The Young Professional - Arizona Parks and Recreation Association
The Young Professional - Arizona Parks and Recreation Association
The Young Professional - Arizona Parks and Recreation Association
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Issue 1 Volume 2January 15, 2013Publication <strong>and</strong>Layout DesignerJody Bakerjody.baker.79@gmail.comEditorsMichael BradleyMichael.bradley@eku.eduBrooke Burkbrooke.burk@cortl<strong>and</strong>.eduChairTom Vennirotvenniro@townofchili.orgCover photo byMichael BradleyA Message from the ChairGreeting from the NRPA <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Network,It was great to meet those of you that attended Congress this year. Anaheim was a great time<strong>and</strong> the YPN is pleased to have hosted so many great events at Congress; the <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Meet <strong>and</strong> Greet Breakfast, Take a Student / <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> to Lunch, Network Meeting,the Career Center, <strong>and</strong> a h<strong>and</strong>ful of educational sessions geared towards students <strong>and</strong> youngprofessionals. We plan to carry on this momentum throughout the year by providing everyonewith numerous professional development <strong>and</strong> networking opportunities, starting with this editionof “<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>.”That said, I would like to share with you all a few network initiatives on the horizon:• Network Leadership Positions <strong>and</strong> Involvement – In the upcoming months, thenetwork will be hosting conference calls where we plan to discuss leadership rolls <strong>and</strong>welcome members interested in a network position or to simply join a committee. Pleasebe on the look out for network meeting e-mails where you can share your availability forconference call dates <strong>and</strong> times. We truly encourage any <strong>and</strong> all involvement!• Administrator’s Network Mentorship Program – Early in 2013 we plan to roll outthe second year of this program. <strong>The</strong> program is designed to set up YPN members witha yearlong (hopefully longer) mentor from the Administrator’s Network. This is a greatnetworking opportunity, as you will be paired up with a distinguished professional inthe field who you can call upon for insight, ideas, <strong>and</strong> guidance throughout the year <strong>and</strong>,ideally, your career. A call for interested participants will be announced <strong>and</strong> you will beasked to complete a brief form providing us with some basic information that will assistus in creating professional pairs based on common interests <strong>and</strong> backgrounds.• <strong>Professional</strong> Development Opportunities – In attempt to do our best to meet thedem<strong>and</strong>s of our Network, our professional development committee is developing a feweducational opportunities for the near future. Two opportunities that are in the works are;a Video Blog on how to use the tools from Conference to enhance your careers by Dr.James Worsley (Director of Columbus, GA Park <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong>) <strong>and</strong> a blog in regardsto resurgent talk in the media <strong>and</strong> NFL on concussions. Release dates will be availablesoon.In addition to the above-mentioned happenings, the YPN will continue to provide its monthly“Future Leaders” column in <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> Magazine, service on the NRPA Program <strong>and</strong>Awards Committees, promotion <strong>and</strong> organization of “Visit a Park Day,” preparation for YPNsponsored Congress events, <strong>and</strong> much more!With that, I hope you enjoy this edition of “<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>” <strong>and</strong> please keep in mind thatthis publication is designed for all students <strong>and</strong> young professionals, so if there is anything thatyou would like to see included or would like to contribute for future editions, please let us know.I hope that everyone has been doing well since NRPA Congress in Anaheim. On behalf of the2012-2013 <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Leadership Team, we wish you <strong>and</strong> yours a Happy New Year <strong>and</strong>we hope that your Holidays were filled with good food, friends, family, <strong>and</strong> fun.Tom Venniro2012-2013 NRPA <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Network Chair1Get Connected with the <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> NetworkFacebook: www.facebook.com/groups/nrpastudentyoungprofessionals/Twitter twitter.com/<strong>Young</strong>Prof_NRPANRPAConnect www.nrpaconnect.org/youngprofessional
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Table of Contents03NRPA 2012 in Anaheim: A Look Backby Sarah S<strong>and</strong>quistIssue 1 Volume 2 October 15, 201205081114161820222426302Personal Challenge <strong>and</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Passionby Michael BradleyHonoring an Advocate <strong>and</strong> Future Bright Star in <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong>by Michael BradleyStudent Clubs Make A Difference:<strong>Professional</strong> Development, ServiceLearning, Volunteerism <strong>and</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Dedication by Michael BradleyCongress From the Eyes of a “Newbie”by Gerry LoganHow to Become an Effective Leaderby Steven J. ThompsonLeadership <strong>and</strong> Management Must Go H<strong>and</strong> in H<strong>and</strong>by Tatiana ChalkidouCreating Pathways to <strong>Professional</strong> Development: NRPA’s <strong>Young</strong><strong>Professional</strong> Fellowship by Ron Strickler Jr.Make the Most of Your Internship & Begin Your <strong>Professional</strong> Journeyby Jenna TylerAn Advocate for <strong>Professional</strong> Involvementby Chad HarvellA Multiple Regression Analaysis of Geocachingby Shelly MitchellAnhiem 2012 Reflections <strong>and</strong> Interviews
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>NRPA 2012 in Anaheim:A Look Backby Sarah S<strong>and</strong>quistWow. This past NRPA Conference was amazing. Thiswas my first time attending Congress, <strong>and</strong> without the <strong>Young</strong><strong>Professional</strong> Fellowship, I would not have been able to attend.While our agency typically sends five or more people to the annualnational conference, our director was going to be the onlyone to attend the conference this year in Anaheim. With budget“I made many connections <strong>and</strong> developmentmany friendships with professionalsfrom all over the country, which I knowwill be lasting.”the future leaders of this organization <strong>and</strong> we are not waitingfor past leaders to retire, we want to jump in <strong>and</strong> get involved. Ifelt the same passion for this field as everyone else in the room.We want to contribute <strong>and</strong> do what we can to make the parks<strong>and</strong> recreation profession better for everyone. I made manyconnections <strong>and</strong> development many friendships with professionalsfrom all over the country,which I know will be lasting.<strong>The</strong> Disneyl<strong>and</strong> OpeningReception, Miracle, L<strong>and</strong>scapeStructures, <strong>and</strong> Little Tykes Socialswere all fun, but that is notwhat I was there for. I came torestraints, it has been increasingly difficult to justify multipletrainings a year, let alone out of state travel.As I sit at the airport waiting for my flight home, I cannothelp but feel a mix of emotions. I am feeling sad to leavelots of new friends <strong>and</strong> colleagues. I am feeling energized <strong>and</strong>full of ideas to take back to my agency. I am excited to sleep inmy own bed tonight <strong>and</strong> see my family, but I am also thinkingabout how to get to Houston for next year’s annual conference!I attended the <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Leadership retreatMonday evening <strong>and</strong> I feel like this set the tone for the rest ofmy week. <strong>The</strong> YPN Network is doing some great things forNRPA <strong>and</strong> is turning heads of professionals at all levels. We are3<strong>and</strong> did attend great educational sessions. A few of the highlightsinclude:• <strong>The</strong> opening session keynote speaker, Lowell B.Catlett was very entertaining. Although he was a littlekooky, his speech was relevant, engaging, <strong>and</strong> interesting.• Who is this Seasonal Employee? Generation Z isYour New Hire, gave me a new perspective on reshapingthe culture of your workplace so that every generation’sneeds are met.• <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Development: It Starts Now,
highlighted additional ways I can be impactful in mycurrent position <strong>and</strong> steps to take to get to the nextlevel.• Developing the Effective “Ask” in Your SponsorshipQuest, was my favorite session of the week. Iwrote down more notes <strong>and</strong> ideas than in any othersession. <strong>The</strong> presenters had so many really good, easysuggestions on improving your sponsorship ask.During the conference, I was paired up with twomentors for the week. My fellowship mentor was Pam Sloan,retired from Stockton, CA. She currently serves on the NRPA<strong>and</strong> USTA board of directors. <strong>The</strong> second was Dianne Hoover,Director for Bakersfield, CA <strong>and</strong> Past President of NRPA.I was paired up with her for the Take a <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>to Lunch program facilitated by <strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Network. Both of my mentors brought so many years ofexperience <strong>and</strong> expertise to share with me. <strong>The</strong>y were overlywelcoming <strong>and</strong> asked me many questions. It is empowering,to me, to meet such successful women in the <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong><strong>Recreation</strong> field. I am glad to have had the honor to meet them<strong>and</strong> look forward to staying connected after Congress. I alsohave a little constructive advice for the mentoring program.Although this did not happen to me, several other fellowshipwinners were concerned they would not be able to collectsufficient CEU’s because their mentor took them to sit in onvarious board meetings. Pam <strong>and</strong> I did spend time together,but she was busy with a variety of obligations. I think it wouldhave been good networking <strong>and</strong> experience to attend some ofthese meetings like the other fellows, but it was nice to collectCEU’s for my professional certification.So, what happens now? In addition to other feelings, Iam a little fearful. It may be easy to fall back into old routines,but I do not want to go back to work on Monday <strong>and</strong> lose thismomentum. I hope to share with my colleagues some of thethings I have learned <strong>and</strong> implement some new programs. Iplan on sending thank you notes to my new mentors, <strong>and</strong> stayingin contact with them. I am the Chair of our state associationannual conference. It is a much smaller conference withonly 300 attendees. As the chair, I want every participant toleave conference feeling as energized <strong>and</strong> motivated as I feelright now. I feel honored <strong>and</strong> blessed to be selected for the fellowshipthis year, <strong>and</strong> am really looking forward to March ofnext year when I visiting Washington D.C. for the LegislativeForum.Sarah S<strong>and</strong>quist is the Fitness Program Coordinatorfor the Park <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> Department in Redmond,Washington. She was the recipient of the <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Fellowship, a national NRPA award to promoteoutst<strong>and</strong>ing young professionals <strong>and</strong> encourage theirprofessional engage ment. Sarah is also the upcomingChair of the Washington <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong>’sannual conference.Get Connectedwith the<strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> NetworkFacebook:www.facebook.com/groups/nrpastudentyoungprofessionals/Twitter:twitter.com/<strong>Young</strong>Prof_NRPANRPAConnect:www.nrpaconnect.org/youngprofessional4
