Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/117128
Children���s Spring Party Saturday, April 20 Kids Triathlon Saturday, April 27 Kyle Yokoyama, Natalie Platt, Monica Firmani, June Jacobson (back row, from left) and Amelia Carnell (front) gathered for the inaugural meeting of the new Teen Advisory Panel. New events for teens will add to a robust list of Club Programs events, many of which involve younger Club members. Long-standing family traditions such as Holiday Photos with Santa, the Father Daughter Banquet, and the Mother Daughter Tea are some of the WAC���s most popular happenings. ���We had over 400 dads and daughters come to our last Father Daughter Banquet,��� Mary Ellen says. The parent-child events usually feature memory photos, dinner, and an after-dinner activity, which can range anywhere from a jump rope performance���the highlight of this year���s Father Daughter ���Totally Tubular��� event���to a visit from Reptile Man. The hope is new teen events will offer kids a chance to have fun, stay fit, and expand their social circle. The same things their parents do at the Club. ���We want them to create relationships, to meet people who go to different schools, to find commonalities outside of schoolwork or sports,��� Mary Ellen says. ���It���s all about making connections and friendships and memories.��� ���Diane Mapes is a Seattle-based freelance writer. Rock Climbing Saturday, June 1 Glassblowing Thursday, July 11 To join the action, call Mary Ellen Jilek at 206.464.3062. For the triathlon, call the pool at 206.464.3086. MARCH 2013 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | 33 m a ry e l l e n j i l e k So far, a dozen WAC teens have signed up for the panel. Five attended the first meeting this past January. ���The kids were the ones leading the meeting,��� Mary Ellen says. ���They were really excited about this opportunity and about having things here at the Club just for them.��� In addition to hip hop, glassblowing and pizza-making classes, the panel brainstormed athletic ideas, including racquetball, swimming, afternoon basketball, yoga, volleyball, rock climbing, kayaking, and even skydiving. Some of those ideas will be put in motion soon. For example, a rock climbing event is scheduled for Saturday, June 1. (See page 38 for more information.) A glassblowing event for teens is set for July 11 and will be formally announced in the May issue of WAC Magazine. Mary Ellen says no matter what the activity, the focus will be on uniting younger WAC members and providing an avenue for lasting friendships. ���Kids want to be able to meet and mix with other kids their age,��� she says. Darin is particularly excited about the opportunity to instill healthy habits. ���We want to help our teens live healthy lifestyles,��� he says. ���That means fitness, nutrition, exercise, and creating healthy habits that will carry into their adult lives.��� The trick, he says, often involves dovetailing exercise with social opportunities. ���Kids want exercise, but they want it in a social environment,��� he says. ���If they can work out with their buddies or have dodgeball night with their friends, they���ll tend to participate more.��� When some teens suggested racquetball, for example, they didn���t just say ���let���s play racquetball.��� They said, ���racquetball with friends.��� June Jacobson, an eighth-grader and member of the new teen panel, is definitely hip to the social side of teen life. ���I���d like to see them put in a teen lounge for kids,��� she says. ���A place where teenagers and only teenagers could come and do homework or just hang out.��� She���s also excited about new cooking and dance classes. ���I think it would be great if you could start your own dance group that could compete,��� she says.