First Lady Michelle Obamas Lets Move! initiative addresses childhood obesity by putting children on the right track for health at an early age. The Lets Move blog recently featured an article about Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month which highlighted our very own First Class lesson program.
The Lets Move! article covered only two programs in the country, First Class being one of them. It touted First Class with having introduced more than 800 5th graders to the sports of skiing or snowboarding and quoted a participating parent talking about how her family has become closer to one another through the shared activity of skiing.Read the full article.
First Class provides one free beginner ski or snowboard lesson, including rental equipment, for 5th Grade Passport holders who are new to both the sports of skiing and snowboarding. These lessons, in coordination with Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month, are provided at Colorado Ski Country resorts during the month of January.
Information about First Class is provided to parents of 5th graders who are currently signed up for the Colorado Ski Country 5th Grade Passport. Program details are explained, including which of the 18 participating Colorado Ski Country USA member resorts parents can choose from for their child to have their introductory experience on snow.
We strongly believe that every child growing up in Colorado should have the opportunity to participate in our states signature sports, explained Melanie Mills, CSCUSAs president and CEO. The unique initiative of First Class takes that extra step to help parents get their kids up on the slopes to learn skiing or snowboarding in a safe, fun environment. It is our hope that this first step will introduce them to the same appreciation other skiers and snowboarders have for our mountains and the great prospects that are available.
The original objective of the 5th Grade Passport was to give every child who grows up in Colorado the opportunity to learn to ski. The return of First Class to the 5th Grade program helps ensure that original promise is kept.
The Colorado Ski Country USA 5th Grade Passport program provides three free lift tickets at each participating CSCUSA member resort to the states 5th graders. The 6th Grade Passport program provides four lift tickets at the same resorts for $99 to the states 6th graders.
According to Lets Move!, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled over the past three decades with one in three children today being overweight or obese. It also warns that if we dont take action on this issue now, then one third of our children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point, while others will face chronic obesity-related health issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and asthma.
More information on the Lets Move can be found here.
