December 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 18

People for Parks
Tom Norquist: A Pioneer for Play
By Samantha Bartram

lose your eyes and picture yourself situated on a playground swing.
Gently pumping your legs back and forth, you begin to move, enjoying the breeze, hearing the creak of the chain and feeling the sense of
freedom that comes from sailing through the air. That experience is owed to
the stimulation of the vestibular system - the tiny canals and organs located
in the inner ear. They're responsible for our sense of balance and of our body
in space. They're also responsible for Tom Norquist's profound love of play,
which he attributes to his fondness for swinging. " I love to swing because of
the way it affects my inner ear, " the senior vice president of product development and design at PlayCore's GameTime says. " Experts...explain that during
swinging, the three semicircular canals in the inner ear are responding to movement and acceleration in the horizontal, vertical and diagonal planes. For me,
it just feels really good, especially when I close my eyes. "
But it wasn't just the act of swinging that motivated Norquist to make
a career out of play. It was the connection between the act of play
and a child's healthy development
that fomented the " aha " moment
he needed. " The same experts have

explained that [vestibular] stimulation is directly related to our sense
of balance, " Norquist continues.
" This reminds me of my first play research experience back in 1984 when
Ken Kirn, the president of [outdoor
equipment manufacturer] Columbia

Tom Norquist

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Cascade [Company], explained that
young children having difficulty with
balancing may also have difficulty
with reading. Ken introduced me
to the world of play research and...
sparked my lifelong love for play. "
Advocating Play for All
Norquist's introduction to the world
of playgrounds and site amenities
took place at Columbia Cascade.
Fresh from earning bachelors' degrees in finance/law and marketing
at Portland State University, Norquist
spent the subsequent decade learning
all he could about the industry.
In 1995, he was a founding board
member of the International Play
Equipment Manufacturer's Association (IPEMA), and later served as
president and treasurer before settling into his current role as secretary.
He's also a long-term, active representative for the American Society
for Testing and Materials (ASTM),
the international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards
for a wide range of materials, products, systems and services, including
those related to playgrounds.
During the past 30 years,
Norquist's name has appeared on a
number of prestigious boards and organizations related to play and equal
access, including the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS),
the United States Access Board's
Recreation Access Advisory Committee, the International Playground
Contractor's Association (NPCAI),
the U.S. Play Coalition and the

December 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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