Pay It Forward

A valuable part of being a member of a sporting community is the ability to be inspired and the opportunity to inspire others.  As a member of the Cougars basketball team, I personally know that each and every athlete on our team has been greatly inspired by others throughout their basketball careers. Coaches, teammates, and relatives have all provided inspiration in some form or another to almost every member of our team (coaches and training staff included).  I speak on behalf of my teammates when I say that we have all been blessed to be part of such a great community. Our team has enjoyed success throughout the year, and has grown tremendously as a family in the past 6 months. In understanding our successes and privileges for being a member of such a great team, it is now our turn to inspire others in the basketball community.

Throughout the year, our team has been driven by hard work, commitment, and belief in ourselves. With our season now in playoffs, it is clear that our community has been very strong and successful. Our top priority at the moment is to get better everyday so that we may take this season as far as possible. Despite all of the success that we have had this year, improvements can be made to our community to help strengthen it even more.  

This year, we had a U15 girls basketball team come and watch one of our games. After the game they were invited into our team room to discuss playing basketball at a post secondary level. We gave the girls feedback regarding schoolwork, work ethic, and the joy of playing basketball at a higher level. This simple event was nothing strenuous for our team, but provided the young girls with a unique opportunity to meet players that offer them inspiration in their basketball communities. This off-season, and next season, the Cougars can do a better job of inviting youth teams to participate in activities like these. This will not only invite others to join in and enjoy the atmosphere of our community, but also provide an opportunity for our community members to apply our leadership skills. Everyone in our community has been inspired by someone, and now it is our turn to help inspire others. This will help strengthen our community now and in the future. 

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” -John Qunicy Adams 

Cougars Community

I have been a member of several sports teams throughout my life, but none has felt more like a community than the Mount Royal University women’s basketball team. I joined the team last September and have been enjoying my experience ever since! A large part of our team’s cohesiveness is the fact that most of the athletes are new to the program. The new faces on the team have allowed each and every one of us to be more open to new relationships and experiences. Both the athletes and coaches have made a solid effort to interact with each other before, during, and after each practice and game in order to continue to grow the relationships within the community. Each member of the team has a great respect for one another both as players and as individuals. Currently, our team is ranked second place is the ACAC South division with playoffs just around the corner. The mutual respect among community members and the dedication to hard work and commitment has allowed the team to grow more cohesively and improve the standings in the ACAC compared to last year.

Although it may seem that the only members of the Cougars basketball community are the players and coaches, this assumption could not be more wrong. Without the support of athletic therapists, event organizers, fans, and facility crews, the success of games and practices would be completely reversed. It is necessary to recognize the important role that these people play in the success of the community, and I believe the basketball team, including myself, and the coaches can do a better job of showing their appreciation to these members of the community. In order to improve the quality of the experience for all members of the community, I believe it would be beneficial to have an appreciation night for all of the “behind the scenes” members of the community. All of the players and coaches already feel appreciated and well respected in the community, but the encouraging fans, sound crew, film people, event planners, and promotions people need to have a least one night per season dedicated to them!

It wouldn’t be hard to organize a night to show the teams appreciation for everyone’s hard work, but until that night is organized: fans, sound crew, event organizers, film makers, photographers, promotions team, and maintenance staff, this is my shout out to all of you on behalf of the cougars:  thank you for being so amazing and contributing to the success of our community! We would not be where we are without all of you! 

Invictus

After studying physical education for two years, and now currently studying sport and recreation, I am not distanced from the notion of using sport as a lens for important political and cultural issues. The social importance of community development is not exempt from this viewpoint.

The movie Invictus takes place in the period after the fall of apartheid when South Africa hosted the Rugby World cup in 1995. Invictus tells the inspiring true story of how President Nelson Mandela joined forces with rugby captain Francois Pineaar to bridge the racial divide prevalent in the country. Although the movies follows the typical underdog team rising to the top in order to represent meaningful metaphorical things for the country at large, it is inspired by a true story, so stimulated emotions of admiration and satisfaction cannot be denied.

Throughout the movie, Nelson Mandela demonstrates generosity and openness to differences within the community, and with the support of Francois Pineaar, helps to inspire others to greatness. The Springbok rugby team becomes a symbol of the South African community as a whole.  The Springbok team has strong leadership in their captain, and demonstrates the importance of altruism and collectiveness when strengthening a community.  Through their acceptance of one another, the Springboks are able to "become a shining light in the world," and bring unlikely people together in celebration.

Invictus uses sport to create racial tolerance among a community, and also demonstrates the importance of appreciation for diversity, leadership, and inclusivity in community development. What can be learned from the movie regarding community development is the significance of strong direction from leaders, acceptance of diversity, and inspiration from one another. 

You Can't Lift a Stick With a Finger

I recently read an article called “Participation in sports and cultural activities among Aboriginal children and youth” (Smith, Findlay, and Crompton). As the title implies, the article discusses the rates of participation among Aboriginal children in sports and recreation, as well as the importance of partaking in physical activity and the limitations to involving ones self in recreation. The authors state that physical activity is important for children to explore their identity, control their emotions, and acquire social skills and self esteem (Smith, Findlay and Crompton 49).  The authors also conclude that participation in recreation was more likely to occur if the children were involved in some form of other social activity (Smith, Findlay, and Crompton 53).

Upon first reading the article, I thought to myself, “this is just another typical article focusing on the importance of physical activity… blah blah blah!” After further reflection, I was able to pull general ideas out of the article that are of great significance: without a sense of community, participation in sport is unlikely and highly ineffective. What’s quite interesting is that participation in sport is more based upon feeling a sense of belonging and equality, rather than having a general interest in sports or skills required for sports.

I am able to justify this first hand. On the Mount Royal University basketball team, before every practice our coach gives us a quote of the day. Just before we began our regular season, the quote was “you can’t lift a stick with a finger.” As seemingly corny as the quote is, I understand where my coach was coming from.  In order to have a successful experience in sport and recreation- that is accomplishing your goals and enjoying it along the way- you need to have the feeling that you belong to a support network that is willing to work together. The Mount Royal Cougars basketball team is the most socially cohesive team that I have ever been a part of. Every member of the team cares for, supports, and respects one another, and we are all willing to work together to reach our goals. It has been through my experience with the Cougars that I have realized that a sense of belonging and equality are essential to a well-rounded sport and recreation experience.

As an athlete, youth coach, and potential employee in the sport and recreation sector, it is of utmost importance that I understand the significance of community in sport participation. It is clear to me that initial and continued participation in sport and recreation isn’t necessarily based on skill level or talent, but more so on the feeling of inclusion and importance that resonates with members of sport and recreation communities. In order to grow sport and recreation involvement, particularly among youth, a focus on the community aspect of participation needs to be emphasized. Everyone within the community needs to openly invite others to join, and buy into the concept of respect and inclusion for one another. If not all members of the sport and recreation community are willing to create a sense of belonging among each other, the success of the community will fail. After all, you can’t life a stick with just one finger.