Recreation department impact burgeoning as it enters 3rd year

     Summer baseball and softball were the extent of the City of Holyoke’s recreation program for years, reaching roughly 90 kids each season. In 2018, the second year of the City’s new recreation department, nearly 10 times that number was reached through numerous activities.
     Outlining the programs that were attended by 889 people last year, recreation director Victoria Dunker, along with the recreation advisory committee, invited hotel owners to an annual review of the department at the Peerless Center on Feb. 13.
     To recap, the recreation department exists because Referendum 2B was passed by the people of Holyoke in November 2016 on a 625-336 vote. It established a 2.5 percent lodging tax that guests at Holyoke’s hotels will pay through 2021. In 2018, the lodging tax generated $24,362.09, up about 6.5 percent from the year before. That money partially funds Dunker’s position.
     To hotel owners last Wednesday, Dunker summarized simply, “Your dollars don’t go unnoticed in our community and in our programs.”
    
Department hosts 19 events last year
     In 2018, the recreation department hosted 19 different events. That’s up four from the year before. About half of the 19 events are things that will continue to happen annually. In the winter, there will always be basketball, the 3-on-3 tournament and the Nuggets Skills Challenge. In the spring there will be soccer and the Rockies Skills Challenge. Summer includes T-ball, softball, baseball and the Dandelion Dash 5K race. Fall features flag football and women’s volleyball.
     Other events may be changed or added each year, offering a variety of the different activities for youth and adults. One of the successful things added to the 2018 schedule was hosting spring break activities for kids who were off from school for the week. The department sponsored free swimming one day and a free kids movie on another. Both were well-attended, and hosting some sort of spring break activities is something Dunker intends to do again this year.
     In 2018, the department took over an existing soccer program that continues to be a big draw. A total of 120 kids participated on 12 teams, ranging from preschool to 18 years old. Older teams traveled for games, but the younger teams played each other at home, making a day of “soccer Saturdays.” Parents, families and friends spectated, older kids officiated, and Thrashers Softball ran concessions, adding to the feel of the sporting events.
     A youth golf clinic and tournament were also new in 2018. Though small in number — only about 20 kids — the clinic offered valuable one-on-one instruction and exposed several kids to golf for the first time. Dunker received a great deal of positive feedback about the clinic and tournament, and if possible, it’s something she would like to offer again.
     Even among existing annual programs, there are some exciting new developments. Take flag football, for instance. Games in the past have been played solely between Holyoke teams. However, Dunker has been in communication with organizers in Sterling and Haxtun who are interested in starting their own flag football teams that would travel to Holyoke for competition.
     In the foundational recreation programs, summer baseball and softball should see an added benefit of the renovated little field across the street from the official baseball field. It won’t be used for games, but the added practice space is expected to make a big difference in scheduling.
    
2019 sees new programs
     Just two months into the new year, the recreation department has already carried out some of its new programs planned for 2019. In January, former Nuggets basketball player Mark Randall spoke to elementary students though the Nuggets Community Ambassadors program.
     Dunker has also begun helping with senior exercise and yoga at SunSet View. She’s been in contact with Northeast Colorado Health Department as well, planning a Colorado Heart Healthy Solutions program. Through it, she hopes to reach a different demographic than many of the usual department events.
     Late May will see the Point Guard College basketball camp in Holyoke, with a director coming in from California. The camp is a prestigious one meant for serious basketball players from incoming high school freshmen to graduating seniors. It will offer an exceptional opportunity not often available to athletes in rural areas. Additionally, it will meet the department’s goal of hosting an overnight event that has the potential to get people into local hotels.
     Taking community feedback into account, Dunker is considering a coed adult volleyball league this year as well. The biggest hurdle to making that happen, she explained, is an already busy schedule for the gyms at Holyoke High School.
    
Recreation brings people together
     Something that became abundantly clear as an entire year was being reviewed is that the recreation department brings people, organizations and businesses together.
     Some of the activities, such as summer ball, require hired help, and it often comes in the form of teens and young adults gaining useful experience. Others, such as soccer, can only exist because of massive volunteer turnout. Last year, 13 coaches volunteered their time to lead the soccer teams throughout the season.
     Businesses routinely come alongside the department to help sponsor events. In some cases, as with the Dandelion Dash 5K with Holyoke Fitness Club, a business will co-host an event. And it’s not limited to businesses, either. It would hardly be summer ball without the Lions Club manning concessions, and Dragon Booster Club co-hosts the 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
     On the flip side, the recreation department has been a part of several events put on by other local organizations, including the FBLA career fair and after-school program, the Phillips County Fair and National Night Out.
     Different generations also tend to be brought together through the rec programs. From the extreme ends of the spectrum, young kids partnered up with residents at the nursing home to paint flower pots last summer. Likewise, there are many opportunities for older students to get some community service experience, coaching, officiating or simply helping run an event for younger kids.
     Of course, one of the big goals of the department is to bring people from other towns into Holyoke — ideally overnight, adding business for the hotels that make the lodging tax possible. Though the department’s first overnight event has yet to happen, residents of neighboring towns have already been taking advantage of recreation in Holyoke. In fact, they made up 20 percent of the people reached last year.
     In events that take her outside of Holyoke, such as coaching an All-Star game at Northeastern Junior College or helping on the sectional or state level of the Nuggets Skills Challenge, Dunker represents her department and the community.
     All in all, Dunker has used the recreation department to promote the amenities, services and events not only offered by the City but in the city as well. With a following of over 500 on Facebook, keeping people informed of all that’s going on is one of the department’s major roles and something Dunker aims to continue in the coming years.