Paint The Town Red!
Date: Jan 27, 2010
Entry: I'm sure Port Coquitlam will show Canada how it's done.
We are one of the most generous and community orientated cities in North America!
I know this firsthand because Port Coquitlam Costco has beat all company records in fundraising for Children"s Hospital and Breakfast Clubs of Canada.
I have been involved with the fundraising at the Port Coquitlam Costco for years and we astound the rest of the company with the community support.
We have advertised and plan to Paint The Town Red on February 11th to show our continued community support.
Paint The Town Red!
Date: Jan 27, 2010
Entry: I'm sure Port Coquitlam will show Canada how it's done.
We are one of the most generous and community orientated cities in North America!
I know this firsthand because Port Coquitlam Costco has beat...
more
Port Coquitlam
Date: Dec 12, 2009
Entry: I look forward to making Feb.11 a great day with my family and I know Poco will put on a good show we always do.
Port Coquitlam
Date: Dec 12, 2009
Entry: I look forward to making Feb.11 a great day with my family and I know Poco will put on a good show we always do.
THROUGH THE SEASONS AND MAY DAY PARADE IN PORT COQUITLAM
Date: Dec 9, 2009
Entry: Having lived in Port Coquitlam for 43 plus years we've grown like the garden to experience the community spirit of helping youth through sports and art. The spirit of helping those in need and seniors that are in need of assistance. There is that strong urge to help that permeates from seniors to our younger generation. May this spirit live on. "VIVA PORT COQUITLAM".
THROUGH THE SEASONS AND MAY DAY PARADE IN PORT COQUITLAM
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Date: Dec 9, 2009
Entry: Having lived in Port Coquitlam for 43 plus years we've grown like the garden to experience the community spirit of helping youth through sports and art. The spirit of helping those in need and seniors... more
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2nd Annual Port Coquitlam Sport Summit
Date: Dec 3, 2009
Entry: The strength of our sport community is measured by its ability to work together. The Sport Summit is an integral part of communicating ideas and advancing the knowledge of our coaches, officials, executives, and parents in the community. This forum allows all sport groups an opportunity to network, learn about athlete development, and be inspired to increase participation in sport. The vision is “Strengthening our Community Through Participation in Sport.” To succeed, we must work together.
Friday November 20, 2009: (SUMMARY)
Thanks to Jeff Gombar for doing such a fantastic job emceeing the event.
Opening remarks were given by Councillor Glenn Pollock who reiterated the importance of all sport groups working together to increase participation in sport in our community. He commented on the positive effect sports can have on a community such as physical fitness, social relationships, mental well-being, and fostering community pride.
Winner of the Investor’s Group Volunteer Sport Administrator Award went to Ted Fridge who has spent decades as a sport administrator in lacrosse. Ted held every local administrator role from president, general manager, coordinator, coach, and sometimes played water boy. He held many positions in the BCLA and also sat on the Board of Governors with the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. On November 13, 2009 Ted was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame as a builder. Wendy Fridge accepted the award on Ted’s behalf.
Olympic Athlete, Chris Rinke spoke about growing up with Terry Fox, his love of sport, and his belief that all kids should be multi-sport athletes. He mentioned coaches such as Fred Tink, Al Thomas, Mike Ross, and Mike Jones who had a positive impact on his wrestling career and subsequently his life. He told the stories of going to 2 Olympic Games and hard work that went along with it.
Our opening keynote Bruce Brown from ProActive Coaching shared his philosophy that athletic experience should provide an opportunity for character growth. He spoke of the 10 important lessons athletes should learn from their athletic experience:
1) Integrity
2) Teachable Spirit
3) Academic Responsibility
4) Confidence
5) Accountability
6) Discipline
7) Mental Toughness
8) Pride and Humility
9) Leadership and Service and
10) Selflessness
His message on character development brought great insight that the best thing kids can gain from sport is how to be a good citizen.
After the closing remarks, appetizers were offered and everyone stayed to discuss the message that was delivered.
Saturday November 21: (SUMMARY)
Glenn Mitzel introduced the day with some research that explained 72% of kids leave sport by the age of 13 years old. He stated the following reasons:
1) sport stopped being fun
2) poor parental behaviour
3) too much focus on winning
4) coach played favourites
5) coach was a poor teacher
6) lost interest
7) too much pressure and
8) needed time to study.
That being said, we need to pay attention and learn from this. What are we doing to our 11-13 yr olds and how do we prevent 72% of them from leaving sport next year?
Bernie Asbell gave an update on the development of the draft Sport Strategy. After some background information, he outlined the importance of Leadership, sharing resources, improving communication, and celebrating community effects. Bernie introduced the idea of a Sport Alliance/Council and the Vision of “Strengthening our Community Through Participation in Sport”. He spoke about aligning to programs such as LTAD and True Sport as well as Community Master Plans and the School Districts vision. Participants showed an interest in the direction with no objections on the development and strategies to date.
Bruce Brown gave a synopsis of his Friday evening presentation and then spoke about developing a team using core covenants. Covenants begin with a vision and purpose and need to be intentionally ingrained to provide a foundation and identity. They need to be visible and set a team apart from all the others. Covenants create a culture within a team that exudes pride and confidence. Character development through living core covenants is a life long reward. It’s a coach’s greatest legacy.
