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ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
This needs to spread to other states.
Colorado Youth Outdoors is a grass roots
organization started by brothers Bob and Tom Hewson. This program
promotes outdoor sports and activities such as sporting clays, trap, skeet,
archery, and fly fishing. Their hope is to plant a love for the
outdoors in the next generation through outdoor experiences, plus bring
families closer together during the often turbulent high school years.
From the CYO website:
Established in 2001 by two outdoor enthusiasts, Colorado Youth Outdoors
offers outdoor educational and recreational programs to young people and
their parents at no cost. Structured as an after-school program
requiring parent participation, CYO served 20 students and their parents
in its first year. In 2002-2003, the program expanded to three high
schools with over 200 participants and interest continues to grow.
Colorado Youth Outdoors looks to take its programs throughout the state,
working in communities to facilitate unique programs that build a bridge
between students, parents, local high schools and other agencies.
This organization is unique in that it is
for families. There are many organizations around that are great for
kids. The difference between those programs and this is that this
program includes a child and a mentor. The mentor is usually a
father, mother, or a family friend. The parent isn't just a spectator.
Together they learn and participate in the various outdoor activities.
Something else makes this program unique.
The schools are an integral part of the training. In this day and
age of knee-jerk negative reactions to firearms, a number of high schools
have actually welcomed this program, which includes the clay target
sports.
From the CYO website:
Weekly programs for high school students and their parents are conducted
throughout the academic year with over half being offered in the high
schools. Programs are offered in a three-year progression and are
designed to build strong connections between young people and their
parents- teaching traditional outdoor activities and ultimately
providing opportunities for the student and parent to work together as a
team in competition.
Plans for the future
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ABOUT THE SPORTING CLAYS EVENT
We shot clays and it was snowing!
Many months before the CYO Celebrity Shoot,
Butch Roberson (R&R Traps) told us we just had to come to Colorado
and attend the sporting clays fundraiser for CYO. Butch has been
setting the course and helping out for three years now, and feels a
special bond with the volunteers and those who run the organization.
From the CYO website:
The Tom Rouen & Amy Van Dyken Celebrity Shoot Out is held each spring
and stands as the premier fund raising event for Colorado Youth
Outdoors. The Shoot Out partners a popular public figure with
distinguished guests. Teams, each comprised of one celebrity and three
guests enjoy a day of laughter, camaraderie, and light hearted
competition around sporting clays. All proceeds from the event support
Colorado Youth Outdoors' programs for youth and their families
Spring. It did say
in the above paragraph, that
the Celebrity Shoot Out was in the Spring, didn't it? Well, we
arrived in Colorado and it started to snow, and continued to snow and
snow. The Sylvan Dale Ranch became a winter wonderland.
Fortunately, it wasn't really that cold because there was very little
wind.
Sylvan Dale
Ranch
The tradition is to have the kids and
families enjoy the sporting clays course on Friday and then help set up
for the activities that happen on Saturday.
The CYO kids usually hear an announcement
in their high schools over the intercom on Friday saying, "All CYO
kids attending the CYO sporting clays competition have permission to leave
early". Unfortunately, this year the Friday event was scrapped.
The director didn't know what condition the roads would be in, and didn't
want to take any chances. It was a tough call, but Friday's event
had to be canceled. That didn't stop people from coming out to
shovel snow and set up for the events.
Saturday was beautiful, with snowflakes in
the air. We added a few layers of clothing and off we all went.
The parents and kids were keeping score and making sure all the safety
rules were obeyed. Nothing but smiling faces and helping hands.
The dinner and auction took
place Saturday evening. A number of celebrities turn out for this
event each year and donate items for the auction. There are even a
couple of prominent local artists who donate bronzes. These items
and others went for top dollar. No one seemed to care about the retail
value. Generosity ruled the evening.
It stopped snowing on Sunday, the day for
the traps to be broken down and taken away. The kids and their
parents come back and shot until the targets all ran out. We watched
as they enjoyed each other's company realizing that the joy of being
together was the real prize of the competition.
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ABOUT THE PEOPLE
Does this organization attract the best or bring out the best in us all?
So, Don, why are you here helping with the
fundraiser year after year, you don't have any kids in the program? Grinning Don said,
"Well, Tom is my next door neighbor and
when I went on vacation, Tom cut my grass for me. I'm repaying
that favor. That was three years ago".
Buzz has a daughter who is in her second
year with the program. He says the founders of CYO has been reaching
out to the youth for many years.
"What's so significant, is over the last
three or four years there has been an exponential growth in community
support, not just from people in the program."
Some families have more than one teen in
the program. If Dad is the mentor to the first child, that means Mom
is "forced" to be the mentor to the next.
"We got Carol out to shoot one time,
shooting sporting clays. We had her shooting the tower. Once
she hit a target, she wanted to hit more!"
Yes, it's not just about the kids, but it
is for the kids. When the entire family is involved, it's
magic.....guess that's what I meant by a "winter wonderland".
For more information about
CYO (Colorado Youth Outdoors) visit their website at:
http://www.coloradoyo.org
For more information about
Sylvan Dale Ranch visit their website at:
http://www.sylvandale.com
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