Lerner S. - Kids who think outside the box (2005)(en)

140	Kids WHO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

■Fred Zimny

U.S. National and Olympic Luge Team Manager

egardless of the weather, if you are interested in trying Rout for the USA Olympic Luge Team, the first face you will see is Fred Zimny. Zimny, voted the US Olympic National Development Coach of the Year, lives up to that title and more. He has traveled over 150,000 miles looking for the next U.S. Olympic Luge hopeful, trying out countless kids between the ages of eleven and fourteen on a simulated sled with wheels. When you look at him you see an encouraging, disciplined, and focused presence in search of kids with possibility.

Fred Zimny was a member of the U.S. National Luge Team from 1979–81 and was the U.S. Team’s men singles alternate in the Lake Placid 1980 Winter Olympics. Always actively involved in supporting the U.S.A. Luge effort, he not only became a head coach of the U.S. Luge Association in 1987, a position which he still holds, but he has also been the U.S. Recruitment and Development Manager since 1993.

As team leader for the U.S. Olympic Luge Team in 1998 and 2002, his commitment to the sport accompanied the U.S. Olympic Team to the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan and Salt Lake City, Utah.

If your child has what it takes to fly down an icy track on his or her back, with control and perseverance, look for Fred Zimny at the tryouts; with almost thirty years of sliding experience under his belt, he can spot talent.

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Fred Zimny

Unconditional Support

. . . an outlet for self-expression that will truly allow them a unique experience. . . .

ids can generally be divided into two groups when it Kcomes to self-expression: those who just want to fit in with the rest of the crowd and those who try to set themselves apart from everyone else. This is most evident in the activities that kids choose to participate in, particularly when it comes to sports. The traditional sports of baseball, football, and basketball have long been the activities of choice for kids seeking a competitive outlet in an “all-American,” yet conventional, way.

More recently, “extreme” sports have come into vogue, thanks to their individualistic appeal and mass saturation (and marketing) by the media and corporate America. Ironically, these sports that were once considered fringe and radical have now become mainstream. Who would have thought that BMX racing would make it into the Summer Olympics?

But there are still many sports and activities available to kids who crave an outlet for selfexpression that will truly allow them a unique experience—sports where the obscurity of the activity is part of the attraction. Distance running, short track speed skating, Frisbee golf, biathlon, soapbox derby racing, and kayaking are good examples. In my case, it was luge.

Luge is about as far as you can get from a traditional American sport. While it doesn’t rival the popularity of skiing in Europe, the most successful athletes there still enjoy a high degree of notoriety (and financial gain). In the United

Source: Printed with permission from Fred Zimny.

142	Kids WHO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

States, this is not quite the case. For example, how many Americans know that the United States has won four medals in luge in the last two Olympic Winter Games, or that the United States has won 306 medals in international competitions since the 1994 Olympics? In my case, the attraction was the possibility of Olympic competition and everything it represented. I was a 15-year old sophomore in high school when luge first sparked my interest. It had everything I was looking for as a kid whose first love was auto racing. It had the speed, competition, possibility for success, and most of all, a uniqueness that would set me apart from everyone else.

I was lucky because I had the unconditional support of my father. In the years to come, he would be the reason for my continued involvement in the sport. It is now almost thirty years later, and I am still involved in it. My father was the one who woke up at 4 AM to drive for two hours, three days a week to the West Point Military Academy, so I could work out on what was then the cutting edge of fitness equipment. He was the one who constructed an indoor start ramp down the hallway of our house and into the kitchen so I could practice luge starts indoors when the weather was bad. And it was my dad who answered the 3 AM. phone calls from Europe when I was excited about buying my first sled.

This support and a modest degree of success as a National Team member and the alternate on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team sowed a passion that would continue to burn in me even to this day.

As the current U.S. National and Olympic Team Manager, I still get excited before every race at the possibilities and struggles that lie ahead. I still love the sound of a sled gliding by at more than 80 mph as the steel runners cut into the ice surface. I am still filled with anticipation at the first snowfall of the year knowing that the upcoming luge season is not far behind. These along with once in a lifetime experiences like

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marching into the Opening Ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games with the U.S. Team, an Olympic Games on U.S. soil just months after September 11, serve to keep my passion for luge alive.

As coaches, it’s up to us to help inspire our athletes with a similar passion and to help them identify the sport or activity that motivates them to success. To some, success might mean being a starting player for their soccer team for the first time, to others it could mean winning an Olympic medal for the United States or winning the Indianapolis 500.

No matter what the activity, kids should be encouraged to pursue the interest of their choice with the guidance, support, and constructive criticism of parents and coaches. It may not be the activity we would have chosen for them but in the end, they’ll stick with it because it’s their passion.

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PART

THREE

The Source Book: Exceptional Programs, Adventures, and Voyages for Your Child

AGES YOUTH TO COLLEGE

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EXCEPTIONAL PROGRAMS, ADVENTURES, AND VOYAGES 147

WONDERFUL PROGRAMS and experiences are available to children today. This directory presents a sprinkling of significant programs around the country. It provides the parent, teacher, and child with a place to begin. It is a balanced list, in terms of program selection and geographic location. The programs were chosen and researched thoroughly. All of them have been contacted and/or visited by our staff or noted camp and program consultants.

Program selection and evaluation is not an exact science; phone numbers, fees, and course outlines can change with time. This directory is intended as an overview of the types of programs offered across the country and, as a result, it is not a complete listing. This index serves to enlighten parents to the different programs available for their children. It is for the child who wants to explore new horizons and different experiences, and for parents who want to embrace and support the unique interests of their children.

The programs are organized according to various personality traits, qualities, and attributes. These headings were designed to define the persona of each child. If your child is a leader, you will find appropriate programs listed in the category entitled “Leader, Negotiator, Debater, Peacemaker”. The programs in this category will complement the child who might be a future president, international affairs expert, attorney, or corporate head. Alternatively, if your child’s social conscience is dominant, the programs listed under “Altruist, Community Servant, Healer, Teacher” may catch your eye.

PROGRAMS: By Sphere of Interest

Altruist: Community Servant, Healer, Teacher

Artist: Musician, Performer

148	Kids WHO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Athlete: Competitor

Designer: Architect

Entrepreneur: Financier, Economist

Historian

Intellectual

Inventor: Innovator, Computer Scientist/Technician

Leader: Negotiator, Debater, Peacemaker

Naturalist: Outdoor Adventurer, Explorer, Leader

Observer:Writer

Scientist

Other Significant Programs/Services

EXCEPTIONAL PROGRAMS, ADVENTURES, AND VOYAGES 149

ALTRUIST

Community Servant, Healer, Teacher

ome children want to serve their communities. These Scommunity service traits are often identifiable at an early age. They are the healers, the middle school kids who volunteer at the hospital; or they are the teachers, the high school kids who tutor elementary school children in their spare time; they are the kids who want to help the world in some way.

A variety of programs tap into these special altruistic qualities; programs that validate these children’s capabilities and give them the confidence and power to contribute and give back to their communities. This section contains programs that serve the community, the country, the world, and the environment.

If a teenager is interested in working in community service, then the Sidwell Friends’ Community Service Programs may be the right choice for this child. Landmark Volunteers is an exceptional program in which a child can work to preserve America’s landmarks; it also provides a youth with insight into the history that surrounds that landmark.

GLOBAL WORKS

Eric Werner, Director 1113 South Allen Street State College, PA 16801 [phone] [e-mail] www.globalworksinc.com

QUICK TAKE: A program in which your child can combine community service, the exploration of the world and other