RN&R Family Guide: Take It Outside

Family Guide 3 5 8 13 14

Skateboarding

yoga Paddling the lake Classes & events

PHOTO/KRIS VAGNER

disc golf

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rori lee and her son, maxwell rooney, practice acro yoga.

PHOTO/KRIS VAGNER

Take it Outside W e lc o m e to o u r s p o r t i es t fa m i ly g u i d e y e t

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grew up in Austin, Texas, where my retired dad plays disc golf every morning.

“Seriously, he’s got a bunch of friends our age now!” I told someone the other day. “Friends who’ve been to prison, even!”

I’m proud and all, but that’s not the point.

As I learned from Reno-area disc slingers Derek and Ashley Sonderfan, who often hit the course with their two little boys, disc golf is quickly evolving to include all sorts of people—especially here in Northern Nevada, where children’s facilities are cropping up fast, and female athletes are finally getting a foothold.

“It’s had a reputation as a hippie sport,” Derek said of his hobby, “and that’s too bad. The thing is, all those hippies grew up and had families, and now you see them out here every day with their kids.”

You sure do. This family guide is inspired by them, and by anyone who’s into alternative sports—not because football and

tee ball and volleyball and all the balls aren’t important, but because they aren’t everything, and they already get press aplenty.

Within these pages, you’ll meet not only the Sonderfans but also a woman who’s found her calling as a kids’ yoga teacher, a father-son skateboarding duo, and a growing legion of kayakers and standup-paddleboard fans. We’ve gathered info on some youth classes, too, and a few upcoming events that are sporty but far from mainstream.

Kris Vagner interviewed the yogini, by the way, and her photos alone prove imaginative play and relaxation go hand-inhand, or hand in flexible foot, perhaps. Shaun Hunter, another contributor, included striking images with his story about local aquatic sports. And writer Matt Bieker brings us into the world of youth skateboarding, with tips for parents and young skaters alike.

Thanks for giving us a read.

Now let’s get moving.

Georgia Fisher

RN&R Special Projects Editor

georgiaf@newsreview.com

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Ready to Roll tips And etiquette For beginners, As provided by eric LAntto At cLAssic skAteshop Push with your back foot, not your front foot.

Don’t be the one who snakes everybody else. It’s not always your turn. You don’t want to be the person everyone talks about, like, “well, so-and-so just showed up at the skate park. That sucks. He’s going to cut everybody off.”

If you want to try a trick with someone, approach that person. Say, “Hey, would you mind if I try that 360 flip with you?” instead of just trying it, because at that point you will be a one-upper, and it makes you look really bad to other skateboarders.

It’s not about competition.

Don’t worry about trying so hard to get sponsored. Just ride your skateboard and have fun, and it’ll happen. And if it doesn’t, hey, you’re still having fun skateboarding.

Don’t spit all over the place at the skate park. It’s gross.

Watch a John Cardiel video, skate really fast, and just go for it. If you know it’s within your skill level, go for it. If you don’t know, go for it, and the board will let you know.

Family board games A A b oy s h A r es h i s fAt h e r ’ s lov e o f s k At e b oA r d i n g

by MAt t b i e ke r

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ny skater will tell you skateboarding was made for summer—and some might even say the inverse is true. Spending long days at the park, learning new tricks or just hanging out with friends are exactly what kids like 9-year-old Renoite Johnny Morrison and his father, Paul, live for.

“In 1979, I started skateboarding on an aluminum banana board,” said Paul.

“I was born here and I grew up here, then I took off to California to pursue skateboarding.”

Paul spent time in the Bay Area with the goal of becoming a professional skater—a goal that eventually gave way to other opportunities, such as writing for various skateboarding magazines. He continued skating, however, and eventually passed on his love for the sport to his son.

“I saw my dad’s boards in the garage, and when I was 2, I had this little plastic board, and I just rode around on it—I thought I was pretty cool,” Johnny said.

“I got into skateboarding more, and I got

into competitions and I got sponsored.”

Johnny has entered eight competitions so far, and placed as high as second and third in several. He has also earned a sponsorship from Elate skateboarding company. When Paul saw Johnny develop an interest in skating, he was quick to encourage him, but consciously avoided any kind of formal instruction.

“I honestly just allowed him to learn skateboarding on his own and with his fellow skateboarders at parks,” Paul said.

