For the Love of the Games

by C&RB Staff (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
June 2008
 

For the last five years, the Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, N.C., has held a Junior Sports Triathlon to encourage kids to participate in golf, tennis and swimming. Open to all members’ kids, the contest awards points for participation in different activities, with lessons, tournaments, clinics, and team participation all counting for different point values. 

“We award prizes at different levels, keep a running scoreboard each week, and have grand prizes at the end of the summer,” explains Jeana McLean, the club’s Social Director. “It’s been a great program that really encourages kids to try different sports.”

The Triathlon idea germinated about five years ago, as the Old Town staff kicked around concepts to not only get kids to use the club more, but also to encourage them to move beyond the comfort zone of their usual activities. “At the same time, we figured it was a good way to get more business in our different departments and encourage participation in lessons, camps, and clinics,” says McLean.

“We really wanted to make it appeal to everyone, so we made it participation-based and not skill-based,” she adds. “A six-year-old can truly compete against a 12-year-old; but to win, the child must participate in all three sports.”

The overall Triathlon winner gets new golf clubs, a new tennis racket, and a swimming-related prize, such as an underwater radio. Second- and third-place winners get similar packages, to appropriately reward those who’ve shown the most willingness to venture into new recreational territories.