Women’s Programs

Maine Region Women’s Program
Heather Newman
Maine Region Women’s Program Advisor

I would like to introduce myself and list some of my goals for this year and beyond. I have been a patroller since 2010, volunteering at Mount Abram, Saddleback, Black Mountain of Maine and now Sugarloaf. I grew up skiing on a small mountain in Northern Maine, May Mountain in Island Falls. My mom and her friends volunteered in the ticket booth, my father and sister were on ski patrol and my other two sisters taught skiing. The mountain closed shortly after I graduated from college. I can still remember my last run down the hill.

I decided to become a patroller while skiing, with my then small children (Paige and Colin), at Mount Abram. Since we were going to be at the mountain every weekend, I needed to be as involved as my parents had been. I went into the Top Shack and asked, “What do I need to do to be one of you?” The answers as you can imagine where varied and comical. In spite of their responses, I signed up for an OEC course and joined the Mount Abram Patrol the following winter. Saddleback however, had a hold of my heart and after a couple of years; my family and I became members of a very special patrol family. A lot has changed since 2015 and I am looking forward to making new friends at Sugarloaf.

Why the Women’s Program?

Since the beginning of my patrol career, I have participated in the women’s clinics. The first one I attended was at Shawnee Peak; transitions, sideslips, “dancing” with the toboggan, all skills I learned during those two days in January. Friends, what better way to connect with other women than when you are outside, playing in the snow.
I am now a Senior patroller, an OEC instructor and an OET TE. I have learned a great deal from all the patrollers’ who have volunteered their time to teach, mentor and coach me these past eight years. My personal goal is to thank each of them by offering the same level of training to others.

The goal of the Women’s Program is threefold: Enhancement, Recruitment, and Retention. We want to encourage women patrollers to obtain their Senior, become instructors, and mentor new patrollers and to take on leadership roles in their patrol and the region.

What do I need from you? Feedback, suggestions, input, ideas! The Maine Region Women’s Program is your program. I need to know what you want to learn this year, where you want to ski, what areas you want to improve. Do you want to more time in the bumps, on the steeps, in the trees? Do you want to learn backcountry first aid and preparedness? Would you like to see additional sessions at the clinics covering topics such as preparing your body for ski season, yoga, and injury prevention? I need to hear from you!

Please be sure to follow the Maine Region Women’s Program by liking our Face book page NSP Maine Region Women’s Program. I will be keeping the site up to date with interesting articles, clinic dates and other training tips and ideas.

Please feel free to contact me any time via email at [email protected] or by phone 207-751-8011. I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, and concerns about how we can build our region of truly strong NSP women!

See you all when the snow falls, if not sooner,
Heather

 

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