2022 Gulf Shores Recreation Department Annual Report

RECREATION DIVISION ANNUAL REPORT 2022

CITY OF GULF SHORES RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS

Presented by: Nicole Ard, Recreation Division Manager

INTRODUCTION

note from Nicole

As with most public service agencies, our employees are our greatest resource. In 2022, we continued recovering from the impacts of COVID. At times, we had over 20% of our full-time positions vacant while at the same time our program participation and facility visitations increased. Zero programs were eliminated this year and our recreation division staff once again stepped up and worked additional hours to ensure that all services continued. I want to thank our team for their creative ideas, teamwork, encouragement and support they gave to each other as our Recreation Division continued to meet the needs of the community.

Community demand and service growth is a theme throughout this report. It is evident in many ways, most notably in our 40% cost recovery of budgeted expenses including the cost of personnel. This and other noted accomplishments represent only a small percentage of what our team accomplished this year.

I would like to thank all of our Gulf Shores Recreation Division staff, Grant Brown - Director of Recreation and Cultural Affairs, the Gulf Shores City Council, and Mayor Craft for all they do. We would not have accomplished so much without their unwavering support.

Finally, I want to say thank you to every member, facility and park visitor, program and event participant. I meet people every day who are passionate about these beautiful places, facilities and programs. We appreciate your commitment to us, and in return we look forward to providing you with another great year filled with programming and adventures.

Nicole Ard Recreation Division Manager City of Gulf Shores

MISSION STATEMENT

"Gulf Shores Recreation & Cultural Affairs enriches lives and fosters harmony within the community through area-wide leisure services targeted to improve healthy lifestyles, educational and recreational opportunities, public participation, and environmental and economical stewardship."

RESPONSIBILITIES & SERVICES

The Recreation & Cultural Affairs Department provides top quality recreation and leisure activities for the community while striving to be the best stewards of the public resources that fall within the department's care, adapting as necessary to meet the varied needs of the residents and visitors.

RECREATION DIVISION CORE VALUES

Community Enrichment

Enabling lives through education and programs

Civic Responsibility

As public servants, striving to better the world around us

Fun

Delivering fun to patrons and community

Exceptional Customer Experiences

Providing service that is responsive, professional, courteous, and accountable

Health and Wellness

Providing and promoting healthy lifestyle opportunities

Diversity and Inclusion

Creating programs and services that reflect the diversity of our community

Safety

Ensuring safe and secure environments

Building a Legacy

Maintaining a vision for the future while sustaining a healthy recreation system

athletic programs

Participation numbers for all youth sport programs increased

Athletic programs made leaps and bounds in 2022. Participation numbers for all youth sport programs increased from 2021, with basketball showing the largest increase at 28%. Not only did our participation increase, but the majority of our sports showed better competitive seasons than they did in 2021. Our baseball, softball, and soccer all-star teams did exceptionally well, and two of our three football teams had season records that reflected great improvement from the previous season. This is a huge credit to our volunteer coaches in 2022.

Fall Sports

Football: 75 participants, 3 teams, 18 volunteer coaches

13 week season, 182 program hours

Cheer: 45 participants, 3 teams, 6 volunteer coaches

13 week season, 156 program hours

Soccer: 245 participants, 26 teams, 52 volunteer coaches

9 week season, 180 program hours

Winter Sports

Football (Flag): 172 participants, 22 teams, 50 volunteer coaches

5 week season, 24 program hours

Basketball: 200 participants, 25 teams, 50 volunteer coaches

10 week season, 220 program hours

1130 participants

112 teams

250 volunteers

1,487 program hours

16% average growth per youth sport from 2021

Spring Sports

Baseball: 230 participants, 19 teams, 40 volunteer coaches

11 week season, 275 program hours

Softball: 67 participants, 6 teams, 18 volunteer coaches

11 week season, 275 program hours

T-Ball: 96 participants, 8 teams, 16 volunteer coaches

11 week season, 275 program hours

community programs

Programs team was busy creating and implementing four new series of programs

The programs team was busy in 2022 creating and implementing four new series of programs, making adult activity area facility upgrades, and building new outdoor SPARC youth play areas. To help reach our goal of increasing community outreach, improvements were made to the branding of each program to include images and logos for consistency and recognition. Efforts were also made to expand services by adding evening program timeslots onto programs that were previously offered only in the morning and afternoon.

Global Grub *NEW*

173 participants - 8 program hours - 5 sessions/days

Ramble On *NEW*

39 participants - 9 program hours - 1 session/day

BYOBoy *NEW*

153 participants - 2 program hours - 1 session/day

Awful Crafty *NEW*

57 participants - 5 program hours - 4 sessions/days

Purely Paddle 28 participants - 2 program hours - 1 session/day

Take Time Tuesday 146 participants - 6 program hrs - 4 sessions/days

Bingo 122 participants - 8 program hours - 7 sessions/days

Safe Sitters 19 participants - 11 program hours - 4 sessions/days

Daddy Daughter Dance 336 participants - 5 prog hrs - 2 sessions/days

RECreative:

1478 participants

853 program hours

137 program days /sessions

163 average attendance of parent/child unique programs

SPARC Youth Camps

328 Total Participants - 600 program hours - 60 sessions/days

Summer

209 participants - 440 program hours - 44 sessions/days

Spring

43 participants - 50 program hours - 5 sessions/days

Thanksgiving

38 participants - 30 program hours - 3 sessions/days

Christmas

38 participants - 80 program hours - 8 sessions/days

aquaticprograms

Record setting participation numbers as well as record setting swimmers

SMALL POOL, BIG PROGRAMS – that is the continuing theme for our aquatic programs at the Bodenhamer Recreation Center. 2022 was filled with activity at the pool with record setting participation numbers, as well as record setting swimmers. Like everyone else, staffing was challenging at times. The team was up for the challenge and worked hard to meet day-to-day operational demands and maintain high quality aquatic programs for the entire community throughout the year. This couldn’t have been accomplished without the hard work of a highly specialized aquatic professionals with years of experience in the field of aquatics.