“I don’t coach, I don’t train, I just let him

A sp e c iAL s u p p Le M e n t to r e n o n e W s & r e v i e W

PHOTO/MATT BIEKER

DON’T WAIT. VACCINATE! Your child must have current immunizations for school entry.

Washoe County School District classes begin August 10.

Paul Morrison, left, has made a point of not pushing his son, Johnny, into skateboarding.

But the kid loves it anyway.

get out there and try to learn what he wants to learn on his own.”

Paul has remained very involved in Johnny’s path, regardless, spending most summers driving him to various competitions and skate parks all over the West Coast, while also ensuring his safety—an important job for any parent whose child is interested in skateboarding.

“It’s dangerous, it’s destructive, you’ve got to be ready for that,” Paul said. “If you’re going to go skateboard, you’ve got to wear pads at the beginning, otherwise you’re going to destroy yourself.”

Paul says he is comfortable enough with Johnny’s skill level to let him forgo elbow and knee pads, but still insists he wear a helmet.

Johnny says he enjoys skateboarding because of the communal nature of being at the park with other skaters, and that the

competitive quality of mainstream sports didn’t appeal to him.

“Skateboarding is all about having fun and just hanging out with friends—doing it for yourself,” he said.

Eric Lantto, owner of Classic Skateshop in Midtown, believes the informality of the sport is what draws most people to skateboarding in the first place.

“It’s a different sport than anything else, because there are no coaches, and there shouldn’t be,” Lantto said. “There’s no specific way you have to do it, there’s no specific place that you have to do it.”

However, this means that there can often be little or no direction for parents who want to help their children get started.

Lantto says many will make the mistake of buying a high-end board and gear for kids who may only have a passing interest.

“You don’t know if your 7-year-old son or daughter is going to stick with it, [so] you always start with a beginner board or something like that,” Lantto said. “Get your kid a Tony Hawk board, so it has the cool factor. So when this little kid shows his little buddies the board, it still says Tony Hawk.”

Aside from finding the right gear for beginners, parents of skaters also need to learn the proper etiquette for taking their children to a skate park—which can mean waiting until they reach a certain skill level before going at all.

“A lot of parents make the mistake of taking a kid who’s never ridden a skateboard to skate parks, and A: that’s how they get hurt, and B: that’s how other people get hurt,” Lantto said.

“Teach your kids to behave at the skate park like they’re crossing the road—look left, look right, and then go.”

Skateboarding has always been a summer sport, especially for kids who want a change of pace from traditional summer activities. With some basic gear and safety knowledge, now is a great time for them and their parents to get involved.

To beginners who aren’t sure if they’re cut out for skating, Lantto says to keep it simple.

“Just keep skateboarding with all of your friends,” he advises. “If it’s not fun anymore, then maybe you should look into something else.” Ω

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LOOKING FOR A BACK TO SCHOOL COMMUNITY IMMUNIZATION EVENT?

All required school immunizations, including Tdap, will be available while supplies last for children 4 through 19 years old at no cost. A $20 donation is requested to cover the cost of the vaccine, however no one will be turned away due to inability to pay. Those with insurance, including Nevada Checkup and Medicaid, should bring their cards.

Saturday, August 1, 10am to 2pm Give Kids a Boost: Health and Safety Fair 115 West 6th Avenue, Sun Valley, Nevada

Saturday August 8, 10am to 2pm

Give Kids a Boost: Health and Safety Fair Boys & Girls Club William N. Pennington Facility 1300 Foster Drive, Reno

Saturday, August 8, 10am to 4pm Outlets at Sparks Back 2 School Fair* 1310 Scheels Dr., Sparks *Children ages 7+ only.

For more information, please visit ImmunizeNevada.org/BacktoSchool or call (775) 624-7117.

NEED YOUR CHILD’S RECORDS? If you cannot find or do not have immunization records visit the Nevada WebIZ parent portal at https://izrecord.nv.gov or call the Nevada WebIZ helpdesk at (775) 684-5954 to request a copy of your child’s current immunization records. You can also check with your health care provider.

DON’T HAVE A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER? There are many places that offer back-to-school immunizations. To find an option near you, visit: www.vfcnevada.org

Clinic times, dates and locations are subject to change. Supported by grant #5H231P000727-03.

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Where to get started While teachers of adult yoga classes are typically certified by the Yoga Alliance, a non-profit yoga education group, there is not yet a nationally recognized standard for children’s classes, so you’ll find a wide variety of individual approaches and styles when it comes to children’s yoga classes in Reno. Here’s a sampling of what’s available.