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Personal Challenge <strong>and</strong><strong>Professional</strong> PassionBrooke Burk. Ph.D. is a recipient of the 2012 NetworkRising <strong>Professional</strong> Award. Brooke is originally from Indianola,Iowa, although she currently calls central New York herhome. Dr. Burk is an Assistant Professor at SUNY Cortl<strong>and</strong> inCortl<strong>and</strong>, NY. She teaches courses in recreation management<strong>and</strong> administration. Dr. Burk enjoys helping students find theirpassion in our field. She also thoroughly enjoys helping leisure<strong>and</strong> recreation agencies conduct research that enables them tore-envision their programs <strong>and</strong> provide them with data they canuse to write grants or obtain other sources of funding. Dr. Burknotes that being in the parks <strong>and</strong> recreationprofession “is truly the best job!”To get to know a little bit moreabout Brooke, the 2012 Network Rising<strong>Professional</strong>, I asked a peer <strong>and</strong> friendof Brooke to answer a few questionsregarding her ability to lead, her past accolades, <strong>and</strong> her contributionsto the field. Mr. Tom Venniro, Chair of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong><strong>Professional</strong> Network in NRPA, has worked with Dr. Burk forseveral years in varied settings <strong>and</strong> positions.Can you talk about Brooke’s ability to lead, especially withinprofessional associations <strong>and</strong> advancing the profession?5Brooke Burk is a true <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Leader. She exudesprofessionalism <strong>and</strong> knowledge beyond her years <strong>and</strong>always leads by example. Brooke has been involved withNRPA for a while now but in a major way over the pastthree years. She is one of the chief members responsible forthe birth <strong>and</strong> success of the <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Networkas she served as the first chair one year ago. As chair, shewas able to give real direction to a new <strong>and</strong> young networkthat needed guidance in a newly adopted NRPA structure.<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Network is now one of the mostactive <strong>and</strong> successful networks in the NRPA networkstructure in large part to her leadership. Brooke has writtennumerous articles for <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> Magazine as a“Brooke Burk has made significantcontributions to the field of <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong><strong>Recreation</strong> on a number of levels in additionto her involvement with NRPA.”strong voice for <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>s <strong>and</strong> is currently thePublications Committee Chair for the <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Network where she recruits <strong>and</strong> drives new young professionalwriters to write for the magazine on a monthly basis.Brooke has also been very active in helping out with NRPACongress as she has served on the Program Committee, developedthe “Take a Student/<strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> to LunchDay,” <strong>and</strong> operated the 2011 Congress Career Center thatposted jobs for, <strong>and</strong> gave resume/cover letter advice to,<strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>s in attendance. In addition to her work
with NRPA, Brooke is a passionate educator at SUNYCortl<strong>and</strong> dedicated to guiding future leaders of <strong>Parks</strong>,<strong>Recreation</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Leisure Studies. Brooke further works at<strong>Parks</strong>, <strong>Recreation</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Leisure Studies at SUNY Cortl<strong>and</strong><strong>and</strong> as a steward for <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> involvement withNRPA.advancing the profession by serving on the SUNY Cortl<strong>and</strong>General Education Committee, <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>Association</strong>,Climate Action Committee, <strong>and</strong> Alpha Gamma AlphaScholarship Committee.Mr. Venniro highlights why Dr. Burk is the recipient of the2012 Network Rising <strong>Professional</strong> Award. Brooke is a strongadvocate for the parks <strong>and</strong> recreation profession <strong>and</strong> studentsin the profession. Through her endless work <strong>and</strong> constantWhat are some of Brooke’s past accomplishments that youthink should be highlighted?As mentioned above, Brooke Burk has many accomplishmentsat a very young age. She was elected Chair of theNRPA <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Network as a student in theeffort, she has helped progress this profession so many of uslove. Shortly following the 2012 NRPA conference in Anaheim,I had the chance to talk to Dr. Burk <strong>and</strong> pepper her withquestions related to her award <strong>and</strong> her thoughts about the 2012NRPA conference in beautiful southern California.Networks first year of operation. <strong>The</strong> NRPA CongressProgram Committee is a prestigious committee full ofreputable members <strong>and</strong> to serve on it at such a youngage is a great accomplishment. Brooke was awarded theNRPA <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Fellowship in 2009. Additionally,in a short period, Brooke’s work has been publishedon numerous occasions in scholarly publications <strong>and</strong> trademagazines. Lastly, Brooke’s educational accomplishmentsspeak volumes as she has obtained a B.A., M.A., <strong>and</strong>Discuss your impressions of Anaheim <strong>and</strong> the conventioncenter.Anaheim <strong>and</strong> the local host committee made us all feel athome <strong>and</strong> welcome. <strong>The</strong> convention center was convenientlylocated so that attendees could learn from the bestin the field <strong>and</strong> enjoy some leisure time with friends. Everyear that I attend congress, I leave excited <strong>and</strong> ready to getback to work.Ph.D. in 11 years of study.When you first arrived at conference, did you initially talkHow has Dr. Burk contributed to the parks <strong>and</strong> recreationfield?Brooke Burk has made significant contributions to thefield of <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> on a number of levels inaddition to her involvement with NRPA, as mentionedabove. Through her studies, Brooke has done vast researchon numerous topics in the <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> Field thatto anyone you already knew?I always seek out my fellow young professionals. It isgreat to see so many familiar <strong>and</strong> friendly faces. I seem togravitate toward them to catch up on what has happenedover the course of the year <strong>and</strong> share ideas. I feel thisgroup is very open to new ideas <strong>and</strong> prides itself on makingpeople feel welcome.have been published. Her knowledge <strong>and</strong> studies haveallowed her to present at various conferences, congresses,symposiums, <strong>and</strong> institutions. Furthermore, Brooke continuesto contribute to the field as an Assistant Professor ofWhat sessions did you attend <strong>and</strong> why? What did youlearn?I attend both the research symposium <strong>and</strong> education ses-6
sions. I feel that congress is a great place to learn <strong>and</strong> getfresh ideas or approach to tackle issues in our communities.I attend the research symposium to state up to dateon current research <strong>and</strong> also to get ideas for new studies.<strong>The</strong> education sessions I feel are helpful to my teaching bymaking myself more aware of best practices that I can sharewith students.Was there anything specifically special about this year?I think there is something special about every year. However,when I think back to Minnesota <strong>and</strong> Atlanta, I amreminded about how far the YPN has come, from a table ofjust a few people to nearly 40 attendees at the YPN retreat.It is inspiring <strong>and</strong> great to think that I have been here <strong>and</strong> apart of something great. We had a vision, that small crew inMinnesota, <strong>and</strong> it is amazing to watch the growth <strong>and</strong> interest.I cannot wait to see how the YPN grows in the next5-10 years.As you look back, did you meet anyone new that you willcontinue to talk to?So many people! I look forward to working with themin the future on a variety of projects that will further ourcareers <strong>and</strong> help the profession grow.I can honestly say that I was surprised <strong>and</strong> humbled to benominated for this award. I feel that I have been fortunateto be surrounded by people who have a passion for whatthey do <strong>and</strong> are driven to be the best. Thus, I am inspired tobe like them. So my advice would be to surround yourselfwith people who constantly challenge you to do more <strong>and</strong>be better. You will have no choice but to strive for that aswell.Brooke’s advice is exactly on target, as young professionalsyou should seek to surround yourself with people who constantlychallenge you. This is a good reason why so many peopleflock to Brooke. <strong>The</strong>y underst<strong>and</strong> that she holds herself <strong>and</strong>others to st<strong>and</strong>ards that are challenging <strong>and</strong> enabling. As Mr.Venniro mentioned in a YPN meeting, her passion is contagious<strong>and</strong> her drive to advance the field is endless.<strong>The</strong> Network Rising Pro fessional Award, a National <strong>Recreation</strong><strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong> award, is presented to an individualby their respective association networks. This individual mustdisplay qualities <strong>and</strong> skills needed to attain positions of leadershipin the field through participation in professional organization,such as NRPA, their contributions to advancing the field,<strong>and</strong> their creativity in creating or managing programs.Do you plan on going to Houston next year <strong>and</strong> why?Of course! I was bit by the NRPA bug several years ago <strong>and</strong>will continue to attend because it is important to continuegrowing as a professional <strong>and</strong> educator. I also like to practicewhat I preach, <strong>and</strong> I strongly encourage my studentsto get involved with professional organizations in any waythey feel they can.What advice would you give to young professionals seekingto become the next Rising <strong>Professional</strong>?7
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Honoring an Advocate <strong>and</strong> FutureBright Star in <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong>Mrs. Anna Pechenik Mausolf is the 2012 National <strong>Recreation</strong><strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong>’s Graduate Student of the Year.This NRPA award highlights <strong>and</strong> honors a graduate studenteach year. <strong>The</strong> criteria for nomination include extensive collaborationwith other professionals to better serve the public,incredible passion <strong>and</strong> drive for the profession, progressiveleadership <strong>and</strong> movement toward furthering the profession, <strong>and</strong>the nominee’s ability to overcome difficulty <strong>and</strong> obstacles tobe successful in the parks <strong>and</strong> recreation field. Anna PechnikMausolf is currently an adjunct instructor at <strong>The</strong> University ofMississippi, where she recently completed her first graduatedegree.Mrs. Mausolf’s honors extend beyond her recentGraduate Student of the Year Award from NRPA. Students inthe <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> Management program nominated her,<strong>and</strong> she won, the Paragon Award for Excellence in DistanceTeaching. This award recognizes one faculty member eachyear. <strong>The</strong> awardee must demonstrate the ability to providequality education, service <strong>and</strong> innovation in distance educationcourses. Anna was also the recipient of the highest honor fora graduate student in the program at Ole Miss, the J. GordonMcMurray Graduate Student Award.Anna has worked with nonprofit organizations, adventureprograms, <strong>and</strong> in health <strong>and</strong> wellness agencies. Her careerof volunteerism <strong>and</strong> involvement is simply too long to list. She8has taught various course at Ole Miss. Anna’s certificationsare extensive, as she is a Certified Park <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>,a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician,Wilderness First Responder, Swiftwater Rescue Operator, PADIOpen Water Advanced SCUBA Diver, AAAI Group FitnessInstructor, AFAA Indoor Cycling Instructor, <strong>and</strong> Instructor Certifiedfor numerous Red Cross training programs. Furthermore,she has received training in various adventure programs. Whenyou see Mrs. Mausolf’s resume, you are impressed. However,when you meet her in person, you cannot help but know <strong>and</strong>underst<strong>and</strong> why she continues to impress everyone she meets<strong>and</strong> works with.In an effort to underst<strong>and</strong> Anna’s connection to thisgreat profession, I asked a few questions of her academic advisorat Ole Miss, Dr. Kim Beason <strong>and</strong> Mr. Dewayne Williams,the Director of Hern<strong>and</strong>o <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong>. Dr. Beason isa professor in the Park <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> Management programat the University of Mississippi. Dr. Beason first met Anna inAugust of 2010 <strong>and</strong> was her advisor throughout her Master’sdegree. He has worked with Anna on multiple projects <strong>and</strong>currently mentors her in her new role of Adjunct Instructor. Mr.Williams worked with Anna on a citizen survey for the City ofHern<strong>and</strong>o, Mississippi in an effort to underst<strong>and</strong> how citizensfelt about parks <strong>and</strong> recreation, what role parks <strong>and</strong> recreationhas in their lives, <strong>and</strong> what expectations do they place on the
