For busy students, weekends are normally spent doing homework, studying for tests and playing sports. However, juniors Caroline Reidy and Jackie Tavernetti spend theirs working at Palisades Tahoe, giving ski lessons to kids. From 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, they take groups of four to seven kids around the mountain for lessons.
Reidy has plenty of experience working, as she’s been babysitting since she was 12 and has worked at Mag’s Local Yogurt for the past year. However, her time as a ski instructor particularly stands out to her.
“I love coaching kids, especially the youngest [ones]. Seeing their improvement over just a couple of months is super impressive and also [an accomplishment] for me,” Reidy said.
Tavernetti has loved skiing from the first time she tried it when she was five years old and was on the ski team from age eight to 13.
“Because of [the] ski team, I have done the weekend trip where you leave Friday after school and get home late Sunday [many times]. It’s a lot, but I love skiing, so it’s worth it,” Tavernetti said.
These weekend trips are time-consuming. With the added delays of weather and peak traffic hours, the typically four-hour trip can easily turn into a seven-hour long drive.
“Getting home late on Sunday is probably my least favorite part of the whole experience, but the good outweighs the bad. Otherwise, I love coaching,” Tavernetti said.
Reidy finds it difficult to make time for her schoolwork load while in Tahoe and doing all this travel.
“When I don’t have ski [instructing] on the weekend, I usually spend my Sundays catching up on any missed work and trying to get ahead for the next week. However, that becomes hard with ski [instructing] because of how late I get home,” Reidy said.
Despite these challenges, both girls have had positive experiences with their work due to their love for skiing and working with young kids. Reidy recognizes how unique this opportunity is and how lucky she is to have it.
“While I do feel super busy right now, I also know that this may be the last time I’m able to do this. I know I can’t [coach] in college and [after graduating high school]. I’m not sure where I will end up, so even when I feel like this is too much, I try to take it all in and be grateful that I can do this now,” Reidy said.
Thinking back to all her trips up to Tahoe when she was younger, Tavernetti feels similar.
“I have grown up coming to Tahoe on the weekends. Knowing that in less than two years I will be in college and this won’t be my regular weekend makes me sad, but also makes me appreciate what I am doing right now,” Tavernetti said.
Even though Reidy and Tavernetti have the same job, they each have taken away something different. Tavernetti appreciates the people she’s met and the connections she’s made.
“I have met so many cool people that otherwise I would never have met. Hearing about their experiences living in Tahoe and on the mountain is super interesting,” Tavernetti said.
Along with meeting new people and making friends, Reidy has enjoyed having to learn more time management skills that she knows will continue to help her throughout life.
“I have learned how to manage my time better, [and], despite having less time than ever before, I feel like I get my work done earlier than I used to,” Reidy said.
For both Reidy and Tavernetti, Tahoe holds many special memories of them playing in the lake in the summer and sledding down hills in the winter. The opportunity to work as a ski instructor every weekend is the perfect way to enjoy their love of Tahoe and help the next generation learn to ski.
