Newly Hired Recreation Director Wants City’s Recreation Options to Offer More Opportunities for Residents of all Abilities and Fitness Levels

By Val Prevish for the City of Wyoming

Chris Skidmore became Wyoming’s new Director of Recreation in early July after former director Rachel Leininger was named the City’s Director of Human Resources and Community Engagement. After 18 years working in public recreation with many of the Midwest’s fastest-growing communities and suburbs, Skidmore said he has found his dream job right here in Wyoming.

“I feel like all my years in recreation have led me to this great opportunity,” he said. “I want my values to align with the community’s, and I feel with Wyoming I have that fit. Wyoming is a community that values diversity and embraces cultural differences. I hold those values as well.”

Prior to coming to Wyoming, Skidmore was serving as the recreation supervisor in Gahanna, Ohio, a large suburb east of Columbus. He has held a variety of recreation management roles, including program supervisor in Oak Park, Illinois, youth sports coordinator in Granville, Ohio, and recreation superintendent in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Recreation management is a career he’s loved from his college days at Kent State University, where he graduated with a degree in sports management.

Landing his new role in Wyoming is the culmination of years of hard work, he noted, and he feels he’s prepared to lead Wyoming’s Recreation Department toward an even higher level of engagement with the community, expanding its reach and offerings.

Accreditation for Wyoming Camps a Priority

One of the first projects he plans to tackle is accreditation for Wyoming’s summer camp.

“An ACA accreditation (American Camp Association) is the gold standard in the camp industry,” he said. “I helped lead Gahanna through this process, and I’m well-versed in ACA protocol. This would take Wyoming’s camp program to the next level.”

The ACA is the only organization to offer an accreditation to camps. Earning ACA accreditation means the camp has met a set of standards related to the quality of the camp and the health and safety of its participants and staff.

Specific guidelines include staff to camper ratio, precise policies and procedures for operation, and detailed documentation logs to offer parents an accurate picture of children’s activities during the camp day.

Skidmore said the accreditation process could take several years, but he has already begun implementing some small changes that will move Wyoming’s camp program in this direction.

“I think parents will notice a more diverse palate of programming,” he said. “We’d like to get kids outdoors in nature more in a way that is similar to what most people traditionally think of as a summer camp experience.”

He said the camps will also increase their opportunities for outdoor education, art, and athletics. Skidmore noted that he plans to hire a seasonal program specialist in each of these three areas to research, plan, and implement the programs into the daily schedule. 

He does not foresee enlarging the camp’s enrollment significantly due to space limitations. But he would like to expand the program’s reach.

Future offerings include the potential to add a half-day pre-school camp for ages 4-5 and a teen camp for 12–14-year-olds. The teen camp would provide young teens the chance to take part in service projects and leadership opportunities that build their skills as they reach high school age.

“Our goal is to serve the Wyoming community in a way that we can have summer camp programs for local youth their entire childhood,” he said. “I would like to create a culture that when our campers age out, there are opportunities for them to remain engaged with the camp through employment in the form of CIT’s (counselors in training) and counselors.”

New Programming for Adults, Park Upgrades

Wyoming is fortunate to have a number of excellent recreation facilities for a community its size, such as its recreation center, turf fields, and aquatic facility, Skidmore noted. He wants to explore more opportunities for these facilities, and the City’s parks, to meet the needs of the community, possibly by adding specialty programming, improving amenities, or increasing access to the facilities.

Some examples of new potential programs could be more women’s sports, or nature-inspired classes that utilize Wyoming’s parks in new ways, such as canoeing, kayaking, family hikes, or creeking. Skidmore emphasized that his goal is to encourage Wyoming residents to get outside and explore the City’s parks and walking trails.

“This is a community that values being active and being outside. I love that about Wyoming. I want to create safe spaces that support that.”

He said he also looks forward to working with the many community organizations that partner with Wyoming to offer unique events in the City, such as the Wyoming Art Show, Wyoming City Schools, and the Wyoming Car Show.

Skidmore and his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Vada, a middle schooler, now make their home in Wyoming as well, buying a house here shortly before he started his new job. He said he has felt welcomed by the community and looks forward to meeting more residents in the months to come.

“The people I’ve met here have been so friendly. As a resident myself, you will see my family and I around town, whether it be the Village Green for events, cheering on our Cowboys or supporting local businesses. I enjoy meeting people, so I hope folks will feel free to say hello.

“It’s a privilege to serve Wyoming. I feel very fortunate to be here,” he added. “This is really a destination role for me. I am very proud to be Wyoming’s Recreation Director.”