Last night was our "Champion's Club" event for Sport Central. I have been on the Board of SC for, I don't know, 8 years or so and sitting my likely last term. The event was a Q & A with Mattias Ekholm and his wife Ida Bjornstad. Dare I say Ida stole the show with passionate commentary about the power of sport in society. Her two asks: 1) we keep sport affordable and 2) we keep sport fun. I think about these two things often. I think about the "spiraling up" of youth sport; the camps, private coaching, etc... and how that impacts the desire to be involved of athletes who that is not in the cards for. I don't have a solution, but I think of "inclusivity" and of all the things that may make people feel excluded - whether it be the matching tracksuits for a few hundred bucks or the feeling you are being left behind because you cannot partake in the "extracurriculars" the rest of the team does. I also think about the bias to "high performance" as the goal of sport; I certainly have that. But much of the value of sport can be found at all levels. Organizations, teams and such need to find pathways to keep kids involved and bonus points if they don't feel like a failure to go on that diverging stream. Finally, to see Mattias and Ida, I am reminded how great having a true partner as, well, a partner is. If you want to be part of the mission: "“Building better people is the goal, sport is the vehicle." then see below! https://lnkd.in/gUPrbN2N
John Liston
7mo
Well said Matthew Hewson. 75% of kids quit sport around 13-15, which is a time in life it could help them the most. Let’s keep kids is sport and remove the barriers at Ida mentioned, money and keeping it fun!
Don Ellis
7mo
Hi Matt, well said and thank you for volunteering with SC. Financial barriers keep 1 in 3 Canadian kids out of organized sports, we need to change that. Kids need a balance of structure and unstructured play.
My fav player!
An inspirational evening! Thank you for your continued commitment in supporting our mission.