department.or producing applied research, Anna is self-motivated toproduce her absolute best possible work. Her demeanorDescribe Anna’s role in working collaboratively with otherprofessionals <strong>and</strong> how these partnerships have benefitedthe profession <strong>and</strong> served the public?Dr. Beason - Anna is an ambassador for our profession.is upbeat <strong>and</strong> her most common response to those withproblems is to position the problem so that a solution iswin-win. She is a sharp cookie with a keen wit <strong>and</strong> affablepersonality that makes those meeting her like her.She has an excellent grasp of the need for education <strong>and</strong>vocation to work in unison. She works well with practitionersbecause she listens to their problems <strong>and</strong> appliescommon-sense application of the “best-practice” learnedthrough her education <strong>and</strong> training. She makes it easy forour practitioners to underst<strong>and</strong> components of researchMr. Williams - Anna makes sure she gives you what youasked for <strong>and</strong> then seeks ways to exp<strong>and</strong> on what yourequested. I believe going above <strong>and</strong> beyond shows herpassion, <strong>and</strong> that leads her to a new level of underst<strong>and</strong>ing<strong>and</strong> practice.efforts that benefit them directly. Her ability to seamlesslydiscuss points that involve aspects of experience, practice,knowledge <strong>and</strong> research makes her easy to underst<strong>and</strong>.She earns the respect of those she works for <strong>and</strong> withbecause she aspires to produce the best solutions <strong>and</strong> answersto those questions posed.Describe Anna’s abilities as a leader in advancing theparks <strong>and</strong> recreation field.Dr. Beason - I have had many good students over theyears. Many have gone on to become contributors inmany areas within the leisure, sport, <strong>and</strong> recreation fields.I enjoy watching their careers progress <strong>and</strong> how theyMr. Williams - Anna helped us formulate questions thatwould get to the heart of what we wanted to know fromour citizens. We wanted to know how they felt about parks<strong>and</strong> recreation, what role P&R played in their lives, whatthey expect from P&R, <strong>and</strong> how did they feel about oursystem. I believe it is imperative that this profession providemeasureable outcomes that prove we are not just anamenity but essential to people. <strong>The</strong> spaces <strong>and</strong> programswe provide help citizen’s health <strong>and</strong> daily function.grow. My simplest answer to this question is I am excitedto see what Anna will do as she moves through her career.No matter her choice, the recreation vocation will havea top notch practitioner entering the field, or the Leisure<strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> Academician will welcome a vibrant <strong>and</strong>contributing colleague. <strong>The</strong> most probably outcome is thatall will benefit from her work. She will hit, head-on, theissues affecting our profession, determine how to researcheach one, <strong>and</strong> apply solutions.How does Anna’s passion <strong>and</strong> dedication to the recreationprofession shine through in her work?Dr. Beason - In her teaching, working with practitionersMr. Williams - Anna is insightful <strong>and</strong> a great listener; bothare key attributes to being a dynamic leader. <strong>The</strong>se naturalattributes linked with her intelligence will only prove to9
tival, Rho Phi Lambda members entered, analyzed, <strong>and</strong>interpreted data <strong>and</strong> results of the festival visitor survey.<strong>The</strong>se efforts results in a report provided to the festivalexecutive that will be used at future events in order to betterserve visitors.Rho Phi Lambda also initiated a mentorship program withthe Cal Poly <strong>Recreation</strong>, <strong>Parks</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Tourism AdministrationAdvisory Council to provide mentoring servicesto students in the department. By helping to create <strong>and</strong>oversee this program, Rho Phi Lambda will be partneringstudents in the department with professionals in the industry,which will better prepare students as they are about toenter into their career. Rho Phi Lambda is also workingon the creating of an alumni branch of the club, so thatgraduating members may remain connected to the club.This will create a partnership that will allow members <strong>and</strong>alumnus to help each other by giving advice, volunteeringtheir times, <strong>and</strong> providing networking opportunities.How does Rho Phi Lambda at Cal Poly San LuisObispo help advance the parks <strong>and</strong> recreation field <strong>and</strong>help their membership connect with external organizations?Rho Phi Lambda firmly believes in supporting <strong>and</strong> furtherdeveloping the recreation, parks, <strong>and</strong> leisure services profession.Student members annually plan <strong>and</strong> host a careerfair for approximately 30 organizations. Public agencyattendees have included the San Luis Obispo <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong><strong>Recreation</strong> Department, Morro Bay <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Parks</strong>Department, the local YMCA, the Avila Beach Community<strong>Association</strong>, the Nipomo <strong>Recreation</strong> District, CaliforniaState <strong>Parks</strong>, the National Park Service, the Bureau of L<strong>and</strong>Management, the City of Bakersfield <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong>Department, <strong>and</strong> the Sierra Madre Community ServicesDepartment. <strong>The</strong>se organizations have been able to hireinterns, part-time, <strong>and</strong> full-time employees as a directresults of the career fair.Describe Rho Phi Lambda’s dedication <strong>and</strong> commitmentto the profession. How does Rho Phi Lambda creativelyenhance members’ commitment to the profession?Perhaps the best example of the Rho Phi Lambda members’personal dedication to the profession is their participationin the first two parks <strong>and</strong> recreation academicquiz bowls that are held at the NRPA Annual Congress<strong>and</strong> Exposition. In 2010 <strong>and</strong> 2011, four members of theclub were selected to represent CalPoly in the quiz bowl.<strong>The</strong> students literally studied parks, recreation, <strong>and</strong> leisuretextbooks, CPRP exam materials, class notes, PowerPointlectures, <strong>and</strong> many other documents. <strong>The</strong> selected studentsstudied for several months to prepare for the quiz bowl,<strong>and</strong> their efforts paid off as the inaugural champions ofthe 2010 NRPA Student Quiz Bowl. <strong>The</strong>ir passion <strong>and</strong>enthusiasm spurred the team to participate in the second<strong>and</strong> third year. At the 2012 NRPA Student Quiz Bowl, ourstudents were again crowned champions in Anaheim!In addition, several times per year Rho Phi Lambda plansprofessional development trips to meet with professionalsin the industry <strong>and</strong> take tours of facilities used in the field.This past November, ten members of the club traveledto southern California, where they received tours of SeaWorld, Loews Coronado Resort, the Balboa <strong>The</strong>atre, <strong>and</strong>the San Diego Convention Center. In addition, they attendeda speaker series at the University of Southern California<strong>and</strong> listened to the president of the NCAA speak.How has service learning <strong>and</strong> volunteerism in12
various projects helped create a better underst<strong>and</strong>ing of theleisure profession <strong>and</strong> how has these learning experiencesenhanced future endeavors?Through participation in the club, members have learnedmany lessons that will be beneficial as they being theircareer in the parks <strong>and</strong> recreation field. While volunteeringat the Harbor Festival, members discovered the difficultieswhen conducting a survey <strong>and</strong> how choosing the correctwords <strong>and</strong> approaching guests in the right way is crucial toobtain a high acceptance rate. Members of the club valuefeedback much more now, after having planned multiplefor students, professionals, <strong>and</strong> citizens is proof these studentsare serious about their major <strong>and</strong> future profession. <strong>The</strong> studentclub’s successes <strong>and</strong> achievements have raised the bar for futureleaders in Rho Phi Lambda at Cal Poly. <strong>The</strong> faculty <strong>and</strong> staffin the <strong>Recreation</strong>, <strong>Parks</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Tourism Administration Departmentare well respected <strong>and</strong> dedicated to student success <strong>and</strong>the current leadership has created a fantastic foundation. <strong>The</strong>setwo things, combined with student optimism <strong>and</strong> passion, canonly mean Rho Phi Lambda at Cal Poly will continue to providefantastic professional development <strong>and</strong> service learning projectsfor students in the program.career fairs. <strong>The</strong>y know that if they want students <strong>and</strong> employersto return year after year, they must seek feedbackfrom attendees to improve the event for the future. Anotherlesson learned was the importance of setting measurablegoals <strong>and</strong> objectives. Members realized that these must beset if the club wants to accomplish what they are created for<strong>and</strong> desire to accomplish. By setting dates early in the year<strong>and</strong> assigning leaders for each task, the club was able toparticipate in several more activities this year than in yearspast. This lesson will help all members in the future, regardlessof their profession, because setting goals <strong>and</strong> creatingobjectives that will accomplish each goal is useful for anytask or activity.Rho Phi Lambda, the student club in the <strong>Recreation</strong>,<strong>Parks</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Tourism Administration Department at CaliforniaPolytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, is the National<strong>Recreation</strong> & Park <strong>Association</strong> 2012 Student Club of the Year.<strong>The</strong>ir 2012 Student Quiz Bowl championship (second championshipin three years) illustrates students in the <strong>Recreation</strong>,<strong>Parks</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Tourism Administration Department value knowledge<strong>and</strong> in-depth underst<strong>and</strong>ing of the field. <strong>The</strong> student club’sdedication to professional development <strong>and</strong> creating benefits13