Child’s pose

by KR i S Vagn e R

K i d s’ yo g a i s a s pl ay f u l a s i t i s m i n d f u l

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ori Lee was helping out at her daughter’s school when a teacher approached her at the copy machine and said, “Marley told me you were a yoga teacher.”

Marley Rooney, a third-grader, is Lee’s daughter. After that brief conversation, Lee switched duties from volunteer office assistant to volunteer yoga teacher. She introduced the entire third grade to body awareness concepts, breathing exercises and basic acro-yoga. (Think airplane rides, where child “flies” on an adult “base” with feet in the air. If the child bends forward into “fallen leaf” pose, that’s Acro-Yoga 101.)

“At 8, they’re still trying to figure out that they’re in charge of their own bodies,” Lee said. Several children were surprised to learn how strong or capable they really were, and some were excited to teach yoga to their parents.

Yoga classes for kids typically take one of three forms, Lee explained. There are classes where kids follow along with a teacher’s instructions, learning poses and sometimes breathing techniques they can use outside of class to combat stress or wind down for bed. There are “parallel” classes, where parents and kids practice yoga side by side. Then there’s Lee’s favorite, interactive classes, where parents and kids learn to safely “base,” “fly” and use each other’s weight and strength as leverage in various partner poses.

In children’s yoga, the air of serenity typical of an adult class is usually replaced by giggles and glee. “With kids’ yoga, there’s a lot more talking,” Lee said.

Another difference is the streamlined language teachers invent for kids’ classes. “There is no ‘pranayama.’

There is no ‘shavasana,’” Lee said. “We do down dog, and then we bark. We do butterfly and flap our wings, and that kind of stuff.”

Amber Yoder, a teacher at Midtown Community Yoga, added to the list of animal-named poses: “We do bear walks, frog hops, stacked crab.”

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Even the standard old plank pose, practiced by just about every yogi, fitness teacher or P.E. coach, takes on a new life when kids practice it. “Planks are called ‘pirates.’ We talk like pirates—Y’arr, matey,” said the effervescent Lee. Yoder pointed out that yoga time can make for productive family time. She teaches families “stuff they can practice and try, poses, things for parents and kids to do together as a way of connecting.” She likes to teach a pose called “lizard on a rock,” in which a parent stretches forward and a child extends in a back bend across the parent’s back. Yoder said, “It’s fun and relaxing. Kids think it’s awesome. Adults loosen up.”

Many parents and teachers have found yoga beneficial to children with special needs. Lee, who has taught private classes for families and day cares, referred to “one of the more exciting experiences I had”—teaching yoga to a 5-year-old girl who’d been born addicted to methamphetamine.

“She had not slept through the night until she started doing yoga with me,” said Lee, who taught the girl an easy relaxation technique—counting one inhalation and one exhalation on each finger, and narrowing her focus to only the breath and those small movements. “Finger breathing,” she calls it. That simple technique, along with a couple others, went a long way. The girl started sleeping at night, Lee said.

Instructors acknowledge that when it comes to family yoga, scheduling can be a challenge. Kids are free after school, but many parents aren’t free until after work, and weekend time can feel precious. Lee is often asked by parents how to get a bit of professional guidance without devoting too much time.

“University of YouTube,” she said. “I’m serious. I University of YouTube everything.”

Want to learn “fallen leaf,” “finger breathing” or “lizard on a rock”? A simple YouTube search will get you there. Ready to sign up for a class? Read on. Ω

Low-Commitment, high-fun Midtown Community Yoga has addressed the problem of busy families finding time for yoga with a low-commitment, monthly Family Acrobatic Yoga class, offered on a drop-in basis. The new center also plans to offer regularly scheduled children’s classes this fall.

Midtown Community Yoga 600 S. Virginia St. (entrance on Moran Street) midtowncommunityyoga.com (775) 870-9905 SpeCiaL CLaSSeS foR SpeCiaL needS The Yoga Center lives up to its tagline, “Yoga for EVERY body,” offering, for example, classes for people with specific health conditions and “Yoga for the Special Child,” tailored to babies and children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, ADD, and other learning and developmental disabilities.

