PEI 2023 Canada Winter Games Highlights
The PEI 2023 Canada Games have come to an end! Thank you to the PEI 2023 Host Society and Canada Games Council, athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and spectators who showed their commitment to True Sport.
The Canada Games began by declaring the 2023 Winter Games a True Sport event.
Each week at the Games, through a nomination process, an athlete who exemplified the True Sport Principles – both on and off the field of play – was presented the Pat Lechelt True Sport Award. Congratulations to Gabe Flynn from Team Newfoundland and Labrador and Mike Sumner from Team Yukon for this well-deserved recognition!
In addition, Ringette Canada further activated their commitment to True Sport during the Games by selecting one athlete from each province to be a True Sport Ringette Champion. These athletes embraced a values-based approach to sport and championed True Sport on social media before and during the Games.
There was also an opportunity to visit the True Sport booth at the Games, partake in interactive activities, learn about resources and tools to help activate the True Sport Principles, and pick up some fun swag!
If you would like to suggest an organization or a person to be in the True Sport Spotlight, we’d love to hear from you!
Submit your story online or email info@truesport.ca.
Excellence in Community Sport Webinar
Dr. Jennifer Walinga of Royal Roads University hosted the 22nd episode of the Sport, Leadership, and Social Change webinar series on February 15. In this episode, Dr. Walinga is joined by Karri Dawson, Executive Director, Values-Based Sport at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, Dr. Katie Misener, and Haley Baxter, a Ph.D. student from the University of Waterloo.
The webinar includes a lively discussion about what community-based sport programming and initiatives can teach us about “excellence in sport” and “excellent sport experiences.”
They delve into:
- What is being done in the community sport realm to support the prevention of abuse and corruption in sport,
- What policies, processes, structures, and behaviours best characterize positive community sport cultures, and
- How we might better leverage community sport principles to inform high-performance sport practice.
True Sport Champion of the Month
Grant McManes joined True Sport to help provide a positive message and direction for the K-12 athletics programs he oversaw in the Manitoba school division where he worked as the Coordinator of Healthy Living. In 2018, in learning more about the impact that True Sport can have, he joined the Champions program and helped pilot the Jr. True Sport Champions program. Since then, he has implemented True Sport in four different schools for students in grades 3-6 through a Learn to Play Hockey program. The program brings True Sport Ambassadors from area high schools to ‘Give Back’ to the community by helping the younger kids gear up, develop their hockey skills, and live the True Sport Principles.
More recently, Grant began volunteering as the on-ice instructor for one of the schools. The kids go through a nine-session program which covers the seven True Sport Principles. He begins each session with an overview, highlighting the True Sport principle they will be working on for that session. Some games and drills are designed to focus on a particular principle, taking inspiration from The True Sport Experience. After the hour-long session, the kids review the hockey skills and values they learned and finish with a True Sport cheer.
“I firmly believe in the core values of fairness, excellence, inclusion, and fun as the foundation for a positive sporting experience. In my opinion, by believing in, adhering to, and implementing the values and principles of True Sport, we are being proactive so that sport is enjoyable and safer for all,” said Grant.
Implementing True Sport in schools and teaching kids and athletes how to activate the True Sport Principles can make a great difference, since athletes are at the heart of sport. Athletes have the power to inspire, champion, and give back, bridging the gap between the sport we have and the sport we want.
Follow Grant on Twitter (@GMcManes) to see how he champions True Sport in his community
Responsible Coaching Movement
The Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) is a call to action for sport organizations, parents, and coaches to enact responsible coaching across Canada – on and off the field of play. Each pillar of the Responsible Coaching Movement provides crucial elements, resources and processes to follow for sport to be Safe, Smart and Secure for all.
There are three pillars:
- Rule of Two
- Background Screening
- Ethics Training
Let’s learn about this first pillar.
Rule of Two
The goal of the Rule of Two is to ensure all interactions and communications are in open, observable, and justifiable settings. When following the Rule of Two, two responsible adults (a coach, staff, parent, or screened volunteer) are present with a participant. There may be exceptions in emergency situations. Check with your sport organization as to how the Rule of Two is enforced.
What can you do:
- Review the Rule of Two section of the Checklist for Sport Organizations, which offers resources, templates and useful links to set you on the right path.
- Take the Coaching Association of Canada’s (CAC) Understanding the Rule of Two eLearning module, which outlines how you can increase the safety and security of sport participants while protecting all those involved.
- Share the Rule of Two infographic with stakeholders and post it in visible areas to ensure all participants clearly understand the key points.
- Refer to the True Sport Coach Selection Process, which lays out an approach to coach selection based on values and principles. Proper coach selection ensures athletes’ safety and provides participants with the best possible sport environment.
- More information can be found at www.coach.ca/RCM