Students want school sports for everyone
Liberal government funds provincewide intramurals program
CAMBRIDGE — Active kids know you’ll be a better student if you also run, jump, throw and sweat.
It’s why 300 student leaders from 46 area schools gathered Thursday in Cambridge to promote lunchtime intramural sports, open to all. They want classmates to be more active in a fitness program called “Raise the Bar.”
“It helps me not stress over stuff. I get really stressed over school,” said gymnast Jillian Forde, 10.
Jillian said learning a new gymnastics skill makes her happy. Then she feels on top of the world and concentrates better at St. Agnes Catholic Elementary School in Waterloo. She wants her classmates to feel the same confidence.
Dancing helps ease the anxiety that Alex Thaler, 17, feels while at St. David Catholic Secondary School in Waterloo. She also swims, plays tennis and runs cross-country.
“Sports are a big stress reliever for me,” Alex said. She knows some students don’t have time for sports after school. So why not bring it to them at school, fun sports like dodge ball and handball?
“It’s a great way to get kids out of their comfort zone and into a safe space where they can be comfortable with their peers,” she said.
Ontario Education Minister Mitzie Hunter told intramural leaders that sports make schools fun and help students connect to their schools. This helps students learn. Her Liberal government funds the provincewide intramurals program.
Hunter remembers bicycling around her neighbourhood, following her younger brother who outran her bicycle. His commitment impressed her.
“I really had such respect for my younger brother. He was willing to go extra,” she said. “It ended up being such a good thing for his life.”
Intramural sports eases stress, promotes fitness and energizes schools, advocates say.
“Sometimes I’m frustrated at school, and then I go to gymnastics and it just helps me figure out everything I need to do,” said Owen Schill, 10. “Then I can get back to homework. It clears my mind.”
Owen plans to help promote intramurals at St. Agnes to help other students clear their minds too.