Theodore Wirth Park Seeks Seasonal Help for Winter Recreation
Winter in Minnesota is not for the faint of heart.
Some people stay cooped up during these colder months, but Elas Bradshaw of Minneapolis didn’t want to be one of them.
“‘Cause I’ve lived here a long time and didn’t know how to ski and decided that it was time to pick up a new winter hobby,” Bradshaw said.
To make that happen, she made her way to Theodore Wirth Park in Golden Valley Monday morning for cross country skiing lessons, courtesy of the Loppet Foundation.
Ski instructor Thomas Shaw spent a good chunk of the morning teaching her the basics.
Ski instructor Thomas Shaw teaching cross country ski lessons to Elas Bradshaw.
These days, Shaw is a busy guy.
“We have more requests for lessons than we can fill, particularly private lessons,” said Shaw. “And our group lessons are pretty well maxed out.”
They’re maxed out, in large part because they need more help.
“It’s such a unique and fun place to work that we’re hopeful people will keep finding us,” said Claire Wilson, executive director of the Loppet Foundation, which operates programming at Theodore Wirth Park.
Increased demand for youth programs
Wilson says that in a perfect world, they would have between 30 and 50 more coaches and seasonal staff members than they have now.
“We are still looking for folks that want to come work the tubing hill, work customer service,” Wilson said. “Of course, because of the increased demand for our youth programs, our biggest need right now is for coaches and people who want to come work with youth, because we have just as many kids on our waiting lists as we have in our programs.”
The ideal candidate would be someone who enjoys working in an outdoor environment, and loves interacting with people.
Shaw’s been a coach for 25 years, and he encourages others to come join him.
“It’s a very flexible job, and if you’re already a skier, it’s a great way to improve your own skiing skills,” Shaw said.
Bradshaw, meanwhile, has a ways to go before she gets on the level of some of the other skiers out here, but she’s on the right track.
“If you live in a place with winter, you’ve got to be out doing something, you’ve gotta have fun with it,” she said. “Otherwise it’s a long time to be inside.”
For a list of job opportunities at Theodore Wirth Park, you can go to the Loppet Foundation website.
