Nothing But Net at North Bay
At 22 Wing, the Steve Nash Youth Basketball program gives youth, ages 6-13, the opportunity to enjoy the game of basketball in a safe, low competitive, yet high in fun environment. This developmental initiative gives participants the opportunity to maximize their potential. The participants receive a minimum two hours of basketball experience per week, one hour dedicated to skill development and conditioning, with the second hour devoted to fun, recreational play and life skills.
“The best thing about the program is the ability to create a passion for learning a new sport in a younger generation,” recreation programmer Todd Proulx explains. “It is fulfilling to look back at week one and see how far the participants are able to grow in a short period of time.”
He is also always impressed on how the past participants mentor the new participants year after year. With over 80 participants during the fall and winter programming season the Steve Nash Youth Basketball aims to expose youth to the values, qualities and skills that are required to succeed, not only in basketball, but also in the larger game of life. Some suggested life skills topics include education / career, drug awareness, as well as health and nutrition.
“It bridges the gap between the physical component that is required by day to day operational duties and allows families to laugh, play and keep them strong during training and deployments,” Proulx says. “The memories that are created will last a lifetime.”
Recreation Club Hosts International Competition
The Spartans Martial Arts Club at the Saint-Jean Garrison hosted the North American Jiu-Jitsu World Trials on March 14, 2009. Winners in each category qualify for the 2009 Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup to be held this summer.
Members of the Spartans Club Committee, working with a number of volunteers, ensured that all competitors and spectators felt welcomed and that the competition was held according to regulations.
The tournament was a complete success. Over 350 participants and spectators took part in the competition, and comments were very positive towards the organization and the host base. A request has even been made to hold a similar event in another discipline.
Sgt Levesque has been a member of the Club from the start. He has a black belt in TKD and participates actively in all Club activities. He is a TKD instructor in his spare time.
“Recreation activities allow CF members and the community to have fun by creating a calm and stable environment, which helps reduce problems from stress associated with military life,” states Levesque. “This event also raised the Club’s profile in the martial arts world and gave it experience in organizing an international activity.”
Skating for All Seasons
This April, the 4 Wing Cold Lake Recreation Department received an $85,000 Community Facility Enhancement Program grant from the Alberta Lottery Fund to build a Outdoor Rink/Skateboard Park. The program’s objective is to “provide financial assistance for the expansion and upgrading of Alberta’s extensive network of community-use facilities” and the money will be The used to purchase the rink boards and the outdoor lighting for the facility.
“Christmas comes a little early to the community of Cold Lake,” Community Recreation Director Joe Bedard says with a grin. “We’ll be able to open a new Outdoor Rink and Skateboard Facility for the beginning of the summer.”
Bedard also notes that without the strong support of the Wing Commander, Wing Units, MFRC, PSP team and the local volunteers, this project would never have gotten off the ground. “A strong team effort working for our Community,” he says.
The Rink/Skateboard Park is proceeding into the final stage of construction; it will feature steel constructed boards and warm changing shed for the winter rink, and ten new intermediate ramps, provided by monies from Base Funds, for the skateboarders to enjoy. The facility will also include basketball hoops for outdoor fun.
Warming Up with Winter Fun in Valcartier
The winter celebration held annually in February is a day of fun activities for young and old alike. This year’s edition featured tubing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, sleigh rides, snow croquet, inflatable structures, and much more. This very special event drew 325 participants from the Valcartier community.
The celebration was organized by PSP Community Recreation Services with the invaluable support of other organizations like the Family Centre and Deployment Support Group. Throughout the day, visitors were invited to enjoy outdoor activities. At noon, a hot meal was served, and visitors were treated to a show. The day ended on a sweet note with a free round of classic “beavertails” for all!
This was Mélissa Drapeau’s first visit to the event, but it certainly won’t be her last. “This is good for troop morale,” she says. “It allows them to have a good time. And better yet, they can have a good time with their families.”
Belly Dance
Four years ago the Community Recreation at CFB Shilo began offering: Into To Belly Dance. As the ladies began to register for the program they would ask “what should I wear, and will anybody be able to see me trying to dance?”
Now the program has evolved from a shy group of participants to a performing troop, the Habini Dance Group. No longer nervous, they proudly wear authentic costumes and attend seminars, and perform at various special events throughout the Shilo, and Brandon area. Most recently the Arabian Night themed Volunteer Extravaganza.
Recreation Instructor, Stephanie Helm-Emberly has been teaching for 6 years and says the recreation program plays an important role in creating a strong community. “Establishing relationships, forming a circle of friends that will get you out of the house or help you with your children when you need them is key to successfully living within the Canadian Forces community,” she says. “Recreation is a natural avenue for building and maintaining those relationships.”
And for the women of the Habini Dance Group, the bond built through learning to dance has put them centre stage, putting a spotlight on the benefits of recreation.