Damon Sparacino
Recreation supervisor sets sights on youth programs
By Nathan R. Huff
Los Gatos-Saratoga Community Education and Recreation Department is featuring a new face and a slew of new programs aimed at increasing opportunities for area teens.
Former Campbell Community Center Coordinator Damon Sparacino, who became a recreation supervisor for the department in July, has already unveiled a number of new programs. Among those planned for winter are skatepark tours, snowboard/ski trips and rock guitar classes.
"One of my duties here is to increase teen programming," said Sparacino, who also coordinates the "clubhouse" after-school day-care programs at local elementary schools. "Teens were an area the department has wanted to spend some time on--do more for."
The new programs are described in the recreation department's activities schedule, and Sparacino has already begun promoting them at local schools. While initial responses have been slow, the 26-year-old Bay Area native said he is making contacts and laying the groundwork for expanded teen programs.
Among those he connected with is Los Gatos Councilman Steve Glickman, who made it a campaign pledge to improve youth services in the town. A former Los Gatos Unified School district board member, Glickman said he was happy to see the recreation department expand youth programs.
"One would certainly hope that a significant part of its focus is to address the needs of its young people," Glickman said, "and I'm pleased to see it moving in that direction."
The department's existing teen programs are composed of babysitting classes, driver's education, fencing and computer robotics. While the department plans to continue offering such classes, Sparacino said he wants to reach out to teens who enjoy nontraditional sports and activities, particularly those not available locally.
"I'm trying to create teen programs in a more innovative fashion away from the norm," Sparacino said.
The snowboard/ski trips is one such program. For $82, youth, 11 to 17 years old, receive an all day lift ticket, continental breakfast and charter bus service to Boreal Snowboard/Ski Resort. The first trip is set for Feb. 17, and a second trip is scheduled for March 24. The city of Saratoga is co-sponsoring the trips.
The skatepark tours is another unique program. The first four-week skatepark tour session is already under way, but Sparacino said the department is taking sign-ups for the next session beginning March 3. Each Saturday, the recreation department will take teens to a different skatepark. Sparacino said he hopes to visit parks in Mountain View, Fremont, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Alameda, Gilroy, Half Moon Bay and Monterey. In-line skaters and scooter enthusiasts are welcome, Sparacino said.
Glickman, who has championed building a skatepark in Los Gatos, said the tours would help skateboarders become aware of the need for a town facility. "When they visit other parks they can come back with ideas so we can get more of the young people involved in the process," Glickman said.
Sparacino encourages teens to contact him with ideas for new programs; email him at damon@lgsararec.org. To sign up for an activity or find out more about the department's programs, call 408.354.8700. For Saratogans interested in the snowboard/ski trip, call 408.868.1248.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
