By Allison Perrine
MIDDLETOWN — Pickleball, bird watching and paddle boarding are among the rising recreation trends nationwide, superintendent of recreation Patti Conroy told the Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners Monday.
As part of a presentation to board members, Conroy reviewed a recreation services plan for feedback – and she hopes, approval – at the next meeting in September. This will be the first recreation services plan update since 2010.
She also presented a handful of offerings the county park system has for locals in addition to programs from private and public organizations.
According to Conroy, recreation trends show that fitness and sports continue to have the highest participation rates nationwide.
“Participants went on a total of 10.9 billion outdoor outings in 2017,” she said. “Young kids tend to be more active overall…and bird watching is up 6.1 percent.”
Sports trends show that camping, fishing and biking have become some of the most popular activities for several age groups, though levels of interest vary, she said. Trends show that millennials are more likely than other generations to participate in water sports, including paddle boarding and surfing.
Pickleball is also up by over 3 percent nationally, Conroy said, with additional increased participation in hiking, running, kayaking, volleyball, fishing, fitness classes, tai chi, family programs and active adult programs, among others.
Noting these spikes in interest, the Monmouth County Park System is expanding its programs in these areas, Conroy said.
There are already dozens of programs offered to locals in Monmouth County, involving nature, art, crafts, sports, fitness, history and much more. Conroy presented a few in each category though there are many additional offered around the county, including nature programs at Sandy Hook, Brookdale Community College and Poricy Park; art programs at Brookdale, the Middletown Arts Center and Monmouth Arts in Red Bank; sports programs at the Atlantic Club, Good Sports USA and All Sports; fitness programs at YMCAs, the Atlantic Club and Brookdale; history programs at Howell Living History Farm, Twin Lights and the Monmouth County Historical Association; among many others.
Commissioner Patricia M. Butch said she found it interesting that in the sports trend analysis, the percentage of children who play team and individual sports regularly has declined.
“That’s the only one that I saw that has really declined and I think that that has helped move everybody to more passive recreation and some of the alternative programs that the parks system provides,” she noted. “I think it’s great that we offer so many alternatives.”
Responding to an additional question from Butch, Conroy said this plan is interconnected with the open space plan and park master plan in the county.
“This plan is one of the standards that has to be updated every three to five years in order for us to pass and keep our certification,” Conroy said.
According to the 2018 annual report from the county park system, there were a total of over 6.4 million park visits and 6,230 recreation programs offered. New facilities were added to county parks, such as benches at Fisherman’s Cove Conservation Area, and maintenance and improvement projects were completed, such as the replacement of barn roof wood shingles at Longstreet Farm.
The next Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners meeting is set for 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9 at Thompson Park.
For additional information about the Monmouth County Park System, visit monmouthcountyparks.com.
