About BFS
Mission Statement
Burlington Freestyle exists to provide scholarship-based action sports training to youth in the Burlington region, with an emphasis on mentoring and life-skills learning.
Purpose
In our first year, 2010, we will aim to bring competitive freestyle snowboard training to underserved youth and those who might not otherwise have access to it. Our goal is to see anyone with desire, talent, and drive get the opportunity to reach their potential in competitive freestyle riding. In the long run, we hope to see top snowboard athletes emerge from the greater Burlington region!
The "Why"
The premise is simple: competitive snowboarders generally emerge from mountain towns and mountain academies because of easier access both geographically and financially; they rarely come out of more-distant cities like Burlington, especially because of the economic diversity in the city. BFS has a special focus on reaching underserved and at-risk youth in Burlington through connecting with local social agencies. And we are also dedicated to serving youth who have varying degrees of access and experience - recognizing that everyone could use some assistance.
The "How"
In order to accomplish the goal of providing Burlington youth with access to competitive snowboarding, we are pursuing several key partnerships. First, we aim to partner with established and respected social agencies in Burlington that will connect us with candidates who will be best served by our program. Second, we will partner with the Chill Program in Burlington as a complementary "next step" for those who successfully complete their introductory snowboard program and desire to continue. And third, we will partner with Sugarbush Resort to provide our youth with a world-class training venue at the Sugarbush Parks.
A Focus on Coaching and Mentoring
There are many young riders in our region with talent, but few who have a chance to realize their full potential. We believe that good coaching is the key to snowboard progression and competitive success - and a lack of access to this kind of coaching keeps snowboarding in the "niche sport" category and delays the progression of the sport itself. So our goal is to assemble a team of top USASA certified coaches who possess riding and coaching skills on par with the best mountain academies and teams - and position them to lead our group of young people to achieve their snowboarding dreams.
And we believe that leading this team will not only entail the highest caliber of snowboard coaching but also intentional and positive mentoring from coaches and volunteers. It's our belief that competitive snowboarding can be a tool to create character and enable the personal and moral betterment of each rider. We will hold our coaches to a high standard of leadership in order to send a positive message to both the team riders and the larger community.
