ideas on this in our most recent blog post, and we’re going to be chatting about creative problem solving for winter programming in our next OSI Community Roundtable.
If you’re looking for ways to build outdoor sport programs in your community this winter I hope you’ll join our free webinar coming up in December, and download our newest free guide to better community outdoor sport programs. Finally, whatever November looks like where you live - whether it requires muck boots, a head lamp, or just a hunter’s orange cap - I hope you’ll put hibernation aside, wander outdoors, and find others to join you.