The Yoga Center 720 Tahoe St. theyogacenterreno.com (775) 881-7848 down dog downtown Family yoga classes at Saint Mary’s Fitness Center, inside St. Mary’s Hospital, emphasize concentration, coordination, mind-body awareness, balance, strength, flexibility, stress management and relaxation for parents and for kids ages 6-12.

Saint Mary’s Fitness Center 645 N. Arlington Ave. saintmarysfitness.com (775) 954-0185

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Jaxon olsen and his mother, trina, tour lake tahoe on a standup paddleboard.

PHOTO/SHAUN HUNTER

Water wise by sh aU N h U N tE R

Fa m i ly F r i e n d ly aq uat i c s p o r t s d o m o r e t h a n s k i m t h e s u r Fac e

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several nearby lakes are large enough to provide a season’s worth of shoreline to explore.

Kayakers are a common sight in this area, too.

While many in Reno may be familiar with the short maneuverable kayaks typically seen weaving and rolling across the downtown Whitewater Park, the lengthier kayaks you see at the lake provide more stability for a calmer ride.

“The great thing about kayaking in Tahoe is being surrounded by mountains while paddling on incredibly clear water,” said Kevin Hickey, owner of Tahoe Adventure Company, a kayak rental and tour provider who has been based on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore for the past 12 years. “There’s the human-powered adventure element where you’re more in touch with your environment.” In opting

W h at ’ s s U P ?

Standup paddleboard riders (SUP riders for short) are becoming a more common sight on the lake.

Relatively new to the world of aquatic sports, the boards offer a large, stable means of travel that allow the rider to stand, obviously, and skim the water with the help of an outrigger paddle.

continued on page 10

n a recent July morning, the heat of summer was already visible on Lake Tahoe. The sun had only just risen above the Tahoe Basin’s eastern peaks a couple of hours earlier, and already Kings Beach was dotted with kayakers and standup paddleboarders meandering along the shoreline. Further out on the water, a few boats zoomed around, but closer to shore, a more silent and fluid group of people were on the lake, sliding gently across the water on their smaller, more maneuverable crafts.

The arrival of summer heat usually means many Northern Nevadans, as well as tourists, begin making plans to spend more of their days near the rivers and lakes abundant in our corner of the Sierra. Luckily for those in Northern Nevada,

“Water Wise”

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to explore the lake in a kayak rather than a boat or a jet ski, Hickey added, “You’re traveling within it rather than over it. You’re breathing the fresh air.

You’re only a couple inches above the water. It’s a great workout. Essentially, it’s like riding a bike versus being in a car.”

Kayaks vary in purpose and form, from longer and narrower designs optimal for racing and long-distance paddling to more casual, open-top sit-upon models that are a better fit for a relaxed day at the lake with space to carry towels, food and fishing gear. Hickey points out that along with standard solo kayaks, his rental locations are equipped with tandem models built for two, which can be further modified to carry a young child between the paddlers. He also says difficulty is based on the paddlers’ desire. “We have a lot of people who just lounge around, and there are other people who like to get a lot of miles under their belt,” he said. “It’s just a matter of how aggressively you want to paddle.”

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PHOTOs /sHAUN HUNTER

Clockwise from top: Mother-daughter kayaking duo Jamie and Beyah Delfin visit Independence Lake; Adrift Tahoe store owner Marcus Tingle peddles a variety of standup paddleboards; Jaxon and Trina Olsen, Madeline McGwire and Addison Woelfle get their sea legs on SUPs.

“Water Wise” continued from page 9

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Marcus Tingle, owner of Adrift Tahoe, a SUP rental and retail shop in Kings Beach, was an early fan of the sport.

“Really, it began around 2006,” he said. “I was on the East Shore here in Tahoe, and I’m looking at the crystal-clear water and at the rocks, and I thought it was just a perfect match.” He has operated his shop, which is on Tahoe’s North Shore, since 2010.

The SUP trend was born of Hawaiian surf culture and the big-wave surfers who brought the idea to the mainland, Tingle explained. “I had surfed for 10 years, and I had never had that perspective,” he said, recalling his first experiences with the modified board and paddle. “I had never seen all the critters moving around beneath the surface. I was just amazed. Suddenly, it’s walking on water!”

Lake Tahoe hosts several SUP races and allages events, including Ta-Hoe Nalu, SUP’s original race. However, the young sport is also seeing experimentation and changes in technology that are allowing for more family- and group-friendly outings, too.

