2015 Year of Sport in Canada

When David Johnson, Governor General of Canada proclaimed 2015 as the Year of Sport in Canada, he provided an opportunity to celebrate sport across the country and in our hometowns.

Lethbridge has much to celebrate! Lethbridge will be well represented by athletes and volunteers at the 2015 Pan American / Para Pan American Games this July in Toronto - Rachel Nicol (swimming), Coby Iwaasa (racquetball), Ashley Steacy (Rugby) and volunteer Michel Grayson (athletes and volunteers announced by printing deadline)

Lethbridge continues to host major sport events in a variety of sports – something for everyone. To keep up to date, check out our Upcoming Events page, http://LethbridgeSportCouncil.ca/news/upcoming-events 

The season of sports awards and induction ceremonies is coming to a close but the spirit of sport lives on, all year round, indoors and outdoors, in structured setting and spontaneously in our backyards and neighbourhood parks. Are parks still being used in this way?

As a kid, my son would get a phone call from one of the older kids on the street to meet them in the park for a game of baseball. Kids gathered without caring if they had the right (or any) equipment, or skill – they would learn as they played.

An article on ActiveForLife.com covers an interview with John Herdman, Canada’s Women’s national soccer team coach, who is concerned there is too many structured play settings with constant “adult” coaching.

The theory goes like this: As unstructured free play steadily disappears in affluent countries such as Canada, our kids are not developing the movement skills and basic decision-making abilities that experts believe are developed during unstructured play.

A solution is a grassroots movement of volunteer “play angels” who can promote free play for kids in a safe environment. The idea is that play angels would be adults who offer their time to supervise kids in their neighbourhood in unstructured play. We need those moms and dads and uncles and aunts who are prepared to help these kids and provide safe opportunities.

The play angel’s responsibility would be to help provide those opportunities where imagination and enjoyment can flow, and kids can learn lessons about winning and losing without a parent worrying about it.

Become a “play angel” - offer 30-45 minutes of your time each week providing your children and their friends a place to play in the local park in a safe environment. Sit and watch. No need to cheer. Remember this is meant to be unstructured.