by Connie Tabbert
Editor
COBDEN — Scott Smaglinski thought it was odd that a friend walked by just barely acknowledging him at a recent event.
Later on, he found out why when that same friend went up on stage and following a short speech he put a photo of Mr. Smaglinski on the large screen and announced he was the recipient of the Lloyd Woods Memorial Award, which is presented to the Volunteer of the Year for the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC).
“I was surprised,”Mr. Smaglinski said in a recent interview. “I was speechless. That doesn’t often happen in my life, but that was one of those moments.”
The award was presented at the annual general meeting of the OFSC in front of more than 300 people.
Mr. Smaglinski has been a volunteer with the Whitewater Sno-Goers, the local snowmobile club, for more than 20 years, and the members nominated him for the district Volunteer of the Year. He was then nominated by the District for the provincial award. There are 15 clubs within the District and 16 Districts in total..
“To get that far was awesome,” Mr. Smaglinski said. “It was very moving. It was an amazing experience. I don’t volunteer for the award.
“When they put my photo up on the screen, that’s when I found out I was volunteer of the year,” he said. “It was such an honour.”
Mr. Smaglinski said there are so many deserving volunteers for this award.
“This is a volunteer-based organization,” he said. “Everybody who rides here or in the province, most of them anyways, are volunteers.”
The Whitewater Sno-Goers covers an area from just past Calabogie to Dacre, to Douglas and over to Micksburg and Westmeath to LaPasse to Perretton.
He noted within the Sno-Goers there are 15 active executive members.
“We have a great volunteer base in our club,” Mr. Smaglinski said.
Since he began volunteering when he was about 18 years old, he has done trail work, which includes creating new trails and brushing the current trails, participated in parades and put up signage. He has also been instrumental in training new volunteers.
Within the executive, Mr. Smaglinski has also held most positions.
He has never held a district or provincial office because there is the family business and his family to consider as well.
“My children now volunteer too,” he said.
“I helped put in the pickets,” eight-year-old Braden said.
Jocelyn, who is 12, has helped maintain the trails.
His wife Janet is proud of her husband’s accomplishment.
“I know he’s put a lot of time into it,” she said. “He also deals with difficult things, things he doesn’t always want to deal with.” She added, “It’s cool he’s being recognized, He’s missed out on family events.”
However, she admits, it’s great fun when the family snowmobiles together.
“It’s our way of spending time together, even when it’s working on the trails,” she adds with a laugh.
Mr. Smaglinski said he “kinda knew” he was being nominated for the club volunteer award and was honoured when he was the chosen one. He was quite happy when he was chosen as the district volunteer of the year as well. However, it was “mind-blowing” when he found out he was provincial Volunteer of the Year.
Mr. Smaglinski has been riding a snowmobile for most of his life.
“I’ve been riding since I was a kid,” he said. “It’s a way of life for me. I’m fortunate to be able to include my family in snowmobiling.”
Mr. Smaglinski has had the opportunity to snowmobile almost all the trails in Ontario.
Looking back, he began volunteering when he realized volunteers were instrumental to have, because without the volunteers, no one would be riding the trails.
“Someone else did it before me, so it was my turn,” he said. “It’s my way of giving back to the my community.”
While the snowmobile season is only a few months, volunteering is about seven months, which is from planning what needs to to be accomplished, such as trail brushing and signage, to talking to landowners, to the season’s end, which includes taking down some of the signage, he said. There’s also budgeting to be done, trail clean-up, discussions with landowners for land allowance the following year, and various other work tasks to do completed before the season and the fun begins, he said.
Mr. Smaglinski noted there are many people he works with across the district, including those who groom the trails and maintain the equipment.
He believes one of the biggest reasons he was chosen as volunteer of the year is because of the leadership he provides to other volunteers based on his experience..
While Mr. Smaglinski was was surprised about the award, Mrs. Smaglinski and Jocelyn knew, as did Terry Veaudry, district patroller. Joceyln noted her younger brother couldn’t be trusted with the information.
When asked how they arranged to get Mr. Smaglinski to the banquet, he said with a laugh, “They gave me a free ticket to cover my accommodations.”
Mrs. Smaglinski admitted it was “extremely difficult” at times not to tell her husband. “I felt bad not telling him.”
When she was asked for a good picture of her husband, she wasn’t sure how to pull it off. But, when she decided to take pictures of the kids, it was the perfect opportunity to snap a photo of her husband.
“Terry was so excited when he called me,” she said.
Even at the banquet, every person sitting at Mr. Smaglinski’s table knew he was the award winner, but never said a word, Mr. Smaglinski recalled.
Mr. Smaglinski has been to a few AGMs and has a high respect for those who have received this award in the past.
Looking at the trophy, Mr. Smaglinski said the honour really hit him when he saw his name on it.
“This is the first time our club has received the Volunteer of the Year Award,” he said. “It’s the first time our District has received the Volunteer of the Year Award.”
Mr. Smaglinski is hopeful all the volunteers of the District realize they are a part of this award.
“It’s a huge team who makes it all of it happen.
“This is extremely humbling,” he said.
“I was happy to receive the District award,” he said. “It was a big deal to get the District award because I know so many in the District who are just as deserving.”
He doesn’t know as many of the provincial volunteers, but he does know it takes a lot of volunteering within your own club to get the nomination for the Provincial Volunteer Of The Year.
“Every organization has their volunteers who go out of their way to do the extraordinary things,” Mr. Smaglinski said. “All organizations need those kinds of volunteers.”
OTHER NEWS
In other snowmobile news, Mr. Smaglinski said it’s important those who ride the trails realize the work it takes to, not only keep them clear for the riders, but also that most of the trails are on private property with landowners who grant access.
“Ninety per cent of the trails are on private lands,” he said. “Without their generosity, we wouldn’t have the trails we do have to ride on.”
