Rainy Days & Mondays

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."   — Dolly Parton

Summer break is here! That means the pools are open, the parks are busy and everyone is looking to get outside and have a little fun.

Or, well, they would be if it weren't raining. Since school let out, it's been pretty rainy around here, and so I've been working on finding fun things to do inside with my daughter. She's 12, and if you're familiar with tweens, you know it can be difficult to find fun things to do inside or outside with a girl this age, but she's also easy-going and, once she gets past her tendency to poo-poo everything, she gets engaged and we both have a blast.

Last night we were lucky enough to have a beautiful-if-cloudy evening and hit the nearby Kane County Cougars game. But earlier this week, when we wanted some fun, it was pouring and I was flummoxed for a minute as she turned down every idea I had. But then I remembered how much fun she has laughing at me attempt to play Mario Kart.

If you manage outdoor facilities, your season is here, and you are busy busy busy! But if you're so lucky as to get a rainy day and the crowds ease up, well, here's a few ideas to take up your time:

1. Get in some reading time. Where better to begin than right here with Rec Management? This issue, like every issue, is chock-full of great stories to engage you and give you ideas for your own facility. We've got feature stories on playground design trends, aquatic operations and programs for active adults.

2. Think about your career. This month's issue features our annual Salary Survey. Go here to find out where you stand in relation to your peers, and then think about where you'd like to go next, and how to get there. Education is one key to continuing career advancement, so have a look at our Calendar of Events online and see if there's a conference coming up that might provide you the next little boost and networking potential you need to take another step forward. Or, if you feel you've reached the pinnacle, take a second to celebrate how far you've come, and consider if there are ways you can mentor others and help them take that next step.

3. Speaking of education, did you know that Recreation Management has hosted a whole series of webinars? You might have missed the live event, but they're all archived and ready for watching if you want to update your knowledge. The most recent events have taken a look at advancements in aquatic technologies, providing a ton of detail on the hows and whys of regenerative media filters, as well as UV systems and splash play innovations. And there's plenty more. Head on over to www.recmanagement.com/webinars to find out more and occupy your rainy-day time.

There. Three things you can do when the rain puts the kibosh on your summery plans. Hope both your sunny and rainy days are full of fun this season!

For now, the workday is waning and it looks like a storm is brewing out there. Time to fire up the Nintendo and work on my Mario Kart action so the kid doesn't beat me quite so soundly next time.

Cheers!

Emily Tipping
Editorial Director,
Recreation Management
[email protected]