Due to illness Drew Mitchell was unable to present on the Long Term Athlete Development Model so Bob Comartin stepped in and delivered the presentation. Bob spoke about the framework of the LTAD as a continuum of growth and skill development. When proper skills are taught throughout ones development, we improve an athlete’s ability to succeed in sport. Physical literacy is a key component to learning fundamental movement skills at an early age. Up to the age of 6 yrs old, kids need to participate in activities that involve running, skipping, hopping, jumping, climbing, throwing, kicking, catching, swimming, twirling, skating, and skiing. Positive encouragement in participation should supersede mastery of skill. As kids get older (5-9 yrs) they enter the formative years for improving agility, balance, and coordination. Kids should play multiple sports throughout the year and not engage in single-sport specialization. Again as they grow (8-12 yrs) kids gain a further mastery of gross motor movement skills and through a variety of sports, gain sport movement skills. Only 30% of time should be spent on competition compared to 70% on skill development or practice. This is where the fun needs to be put back into sport as it is where kids begin to drop off. As they hit the transition into teenage hood (11-16 yrs) their mind and bodies change at warp-speed. Several messages regarding healthy living and exercise needs to be introduced in a fun way. Fun must be put back into the game at this age level. Most kids will move into the “Active for Life” stage and need quality programs and mentors to learn from. Athletes who move on to elite levels of competition (15+ yrs) will strive for high performance goals. If we do a better job with young children, more youth and adults will live “Active for Life”.
Parks & Recreation Staff spoke on key sport topics:
Jan Kulhanek spoke on the HIGH FIVE Sport program. She reported that this program focuses on the emotional, social, and cognitive development of children and is in alignment to the LTAD. The program teaches how to engage and motivate athletes, how to design competition that promotes Fair Play, how to communicate effectively with athletes and parents, how to effectively manage behaviour, and how to prepare children emotionally for competition and manage feelings around winning and losing.
Nathan Taylor spoke on the BC Athletics Run, Jump Throw Program. He identified that this program teaches physical literacy and is in alignment with the LTAD. He mentioned that all sports involve some activity that is supported by running, jumping, or throwing. Teaching kids proper skills to achieve physical literacy is important for lifelong participation in physical activity. Nathan laid out the opportunities to become certified for both Teachers and Coaches.
Bob Comartin spoke on the Principles of True Sport. It is a National social movement supporting value-based sport. The values of True Sport are Fair Play, Fun, Inclusion, and Excellence. The Principles are:
1) Go For It-discover how good you can be
2) Play Fair-play honestly and obey the rules
3) Respect Others-respect teammates, competitors, coaches, and officials
4) Keep It Fun-have a good time
5) Stay Healthy-respect your body, keep in shape, and
6) Give Back-do something to help your community.
To declare your organization as a True Sport Organization, go to www.truesport.ca and join.
Closing keynote Chris Johnson, AKA Dr. Laugh, exhausted all emotions of the crowd. Chris spoke on his perspective of coaching and had everyone thinking about the impact we have on children and their love of playing sports. Everything we do in kids sports should promote fun, laughter, and proper physical education. He noted a major concern with the lack of specialized physical education teachers in elementary schools. He also mentioned a lack in coaching education and between teachers and coaches they are the ones responsible for teaching our kids how to be active. No wonder kids are dropping out and no wonder we’re leading the world in childhood obesity. Chris constantly addressed the shortcomings of children’s sport through some interesting messages. One asking “Is there such thing as a good penalty?” This brought forth the idea that respecting sport and your competitors is not followed enough in sport. He also spoke on physical education not teaching to the majority and that it’s humiliating to those who are not blessed with an athletic body type. In closing, Chris distributed several coaching manuals with dozens of fun games for kids. If kids are playing and you here them laughing, don’t bother them with rules or trying to play like adults. Let the kids play and have fun.
2nd Annual Port Coquitlam Sport Summit
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Date: Dec 3, 2009
Entry: The strength of our sport community is measured by its ability to work together. The Sport Summit is an integral part of communicating ideas and advancing the knowledge of our coaches, officials, executives,... more
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Torch Run Spirit is Building!
Date: Dec 2, 2009
Entry: The Community of Port Coquitlam is building enthusiasm for the much anticipated torch relay! The community is working hard to ensure our event is spectacular and memorable for each resident! Come and join us February 11 and paint the town red with community spirit!
Torch Run Spirit is Building!
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Date: Dec 2, 2009
Entry: The Community of Port Coquitlam is building enthusiasm for the much anticipated torch relay! The community is working hard to ensure our event is spectacular and memorable for each resident! Come and... more
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Painting the Spirit
Date: Nov 9, 2009
Entry: This weekend players from all minor sport groups came together to paint logos and more on the walls of the Port Coquitlam Recreation Complex bringing alive the Spirit of Sport in Port Coquitlam. Leading up to the Winter Games this is a great way for our community to leave a legacy.
PoCo Spirit is Contagious
Date: Mar 11, 2009
Entry: Small town Port Coquitlam has an amazing group of volunteers that lead our hometown Spirit Committee. Our committee started with just a few folks and has spread and involves almost 100 people and different organizations all working to lead our community! Together the committee and the sub-committee host a week long festival, and summer long festival, and walk of fame programs!! Port Coquitlam displays pride and spirit in everything and is a great community to a part of!
PoCo Spirit is Contagious
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Date: Mar 11, 2009
Entry: Small town Port Coquitlam has an amazing group of volunteers that lead our hometown Spirit Committee. Our committee started with just a few folks and has spread and involves almost 100 people and different... more
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Poco Spirit
Date: Mar 8, 2009
Entry: Spirit of Port Coquitlam is Contagious
Poco Spirit
Date: Mar 8, 2009
Entry: Spirit of Port Coquitlam is Contagious
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