Tag Archives: windham mountain
January – Learn to Ride
Our new season ushered in some new faces…
Beginner Jarrett
Mia, Dahlia, and Aten Ra
as well as the smiling faces of our returning students and
Nice toe side turn Tyson!
Izzy
Sir Julius
a new love – snowshoes.
Cornelius snowshoeing at Windham Mountain
Its our largest group to date, with a mix of both girls and boys, ages 7 -18. The group’s snowboarding skills range from beginner to park. And we were able to finally catch up with our advanced riders – Brandon, Khaliq, Edward, and new to Shred Love, Jaden. As soon as we hit the mountain, these guys usually take off with their volunteer for the day and don’t return unless their starving or its time go.
(l-r) Jaden, Khaliq, and Edward
Brandon stepped up on our last trip and took a group of riders to Windham’s Whiteway Triple ( length – 2,000′ and vertical 354′) for the first time. I’m proud of them for conquering new ground and Brandon for leading the way. Not only do we have riders in our group, we have leaders, tomorrow’s leaders. Join us in building tomorrow’s leaders.
Ride with Jaden
Shred Love’s park rat Jaden
Ride with Me
Learn to Ride 2012
January is Learn to Ski/Snowboard Month, the perfect start to our Learn to Ride 2012 program! Once again, Windham Mountain will host our 3rd annual Learn to Ride program. Windham Mountain has graciously donated lift tickets, lessons from professional instructors, and rental equipment for our group on Sundays, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5, and 2/26. The program is open to youth ages 7-18 years old. All participants must commit to attend all four days to get the full value of the program. Lunch is $7 per day and includes 2 slices of pizza and a soft drink.
We depart W33rd St (b/w Broadway and Ave C) Bayonne, NJ at 6am sharp and return at 7pm. Parents will receive a text message once we are approximately 30 minutes away from Bayonne. On our last day, 2/26, we will have a party and award each participant with a certificate and trophy. Parents/guardians are welcomed to attend our last day, however please note, food and transportation will not be provided for adults. Don’t worry if you can’t make it, we will post a ton of pictures here and on our Facebook page.
(To complete the application, enter the youth’s name and date of birth in the Participant Application section. Once in the form, select “Shred Love” as the youth agency and use “1634” for the session ID.)
Another Great Season Comes to a Close
Sunday, 2/27 officially marked the end of our snowboarding season. To say it has been great, is an understatement! Over a total of 6 days (7 days if you count our photo shoot at The Hidden Valley Club), we visited 3 different mountains, served 40 students, and made a bunch of life long memories.
I would like to thank everyone for making this a huge success! With everyone’s dedication, we were able to make such a great impact on the youth’s life, as well as our own. The experience as a whole was great for both the participants and the volunteers. As we worked with the students on linking turns, safely loading and unloading the chairlift, we were able to gain a greater insight into how patience and consistency plays a role into developing solid relationships. I know that sounds like common sense, but with the fast pace of life, we sometimes forget the value in making people a priority.
It was also great reconnecting with our friends at Windham Mountain, as well as making new friends at The Hidden Valley Club, Mountain Creek and Anchor House. In addition, with the tremendous support of the instructors at the mountains, Snowboard Addiction and Aratik USA, our group was able to take their riding to the next level. More students ventured on to the chairlift, to the top of the mountain, and in racing (snowboard cross).
Therefore, it is my pleasure to present to you our graduating class!
Congratulations Jackie!
Congratulations Armani Rae!
Congratulations Alexis!
Congratulations Taralyn!
Congratulations Elijah!
Congratulations Tyson!
Congratulations Jordan!
Congratulations Jordan!
Congratulations Savion!
Congratulations Cornelius!
Congratulations Khaliq!
Congratulations Masai!
Congratulations Brandon!
Congratulations Makhii aka 50!
Congratulations Isaiah!
Congratulations Edward!
Congratulations Julius!
Congratulations Darius!
Not pictured – Nathaniel, Isaac, Marcel, Xavier, and Malik. Congratulations!
And to the world’s best volunteers, thank you!
Thank you Shanelle!
Thank you Sarah!
Thank you Jerrie!
Congratulations Geneva!
Thank you Ming!
Thank you Mel!
Not pictured – Rhosheema and Rob, thanks for your support!
I’m so looking forward to what next season has in store, but in the meantime, be sure to check back, as there is more to come. 😉
Super Sunday
We all know February 6th was Super Bowl Sunday, but for us, it was just another Super Sunday at Windham Mountain. With 21 students in tow, we were on the mountain by 10 am, ready to tackle new trails and tricks.
Harlem Shake it Up, hahahaha!
Savion, Zaakirah, and Jackie laid their first tracks down on What’s Next? and White Way. (By the way, did you know all of Windham’s trails start with a “W”?)
Savion
Zaakirah
Jackie
Mr Ollie Kid aka Khaliq showed us how its done. But Khaliq don’t get too comfortable, Armani-Rae and Alexis have been nailing ollies too! 🙂
Let's Get It!
Jerrie’s group ventured off to the K Lift for the first time.
Heeyy Ms. Jerrie!
Jordan & Nathaniel
Tyson
Makhii gave the Aratik USA board sport trainer a try and looked good doing it!
Makhii
Sunday. February 27th will wrap up our season. I have to admit, it has been the best. We’ve had a chance to meet great, new people, reconnect with old friends, serve more youth and had more time on the mountains. And with all of the fresh snow Mother Nature has dumped on us, the season as a whole has been every skier and snowboarder’s dream.
There’s a ton of pictures on our Facebook page, so go take a look. And if you aren’t already, follow us on Twitter!