“You’ve got people into racing, you’ve got people into just cruising,” Tingle said, expounding upon on the diverse appeal of learning to paddleboard. “You can learn how to catch waves, and you’ve got people into doing huge expeditions and exploring waterways.”

You’ll meet enthusiasts like Trina Olsen, who visited Lake Tahoe on a recent morning with her son, Jaxon, and daughter, Addison. While Addison paddled her own board near the shore, Trina and Jaxon hit the water with an extra-wide board stable enough for both of them.

“It’s absolutely still evolving,” Tingle explained. “We’ve got different widths and shapes for different people. We have boards for the balance-challenged.” Though the thought of trying to remain upright on a floating board may seem a bit intimidating to those who haven’t tried it, Tingle says that after a quick lesson on technique—one his shop provides with every SUP rental—“... if the rider just relaxes, stays with it, and starts to paddle, it takes about five minutes to get the hang of.”

first-serve basis during summer day-use hours.

While most rental locations have the kayaks waiting on the water for you, allowing you to easily show up and get on the water without hauling the bulky crafts across the beach, novices should know that windy conditions may make balance and paddling more difficult. In short, it’s best to plan your trip for a calm day, or early hours before winds pick up.

B e s t o f t h e B e ac h

“You’re traveling within it rather than over it. You’re breathing the fresh air, you’re only a couple inches above the water. It’s a great workout.

Essentially, it’s like riding a bike versus being in a car.”

KeVIN hIcKeY oWNeR, tahoe aDVeNtURe coMPaNY

Both Hickey and Tingle’s equipment rentals include all necessary gear and life jackets, along with some instruction for any beginners new to kayaking or paddleboarding.

Apart from Tahoe, rental and retail facilities are also at Donner Lake and the Sparks Marina.

The Independence Lake Preserve, which is about 25 minutes north of Truckee and operated by the Nevada Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, offers free kayaks to borrow on a first-come,

Back at Tahoe, the sun peaked and the shore was full of families spread out with beach towels and umbrellas. A quick scan of the water showed groups casually paddling kayaks across the emerald depths, and others lying down on standup paddleboards in the water a distance out, simply letting the current and the wind pull them across the lake’s smooth surface.

Lest you think being on the water is exclusively a daytime activity, Hickey points out that his rental company encourages paddlers to get out and see more than the standard day-at-the-beach from the water. “We do sunset tours, we do full-moon tours, and we do tours with astronomers on occasion.”

Hickey said his favorite spot on Lake Tahoe to kayak is “Sand Harbor! There is lots of undeveloped coastline, little coves and secret beaches, and especially now with the lake being low, the beaches are larger and there are more places to land. It’s the best paddling on the lake!” Ω

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game plan by g eorg iA F i sh e r

B E aT T h E S U M M E r d O l d r U M S w I T h E V E N T S

ONGOING

a N d C l a S S ES f O r k I d S a N d fa M I l I ES

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eeling like a couch potato? The Reno area offers countless athletic events and classes for people of all ages, and below are just a few to get you started. Many, like the Color Blast fun run, are a cinch to take part in—you just sign right up. Others are more along the lines of spectator sports, but would work for an outing. Events are subject to change, of course, so before you head out, always double-check that the activity is still on. Have a big time!

UPCOMING EVENTS reno J un ior/ A d u lt i n v i tAt i o n A l bow ling to u rnAM ent July 24-26 at the National Bowling Stadium, 300 N. Center St. The 17th annual tournament claims to be the world’s largest invitational of its kind, and is open to all current members of the United States Bowling Congress. Team entry is $60. An optional practice session is slated for 11am6pm on July 24, and runs $2.50 per game. Visit renojradult.com for more information.

tA - h o e n A l u PA d d l e F e s t i vA l Aug. 14-16 Kings Beach, California. Standup paddleboard athletes from around the world converge upon Lake Tahoe during this three-day event, which offers races and everything from SUP clinics to a face-painting contest.

Families are encouraged to attend.

For more information or to register, visit tahoenalu.com.

co lo r b l As t 9-11am Aug. 15, Carson Valley Medical Center, 1107 U.S. Hwy. 395 N. in Gardnerville. This non-competitive 5K fun run is part of the Carson Valley Medical Center’s 2015 Health Fest. As they make their way through the event path, runners are dusted head-to-toe in vibrantly colored cornstarch.

Proceeds benefit Tahoe Youth and Family Services.

Ticket prices vary, but admission is free for children age 10 and younger.

