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Niagara College’s Athletics and Student Engagement department hosted its first-ever Girls Sports Day on October 15 at the Empire Sportsplex in Welland.
The free event – held in partnership with the City of Welland and with support from Canadian Tire Jumpstart and Medavie Health Foundation – was an opportunity for girls ages six to 12 to try out a variety of sports. The lineup included basketball, soccer, softball, beach volleyball, golf and tennis – all of which can be played at the new outdoor community sportsplex.
“It occurred to me that boys will be out at the sportsplex from dawn until dusk and that girls might not be as confident about going out to play,” said NC’s Director of Athletics and Student Engagement Michele O’Keefe.
“We wanted to support the girls by providing them with enough of a ground level knowledge to play at the new facility and not feel out of place,” O’Keefe added.
Staff, faculty and students from multiple areas of the College contributed to the event to make the day a memorable one for the more than 170 participants in attendance.
Knights varsity coaches and student-athletes ran stations to teach the technical aspects of each sport, after an initial warmup designed and led by Exercise Science for Health and Promotion students Joel Huard and Kailan Fraser.
Recreation Therapy Professor Erin Wilkie and her students supported the day through the lens of accessibility. “From the initial planning stages, we were dedicated to making this an inclusive event for girls with all abilities,” said Wilkie, who was a member of the planning committee.“Positioning Recreation Therapy students as activity leads allowed them to rotate through stations with the participants and provide on-the-spot adaptation suggestions, if needed,” she added. “Through some leisure education games, they were able to engage the girls in discussions about the benefits of sport and various locations they could go to play sports in their communities. With a candy prize on the line, the girls came up with some pretty long lists!”
Wilkie also engaged the Brock Niagara Penguins – a sporting program for youth and young adults with a physical disability.
“The Brock Niagara Penguins coaches and athletes joined us to demo wheelchair basketball and seated volleyball. This was a great opportunity for the girls to try something new and appreciate the high level of athleticism required,” she said.
Students from NC’s Culinary Management, Occupational Therapist Assistant/Physiotherapist Assistant, Business – Accounting, and Social Media Management programs also volunteered, while Hairstyling students taught the girls and their parents how to style hair when playing sports.
Knightro – NC’s official mascot – joined the fun and NC’s Student Administrative Council (NCSAC) provided a nutritious lunch for participants. Community coaches and local sport mascots were also in attendance.
O’Keefe noted that planning for the inaugural Welland Girls Sports Day was also a team effort. The event committee included City of Welland staff, as well as members from the NC community who contributed their expertise.
NC’s Emergency Management/Fire Safety Coordinator Katie McQuestion was instrumental in developing the safety plan for the event, while Athletics and Student Engagement’s Lindsay English, former staff member Casey Montambault, and NCSAC’s Jaclyn Tanguay, were also valuable members of the committee.
“I hope the day peaked the interests of the girls …to be active in their lives and to realize the great lessons that you can learn, and the confidence that you can gain, through sport,” said O’Keefe. “We’ve received amazing feedback and we hope to do this again next year.”
Equipment for the event was generously donated by Canadian Tire Jumpstart. The initiative also sparked the interest of FIBA – the International Basketball Federation – who donated 200 youth-sized yellow basketballs. At the end of the day, all participants were given the opportunity to choose one piece of equipment to take home with them.
“It was an amazing day!” added O’Keefe. “The girls had a blast playing sport and being active. Mission accomplished!”