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Congress From the Eyes of a“Newbie”by Gerry Logan14<strong>The</strong> 2012 NRPA Congress has come <strong>and</strong> gone. Everyonehad a different situation, obviously, but allow me to brieflyshare the experience through my eyes, – the eyes of a “newbie.”I found out I would be making the trip to Anaheim lessthan two weeks before Congress. I did the necessary scramblingto arrange my travel, flight, registration, <strong>and</strong> overnightaccommodations. I was fortunate to be offered a place to sleepin a corner of one of our other <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Network(YPN) board member’s hotel rooms to overcome that hassle.“It was a challenging, <strong>and</strong>awesome, experience that Iwill always remember.”Having never been further west than Texas, <strong>and</strong> having beenthere only once, I had to overcome the unavoidable jet lag,while also attempting to work for the YPN immediately uponl<strong>and</strong>ing. During Congress itself, I was in a constant rush oftrying to work, taking in Congress, networking, <strong>and</strong> justifyingmy presence overall. It was a challenging, <strong>and</strong> awesome,experience that I will always remember. As this was my firstCongress, I am still trying to sort through the whirlwind ofconversations, meetings, socials, <strong>and</strong> sessions to pick my ownbrain about the benefits I received by attending. A few specifictakeaways that I would like to point out were the networkingopportunities, the exhibit hall, <strong>and</strong> the opening general session.First, I am <strong>and</strong> will always be a huge believer innetworking. You never know when a conversation you havewith someone can make a difference in an award submission,job application, or unique work situation later in your career. Ihave to admit that I was a little cautious at first. Luckily, I hadplenty of help from other YPN members, as I was constantlybeing introduced to other professionals from across the country.<strong>The</strong> Take a <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> to Lunch <strong>and</strong> NRPA Mentorprograms were also a huge benefit, as they put me in touchwith some truly inspiring professionals. Mr. Russ Akina fromLogan, Utah was my 2012 Mentor <strong>and</strong> I was able to share awonderful meal with his staff. For Take a <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>to Lunch, I was fortunate to draw Ms. Pat Armstrong from Yarmouth,Massachusetts <strong>and</strong> spent some priceless time getting toknow her. I was constantly welcomed by everyone I met, fromshort conversations at breakfast or on breaks, to more in depthdiscussions during the educational sessions. Being from Mississippi,I am accustomed to hospitality, but I never expectedit in such overwhelming amounts during my time in Anaheim.<strong>The</strong> memories <strong>and</strong> benefits from the networking opportunitieswere, quite simply, priceless.Amidst the networking, I also tried to devote as muchtime as possible to taking in the exhibit hall experience. EveryoneI talked to on YPN calls <strong>and</strong> NRPA Connect were con-
stantly describing the extravagance of the exhibit hall. Anaheimdid not disappoint, as I was left in awe at the sheer sizeof the exhibit space, not to mention the activities that wereconstantly taking place. I came with a plan; to take in a setamount of rows per time slot, but that plan went by the waysidethe moment I walked in the doors. Between the uniqueplayground equipment, climbing apparatuses, exhibits, <strong>and</strong>, ofcourse, prize opportunities, I could have spent my entire timeat Congress looking at exhibits <strong>and</strong> would have never had anidle moment. <strong>The</strong> exhibit hall is a must-see for anyone attendingCongress, new or not.While vendors certainly like to see everyone in theexhibit hall, many of our respective cities <strong>and</strong> agencies areshort of motivation <strong>and</strong> initiative, but the Opening GeneralSession made me want to do even more. It set the tone for theconference, <strong>and</strong> left me looking for more ways to get involved.As both a first time attendee <strong>and</strong> newly elected YPNBoard member, I had a unique experience in that I was tryingto take in all the aspects of Congress while simultaneouslyworking for the YPN. <strong>The</strong> networking opportunities wereworth the trip alone, <strong>and</strong> the exhibit hall <strong>and</strong> Opening GeneralSession bombarded me with information while also inspiringme to want <strong>and</strong> do more for our profession. <strong>The</strong> 2012 Congressin Anaheim was a priceless experience. Be on noticeHouston, as the bar for 2013 has been set high in my eyes. Iwill see you in Houston next fall!generally more concerned with what we learned in educationalsessions while attending conferences. <strong>The</strong> Congress sessionlineup was definitely comprehensive. However, instead ofpointing out any particular session, I want to focus on theGerry Logan is the Sports Coordinator for Clinton<strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> in Clinton, Mississippi. He alsoserves as the <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Network Secretary.Opening General Session. Imagine a sports arena packed tocapacity, with all the energy <strong>and</strong> excitement of an impendingcompetition. That is exactly what the experience at theOpening General Session was like. Instead of a sports event,the thous<strong>and</strong>s of people were packed in to cheer on parks <strong>and</strong>recreation, <strong>and</strong> the difference this profession is making in thelives of those we serve, in various capacities. <strong>The</strong> presentationof the entire experience was such that I still get chills whenthinking about it. <strong>The</strong> lights, videos, <strong>and</strong> songs were enoughto inspire the most complacent of professionals. After beingtreated to the “rally the troops” call by several NRPA Boardof Directors members, including CEO Barbara Tulipane, thekeynote speaker took the podium. In thirty enthralling minutes,the keynote took me on an emotional ride from laughter,to sadness, <strong>and</strong>, finally, to immense pride. I have never been15
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>How to Become an Effective Leaderby Steven J. ThompsonEffective leaders underst<strong>and</strong> that success does notdepend on their titles, but rather, on the values they uphold <strong>and</strong>the decisions they make daily. <strong>The</strong>y know that leadership is notachieved through technical expertise, but rather is based on arelationship with their followers. It is my hope that the followinginsights will help you with the “relationship savvy” youneed to be a great supervisor, <strong>and</strong> an outst<strong>and</strong>ing leader in thepark <strong>and</strong> recreation profession!Recognize the world is constantly changingYou can decide that you are going to help createchange <strong>and</strong> learn from it, or you can try to resist change. Becauseof global competition <strong>and</strong> the rapid increase of information<strong>and</strong> technologies, many large park <strong>and</strong> recreation agenciesare eliminating layers of middle management <strong>and</strong> supervisorsto be more responsive to change <strong>and</strong> to their customers. Middlemanagers need to look forward <strong>and</strong> see how their talents <strong>and</strong>energies can be re- applied in the organization. Change is theone thing you can count on. Your ability to adapt to change willsignificantly impact your organizational success.can? If you feel your destiny is in someone else’s h<strong>and</strong>s, you donot have to take responsibility for your actions. Focus on whatyou can do <strong>and</strong> take responsibility. <strong>The</strong>re is power in responsibility.Lead with feeling <strong>and</strong> insight.Recently I heard a park manager say that he did notcare about people’s emotions. He went on to say, “We have ajob to get done!” Unfortunately, people are the ones who aregoing to get that job done. And, people have feelings. In fact,everything about motivation <strong>and</strong> the desire to do good work isbased on a feeling. If we do not consider people’s feelings, it isimpossible to be an effective leader.Look for people who have different insights.It is easy to communicate with people who think justlike you. It is difficult to effectively communicate with someonewho has a differing viewpoint. If we only have the abilityto communicate with people who think like us, we are limitingourselves from learning new <strong>and</strong> valuable information.Don’t worry about what you cannot changeWhere are you going to spend your energy? Complainingabout things you cannot change or creating the things youAdjust to the unknown.One of the necessities to becoming empowered is tofeel comfortable with the unknown. As fast as our environment16
is changing, it is impossible to know all the facts or have allthe answers all the time.Develop a leadership “tool kit.No one can have all the answers. What you can developis a “tool kit” of resources that can help to solve problems.If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem asa nail. Collect information, <strong>and</strong> then learn <strong>and</strong> practice leadership<strong>and</strong> management techniques. Remember, good leadersnever stop learning.Look for a variety of right answers.With information <strong>and</strong> the environment changing asrapidly as it is, we can no longer afford to look unilaterallyWhat is America’s Backyard?America’s Backyard is a campaign for people who lovetheir local park <strong>and</strong> recreation programs. We’re bringingtogether park users - the tree huggers, the soccermoms, the bird watchers, <strong>and</strong> your gr<strong>and</strong>ma. An initiativeof the National <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong>,America’s Backyard is a public awareness campaignthat is motivating people to st<strong>and</strong> up <strong>and</strong> support theirlocal park so that generations to come will have a placeto play, exercise our minds <strong>and</strong> bodies, relax, enjoytime with family <strong>and</strong> friends, <strong>and</strong> just watch the worldgo by.for one right answer. Become multi lateral in your thinking.Search for possibilities--not just one solution.Substitute effectiveness for perfectionism.If you wait until all the available information is into make your decisions, the chances are you have waited toolong. In today’s environment, we no longer can afford theluxury of waiting until something is absolutely perfect.America’s Backyard is important because it is the onlynational effort fighting to protect our community’sgreatest assets-our parks! Four out of five Americansrely on their local parks <strong>and</strong> recreation <strong>and</strong> America’sBackyard is their voice.http://www.americasbackyard.org/Steven J. Thompson, CPRP, is the ExecutiveDirector <strong>and</strong> CEO of the Wisconsin Park <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong><strong>Association</strong>. He may be reached at sthompson@wpraweb.org17
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Leadership <strong>and</strong> Management MustGo H<strong>and</strong> in H<strong>and</strong>by Tatiana ChalkidouFor those who have been around business for longtime, there was a point in time when the meanings of the terms“manager” <strong>and</strong> “leader” could be separated. For example,managers in a company were the ones to follow orders of uppermanagement in what they were supposed to produce, organizethe work, assign the right people to the necessary tasks, coordinatethe results, <strong>and</strong> ensure the job got done as ordered. <strong>The</strong>irfocus was mainly on efficiency. Years passed <strong>and</strong> employeesstarted looking to their managers, or whatever title their supervisorshad not just to assign them a task, but to define for thema purpose. And managers began to organize their employeesnot just to maximize efficiency, but to nurture skills, developtalent <strong>and</strong> inspire results. That point of time it became clear thatthe distinction among the definitions became less distinguishable.Management <strong>and</strong> leadership are often misunderstoodas one <strong>and</strong> the same – but they are not. <strong>The</strong>re are plenty ofbooks –textbooks for academics, <strong>and</strong> more practical-orientedfor professionals, on management <strong>and</strong> leadership. Furthermore,there are plenty of people who have something to say aboutwhat makes for good <strong>and</strong> bad managers, what makes for good<strong>and</strong> bad leaders, as well as what is the distinction between thesetwo terms.For example, Bennis (1989), in his book draws thefollowing distinction: A manager’s job is to plan, organize <strong>and</strong>18coordinate, whereas a leader’s job is to inspire <strong>and</strong> motivate.In his book, he argues that leaders need to be authentic; theyneed to remain true to their self-invention, an approach that hasbecome known as the Authentic Leadership approach.Furthermore, he has composed a list of the differences:– <strong>The</strong> manager administers; the leader innovates.– <strong>The</strong> manager is a copy; the leader is an original.– <strong>The</strong> manager maintains; the leader develops.– <strong>The</strong> manager focuses on systems <strong>and</strong> structure; the leaderfocuses on people.– <strong>The</strong> manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.– <strong>The</strong> manager has a short-range view; the leader has along-range perspective.– <strong>The</strong> manager asks how <strong>and</strong> when; the leader asks what<strong>and</strong> why.– <strong>The</strong> manager has his or her eye always on the bottomline; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.– <strong>The</strong> manager imitates; the leader originates.– <strong>The</strong> manager accepts the status quo; the leader challengesit.– <strong>The</strong> manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is hisor her own person.– <strong>The</strong> manager does things right; the leader does the rightthing.Other management gurus have different approaches.
