City rec department ramps up for flag football following a successful summer

Children in first through fourth grades will participate in flag football opportunities this fall. Victoria Dunker, the city’s recreation department director, reports that all coaching positions are filled. Registration closed Aug. 22, and practice begins Aug. 24. Games will be scheduled in September with Wray, Haxtun and Sedgwick County. For updated details, monitor www.facebook.com/HolyokeRec/ or contact Dunker at 970-580-3659 or recdirector@cityofholyoke-co.gov.

Summer sees record participation, produces winners and champions

Well before school adjourned, Dunker created and released the “Holyoke Happenings” publication that included a wide variety of wholesome summertime recreational activities and events available to people of all ages. 

For the city’s organized summer youth activity, Dunker was looking to keep the momentum going from the spring soccer season that saw 122 children and youth from preschool up to seventh grade forming 10 teams. By the close of registration for the traditional summer ball-related sports, she wasn’t disappointed. An astounding 177 children and youth from 5 to 16 years of age participated in T-ball, machine pitch, baseball and softball activities. Dunker noted, “That’s the most we’ve had since I started in 2017.” 

Many of those athletes formed the Border League girls softball teams for ages 9-12 and 13-16, and the boys peewee baseball team for 9-to-10-year-olds, the Little League team of 11-to-12-year-olds and the Babe Ruth team of 14-to-15-year-olds. 

Both baseball and softball teams competed against the league’s Colorado teams from Haxtun and Sedgwick County and the Nebraska teams from Oshkosh, Chappell, Ogallala and Sidney. 

Holyoke hosted the Border League softball tournament June 26-27. The younger girls placed third, and the older girls placed second. 

Eight Holyoke athletes participated in the league’s All-Star baseball game held July 15 in Julesburg. 

The Holyoke Little League baseball team won the Border League championship at the tournament held in Oshkosh June 29-July 1. 

Dunker serves as the Border League’s director. A myriad of responsibilities included in the director role is the setting of all seven teams’ schedules, seeding tournament brackets, sending invoices for registration dues and ordering award medals. She points out that the advantage of participating in the league is that “at a young age it helps develop self-discipline and may be the first time the kids get to play in a competitive atmosphere. The experience exposes them to team building and teaches how to win, how to lose gracefully and what good sportsmanship is about.” 

In addition to the local activity, Dunker helped with plans for the Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional tournament for 16-to-18-year-olds held at the Holyoke Ballpark July 27-29.

 Team pictures can be viewed at www.facebook.com/HolyokeRec/. One does not need a Facebook account to scroll through the images.

Coaches, parents come through again and again

Essential to the sports programs offered by the recreation department are all the volunteer coaches that are needed throughout the year. Coaches ensure that all participants can develop skills and be assigned to a team. Says Dunker, “I’m very thankful for the time the coaches take out of their busy schedules to impact the youth through sports. The coaches are good role models and vital to creating a successful program.” 

She has the same appreciation for the parents who support their children’s participation through registration fees, getting them to practice sessions on time, transportation to and from the out-of-town games, taking care of the uniforms, etc. 

Summer included more than ballgames

Dunker maintained the year-round schedule of teaching senior yoga on the first Thursday of the month at the Sunset View community room. 

She also sponsored the lunch for a MAXD Junior Golf Tour 2023 tournament at the Holyoke city golf course on July 13. That opportunity was open to youth ages 5 to 18. Conducted by the MAXD Performance Golf Academy in Yuma, its mission includes helping youth to learn the fundamentals of golf and course etiquette and to grow an appreciation for golf while developing their skills.

 An art camp led by Jade Goldenstein was conducted at Homesteaders Park July 24-25. A total of 29 youth from kindergarten through sixth grade participated across the two days. Projects were entered at the county fair, and many received blue-ribbon awards.

Advisory council helps guide the overall program

 The recreation director does not work alone to offer opportunities to the community. Says Dunker, “The city staff have been really great to work with.” The city’s Recreation Advisory Council is a valuable base of support for the overall department’s year-round programming and assistance to the director. Members meet quarterly or more often as needed. They serve two-year terms and are appointed by the city council. Initial community members included Tom Bennett, Trisha Herman and Luke Goldenstein. They helped developed the director’s job description and laid out a strategic plan. 

With those terms having expired, current members include Erin Carper, Nick Flaa and Ashley Clayton. Current city council members also assigned to the council are Mayor Kevin Scott and Trae McCallum. Councilman Kevin Akey has continually served since its inception. 

As the program moved from startup to maintenance, the council’s main functions are to provide guidance and support to the director, help create the calendar of annual events, establish and review long-term goals of the program, and serve as ambassadors of the program to the community.

Voter-approved lodging tax supplements the budget

In 2020, Holyoke voters approved extending the lodging tax through December 2026 with a, 800-206 vote. That was a wider margin of support than when first approved in 2016 by a 625-336 vote.

The lodging tax revenue supplements the city’s recreation department’s budget that covers the director’s position costs and items such as travel, equipment, supplies, etc. The lowest amount of revenue since 2017 was $20,557.94 in 2020. That time period coincides with the COVID 19-related downturn in travel. The highest revenue was in 2021 at $28,853.85, with 2022 a close second at $28,746.64. 

Rewards of the job

When Dunker was asked what she found to be the most rewarding part of her work, she immediately replied, “The kids. Just seeing how much they are enjoying themselves makes it all worth it.”