Couple to push for more kids in sport
Waimate woman Carmen Hurst has created an opportunity to get more youth involved in sport.
Hurst, and husband Mark, have established the Get Sporty Foundation in an effort to provide financial assistance to school-aged children in the Waimate District, to enable them to participate in sport.
Hurst, a mother of two school-aged children, said the idea came about after discussions with other parents in Waimate.
‘‘I am quite heavily involved in sporting groups in Waimate and have been involved in sport all my life, and I think it’s important,’’ she said.
Hurst said sport was an important part of childhood, as it taught children about team participation, getting on with others, and how to win and lose.
‘‘We just noticed there was a lack of involvement.
‘‘My son plays rugby and daughter plays netball, and in their age groups, there are not a lot of children in their teams.
‘‘There should be more children playing sport.’’
Hurst had questions after conversations with other parents including if money was a factor, did children want to play sport or are they not playing as their parents work weekends?
‘‘There’s different factors and you can’t control all those things,’’ she said.
Hurst and her husband decided they were in a position to help other families who ‘‘genuinely need help playing sport’’.
‘‘I talk to a lot of parents and many believe the cost does inhibit some children from playing sport.’’
The couple had been weighing the idea up for a while, she said.
‘‘I’ve got an application form that I am going to circulate to Waimate schools and will ask for a referee of sorts with applications.
‘‘My plan is, if it takes off we will go down the line of putting all the structures in place. I think there is a need in the community,’’ Hurst said. ‘‘Time will tell.’’ Applicants needed to be genuine, she said. ‘‘When applications come in, we can assess them and we will be paying money directly to clubs, and helping out with uniforms and sporting equipment.
‘‘Often these children who need to play sport are the ones who can’t afford it.
‘‘I have always played sport, surely it can’t be a bad thing.’’
Anyone in the Waimate District keen to get involved can go to the Get Sporty Foundation page or email: getsportyfoundation@gmail.com