For example, Daft (2010) argues that the main differencebetween leadership <strong>and</strong> management lies in the fact that in theclassical managerial context “managers are thinkers <strong>and</strong> workersare doers,” while in a leadership context both leaders <strong>and</strong>workers/followers think, do, lead, “exp<strong>and</strong> their minds <strong>and</strong>abilities to assume responsibility” for their decisions <strong>and</strong> actions.In his book, Daft argued that “leadership cannot replacemanagement,” but rather is something that is to be practiced“in addition to management” (see, p. 15).According to Armstrong (2008), management ismainly about the provision, deployment, utilization <strong>and</strong> controlof resources. <strong>The</strong>refore, management “… is concernedwith achieving results by effectively obtaining, deploying,utilizing <strong>and</strong> controlling all the resources required, namelypeople, money, information, facilities, plant <strong>and</strong> equipment.Leadership focuses on the most important resource, people. Itis the process of developing <strong>and</strong> communicating a vision forthe future, motivating people <strong>and</strong> gaining their commitment<strong>and</strong> engagement” (Armstrong, 2008, p. 7).Furthermore, where people are involved – <strong>and</strong> theyalmost always are – it is impossible to deliver results withoutproviding effective leadership. Management is about decidingthe course of action, <strong>and</strong> the means to accomplish that isdramatic differences between leaders <strong>and</strong> managers are foundat the extremes: poor leaders act in an autocratic way, whilepoor managers are bureaucrats with a negative connotation ofthe word.Whilst leadership is a human process <strong>and</strong> managementis a process of resource allocation, both have their place <strong>and</strong>managers must also perform as leaders. Both leaders <strong>and</strong> managersexhibit a set of different skills <strong>and</strong> behaviors which areclosely linked <strong>and</strong> complimentary to each other. Management<strong>and</strong> leadership are both necessary for success, thus they needto go h<strong>and</strong> in h<strong>and</strong>. Both leadership <strong>and</strong> management involveinfluence, working with people, concern about effective goalaccomplishment, <strong>and</strong> other shared characteristics, <strong>and</strong> manymore. Those who can excel in both can help their employees<strong>and</strong> organizations thrive in today’s business climate. Any effortto separate the two is likely to cause more problems thanit solves.Armstrong, M. (2008). How to be an even better manager(7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Kogan Page.Bennis, W. (1989). On Becoming a Leader. Reading,MA: Perseus Books.Daft, R. (2010). <strong>The</strong> Leadership Experience (5th ed.).Mason, OH: Thomson South Western.through people. That indicates that employees are among themost important resources available to managers, if not the onlyone. Employees are the ones that will utilize other resources ath<strong>and</strong>, like processes <strong>and</strong> systems knowledge, finance, materials,plant, equipment in order to produce something of value.Tatiana Chalkiidou, Ph.D is a freelance consultant forthe Municipalities of Nikea <strong>and</strong> Agios Ioannis Renti(Greece), working on park-management <strong>and</strong> playgroundprojects.In this notion, managers have to be leaders <strong>and</strong> leaders areoften, but not always, managers. In fact, leadership doesn’trequire any managerial position to act as a leader. Individualscan be a leader by virtue of qualities in them. <strong>The</strong> most19
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Creating Pathways to <strong>Professional</strong>Development: NRPA’s <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Fellowshipby Ron Strickler Jr.As I contemplate where to begin on this, my mindw<strong>and</strong>ers in different directions. I feel inspired, excited <strong>and</strong>ready to make a more intense impact on the recreationfield. In a way, it was tough to leave the conference <strong>and</strong>my motivated peers to return home. It is my hope to takethis motivation <strong>and</strong> excitement back to my department toshare my enthusiasm with my co-workers to spark theircareers. I cannot walk away from such an inspirationalevent without following through <strong>and</strong> making somethingof it.<strong>The</strong> goals <strong>and</strong> objectives that I hoped to achievethrough the Fellowship were far exceeded in every possibleway. I am excited to take the experiences <strong>and</strong> educationalinformation gained from the fellowship back to mydepartment. <strong>The</strong>re were various networking opportunitiesthat were presented <strong>and</strong> I took full advantage of each <strong>and</strong>every one. <strong>The</strong> educational sessions <strong>and</strong> seminars wereexcellent <strong>and</strong> geared specifically to the needs of differentindividuals.As a young professional, I feel that the <strong>Young</strong><strong>Professional</strong> Network (YPN) provided tremendous opportunitiesfor me to become involved. My first encounterwith the YPN was at the retreat on Monday evening. Iwas able to learn more about how, as the up <strong>and</strong> comingprofessionals in the field of recreation <strong>and</strong> parks, we can20influence our profession in a positive manner movingforward. I have made professional contacts through thegroup that will last throughout my career. <strong>The</strong> steps weare taking as a network will continue to prove a leadingexample in NRPA of how networks should <strong>and</strong> will continueto be successful.<strong>The</strong> mentor program was an outst<strong>and</strong>ing part ofthe fellowship. I had the opportunity to be paired withJoe Turner from Houston, Texas. JT is an outgoing <strong>and</strong>energetic leader in the <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Parks</strong> field. Hearingabout his background in management, unrelated tothe <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Parks</strong> field, which lead to his currentcareer was very insightful. He discussed correlationsbetween project management <strong>and</strong> programming that I hadnever considered putting together. His ability to connectme with important figures in the field was unparalleled.During my two hours at lunch with JT, the information Igained was invaluable. I was able to attend various sessionsthroughout the conference. I would like to highlighta few of sessions that I felt were most beneficial:151. Upward mobility of Leaders in <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong>James Worsley was an excellent speaker <strong>and</strong> veryinspirational. As a young professional in the field he hascarved a very unique path to his current position as Direc-
tor of <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Parks</strong> in Columbus, Georgia. It isnot always easy to speak about ethics as they relate tocultural differences. He made everyone comfortable <strong>and</strong>was very engaging.343. Establishing the Foundation of Leadership DevelopmentDavid Carter was a very engaging speaker. Audienceparticipation was a key factor in his presentationstyle. I was constantly learning new <strong>and</strong> interestinginformation relating to leadership styles <strong>and</strong> how theytransition to the workplace. One must take time everyday to improve their leadership skills to become a trueleader. <strong>The</strong>re is no instant gratification in leadership.<strong>The</strong> Quote that stuck with me the most is as follows “Ifyou think you are a leader, look behind you. If no one isfollowing you, you are just out for a walk.”361 NEWtrition <strong>and</strong> Physical Activity MattersIan Keiller <strong>and</strong> Trish Vance were outst<strong>and</strong>ing as apresenting duo. <strong>The</strong>y are both employed by A World FitFor Kids. <strong>Recreation</strong> professionals must be the frontlineto combating childhood obesity. <strong>The</strong> presentation wasengaging <strong>and</strong> kept the audience thinking. <strong>The</strong>ir approachto overall wellness was not based on eating certain foodsbut a combination of the four main factors to health.Those four factors were sleep, food, exercise <strong>and</strong> relationships.Finding the proper balance of these fourcomponents will increase the overall well-being of anyadult or child.I would like to offer some constructive criticismon my experience. Wanting to spend the most time possiblewith my mentor was important to me. JT serves onmany NRPA boards <strong>and</strong> committees <strong>and</strong> I found myselfin many of these meetings. <strong>The</strong>y were very educational<strong>and</strong> I learned a great deal about how NRPA operatesthrough them. <strong>The</strong> concern for me was that even thoughI was learning during these board <strong>and</strong> committee meetings,I was not receiving CEUs. As a Certified Park <strong>and</strong><strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> it is important that I meet the requirementsto maintain my certification. I would suggestoffering CEU credits to fellowship winners that attendthe committee <strong>and</strong> board meetings because they usuallyconflict with multiple CEU sessions.In closing, this experience has been one of themost inspirational experiences of my career. Receivingthe NRPA <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Fellowship allowedme to attend the NRPA Congress in Anaheim, which Ifeel significantly enhanced my career. <strong>The</strong> connections<strong>and</strong> professional relationships that I have gained are immeasurable.I am excited to become more involved withthe <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> Network <strong>and</strong> I look forward to adifferent experience in Washington D.C. at the legislativesession. I want to thank everyone at NRPA for the dedicationthat they put forth each <strong>and</strong> every day to maintainprogress in our field <strong>and</strong> for the opportunity to attend theCongress.Ronald Strickler Jr. is one of the National<strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Fellowship winners. Ronal Strickler Jr., CPRP, is a<strong>Recreation</strong> Supervisor for Ocean City <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong><strong>Parks</strong> in Ocean City, Maryl<strong>and</strong>. Ron may be reached atRStrickler@oceancitymd.gov.21
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Make the Most of Your Internship& Begin Your <strong>Professional</strong> Journeyby Jenna TylerAs the end of your college career draws near, it maybe time to consider an internship. <strong>The</strong> following thoughts aremeant to guide you in the right direction.Do Not Leave School Without OneSome college programs are sticklers for internshipcompletion while others simply encourage it, but not requireone. Still, there are others that fall somewhere in the middle,requiring short or multiple experiences. Regardless of whatyour college requires, graduating without an internship putsyou behind the curve. Graduating with one might not bump youto the top of the applicant pool, but it will at least give extraexperience <strong>and</strong> networking, a crucial advantage.Make it CountIt may seem easy to take the first internship that comesalong, or the one that pays you. Before you succumb to any ofthese options seriously consider what type of job you will wantwhen you graduate. Do you want to be a program coordinator?Marketing specialist? Aquatics director? Find an internshipthat gives you a taste of your future. This will not only put youahead of the competition but it will also help you decide if thisis the career you really want. You may get knee deep into marketing<strong>and</strong> decide you would rather be a program coordinator.It is best to find out early.22Choose Your Own AdventureIf you are dead-set on a specific type of internship <strong>and</strong>just cannot seem to find one that fits, do not be afraid to createyour own. Consider what might be your ideal job <strong>and</strong> whatmight be some requirements or performance in that job. Figureout where you do not quite measure up <strong>and</strong> set to work writinggoals <strong>and</strong> objectives for your own internship job description.Determine a locale to pitch this internship <strong>and</strong> set to work convincingparks <strong>and</strong> recreation departments that they need whatyou are offering. <strong>The</strong>y may not be able to pay you, but rememberthis is about the experience.Prove YourselfSure, you could do the tasks outlined in your internshipjob description <strong>and</strong> nothing more, but why not go above<strong>and</strong> beyond? <strong>The</strong> department had faith to give you the position;the least you could do is provide them with reasoning for whythey were so willing to have you on board. Begin by offering tocomplete tasks like making copies <strong>and</strong> filing. Before long thedepartment will know they can trust you with larger, more importanttasks. Eventually you may become their go-to person; agood place to be if a job opens up.Be More than “<strong>The</strong> Intern”Chances are you will be referred to as “<strong>The</strong> Intern” forquite some time, but break out of that mold. Ask your super-