For more information, visit bit. ly/1Tjgw8Y.

u sA b M X b l Ac KJAc K n At i o n A l s Sept. 4-6 at the Reno Livestock Event Center, 1350 N. Wells Ave. This free event is part of a 35-city series that spans the United States as well as Canada. BMX competitors hail from both countries, and reportedly range from just 2 to 68 years old. Start times vary each day, so visit bit.ly/1NPMbf6 for a complete schedule.+

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A r c h e ry

PA r Ko u r

Class times vary. Wasting Arrows Indoor Archery, 8975 Double Diamond Parkway. The city’s only indoor archery range has a number of offerings for bow-and-arrow enthusiasts of all levels, including the Junior Olympic Archery Development program. An introductory course ($45) or basic skill assessment may be required first, and archers younger than age 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. For a class schedule, go to wastingarrows.com.

Class times vary. Fascinating Rhythm School of Performing Arts, 9736 S. Virginia St. As fun to watch as it is to try, parkour involves moving through space in unconventional ways. (Picture someone vaulting over a park bench or a railing, for example, instead of walking around it.) This class focuses on building core strength, range of motion, and the overall focus required to safely perform such movements.

Visit frdance.net for a complete schedule.

crossF it For Ki ds Class times vary. 5301 Longley Lane. CrossFit StoneAgeFuel combines gymnastics, bodyweight calisthenics, and weightlifting to keep kids in shape. Per the facility’s website, the program isn’t just a scaled-down version of the adult fare: “It is CrossFit geared and designed for a special population and the specific developmental needs of that population,” including neurological and cognitive function and motor skills. For more information, call 827-2533.

M o u n tA i n b i Ke to u rs Tuesday evenings, locations vary. In hopes of getting more kids (and their parents) on bikes, Reno-Tahoe Junior Cycling hosts free events and leads weekly tours that depart from a number of trailheads around the area. For regular updates and ride locations, sign up for a free membership at renotahoejuniorcycling.com.

Ph iliPPin e sticK Fighting 6:30-8pm Wednesdays at Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center, 1301 Valley Road. Billed as a complete system of armed and unarmed self-defense, this martial art involves sticks, staffs, knives and canes, as well as methods for disarming someone who’s wielding a gun or a knife. $54 for a six-week course or $100 for both stick fighting and karate. Open to students age 12 and older. For more information, call 334-2262.

stre et hiP -hoP 4:15-5:15pm Mondays at Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center, 1301 Valley Road.

Children and teenage dancers learn the nuances of street dancing and popping and locking.

Loose-fitting dance clothes (no jeans) and black Converse Chuck Taylors are required. Fees are $40 per month. For more information, call 334-2262.

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Golf discourse

by G eorG iA F i SH e r

T h e fa m i ly T h aT T h r o w s To g e T h e r g r ow s To g e T h e r

D

isc golfers Ashley and Derek Sonderfan are parents to Landen, 6, and Duncan, 3—neither of whom is any stranger to a putter.

Derek, who you might know as a musician for The Utility Players improv group, began disc golfing competitively in 2004, but says he’s happy to get last-place cash, if anything. “When I turn 40, and I can bump up into the old-man division, I’m looking forward to that so much, I can’t even tell you,” he said.

Ashley is a recreational player with eight years under her belt, and she golfed well into her pregnancies.

“We’ve actually got a pretty good network of women playing locally,” she told me, but she’d like to see more female players overall.

I caught up with the family at the course adjacent to Sun Valley’s Ester Bennett Elementary School, where Ashley teaches first grade.

Unlike larger facilities in the area, this one’s scaled down, so it works especially well for children and novice adults.

How’s disc golf as a family sport?

Derek: This is incredible for kids. One thing you have to bear in mind is he loves playing [gestures at Landen], and he’s a really good player for his age, but you get some of the parents out there who are like, “You have to play, you have to play,” and the kids will go wander around up on the hills. Parents have to be cool with their kids doing something else for 10 minutes, then coming back and playing.

[Duncan] will get distracted. He’s 3, so the fact that the throws at all is awesome. But [Landen] takes it very seriously. He likes to actually better himself and work on throwing farther than he did last time,

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like, “Now I’m going work on my forehand. Now I’m going to work on my backhand.”

