Hundreds of elementary kids recently got to experience a true sports buffet.
Sudbury SportLink Sport Council, along with numerous local sports organizations, hosted a fun day of physical activity for the kids at Laurentian University as part of the first ever Canada Games Day.
All day long children got to try a wide range of sports and
activities in a relaxed atmosphere.
Kids got to try sports from football and lacrosse to rugby and
ultimate Frisbee, just to name a few.
"It was a great success," said Susan Levesque, SportLink executive director. "We were trying to encourage kids to be physically active and get them excited about doing it. Our basic goal was to show kids there's a lot of fun activities to do in town as opposed to sitting on the coach and watching television or playing video games."
All day, the kids moved from sport to sport, trying out at least three activities for 25 minutes.
"It was a great opportunity for the kids to try something new and different," said Levesque. "We had over 500 children participate."
The kids, who were the main focus, raved about the exciting day.
"It was interesting and a lot of fun," said Julia Martellacci, a Grade 8 student at St. Francis school.
"There were a lot of professionals here and they taught us a lot of new sports. It was really worth while to try this...I'm glad I got the opportunity. I would love to do it all over again."
Students enjoy activities
"It was way better than being in a classroom doing math," said Veronica Mazzella, another Grade 8 St. Francis student. "It was well planned out and it has encouraged me to try a new sport or two. I would highly encourage other kids to try this if they get the chance."
And more kids will, as the event received funding and will run again next year.
"We'll be looking at holding it over two days and trying to get over 1,000 kids involved," said Levesque. "We want more sports too."
Sports clubs from across the city enjoyed giving kids a free crash course in athletics.
"It was amazing to see this many kids out having funs and trying new things," said Wayne Bennett, president of the Greater Sudbury Lacrosse Association. "The kids picked up lacrosse quite fast...it was impressive. We want to be back here next year to work with more kids."
The clubs took the opportunity to showcase what their organizations had to offer.
"We showed the kids what are league is all about and what we promote...fun," said Tim Worton, a coach from the Joe MacDonald Youth Football League. "We gave them information on our league and showed them how fun sports can be. We had a lot of fun too."