visor for a legitimate title. While you may technically be anintern on paper, who says you cannot be a program coordinatorto the world? Program coordinator looks a lot better thanintern on a resume.“Take My Card”Once you are official within a department, order businesscards. Order enough to give one to everyone you know,everyone you meet, <strong>and</strong> even one for your gr<strong>and</strong>ma, becauseyou know she will want one for her scrapbook. Use an e-mailaddress <strong>and</strong> phone number that you know you can be reachedat long after you have left your intern position <strong>and</strong> moved onto other responsibilities <strong>and</strong> duties. Listing a mailing addressmay not be as important because you know you will eventuallymove out of your dorm or school address. If you feel itnecessary to list an address, use the departments’ as they willmost likely know how to get ahold of you in the future.Meet <strong>and</strong> GreetWith a box of business cards at the ready there is noreason you should not go meet people. Ask your supervisor tolet you tag along to meetings <strong>and</strong> conferences. Present yourselfprofessionally, strike up friendly conversations, <strong>and</strong> finda way to exchange business cards with those you meet. It isprobably not in your best interest to h<strong>and</strong> them out like concertflyers, though. Make a valiant effort to connect with each personyou meet in some way or another. Meaningful conversationscan go a long way <strong>and</strong> really help people remember youat future meetings. After you have collected business cardsfrom others, use the back to jot down the meeting circumstancesor the conversation you had. In a few months whenyou need to contact them, it will be easier if you can refreshtheir memory by mentioning something you discussed.Time to EnlistTake this opportunity to cash in on student rates forjoining professional organizations. NRPA <strong>and</strong> many state associations<strong>and</strong> societies offer discounted membership rates tostudents. Use these discounted memberships to meet professionalsin the field, professionals that may have a job openingin the future. Offer to volunteer with these organizations, evenif all they ask for is help stacking chairs. People will rememberyour willingness to help behind the scenes.Pick <strong>Professional</strong>s’ BrainsNever be afraid to ask questions <strong>and</strong> for advice. <strong>Professional</strong>sin the field are just that, professionals. <strong>The</strong>y havedone something, <strong>and</strong> more likely many things, to get wherethey are. <strong>The</strong>y know the answers or at least know someonethat knows the answers. Do not be afraid to ask a mentor togive you their perspective of the profession, the hiring process,<strong>and</strong> life in general. <strong>The</strong>y can be your biggest ally when the jobhunt begins.Make a Name for YourselfYour internship may last a couple of months, a semester,it may even last a year. No matter its length, utilize everyminute to make a name for yourself. Meet as many professionalsin the field as you can. Ask as many questions as you thinkof. Attend meetings, h<strong>and</strong> out business cards, <strong>and</strong> cross yourfingers that when the time comes, a job may be the final prize.Jenna Tyler is a Graduate Student at Clemson University.She can be reached at jtyler2@clemson.edu. ByJenna Tyler, BS, CPRP23
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>An Advocate for <strong>Professional</strong>Involvementby Chad HarvellFrom the time we declare our major in college to thetime we head out into the world, we hear the importance ofnetworking <strong>and</strong> the benefits we receive by joining professionalorganizations. Professors <strong>and</strong> guests speakers alike enthusiasticallyspeak about the benefits of professional involvementhowever, how many of us really take their advice <strong>and</strong> act? Beinginvolved should start in college <strong>and</strong> extend throughout theduration of your career.<strong>The</strong> beginning stages of your career are the mostexpensive to coordinate. Paying off school loans, securingreliable transportation, purchasing a professional wardrobe,establishing a family <strong>and</strong> even relocating to be closer to yourjob. How do you fit in the expenses of membership dues, conferencefees, travel, <strong>and</strong> certification expenses? Truthfully youcannot afford not to!Many professional organizations have dropped membershipfees to accommodate those professionals just startingtheir careers. Here are few strategies to help you become professionallyinvolved <strong>and</strong> reach your goal of staying connected:1. Take the time <strong>and</strong> apply for scholarships. Scholarshipsmay open the doors to many opportunities you neverthought possible.2. Research the training you want to attend <strong>and</strong> approachyour supervisor or manager with all the information, as24well as the benefits to the organization if you are fullytrained. You may be lucky <strong>and</strong> your organization can helpby partially or fully financing your training.3. Many <strong>Professional</strong> Organizations may offer a slidingscale based on salary. Different pay levels based on yearage, <strong>and</strong>/or titles.4. <strong>Professional</strong> Organizations offer free or reduced rates formembers whose agency joins the organization.5. Set aside money on a monthly basis to help accomplishyour goal of staying connected.<strong>The</strong> benefits of belonging to parks <strong>and</strong> recreationprofessional organizations are outst<strong>and</strong>ing. In addition to theannual <strong>and</strong> mid-year conferences, parks <strong>and</strong> recreation organizationsare taking advantage of new technologies to connectprofessionals across the U.S. Online learning, phone conferencing,skyping, social media, <strong>and</strong> document sharing are just afew ways in which training can be part of our everyday lives.Nationwide job openings are listed at NRPA, including onlinelinks to apply for many positions. Webinars <strong>and</strong> e-learning hasstreamlined our industry making it more accessible to networknot only with colleagues in your state, but around the US. Freeonline education tools periodically surface <strong>and</strong> inexpensiveonline workshops better assist us to accomplish our daily responsibilities.We are the leaders in this industry <strong>and</strong> it is up tous to stay connected to better serve our customers, colleagues,<strong>and</strong> community.
“<strong>The</strong> benefits of belonging toparks <strong>and</strong> recreation professionalorganizations are outst<strong>and</strong>ing. “Being involved is not just the rewards of learning; Ibelieve it is the connections we make with our fellow colleaguesthat have the biggest impact. We get the opportunity tolearn from one another, share ideas, hear the stories of success,a small organization into a department who servesa population of 800,000. How does this happen?Through professional involvement! I encourage allyoung professionals to network. You never knowwhat doors it will open <strong>and</strong> you might get that newposition or gain incredible experience to assist you in yourdaily job. I guarantee you will meet new people who you toowill call lifelong friends.<strong>and</strong> the challenges that each one of us has faced. Connectionswith others may also lead to career advancement; we have allheard “it’s not always what you know, it’s who you know.”<strong>The</strong> most important factor is the friendships you create; I havebeen fortunate to meet amazing dedicated <strong>and</strong> talented parkprofessionals; many are now lifelong friends.Due to my professional involvement I have been affordedmany training <strong>and</strong> leadership opportunities. I am anactive member in my state association, Washington <strong>Recreation</strong><strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong>. I have held leadership positions, assistedon various committees, <strong>and</strong> made countless friendships.I received the Outst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>Professional</strong> award in 2011 fromWashington <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong> in the AthleticSection. I have been blessed with meeting individuals fromChad S. Harvell, CYSA, is a <strong>Recreation</strong> Coordinatorwith Pierce County <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong>Services in Washington State. A Certified Youth SportsAdministrator from the National Alliance for YouthSports, 2012 NRPA Pacific Northwest Network <strong>Young</strong><strong>Professional</strong>, 2011 Outst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>Professional</strong> for theWashington <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong>s AthleticSection, 2009 Pacific Northwest Network <strong>and</strong> National<strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Fellowship recipient, 2011-2012 past Chair for theWashington <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong> AthleticFitness Section. Currently an active member of NRPA<strong>and</strong> WRPAaround the United States through my involvement with NRPA.In receiving the 2009 Pacific Northwest Networks <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Fellowship award, I was paired with one of NRPA’stop professionals in the country, Steve Thompson. Thank youSteve for your invaluable knowledge!I would not be where I am today if it were not for thecontinuing education I have obtained through my state <strong>and</strong> nationalassociations <strong>and</strong> the individuals who have mentored <strong>and</strong>guided me as I continue on my career path. I transferred from25
