Articles
The Roadmap To Recognition
No matter the size of a park agency, all of them struggle with resource needs. However, what some people often don’t recognize is that the most valuable resource of any organization is its employees.
Groomed For Leadership
I’ve never heard an effective leader say that leadership is easy—it’s not. In fact, it can be incredibly difficult at times
Diversity, Equality, Inclusion
With many changes in programming, ADA-access, and opportunities to inclusively serve all members of a diverse community, a paradigm shift has occurred, and it’s time that it is recognized in the way parks are designed.
Focus On Function
Much about fitness has changed over the last few years, including the advent of virtual classes and the meteoric rise of pickleball. However, in gym facilities across the country, one of the more noticeable changes has little to do with exercise.
Beyond Bricks and Mortar
Envisioning the possibilities of a new community center or sports facility is exciting, but when the costs of a project add up, the last thing anyone wants to see is a surprise. To bypass aggressive finger-pointing, the best advice is to avoid any comparison with similar facilities and to invest in information-gathering that will help determine the true cost of a project.
More Heart Than Most
At the center of Geauga County, Ohio, along the main artery Route 44, lies a new park with more heart than most. Veterans Legacy Woods quickly gained recognition as the county’s 27th park and its first dedicated to U.S. veterans.
Cultivating A Community Gathering Space
What began as a homestead fueled by the Gold Rush and then turned into an agricultural hub, the town of Berthoud, Colo., has not-so-slowly morphed into a growing destination for young families and modern-day Coloradans looking for a slower pace of life and lower living costs than in its neighboring cities.
A Tidal Wave Of Support
Envision 112 people in a pool jumping and shooting baskets, pulling aqua dumbbells through the water and thrusting them into the air, while doing kicking exercises underwater. They smile, laugh, and sing along with the music as energetic instructors run them through a three-hour event.
Play Up Social Opportunities
One of the great advantages of sports is they bring people together. Let’s face it—it’s just plain fun to catch up with friends, whether watching kids in Little League or finishing a great game of pickleball or tennis and wanting to unwind and talk.
Triple Play
In Oxford, Ohio, this quote fits well for a field-renovation project that’s been ongoing for nearly half a decade and has finally wrapped up. Divvying up one adult softball field into three youth baseball and softball diamonds is almost as exciting as a triple play in youth baseball.
Hit It Out Of The Park
On a Saturday morning at Miracle Field in Wichita, Kan., one will find a group of special athletes participating in America’s pastime—baseball. While some use wheelchairs or walkers, others are blind or have intellectual disabilities—all are ready to have a swing of the bat, round the bases, and catch a ball.
Finding Excellence In Exercise
In 1983, members of a local disability community helped bring a Wheelchair Accessible Heart Trail to John Prince Park, located in Lake Worth, Fla.
Gone To The Dogs
For years many communities have offered places for people to run, play, and have fun, but now many agencies are hearing the call to provide safe, accessible dog parks, too. This shift is not a new trend, but continues to build.
Get In The Game
The daily mission of park and recreation professionals is to enhance the quality of life for residents through a variety of programs, services, and facilities. However, some professionals may not fully recognize their power to create true social change for a population that is often forgotten about.
Soaking In Safety And Cost Savings
It goes without saying that safety, maintenance, and saving money are important at park facilities. But think about how these three concepts connect for a water park to thrive.
Wearing Life Jackets In Pools
Life jacket, life preserver, life vest, personal flotation device (PFD)—no matter what you call it—the life jacket has a long and varied history. According to Christopher Brooks, in Designed for Life: Life Jackets through the Ages, the earliest example of a life jacket or floatation device can be found on marble carvings from 870 B.C., depicting Assyrian soldiers swimming while holding onto inflated animal hides.
Simple Is Smart
Designs that appear simple and resolved are often the result of a painstakingly detailed process. While a park shelter at Luuwit View Park in Portland, Ore., appears to be a simple collection of triangular shapes, there is a complexity behind the presentation.
Field Sports Park provides safe, supervised firing-range opportunities
East of one of the busiest freeways in California, bright lights beckon southbound drivers coming from San Jose on Highway 101. Those who have wondered but never stopped to inquire may be surprised to learn they have just passed the only publicly-owned firing range in the Bay Area.
More than a fancy word, use it to improve results in swim lessons
Aquaticity is a term historically used in biology and refers to the capacity of an organism to function or be comfortable in an aquatic environment (Vaveri et al., 2016). By focusing on skills such as breath-hold capacity, buoyancy, propulsion, and physical conditioning (endurance and strength), participants can develop a higher level of comfort in the water (aquaticity improves).
Time To Re-Focus
On December 6, 2022, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted the 2022 Parks Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+) Final Report as its 30x30 plan. The goal is to conserve 30 percent of lands and coastal waters by 2030 to address climate change and protect biodiversity.