Message from the President:
Hey parents and athletes!
I just wanted to quickly introduce myself if we haven’t met yet.
My name’s Jesse Ritchie — I own the Gunbarrel Saloon, and for the past few years I’ve been on the Apex Freestyle board as a Member-at-Large. I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside a genuinely positive, fun, and dedicated group of people, led by our former president Theresa Sengl. Theresa has decided to step down from the president role, but she’ll thankfully be staying on the board to help with our big events and supporting us as Past President.
So for this season — and until someone else feels inspired to take it on — I’ll be stepping into the President role. I wanted to give everyone a quick rundown of what our main focuses are going into winter.
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Programs
We run the largest ski and snowboard freestyle program in the Thompson-Okanagan, which is something we’re all incredibly proud of.
This year, one of my big priorities is improving communication, individual goal-setting, and overall organization for our weekend programs.
To make all this happen, we really do need parent volunteers to jump in and help with a few tasks on program days. A little help goes a long way!
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Fundraising
Our board works hard to keep freestyle skiing as affordable as possible. We do have a grant writer who submits for everything we can, but grants aren’t guaranteed — and our gaming grant was recently denied. While we work through the appeal, we need to lean more into events, fundraisers, donut drives, and anything else we can get creative with.
We’ve now formed a fundraising committee, and there is no limit on how many people can join. Seriously — the more the better.
Join our WhatsApp group, say hi, and let’s get things rolling as the season kicks off.
A lot of our “meetings” can easily happen over après beers at the Gunbarrel anyway
WhatsApp Fundraising Group:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/GbbrVD0aTdU5tVrhProCI5?mode=hqrc
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Volunteers
Everyone paid a $200 volunteer levy during registration — I know it surprised a few people, but we simply can’t operate the club at its current size without parent support. This model is used by most freestyle clubs in BC.
You get your $200 back once your volunteer hours are completed.
There are tons of easy ways to get your hours in:
Apex Classic event (LOTS of roles)
Airbag setup and takedown
Fundraising shifts
Event support throughout the season
If you want to help or have questions about what roles fit you best, just reach out.
Please join the volunteer WhatsApp group to keep up to date!
https://chat.whatsapp.com/E9fqxvCg95hLv219k8g2jI
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Building a Positive Culture
One of the biggest goals for me is continuing to build a positive, supportive environment for our athletes and coaches.
We want this to be a place where:
kids feel encouraged,
coaches feel supported,
and families feel connected.
Apex Mountain Resort has been incredibly accommodating, and we’ll keep working closely with them all season.
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Freestyle Facilities
Last year we had some great conversations with Apex regarding our freestyle zones and terrain parks.
Weather permitting, they’re committed to working with us to improve and expand our facilities — and our long-term goal is to host some big events in the coming years.
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A Quick Thank-You
Huge thanks to our head coach, Alexa Chick, who works tirelessly for this club and deserves all the support we can give her.
And to the board members I’ve worked with over the past few years — I’m genuinely grateful for everything you do. I’m excited to keep building this club together.
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We’re always looking for help, ideas, and fresh energy — so if you want to get more involved with Apex Freestyle, I’d absolutely love to hear from you. In the meantime please visit our UP TO DATE website! www.freestyleapex.com
Looking forward to seeing everyone on the hill… and in the bar!