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Identifying User Characteristics toPredict Success in Geocaching.by Shelly MitchellGeocaching is a relatively new endeavor, startingabout May of 2000. It involves using GPS (Global PositioningSystem) receivers to navigate to a predetermined set ofcoordinates in order to discover a physical cache of ‘treasure’.Geocachers find the cache, sign the log sheet, <strong>and</strong> replace thecache as it was, without attracting the attention of ‘muggles’(non-geocachers). Geocaching.com is the online site that liststhe coordinates of all known geocaches, <strong>and</strong> provides spacefor geocachers to log their finds online as well. <strong>The</strong> site alsomaintains statistics on <strong>and</strong> for geocachers, such as longeststreaks (of days) finding or not finding caches, the average difficulty<strong>and</strong> terrain ratings of each cacher’s finds, the number ofcaches found, the number of trackables (traveling game pieces)discovered, the number of caches hidden by a cacher, the statesa cacher has cached in, <strong>and</strong> so much more. <strong>The</strong>re are a fewtypes of statistics that may be beneficial to add: the ages of thegeocachers, the number of months they have actively cached,<strong>and</strong> in some cases, any information about a geocacher at all.Not all geocachers post their finds online, nor do all geocacherseven have an online account. Furthermore, some geocachersuse team names, <strong>and</strong> represent more than one person!<strong>The</strong> majority of studies regarding geocaching relateto its use in educational or recreational settings (Flett et al,2010; Schlatter & Hurd, 2005). Rarely are geocaching statisticspublished in a professional study (Shoyleva & Johnson, 2011).Geocaching.com <strong>and</strong> cacherstats.com are two sites that reportstatistics on cachers, but users have no access to the database.To collect statistical data, interested people have to look upeach <strong>and</strong> every cacher <strong>and</strong> write down their statistics. <strong>The</strong> purposeof this research project was to determine whether informationon geocachers could be used to estimate their total numberof finds. Data collected included the cacher’s age (not providedon any site), average rating of cache difficulty <strong>and</strong> terrain(provided by geocaching.com to premium members), numberof caches found, number of caches hidden, number of trackablesdiscovered, <strong>and</strong> the number of months spent geocaching(some cachers may not cache year round, so number of monthscached was used to estimate their overall experience).Methods26Not all of the necessary geocacher data is available online,<strong>and</strong> as previously stated, not all online data refers to specificindividuals; to collect the data to be analyzed for this studya survey was created on SurveyMonkey.com, <strong>and</strong> invitationsto participate in the survey were sent via email <strong>and</strong> Facebookto all caching individuals <strong>and</strong> groups known to the author ordiscovered in a Facebook search, with permission for invitedrespondents to invite others, via snowball effect. <strong>The</strong> surveyconsisted of seven open-ended questions asking for numbersrepresenting the respondent’s total number of caches found,average difficulty <strong>and</strong> terrain of found caches, number of trackablesdiscovered, number of caches hidden, number of monthsactively cached since starting, <strong>and</strong> age. <strong>The</strong> survey link wasdisabled after 30 days <strong>and</strong> the research beg<strong>and</strong>ata transfer intoa databank for statistical analysis.<strong>The</strong> researcher used a forward stepwise regression,because previous research shows that there is great diversity involume <strong>and</strong> frequency of caching, <strong>and</strong> “a long upper tail to thedistribution of players, with 99,864 ( ̴ 15% of players) loggingonly once [from January 1 to November 16, 2010] in that timeframe, but four players logging in excess of 7000 finds (Shoyleva& Johnson, 2011, p. 6).” Similarly, “roughly one percent ofall players (8,437) were active in every month of our sample,with 39% (263,972 players) active during only one month(Shoyleva & Johnson, 2011, p. 6).” With such diversity, it isdoubtful that generalizable results would be possible to ascertain;stepwise approaches are sample-specific, <strong>and</strong> we are onlyconcerned with the significant predictors for our equation withthis sample of geocachers.ResultsA total of 165 respondents participated in the onlinesurvey, <strong>and</strong> of those, only 164 responses were usable. Onerespondent completed about half of the answers to the survey,so it was eliminated from the total databank. Of the remaining164, 25 respondents had 5,000 or more finds. Since the meanof the majority of respondents was 1241 <strong>and</strong> the median was726, cachers with 5,000 or more finds were considered outliers<strong>and</strong> eliminated from the study as well. In statistical tests basedon means <strong>and</strong> variances, the presence of outliers can distort
p-values <strong>and</strong> lead to faulty conclusions (University of Oregon,n.d.). <strong>The</strong> researcher included the remaining 139 responses instatistical analysis.<strong>The</strong> descriptive statistics for the 139 analyzed responsesare reported in Table 1: Descriptive Statistics of 139Geocachers Responding to the Survey (attached). Due to thewide range of scores, range <strong>and</strong> median was calculated fromthe raw data <strong>and</strong> reported for each variable, to give a betteroverall picture of the data. <strong>The</strong> bivariate correlations betweenthe variables are shown in Table 2: Bivariate CorrelationsAmong Geocacher Variables (attached).Using forward stepwise regression, the number ofhides was first entered into the regression, followed by thenumber of months cached, <strong>and</strong> then the number of trackablesfound (See Table 3: Calculated <strong>and</strong> Critical F Values). Averagedifficulty, average terrain, <strong>and</strong> age had calculated F values thatfell below the F critical value of 3.92 for 1,135 df @ .05, <strong>and</strong>were not included in the regression. <strong>The</strong> reduced correlationmatrix is represented in Table 4: Reduced Correlation Matrixfor Geocacher Variables.<strong>The</strong> R2 (coefficient of determination) value was0.4181, indicating that the regression line does not fit the datawell <strong>and</strong> that the equation cannot be used to estimate numberof caches found by a geocacher. B-weights <strong>and</strong> β values aresummarized in Table 5: Geocacher B-Weights <strong>and</strong> β Values.Tratiosfor the number of hides (4.825), number of monthscached (4.041), <strong>and</strong> number of trackables found (2.958) wereall statistically significant.DiscussionThrough analsysis, the researcher found that geocachingis a sport dominated by middle-aged people (mean 41.7years, median 42 years). It would be interesting to determinethe average age of all active geocachers, to see if it really is asport done predominantly by the middle-aged. To determinethe average age of all active geocachers, researchers wouldneed to perform a census. Since age is not reported on geocachingregistration forms, gathering this information wouldnot be easy.Average difficulty <strong>and</strong> terrain of caches do not varysignificantly between geocachers, unless the geocacher onlyseeks out caches with higher difficulty or terrain ratings. Accordingto cacherstats.com <strong>and</strong> geocaching.com, the geocacherwith the highest number of finds (59,955 as of 11/22/11) hasaverage difficulty <strong>and</strong> terrain ratings of 1.73 <strong>and</strong> 1.58, respectively.<strong>The</strong>se averages do not vary significantly from the 139surveyed geocachers (medians 1.79 <strong>and</strong> 1.64; means 1.829<strong>and</strong> 1.737, respectively) whose mean total cache rate was 1241(median 726). In fact, the only geocachers found with highaverage difficulty <strong>and</strong> terrain ratings (2.00 or higher) werecachers who only look for geocaches with higher difficulty<strong>and</strong> terrain ratings, according to their profile pages. Trackablesfound varied widely among cachers (0 to 15,304), but manycachers do not choose to keep that statistic.Using the data collected in 139 surveys, the finalregression equation for this sample of cachers is:Total number caches predicted = 517.671 + 10.268(#hides) + 11.512(# months) + 0.175(# trackables)Since only 41.81% of the total number of caches is predictedby the number of hides, the number of months cached, <strong>and</strong>the number of trackables discovered, this equation is missingmore than half of the actual predictors. Because of the extremevariation in geocacher variables, whether an accurate equationis possible (even in subsets of cachers) is still to be discovered.More research is needed, possibly including variablesnot used in this study, about geocachers <strong>and</strong> their leisureendeavors. If further studies reveal that most geocachers aremiddle-aged, it will help leisure service providers target theirmarketing as well as tailor their programs to better serve theneeds of geocachers. It is a lot easier to plan programs whenthe audience is well understood.Shelley Mitchell is an Extension Associate for OklahomaState University in the Horticulture <strong>and</strong> L<strong>and</strong>scapeArchitecture Department.ReferencesCacherstats.com. (2011). Rankings for geocachers with 200or more finds. Retrieved from http://www.cacherstats.com/Flett, M.R., Moore, R.W., Pfeiffer, K.A., Belonga, J. <strong>and</strong>Navarre, J. (2010). Connecting children <strong>and</strong> familywith nature-based physical activity. American Journalof Health Education, 41 (4): 292-300.Groundspeak, Inc. (2011). Information on user profile sshelle.Retrieved from www.geocaching.com/profile.Schlatter, B.E., <strong>and</strong> Hurd, A.R. (2005). Geocaching: 21st centuryhide-<strong>and</strong>-seek. Journal of Physical Education,<strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Dance, 76 (7): 28-32.Shoyleva, K., <strong>and</strong> Johnson, D.K.N. (2011). Cache me if youcan: Rational addiction to the leisure activity of geocaching.Colorado College Working Paper 2011-04.Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/abstract=1864039University of Oregon. (n.d.). Dealing with outliers: Maintainyour data’s integrity. Retrieved from http://rfd.uoregon.edu/files/rfd/StatisticalResources/outl.txt.27
Table 1: Descriptive Statistics of 139 Geocachers Responding to the SurveyVariable Mean Sigma Range Median# Caches Found 1241.357 1195.095 11-4563 726Months Cached 34.632 30.254 2-126 27Average Difficulty 1.829 0.407 1.44-3.5 1.79Average Terrain 1.737 0.385 1.00-3.5 1.64# Caches Hidden 25.586 41.292 0-330 11Trackables Found 355.221 1419.210 0-15,304 90Age of Cacher 41.671 11.326 12-67 42Table 2: Bivariate Correlations Among Geocacher Variables# Caches # Months Difficulty Terrain # Hides Trackables Age# Caches 1.0000 0.4879 -0.1600 -0.1400 0.5385 0.4075 0.1948# Mos 1.000 -0.0660 0.0006 0.3915 0.2766 0.2260Diff. 1.0000 0.6447 -0.1056 -0.0110 -0.0626Terrain 1.0000 -0.0926 -0.0227 -0.0611# Hides 1.0000 0.3344 0.1728Track. 1.0000 0.1270Age 1.0000Table 3: Calculated <strong>and</strong> Critical F ValuesF calculatedF critical (@ .05) (df)Number of Hides 56.356 3.92 (1,138)Number of Months Cached 15.523 3.92 (1,137)Number of Trackables Found 7.279 3.92 (1,136)Table 4: Reduced Correlation Matrix for Geocacher Variables# Caches Found # Hides # Months Cached # TrackablesFound# Caches Found 1.0000 0.5385 0.4879 0.4075# Hides 1.0000 0.3915 0.3344# Months Cached 1.0000 0.2766# Trackables1.0000FoundTable 5: Geocacher B-Weights <strong>and</strong> β ValuesRaw Score B-WeightsSt<strong>and</strong>ardized BetasB-Weight Hides 10.268 Beta Hides 0.3548B-Weight Months 11.512 Beta Months 0.2914B-Weight Trackables 0.175 Beta Trackables 0.2082Y-Intercept 517.671 Multiple R 0.6466
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong>Anhiem 2012 Reflections <strong>and</strong>InterviewsWho are you, where are you from, what do you do?John Forbis: I am from Harrisonville, Missouri. I amcurrently the Business & Fitness Services Manager but Ihave worked in almost every capacity within municipalAlex Kaker: I enjoyed exploring Anaheim, as I had neverbeen in the area before. I thought the convention center wasa great location for the conference, especially with it beingright next door to Disney!recreation. While in college at the University of Missouri –Columbia I worked four years in campus recreation; what agreat introduction to recreation that was!Mike Hoffmeister: I am a <strong>Recreation</strong> Program Coordinatorfrom Fishers, Indiana.Alex Kaker: I am a <strong>Recreation</strong> Program Coordinator forSouth Jordan City, Utah. I run primarily youth programs,sports <strong>and</strong> camps. Activities range from soccer to archeryto LEGO camps.Who did you initially talk to when you arrived at the conference,did you know them previously?Mike Hoffmeister: We initially talked to park professionalsfrom neighboring agencies that we knew.John Forbis: Other than my Director who attended the conferenceas well, I also hooked up with a previous co-workerof mine, Michael Biedenstein. We worked together for theCity of Des Peres in St. Louis County, MO.Alex Kaker: I went to the conference not knowing anyone.Discuss your impressions of Anaheim <strong>and</strong> the conventioncenter.I was able to meet many great professionals throughout thecountry <strong>and</strong> was able to get some useful ideas.John Forbis: This was my first time attending a conference29of this size so I was very impressed. I think what impressedme the most was the quality <strong>and</strong> size of the expo hall…youcould spend a whole day or more in that place!Mike Hoffmeister: I thought the conference in Anaheimwas great. Being in warm weather when home is cold isalways a perk. Many things to do around the conferenceare great as well.What sessions did you attend <strong>and</strong> why? What did youlearn?Alex Kaker: <strong>The</strong> sessions I was able to attend were limitedas I was volunteering 17+ hours. <strong>The</strong> few sessions Iattended were excellent <strong>and</strong> gave me insight on how tomodify my own programs <strong>and</strong> attitude. <strong>The</strong> two that stoodout were the, “Competitive Balance in Youth Sports” <strong>and</strong>“How to Diffuse a Hostile Situation.” I now feel a lot more
