Nor would she have been able to influence the lives of tens of thousands of Utah youngsters since 1989, exposing them to the benefits and joys of pursuing a healthy lifestyle in the state's mountains.
But, with passion, Garuccio has done just that as director of Ski Utah's school program. She developed what is now called "Learn to Ski and Ride," an educational program that teaches fourth graders about the importance of physical fitness and participation in lifetime sports - such as skiing and snowboarding.
More than 7,000 fourth graders at 100-plus schools now participate in the program each year.
"If kids are active as youngsters, they generally grow up to be active adults," said Garuccio, of Sandy. "We're giving them something to do in the winter months for the rest of their lives. People should be jumping up and down [in excitement] over that."
Raelene Davis appreciates that emphasis. She is marketing director for Ski Utah, marketing arm of the state's 13 active ski resorts, and back in the late '80s she spearheaded an effort to get a skiing-oriented fitness program into Utah's schools - partly because the ski industry's future resides in perpetually cultivating newcomers. Start 'em young and they are more likely to endure.
Davis had met Garuccio before and figured she might be a perfect fit for advancing Ski Utah's goal. Garuccio already was an accomplished triathlete. She was also a certified ski instructor. She had coaching experience in swimming, field hockey, tennis and triathlon.
On top of all that, Garuccio was an educator - she had a bachelor's degree in physical education from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport and a master's in health and fitness from the University of Utah.
"She had written curriculum before," Davis said, "and what she put together met the standards of the state's healthy lifestyles curriculum to a T. Once this curriculum was developed, she met with schools and districts and, basically, everyone we could get to listen to us and to participate in winter sports."
Garuccio targeted fourth grade because the physical education curriculum blends in well with the core classes for that age group, particularly Utah geography classes. There's no doubt, she emphasized, that mountains sustain this state. Plus, it is an ideal time in a child's physical development to take on the challenge of mastering a sport such as skiing.
"There is such an emphasis on team sports - and there is nothing wrong with that - but it would be nice if kids have something they can do over their lifetimes. [Unlike baseball], you don't need nine people to go skiing or snowboarding," she said. "But underneath it all, everybody should have the opportunity to go to the mountains and take advantage of this lifetime sport right in their back yard."
And, she added, "winter is when people hibernate the most. They need something to do outside."
Garuccio's approach seems just right to Davis.
"It was never intended to be just 'Learn to Ski.' It was more about fitness, getting kids fit to participate in winter sports," she said. "It teaches kids balance and flexibility, just really good skills that apply to all types of physical activities."
The program begins with basic drills to build aerobic endurance, expands that while developing muscular strength and then adds general motor skill development exercises and ski/snowboard specific skills. Children receive one dry-land ski or snowboard lesson taught by an instructor brought into their school from a Utah resort, and top off their effort with a day on the slopes - with Ski Utah scholarships available to help those kids who cannot afford a lift ticket.
"Ask any instructor on the mountain and they will tell you these kids go a lot farther a lot faster than if they just went up to get a lesson," said Davis, who is particularly pleased the opportunity is available to students near resorts statewide.
Garuccio has tweaked the program just about every year since its inception.
She has developed a "High Performance Fit Kid Assembly" that she does at schools (Upland Terrace Elementary School in Olympus Cove was the latest, on Monday). She has incorporated a nutrition segment into her curriculum, explaining to children how they can eat for energy, for performance, and how they need to remain hydrated."
Since 2001, Garuccio and Ski Utah also have given out a Fitness Award. "That heightens the enthusiasm so we get more participation and makes it a more viable activity we can keep in schools," she said, contending the skills her program provide are ideal preparation for the Presidential Physical Fitness Awards.
Together, she said, they teach that "if you want to play sports safely, you need some aerobic fitness and you need to be strong."
Getting that message across has been more difficult since the Bush Administration instituted its No Child Left Behind initiative, Garuccio said. Some schools are hesitant to put resources into a program whose benefits do not show up on standardized test forms.
But she pushes forward nonetheless, heartened by frequent encounters with now-grown people who attribute their involvement in skiing or snowboarding to her program.
"It kind of makes you feel old," chuckled Garuccio, who also works in human resources at The Canyons Resort outside of Park City. "I've hired people at The Canyons who started with me."
And she never tires of receiving drawings from students or their verbal expressions of appreciation. "The kids always say it's the best field trip they ever go on."
Davis marveled at Garuccio's energy.
"Jo organizes all the schools, goes out and trains instructors, organizes buses to take the kids and equipment rentals, makes calls every night reminding teachers that they're going on the tour tomorrow. It's a huge responsibility," said Davis. "If she left, it would be really hard to replace her."