Cheers,
Liz
Day 1 & Day 2 at Windham Mashup
Hey everyone, we are officially at the mid-point in our Learn to Ride program. Like last year, our 4 day Learn to Ride program takes place at Windham Mountain. On our first day, Sunday, 1/23, Windham celebrated 50 years of service. Check out the cool ice sculpture:
Despite the freezing temperatures, Windham gave us a warm welcome back. They were just as excited to see us, as we were them. Our eager participants wasted no time gearing up for their first lesson of the year.
For the first day, we focused on courage and how it relates to snowboarding and everyday life. Everyone shared their definition of courage and gave examples of they were courageous. Day 2, we focused on discipline. Needless to say we got some interesting definitions for that one, lol!
Day 2 was filled with great surprises: the staff at Windham Mountain donated tons of gear to us, our first snowboard race, and Edward conquered the Green trail.
Marcel, Khaliq, Edward, & Brandon
Elijah from our Snow Monsters group came in first place.
After just learning to link turns, Elijah came in first place!
Two of our Snow Angels came in second and third.
Taralyn came in second!
Mani aka Ms. Beastin for like 5 Hours, lol!
Malik, Isaac, Alexis, Jackie, Taralyn, Makhii, Justin, and Isaiah moved up to the Willpower trail, riding the chair lift for the first time. Jerrie and Shanelle also took the plunge and gave Willpower a shot as well. I’m willing to bet Jordan and Masai will be there next Sunday as they were the last to leave the slopes.
Jordan
Malik
Isaac
Snow Angel Alexis
Justin
Be sure to check out our Facebook page to see all of the pictures from Day 1 and Day 2. Til next time!
Get to Know Us
Have we met?
No? Well its time we do! Over the next couple of weeks, we will do a “Get to Know Us” feature on the people behind Shred Love. To get the ball rolling, I decided to start with myself, so here goes!
Name: Elizabeth Royster but everyone calls me Liz
About me: I’m the proud mommy of Shanelle, Savion & Tyson. By day, I’m a Senior Quality Assurance Test Analyst aka a software tester, however I’m Shred Love 24/7, ask anyone! = ) I grew up in a pink house in Jersey City with my family – Mom & Dad, my brother Omar, and sisters: Poodie & Jerrie. Wait there’s more, it was a big pink house and a lot of family lived with us, so there were my godbrothers: Lamar, Tykwan, Brandon, and Andre, their mothers Bonnie and Alycia, and all of our pets: dogs, cats, birds, fish, newts, hamsters, guinea pigs, snakes, a rooster… ok too many to remember, lol! As an adult, I only have a few pets: fish, a dog named Pebbles, and a turtle named Slim Thug. People find my laugh and sneeze pretty memorable, lol! I love music, art (I can draw and paint), traveling, knitting, swimming (still learning), reading, and of course snowboarding.
My daughter Shanelle
My son Savion
My youngest son Tyson
What role do you play at Shred Love? I’m the Founder and Executive Director of Shred Love. I should probably list more titles because of all of the work and dedication it takes to make Shred Love a success but I will stop there, no need to make this a 5 page post, lol!
My birthday at Ten East!
Why did you become a part of Shred Love? I became a part of Shred Love because its easy to sit back and point out what’s wrong with the world but its a lot more rewarding to actually change the world.
My "little" sis Monique & I (Little from Big Brothers Big Sisters)
How has Shred Love changed your life? Shred Love has given me the opportunity to give back what so many have given me – a chance. I firmly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help and guidance of so many others. At times, I think people put too little value on how a small act of kindness can impact a person’s life. As a teen mother, so many people thought I would fail, almost as if my fate had been sealed. If it wasn’t for the support of a few teachers, friends, and family members, I’m pretty sure life for me would be completely different. Therefore, I feel its only right, that I show others that despite how hard or bad things may seem right now, it can always be better. We are all living proof. One way or another we’ve all had to overcome some obstacles in life and for as long as we live, there will be more. By helping others through those times, we prepare ourselves for the same.
Shred Love has also forced me to set higher goals and become more creative in finding solutions to my problems and that of Shred Love. Our first year panned out to be better than I had ever expected, which to me meant I needed to dream bigger. With all of the success we’ve had so far, I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.
Shred Love
Firsts
First time I had ever seen a snowboard, I was 14 years old.
First time I went snowboarding, I was 30 years old and was sore for 3 days.
First trick I landed was a butter.
First day of Shred Love’s learn to ride program in 2010, was the First time I cried on a mountain. = )
Check back next Tuesday to see who’s next!
-Liz
Special Thanks!
Its the end of our program, so its time to say thanks to everyone that made this possible.
Our volunteer Jerrie
Thanks Joey!
Thanks Halimah aka Mrs. Shaun White! : )
Thank you Shanelle!
Thank you Sharlette!
Thank you Mel!
Thanks Geneva! (my mother and a big congratulations goes out to her for skiing for the first time on 2/20.)
Thanks Arnetta & Steve!Thanks Sharlette!
Thanks Bam!
Thanks Akitto!
Thanks Alycia!
Thank you Mr. Paul Alston of Alston Tours, Mr and Mrs Maple of It Takes a Village, SOS Outreach www.sosoutreach.org, Chase Courington from SOS Outreach, Windham Mountain www.windhammountain.com, Pamela Valure for the site, Kelly of Shred Betties www.shredbetties.com, Tim Ohle, Franz Krickl, Helene, Mike Hecht, Mike Barry, Steve Cody, Tracy Hunziker, Karen Vetere, Gina and Shana from Windham’s Guest services, Marie the supervisor of Windham Snowboard school, Brian Deka Paupaw, Pro Bono Legal Services, CIMA, Darrell Smith, Maine Gotti, all of our participants and their parents.
Shred Love 