confident in h<strong>and</strong>ling those rowdy parents.John Forbis: <strong>The</strong> majority of the sessions I attendedseemed to center around management <strong>and</strong> leadership. I amconstantly looking within myself to see how I can becomea better leader for my team so having the ability to listento some other great professionals speak to this was somethingI was certain I didn’t want to pass up.Mike Hoffmeister: I attended sessions mostly aboutprogramming <strong>and</strong> professional development for the parkAs you look back, will you continue to talk to anyone newthat you met in Anaheim?John Forbis: Unfortunately no, I must admit that I wish Ihad attended at least one of the <strong>Young</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> activities.I arrived too late to attend the social on Tuesday night<strong>and</strong> then the breakfast was too early for me…somethingabout “get your priorities straight” is ringing in my head.Ha!Mike Hoffmeister: Absolutely. I always try to meet newpeople every year that I go.Alex Kaker: Definitely. If not frequently, I now have abroader network that I can go to if I need some advice orideas.professional. I am a programmer so those sessions wereperfect. I am also in the point in my career where I needto take the next step forward. <strong>Professional</strong> developmentsessions were second most important to me.Do you plan on going to Houston next year?Mike Hoffmeister: YesAlex Kaker: I will be spending my budget on getting myre-cert for Youth Sports Administrator held in San DiegoWas there anything specifically special about this year?Mike Hoffmeister: I loved being able to be in Disney for asocial. Being in Southern California warmth was just nice.Alex Kaker: It was my first National <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Park<strong>Association</strong> conference. I am happy I was able to attendinstead.John Forbis: This all depends on budget. We work with atight budget as it is <strong>and</strong> since I was just offered this opportunityI’m certain it will be someone else’s turn next year.I will continue to hope though!<strong>and</strong> see what it was all about. It was also nice to talk toothers in my field dealing with the same types of issues Ihave been dealing with.John Forbis: I thought it was all great, being that it wasmy first year attending the National Conference. I wouldsay the two things that stood out the most were the ExpoHall <strong>and</strong> the social at Disneyl<strong>and</strong>. It was awesome that wehad a live b<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> the rides did not hurt my experience!Any other thoughts about NRPA?John Forbis: My overall experience with NRPA has beengreat, the conference well exceeded my expectations.My interaction with the NRPA staff during registrationfor conference <strong>and</strong> my recent CPRP test (research onlineabout what others had to say about the exam, speakingwith the individual that helped me register for my exam<strong>and</strong> whom I ordered my study guide from, etc.) was pleasant<strong>and</strong> reassuring. I believe the website is very beneficialalthough at times it can be a bit much to navigate. Oneitem of constructive criticism…make the app for NRPA<strong>and</strong> Congress more appealing. <strong>The</strong> app itself lacks a fair30
amount; calendar of events, maybe local certification optionscould be added? Might be great if you could createsome sort of CEU tracking via the mobile app too!Alex Kaker: You get what you put into it. You can hide in acorner <strong>and</strong> gain nothing or be overly social <strong>and</strong> make thoseall-important connections. I would certainly recommend itto any professional in the field, young or old!Discuss your impressions of Anaheim <strong>and</strong> the conventioncenter.<strong>The</strong> convention center appeared to be the ideal location. Ihad no problem finding my education sessions, navigatingthe exhibit hall or finding restaurants with ease. I unfortunatelydid not have the opportunity to explore the city. Ivisited Disneyl<strong>and</strong> briefly for the welcome reception.AlexKaker, CYSA, is a <strong>Recreation</strong> Coordinator fromCity of South Jordan in Utah.Who did you initially talk to when you arrived at the conference<strong>and</strong> did you know them previously?John Forbis, CPRP, is a Business & Fitness ServicesManager from Harrisonville <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> inHarrisonville, Missouri.I spoke with three colleagues from my agency (two supervisors<strong>and</strong> my director) <strong>and</strong> members from MRPA uponmy arrival. I have worked for the three <strong>and</strong> half years forthe City of Greenbelt. I attended my first state conferencethis past April where I met Ron Strickler (Supervisor fromMichael Hoffmeister, CPRP, is a <strong>Recreation</strong> ProgramCoordinator in the <strong>Parks</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Recreation</strong> Deparment inFishers, Indiana.My First NRPA ConferenceKayode Lewis is a recipient of the 2012 NRPA DiversityScholarship. Kayode is a <strong>Recreation</strong> Coordinator in theCity of Greenbelt <strong>Recreation</strong> Department in Greenbelt, Maryl<strong>and</strong>.Below, Kayode answers some questions related to conferenceattendance <strong>and</strong> he diversity scholarship.Ocean City, MD) who also attended the national conference.What sessions did you attend <strong>and</strong> why? What did youlearn?<strong>The</strong> Diversity scholarship granted me the chance to learnabout the various administrative, fiscal <strong>and</strong> operationalchallenges facing professionals in the field. <strong>The</strong> ‘StrategicFinancial Management - Ten Steps to Close the BudgetGap’ session offered a practical plan to weather financialchallenges that arise because of a fluctuating economy. <strong>The</strong>Who are you, where are you from, what do you do?My name is Kayode Lewis. I serve as a Coordinator II forthe City of Greenbelt <strong>Recreation</strong> Department. I was born insession emphasized the importance of creatively applyingfiscal means to identify, adjust <strong>and</strong> enhance the level ofservices offered to the public.Trinidad <strong>and</strong> Tobago <strong>and</strong> migrated to the United States as atoddler. I was raised in Prince Georges County, Maryl<strong>and</strong>.Lee Mun Wah’s “Let’s Get Real About Racism” sessionoffered strategies to enhance cross cultural communication31
<strong>and</strong> listening skills. I plan to increase my level of culturalcompetence through building relationships that recognize<strong>and</strong> appreciate differences. Using inquiry as a means of listeningwill enable me to communicate with my colleagues<strong>and</strong> increasingly diverse public effectively.the relationships I forged with colleagues, young professionals<strong>and</strong> my mentor Detrick Stanford. I was fortunate tointeract with several colleagues who attended the Maryl<strong>and</strong><strong>Recreation</strong> & Park <strong>Association</strong> conference last April. <strong>The</strong>yoffered valuable insight regarding the unwritten rules ofthe conference experience in regards to networking withpeers <strong>and</strong> applying the knowledge obtained from sessions‘Building Your Digital Toolbox’ provided a focused <strong>and</strong>cost effective means of marketing my department’s programs<strong>and</strong> facilities. ‘Proactive Youth Programing’ elicitedto my current duties. Colleagues like Di Quynn-Reno <strong>and</strong>Stephen <strong>Parks</strong> took time explain the format, schedule <strong>and</strong>layout of conference events.me to reflect the manner I develop, implement <strong>and</strong> evaluaterecreation programs. Current programs can be enhancedthrough feedback provided by participants.Do you plan on going to Houston next year?I intend on applying for another scholarship to attend Conferencein Houston. Earning a scholarship would be theonly way I would be able to attend.I attended the aforementioned sessions because they offeredinsight in developing ways to adapt to a changingprofession. <strong>The</strong>se sessions addressed many of the needsprofessionals in leadership positions would have to addressin the near future. <strong>Professional</strong>s must be adept in managingtheir budget, applying culturally competent managementprinciples, <strong>and</strong> utilizing technology to enhance their levelof service.How did the Diversity scholarship help you attend the conference?Would you have attended otherwise?<strong>The</strong> Diversity scholarship granted me access to a vast networkof experienced professionals with a comprehensiveunderst<strong>and</strong>ing of the field’s trends <strong>and</strong> best practices. <strong>The</strong>education sessions I attended offered invaluable insightsinto a field that affects my community’s quality of life.Was there anything specifically special about this year?This was my first year attending conferences as a parks <strong>and</strong>recreation professional. I previously attended a NationalScience Teachers <strong>Association</strong> Conference in 2009 when Itaught.Attending conference also inspired me to fulfill the stepsnecessary to obtain my professional certification. Demonstratingthe knowledge necessary to obtain the CPRPcertification is an important step in contributing to thecredibility of the profession. <strong>The</strong> creative energy <strong>and</strong> passionexhibited by the presenters <strong>and</strong> attendees is evident ofAs you look back, did you meet anyone new that you willcontinue to talk to?a desire to enhance what recreation professionals do <strong>and</strong>how we do it. I would not have attended otherwise.Some of the most fulfilling experiences came as a result ofHow do you think the diversity scholarship helps improve32
the engagement <strong>and</strong> leadership of persons of various diversities?<strong>The</strong> diversity scholarship works as a key component inimproving the engagement <strong>and</strong> leadership of persons ofvarious diversities. <strong>The</strong> scholarship offered me the meansKayode Lewis is a recipient of the 2012 NRPA DiversityScholarship. Kayode is a <strong>Recreation</strong> Coordinator in theCity of Greenbelt <strong>Recreation</strong> Department in Greenbelt,Maryl<strong>and</strong>.to reflect, identify <strong>and</strong> develop the faculties necessary toengage <strong>and</strong> motivate professionals from all backgrounds.<strong>The</strong> scholarship offered the opportunity to interact withprofessionals from diverse backgrounds. I can apply theirexperiences to manage with cultural competence. Differencesare applied as strengths that enhance the level ofservice offered to the public.How do you see yourself being involved in NRPA in thenear future?I would like to volunteer <strong>and</strong> eventually present a session Iwould be knowledgeable enough about the subject matter.I would also like to be involved with assisting the youngprofessional network in enhancing the value of NRPAmembership for students. I look forward to gaining enoughexperience in order to contribute to the profession in thefuture.<strong>The</strong> National <strong>Recreation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Park <strong>Association</strong> DiversityScholarship supports individuals from historically underrepresentedgroups in the parks <strong>and</strong> recreation community aswell as those that demonstrate outst<strong>and</strong>ing contributions servingdiverse communities with hopes of engaging their interestin future leadership roles within the association. he scholarshipare offered on an annual basis. Application information will beavailable in the Spring. For more information, go to:www.nrpa.org/scholarships.33
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