Individual Swim Lessons

3,105 participants - 3,105 sessions - 776 program hours

Group Swim Lessons

174 participants - 44 days - 44 program hours

Water Aerobics

7,148 participants - 1,075 classes - 1,075 program hours

Phinman Youth Triathlon

124 participants, 2 days

Swim Meets

13 home meets at the Bodenhamer Recreation Center

RECords:

10,915 participants

4,554 sessions

2,622 program hours

10,603 Swim Team individual visits in 2022

Gulf Shores Swim Team

396 participants - 364 sessions - 728 program hours

Spring

125 participants, 123 sessions, 246 program hours

Summer

117 participants, 114 sessions, 228 program hours

Fall

154 participants, 127 sessions, 254 program hours

tennis/pickleball programs

Addition of a teaching professional and twelve lighted pickleball courts

The Tennis & Pickleball programs were completely transformed in 2022. The tennis program experienced the most changes with the addition of a tennis teaching professional in May. This was quickly followed by a large array of programs, lessons, and clinics for all ages. These programs were received with open arms by our tennis community as you will see with our programs and participation report. The pickleball program was given a permanent home with the construction of 12 lighted outdoor pickleball courts at the Sportsplex. This highly anticipated facility opened in December and is expected to flourish and be fully utilized by our local pickleball community and visitors in the year ahead.

Lessons/Clinics/Drills Participants (May-December)

173 Private Lessons 1 hour

17 Private Lessons 30 minutes

154 Private Lessons 2 People

136 Private Lessons 3+ People

492 GS Ladies League Team Drills

100 Cardio Tennis

23 Adults Skills & Drills

235 Youth Programs & Lessons

RECharged:

TENNIS

1,320 program participants

9 special events

5,275 attendess

PICKLEBALL

2218 participants

78 program days

312 program hours

28 average pickleball players per session

Tennis/Pickleball Events/Tournaments

Gulf Shores Tennis Club Annual Social Tournament

Sweet Heart Social Tennis Mixer

CBU vs Spring Hill College D2 College Matches

USTA State Tournament 65+ Combo/55+ Mixed

USTA Mixed Doubles Weekend Tournament

USTA Tri-Level State Tournament

USTA Combo 40+/55+ State Tournament

USTA Combo 18+ State Tournament

Pickleball Sportsplex Grand Opening

Total estimated attendance - 5,275

fitnessprograms

Our Fitness Programs are so much more than a “fitness center” and this was never more evident than in 2022. In addition to the daily grind of busy operations, we offered more free fitness opportunities than ever before. These programs had an outreach that was highly sought after by our residents. As a result, we offered an alternative way to stay healthy by using our beautiful natural resources as a backdrop for these organized programs. Floor fitness classes, special events, free community fitness classes, two fully equipped fitness centers, health challenges and more – this strong foundation will be used to build the future of wellness programming for the citizens of Gulf Shores.

Fitness Programs

Qi Gong - 30 participants - 3 sessions

Sore on the Shore - 11 participants - 1 session

Wake N Shake - 60 participants - 2 sessions

Sunset Yoga - 25 participants - 1 session

Couch to 5K - 8 participants - 8 weeks

Circuit Saturday - 5 participants - 1 session

Camp Inside Out - 10 participants - 5 days

Fall Sunset Yoga - 43 participants - 2 sessions

Offered more free fitness opportunities than ever before

REChallenge:

CLASSES

4,152 floor classes

37,547 participants

CHALLENGES

3 programs

324 participants

108 average participation per challenge

Floor - 37,547 participants - 4,152 classes

Fitness Challenges

Iron Man Challenge - 110 participants - 60 days

Choose Your Challenge - 159 participants - 60 days

Do the Ride Thing - 55 participants - 30 days

recreationmembership

customerservices &

We brought the fun back into Customer Service in 2022 by fostering a warm, fun, comfortable, and welcoming environment for all. The newly renovated lobby of the Bodenhamer Center gave our CSR team the unique opportunity to have a “new beginning” and shifted into offering more than just customer service, but providing a ‘customer experience’ atmosphere. This also spilled over into the Cultural Center – Studio Fit operations and beyond. Member engagement and outreach was better than ever before through new programs like Rec Pursuit scavenger hunt, social media Member Spotlight, and fun theme days at the facilities. A new member handbook was also created to streamline policies and disseminate information to facility users. This momentum will continue to grow as we look ahead at 2023.

Customer Service

31,265 register transactions

215,000 center visits

7,777 open operational hours

Memberships

5771 active members

8,857 daily passes sold

More than just customer service, but providing a ‘customer experience’

31,265 customer service register transactions

215,000 visits at the Bodenhamer Center

7,777 Open Operational Hours

Aerobic Classes

44,695 participants attending

5,227 classes held

programspotlight

252 5k Run/Walk

105 1 mile Fun Run

100 Witches on Wheels Bike Parade

457 participants

1,000+ attendees

recreation team

Nicole Ard Recreation Division Manager

Randall Carlson Recreation Division Supervisor

Megann Steege Athletic Coordinator Laura Davis Athletic Coordinator

Brook Hopkins Aquatic Coordinator

Jamie Robertson Programs Coordinator

Molly Mahtani Customer Service Supervisor

Holly Howell Fitness Coordinator

Bernie Gilliam Tennis & Pickleball Coordinator

Suzy Maher Administrative Assistant II

Charles Phipps Facility Maintenance Worker Sr