Two kids learning to play field hockey in Calgary (Truman Bartman CMRU.ca)
The city of Calgary is home to over one million people who come from various walks of life. Not every person has the ability to afford the costs that come with playing sports. Financial income can often play a spoiler and limit the opportunities that both kids and adults have when it comes to accessibility to sports. Sport Calgary is a non-profit that works to allow all Calgarians to participate in sports around the community.
What Sport Calgary is all about
The goals of the non-profit follow an ideology of wanting to make sport a place for everyone regardless of income, age, gender, background, or disability. This is done through countless programs that they have created for Calgarians to be able to get the chance to experience any sport from speed skating to taekwondo. Former 2x gold Olympic medalist and President of Sport Calgary Catriona Le May Doan said, “I often have to go back and look through the catalogue of activities that we offer because there are so many unique options”. These sports can be taken part in by anyone during times when All Sport One day free events are offered around the city. Le May Doan mentioned that the day is “more than just a single day” and that Sport Calgary has been focusing on the concept of “All sport one community” over the last little while to make sure that their efforts go beyond just a single day of the year.
Throughout this article, you will come across the term “Breaking the plane” This term is often used within the sports world when describing someone crossing the finish line. It signifies finally getting to the final goal or getting through the ultimate goal of a quest. This is exactly what Sport Calgary aims to achieve, by helping Calgarians get into sports.
What has been done
Sport Calgary sees the value in sports not just in getting Calgarians to be active but be a part of what Catriona Le May Doan sees as an environment that is “a family away from your family”. Below are just a few of the many strides that Sport Calgary has made throughout its time as a non-profit as well as what it continually does for the community daily:
● Creating free sports events in the city (i.e., All Sport One Day)
● Teaching and instructing both kids and adults on how to play certain sports
● Creates opportunities for Calgarians to get involved in the community and volunteer at their events
● Help promote living a healthy lifestyle and staying fit
● Allowing individuals a chance to participate regardless of their gender, age, disability, or experience
● Help create a safe space where people can connect and create bonds with others
Reflection
This project was an extremely important experience not just from a technical and broadcast standpoint, but a community lens. It makes you feel a part of something that is bigger than yourself and allows me the opportunity to get first-hand experience in that. For me and many others, Sport is more than just something to do, it is a community, an escape, a way to stay fit, and a way to grow as a person.
Throughout my interview process with Catriona and speaking with countless other Calgarians whom I had the pleasure of filming for my project, I gained lots of important perspectives on not just what Sport Calgary is doing in the community but how important Sport is to the city of Calgary. Sport Calgary is such an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to allowing citizens to be a part of something regardless of their race, gender, ability, or financial standing. Sport Calgary plays a big role in allowing people to have the chance to try anything Sport-related and create everlasting memories.
One of the biggest takeaways I had from my interview was Catriona talking about how the stories that come from Sport Calgary’s work are what motivates the nonprofit to keep doing what they do. Just like Sport Calgary, I feel like what I produced was able to make people aware of what Sport Calgary can do for them and two highlight the stories within the nonprofit because stories are really what make nonprofits like Sport Calgary so impactful. Looking back at how things went, I was super proud of the interview that I did with Catriona. It turned out exactly how I imagined it. I often go back and watch the unedited version because it often brightens my day. Catriona was awesome to work with, really easy to communicate with, and treated me with the utmost respect, which I appreciated.
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