Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 14, 1991 TAG: 9103150602
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY CHARLES STEBBINS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
That will be the focus of a new set of programs being developed by the city's Department of Parks and Recreation to appeal to people who want non-competitive recreational and sports activities.
Bob Renaud, recreation supervisor for the city, said interest in the non-competitive activities is increasing.
"People are finding them more satisfying and more restful," he said. "Not everyone wants to run up and down a basketball court sweating, but they don't want to be left out of sports."
That was one of the main reasons the city began developing programs in January in outdoor adventure and environmental education.
Leading program development is Tom Clarke, who joined the department in December after several years in recreation in Blacksburg.
Clarke said he is putting together programs in rock climbing, spelunking, white-water canoeing, camping and nature hikes, to mention a few.
"Anything outdoors," is the way he describes it.
Clarke said he has "some neat stuff coming up," including programs in astronomy, bird watching and nature discovery for young people.
Roanoke's recreation department is one of many agencies in the Roanoke Valley and Western Virginia offering a wide variety of non-competitive activities for all ages.
They are offered by parks and recreation departments, school systems, colleges, YWCAs, YMCAs, the Jefferson National Forest, state parks, Scout and 4-H programs and an assortment of other organizations.
People looking for solitary activities have a wide range to pick from, everything from sedentary intellectualizing to strenuous workouts.
And it can be gotten in almost any setting and close to home.
Non-competitive recreational activities can be described as activities a person can do alone, even though they are often done in the company of others.
Among those in that category are hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, bicycling, swimming, aerobics, walking, lifting weights, jumping rope, shooting baskets with a basketball, handball, dancing, scuba diving and rock climbing.
Less strenuous activities, done both alone and in groups, include ceramics, art, crafts, camping, nature studies, yoga, traveling, visiting scenic and historical spots, picnicking, continuing education offered through public school systems and participating in community theater.
In the Roanoke Valley the main providers of recreational activities - both non-competitive and competitive - are the department of parks and recreation of each of the local governments, the YWCA and the YMCA.
Each offers a variety of activities catering to individual preferences in all age groups.
They number their participants in the thousands.
Debbie Pitts, assistant director of recreation for Roanoke County, said her department has about 24,000 participants in about 1,500 programs, both competitive and non-competitive.
She terms that "a very good level" of participation, but she wishes it were better.
"Our programs are open to all the people of Roanoke County, and we would love to serve every citizen," she said.
The county includes the town of Vinton, so the department's programs also are offered there.
In Salem, Teri Atkins, supervisor of that city's Department of Parks and Recreation, said this winter has been one of her department's busiest seasons.
"All of our classes are full now," she said. "On the average we handle about 2,000 people a month year round."
The Salem department offers a full range of programs for young children to senior citizens with a growing level of participation.
The YWCA and the YMCA, which cover all the valley, also offer full programs of recreational, educational and athletic activities.
The names of the YWCA and the YMCA are misnomers. The Y stands for young and the W for women and the M for men. But both those agencies now cater to all ages, male and female.
The YWCA has about 2,500 on its membership rolls, of which about 200 are men, Associate Director Audrey Wheaton said. An additional 500 or so young and old participate in the full offering of programs.
The YMCA has about 1,000 women members, many of them involved with their husbands and children in family programs.
Pat Hammond, the YMCA's business director, said interest in non-competitive activities is increasing. She attributes this to increasing interest in physical fitness.
"People are after exercise," she said.
In the past, there was a lot of socializing during the workouts, she said. But, today, the YMCA's participants are more intent on the programs. Water aerobics has become a popular activity, Hammond said, with more than 60 classes a week.
Both the YWCA and the YMCA have popular midday programs for the recreation- and education-minded who seek stimulation during their lunch hours.
Another big area for recreation is the Jefferson National Forest and Craig County. Neither is directly a part of the Roanoke Valley, but both are easily accessible.
Three-fourths of Craig's land is included in the Jefferson National, which definitely gives Craig a rural atmosphere, a condition the county's people like and want to preserve.
The 690,000-acre Jefferson forest offers a wide range of activities, competitive and non-competitive throughout its entire area, which reaches into several states.
Beverly J. Duvall, information assistant for the forest, said activities run the full gamut of recreational, sporting and educational programs.
It offers trails for hiking, horseback riding, backpacking and motorcycle riding. There are camping and picnicking areas, hunting and fishing, scenic byways and skiing.
by CNB