In sports, business and life, often the people who succeed are the ones who face challenges head-on. They may not come out ahead in every battle, but they win the proverbial war with their perseverance.
The same goes with snowmobile clubs. Often the best ones become stronger through adversity and finding ways to come out on top.
Such pluckiness was exhibited in last spring’s season-ending post by the Bruce Mines Sno Glyders club in Ontario. It said, “Another snowmobiling season has come and gone. We had a tough start with lack of snow, no D136 trail into Bruce Mines due to the closure of the Clarke bridge and the last-minute decision of a landowner causing us to not be able to open our new TH2 trail into Thessalon.
“With being faced with all these challenges, we had a choice to just give up or do our best to offer the best of what trails we did have, we chose the latter and had a great season,” it said. Next, the club thanked landowners, sponsors, groomers and volunteers for making it happen every season.
Learn more about the Sno Glyders by reading the answers to our survey provided by club member Leah Anne McMillian.
To have your club considered for exposure, submit your club here. And if you don’t currently belong to a great club, find one and make it great.
What is the best in-season club activities that make membership fun?
“Our club brought back the Easter Seals Snowarama to our area after 20- some years of not having it. We added a little twist for the club by including a poker ride to earn fundraising dollars for the club. It usually brings out 60 to 70 riders. It’s a great way to help a worthy cause and the club.”
What is your club’s best off-season event or activity?
“Our Les Hillstrom Memorial ATV poker ride honoring one of our lost members. It’s held in August of every year and usually brings out 100+ participants.”
What’s your club’s best means of finding new members?
“Each year our community holds a community fair where our club puts up a booth and volunteers work to give out information about the club and our trails, and about snowmobiling in general . It’ll usually pick up about two to three new members.”
How do you make new members or prospective members feel welcomed?
“We put them to work as soon as they join the club, LOL! But seriously, we invite them to their first meeting, introduce them to the rest of the membership and then go from there.”
Other than safety training, does your club do anything to get/keep youth involved?
“One of our great successes was when we ran the courses for the snowmobile course for children.”
One interesting thing that our club does for the good of the sport and the community is…
“In the past four years, our club has reopened two new trails that have been closed for the past 10 to 15 years. These two trails are very popular among riders because they provide access to two new destinations and loops.”
Overall, the thing that makes our club great is…
“We always trying to find something new for our riders, whether it’s opening new trails, reopening old trails that used to be favorites among snowmobilers , adding fun events, entering floats into our community Christmas parade and so much more.”
