According to Larry Nash, he owes a lot to the Rocky Mountain Splash and
synchronized swimming. Without the team building and personal growth
lessons the sport offered to his daughter, Michelle, now 19, he and his wife, Cathy, might not have
had such an easy time of it. “When we took Michelle to college, I heard
a lot of parents worrying about how their children would fare on their own,” Larry explained. “But, we had
no such concerns about Michelle."
She had been traveling all over the country to compete in
synchronized swimming for eight years. She knew how to look out for
herself. She was already confident and social but also careful. Perhaps
most importantly, she stayed out of trouble during high school because
she had a sport she loved.”
But Michelle’s sport is an expensive one since nearly every meet
involves travel, often across the country. Like so many private sports,
synchronized swimming is often an activity only for the privileged few
who can afford the high cost of the sport. Not so, however, at Rocky
Mountain Splash. Their secret? Bingo.
Charitable bingo in Colorado requires that only volunteer members of the
licensed 501c3 nonprofit can run the games. To ensure that everyone
contributes equally, the RMS bylaws require that every family work an
equal share of the bingo sessions throughout the year. Larry and Cathy
made bingo a family affair, with Michelle and little brother, Tommy,
helping out. According to Larry, his children gained important lessons
regarding finances and responsibility through their volunteer work and
bingo.
A few years ago, RMS began using GameTech’s
TED® units. Initially,
Larry thought the devices would be used mostly by the “regulars” to
manage their large numbers of cards; now he believes the
TED® units have
another benefit. “We are seeing young people in their twenties coming in
to play bingo with the
TED® units. They are so comfortable with
electronic devices and now they can use them in a social setting and win
money. It’s clean, wholesome fun in a safe environment. We just added
more GameTech units to make sure we are ready for it.”
Though Michelle is away at college and no longer involved in RMS,
Larry is hooked, still spending many hours with RMS all year in addition
to the many hours as an appointee of the Secretary of State’s
Bingo/Raffle Advisory Board. He loves the sport, the kids and of course,
the bingo.
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