February 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 69

N R PA In
I n Ac t i o n

iAIM Ice Arena Management Program
Unique partnership to strengthen ice arena management and recreation
real-world challenges encountered in
the ice arena environment. The goal of
the iAIM School is to make graduates
more valuable to their facility, providing a competitive advantage for their
organizations through heightened service, increased productivity, and lower
operating costs.
The new partnership, which launches
at the Oglebay Resort and Conference
Center in Wheeling, West Virginia, September 18-23, 2011, has united iAIM and
NTC for a second time-the first partnership taking place in 2001.
" We identified a growing need in
the field for specialized training in ice
arena management, " says Barbara Tulipane, CEO of NRPA. " This comprehensive and unique program fills that need,
and helps to ensure that America's local communities have access to wellrun ice arenas and programs. "
" The National Training Center at

Connect to Your Colleagues
through NRPA Connect
NRPA's new online networking system launches February 1

hrough our work with parks
and recreation, we all understand the critical
nature of bringing people together and building a sense of
community. As a complement
to our current person-to-person connections, NRPA is launching a new online networking system
called NRPA Connect that offers all of
us an opportunity to connect and build
upon the community we already have.

This community is
here to help you:
■ Learn what others are doing in
the field of parks
and recreation.
■ Share information,
ideas, and experiences with others in the field.
■ Engage with other members.
Get engaged today-go to
www.nrpaconnect.org.

w w w . NR P A . ORG

Oglebay is excited to again be the host
site and operating partner of the ice
management school, " says Bill Koegler,
director of NTC at Oglebay. " Using the
successful Oglebay/NRPA school and
institute template will further strengthen the outstanding educational program
currently being offered, and provide a
firm home base for the school to grow
on an annual basis. "
" The Ice Skating Institute is excited
about its plans to return the iAIM program
to Oglebay where it all started ten years
ago, " says Peter Martell, executive director of the Ice Skating Institute. " Oglebay
provides the perfect setting for a concentrated education and training program,
while the new partnership with NRPA
provides access and CEU accreditation
for recreation professionals nationwide. "
For more information on the iAIM
Certification program, contact Beth
Wickline at bwickline@nrpa.org.


2011 Nrpa
National Awards
Call for Nominations
The National Recreation and Park
Association invites you to compete
in our 2011 National Awards Program. Included this year are Network
Awards. These awards recognize the
inspirational people and outstanding
programs that remind us daily of the
phenomenal work being done in the
field of parks and recreation. Help
us recognize the country's outstanding park and recreation agencies and
individuals. You can find all nomination materials online at www.nrpa.org/
awards.
FEBRUARY 2011

shutterstock, vectorstock

he N R PA has partnered with
the Ice Skating Institute (ISI)
and the National Training Center (NTC) for Public Facility Managers
at Oglebay to present the Ice Arena Institute of Management (iAIM) program.
The i A IM program is the ice skating industry's only educational forum
designed to develop and recognize
current and future management, programming, and operating personnel,
and perpetuate a standardized education and certification system.
The iAIM program offers comprehensive training and certification in ice
arena management as well as courses
to promote executive development. The
program consists of four core educational tracks: Management, Operations,
Programming and Design, and Construction and Renovation. Each course
provides students the technical education and confidence to successfully face

Parks & Recreation 67

February 2011 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2011 - Parks & Recreation