Bored? Get outside already
Ah, summer! It does my heart good to see all the physical activity on the local trails, waterways and fields. Driving by the Rotary Track at Crescent Heights lately is inspiring as young athletes run, jump, throw and sweat their way through the various track meets and training for same. The bike trails are getting well used. The local waterways are busy with kayaks, canoes and paddle-boards floating along. The tennis courts, ball diamonds, soccer pitches, and pickleball courts are rife with activity.
So contrary to all the negative Nancy’s who say there’s “nuttin ta do,” there are opportunities aplenty to get out and get moving.
In support of all this commitment to healthy lifestyles I would like to take the opportunity to celebrate some of the awesome participants and events within our reach here in the southeast corner.
Hats off to the folks who crushed the Rattler Run way back in April before summer really hit.
Congrats to the committed (or need to be committed) athletes who completed the Spartan Beast Obstacle Course Race in Montana a couple weeks ago. Three of our staff mates at the Family Leisure Centre did us proud and really did not look as totally flayed as they should after a demanding event like that.
Demanding event you say? Congrats to the over 100 athletes who braved the 4 a.m. start time and then gruelled their way through eight hours of adventure racing last weekend in the Medicine Hat Massacre out in Elkwater. My buds and I who helped set up some of the course can attest that the amount of trees blown down on Spruce Coulee bike trail and the blowdown on the hiking section made for some extremely tough slogging.
Speaking of hiking and biking, a new event, the Coal Burner Adventure Race, will see its inauguration this fall utilizing the awesome single track mountain bike terrain that Redcliff offers. It will also incorporate the trails on the south side of the river out toward Echo Dale. This event corresponds with Redcliff Days and happens Saturday, Sept. 29.
Check out these other local fitness opportunities:
— Conquer the Coulee Obstacle Course Race: Saturday, May 26 at Kin Coulee.
— Medicine Hat Gran Fondo Bicycle Road Ride: Saturday, June 9.
— YMCA Fathers Day River Run: Sunday, June 17 in the scenic river valley.
— Foam Fest Obstacle Course Race: June 30 at the Stampede Grounds.
— Southern Alberta Summer Games: Taber July 4-7 with events such as cycling, tennis, track and field, swimming; 24 different events in total.
— Battle Creek Challenge Mountain Bike Race: Aug. 25 in Elkwater. The 670 Mountain Bike Club has been busy adding more and more world class single track trails out there that will not disappoint.
— Conquer the Ridge Half Marathon: Oct. 13 at Echo Dale.
I’m sure there is more, apologies for omissions, but the bottom line is you really have no excuse.
Get out there and get busy. Happy summer fun.
Ed Stiles BPE, Certified Exercise Physiologist is a member of the Alberta Sport Development Centre’s Performance Enhancement Team and is the Fitness Coordinator at the Family Leisure Centre he can be reached via email at asdc@mhc.ab.ca, or at ed1sti@medicinehat.ca.
The Medicine Hat Sun Devils No. 2 are winning by committee.
Six different players scored to extend the local peewee squad’s Southern Alberta Lacrosse League season-opening winning streak to seven games with a 6-4 victory over the Sun Devils No. 1 Thursday at the Kinplex.
While the Sun Devils No. 1 racked up an early 3-0 lead on goals from Torin Thickson, Baker Thompson and Josh Evaschesen, their cross-town counterparts rallied to steal the lead with four unanswered goals before locking down the victory.
Hudson Gainer kick-started the offence to narrow the gap at the end of the first, then Jack Henry and Austin Watts drew even in the second before Christian Niebergall stole away the lead in the third.
While Evaschesen struck again to knot the game back up a minute later, Wyatt Bower and Madden Kelly answered right back to secure the victory — leaving the Sun Devils No. 1 at 4-3 on the season.