Stephanie Ritchie isn’t a typical new graduate, hoping to settle into a first career job. The Saskatchewan Polytechnic Recreation and Tourism Management student will walk across the stage at Sask Polytech’s Saskatoon convocation ceremony next week and then, she says, she may keep on walking. Or cycling. Or paddling.
Though Stephanie isn’t yet settled on where she’ll take her career, she says her final practicum was a great way to help determine its direction. In the final stage of the two-year diploma program, students apply the skills and knowledge gained in class for roughly one month as front-line employees in the field of recreation, community development or tourism. Ritchie’s practicum was spent planning a luxury wilderness canoe experience for Saskatchewan-owned Adventure Destinations Inc. (ADI), which operates several properties and outpost camps in the beautiful boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan.
Ritchie, who works part time at a locally owned sporting equipment store, sold a pair of skis to ADI’s owner, Greg Yuel, and they got talking about her program. He gave her his card and when one of ADI’s sales representatives came by the store around Christmas, he encouraged her again to get in touch about setting up a practicum.
Laura Hale, general manager of ADI, got Ritchie started on her practicum project in the company’s Saskatoon headquarters in May. Her task was to create a high-end point-to-point canoe trip, starting at the ADI drive-in location, Thompson’s Resort in Missinipe, then on to ADI’s premier fly-in fishing destination, Twin Falls Lodge, and ending at the historic First Nations community of Stanley Mission.
“My practicum challenged me to pull together a lot of my learning from the previous two years,” says Ritchie. “ADI was looking for a trip catering to people looking for something a little fancier than a typical back-country experience. This meant some research on my part, and then putting together a plan that offered extras such as shore lunches with charcuterie options, and, of course, freshly caught local fish.”
Ritchie relied on her recreation planning and tourism-related skills to create a comprehensive plan with three, four and six-day options. Her final deliverable was a 40-page core plan that includes maps, a budget, supplier lists, risk management strategies, client packages and marketing. “Marketing is key as it really has to hit,” she says. “Prospective clients need to be able to imagine their experience before they commit.”
After two weeks in the office, Ritchie headed north for wilderness first aid training in Missinipe before embarking on a beta version of the canoe trip to test her plan and work out any kinks. “I paddled the route in two days,” says Ritchie, “and it was a great exercise having to think about a trip from a different perspective. Normally when I travel, I only have to think about myself. I was being picked up at the endpoint so couldn’t take my time. I also experienced a no-fish caught day, and I had to think through what a ‘plan b’ would look like for lunch.”
Ritchie says the time spent working on her practicum gave her the chance to reflect on her future plans. “A practicum can be a great way to get a chance to try things and see whether they fit, to learn more about what you like in your field as well as what direction you may not want to take,” she says. “Self awareness was probably the biggest takeaway from my practicum. I learned a lot from the experience but perhaps most importantly realized I’m not done yet. I want to explore community development."
Ritchie is on the board of the Saskatoon Canoe Club where she loves bringing people together through lessons and events. She also coaches wrestling. “I like being in a tight-knit community,” she says. “My practicum made me think more about what it is in the recreation and travel sector that truly interests me—it’s people and connection.”
Ritchie made several contacts through her time with ADI that she says will be lasting and may help shape her future. “I enjoyed meeting people working in different capacities in the industry, especially during my trip north, and seeing what that could look like.”
Ritchie says she had high expectations for herself heading into her practicum, thinking she needed to come out with a clear direction. “Now I’m not in such a rush and that’s okay,” she says. “My direction after this month has changed a lot. I learned how important it is for me to do work that aligns with community.
“In the short term, I’m making plans to head to Norway to bike around Scandinavia. I’d like to try contract guiding and travel blogging before deciding on my next move, which I hope will be in community development.”
But first, she’ll take a hike across the stage at convocation.
Learn more about the Recreation and Tourism Management diploma program.