Ashley: It’s about being outside, about being able to set your own pace. And it’s good because different age groups will play in different kinds of ways. Right now, our children are small, so it’s more about spending time together and letting them set the pace. I’ve also played with older kids—third grade through middle school—and for those kids, it’s more about actually playing the game, about actually scoring and treating it more as a sport. But not everyone you go with or everyone in the family has to be playing intensely. … And with highschool-age kids and young adults, it’s more of a competition, so they’ll be out there practicing or training for particular strokes, or different kinds of shots. What I like is that for a family, it can be anywhere within that developmental range.

So is this particular course tailored to kids, or does it just happen to work well?

Derek: We used to play at Rancho San Rafael, which is a great course, but the holes can be 400, 500, 600 feet long, and for a kid, they’re just going to be miserable.

They’re throwing 10s and 11s on the holes. At [Ester Bennett], each hole is between 100 and 200 feet, so [Landen] can make it in three or four strokes if he gets it right. That way it’s not so daunting for kids, or for any player, really. Why I love disc golf and why this course is great is that it’s for everybody. I’ve seen 80-year-olds play it. I’ve seen 3-year-olds play it. I’ve seen men, women. I saw one guy play an entire tournament, and he had a cane and

Baker] started it last year. We’ll have a tournament with like 120 people, though, and there’s five women, and it’s such a shame. This area’s really gone out of its way to reach out to women.

So when’s the first time one of your kids played? How old was he?

couldn’t stand on his own, and he was leaning on the cane and throwing. ... The joke is that disc golf is the sport you play when your body breaks down. It’s good cardio. It’s good exercise, and it’s cheap. You just buy a couple discs, and most courses are free. This course is free.

Ashley: Eighteen months. We have a little basket in our backyard.

Derek: Their natural inclination is to do this. I was sitting there when [Landen] was maybe a year old and I’d have a disk in his hand, and have him throw it, so he started throwing backhand really early. I haven’t really been teaching him rules, per se. I just want him to enjoy it.

What do you like about disc golf personally?

What happens when you force a sport on a kid?

Ashley: Well, the first thing is, it’s outdoors, and a lot of things for women tend to be sports-stuff indoors. And the second thing is I can set my own pace. I can choose for it to be with a group, I can choose for it to be a social thing, or I can do it on my own.

How is it for women?

Ashley: I’ve always been an athlete, but [initially] I wasn’t going to take the full throws and really get my muscle behind it, and I went into it with this attitude of, “Oh, I’m no good at this,” and “I’m not going to get into it.” I don’t want to make a blanket statement—that’s not how all women go into sports—but it’s a trend I’ve seen when I invite friends out. Women just require a different social dynamic. … Before I ever played, I had the opportunity to follow a women’s group on the East Coast during one of their tournaments, and it was absolutely more of an individual sport. You’re competing with yourself more than with other players, and the women are very encouraging, very supportive of one another. They’re still competing, but they want to help each other get into the game.

Derek: There’s the Poppy Series, and as far as I know, it’s the first series in the world that caters just to women. [Reno player Gayle

Derek: When you force anything on a kid, it’s going to deter them. You’re the parents. Once they hit 12, 13, the second you say, “Go do this,” obviously they’re going to say no. My friend has a 13-year-old who plays, and they’re very close, but still, he’s a teenager hanging out with Dad on the weekends. At this age, we should have them doing so many different things—soccer, baseball, gymnastics. ... Landen broke his hand last year, and he started learning how to throw lefties, just so he could keep playing.

What else should parents know?

Ashley: Well, you have to watch where [kids] throw their disks; they’re just throwing and throwing and throwing, and then you’ve got five out there. They find disks like they find socks. They don’t.

Are there kids’ competitions here?

Derek: There aren’t specifically kids’ competitions, but there are kids’ divisions ... and in the world championships, they have divisions just for kids. Ω

A SP e C iAL S U P P Le M e N T To r e N o N e W S & r e V i e W

PHOTO/GEORGIA FISHER

Disc golfers Derek and Ashley Sonderfan take their children, Duncan, left, and Landen to play disc golf as often as possible. Though the boys began learning to throw at just 18 months old, the family focuses more on spending quality time together than keeping score.

A SP E C IAL S U P P LE M E N T TO R E N O N E W S & R E V I E W

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The Washoe Education Association welcomes students and educators back to the 2015-2016 school year.

May it be a safe and productive year!

1890 Donald St. • Reno NV 89502 Phone (775) 828-9282 • www.weatoday.org