Sport can have amazing benefits – we have always known this to be true. Personally, I believe, it is a great way to free up energy that the human body contains. This is my honest and true opinion for any sort of sport, be it collective or individual. Scientific literature extolling the virtues of sport has been penned in abundance, much of which I have had a keen interest in for a number of years.
Sport has the capability to release stress, leading to a more relaxing lifestyle overall – whether for a professional, a parent or even a child. Children these days are under an incredible amount of pressure to perform at school which is documented to lead to pressure at home and cause high amounts of anxiety. According to research by the World Health Organisation (WHO) the leading causes of illnesses and disabilities in schools around the world include depression, anxiety and behavior difficulties.
With the pressures put on these children in mind and armed with the knowledge of the positive impact and advantages of sports, I decided to introduce a team sport to the region and perhaps encourage local young people to reap these benefits. As a Canadian, ice hockey was of course a natural choice for me – a sport which was incredibly influential throughout my childhood.
We decided to steam forward and create the region’s first ever ice hockey club – Les Renards (the Foxes). In the short amount of time we took to initially set up the group, we were fortunate to receive massive support from the local community.
Time Well Spent is Never Wasted
There are those who see time spent playing as time wasted, which is not the case in my opinion. Perhaps more appropriate an expression would be “play is the work of children” – which is fundamental for children to be grow and flourish. The lifelong impact that sport can have on a person at a young age should make participation in sport more of a necessity than just something that is ‘nice to have’.
Team sports themselves are a great catalyst for teach children important life skills such as a sense of cooperation in a dynamic set-up and the ability to reflect on life’s many perplexing situations in a playful way. I, myself, attribute much of my knowledge and skills, to my early participation in team sports.
Growing up in Canada, ice hockey was the national sport. Many Canadians take a huge sense of pride in their love of the sport, with people of all ages taking part. As it happens, I come from a region of the country with a number of lakes. One nearby regularly froze during the winter months and was used as our ice rink. We would play hockey for hours on end, and as often as possible. From a young age, our mothers were involved in helping us master the basics tenets of ice hockey – coordination, balance, movement. Essentially, it was a part of our broader education. These days I realize just how privileged I was to have had this opportunity, having many fond memories of playing outside during winter. In summer we switched to street hockey to compensate for the lack of frozen lakes.
The Creation of Les Renards
The club is named after a fox – renard/e. Foxes themselves are associated with curiosity, cleverness and agility, with a playful aspect thrown in the mix. We wanted to integrate these characteristics into the team and its members. The children selected the name and later went on to design the logo for the club – it was important for us to put them at the center of this project as much as possible to give them a sense of ownership. Teams included the Men Foxes, the Women Foxes and the Teen Foxes, each represented with their own individual logo.
Initially when starting the team, we had 20 children, but incredibly quickly the club grew to around 100 in our region alone. Several new ice rinks and hockey teams were created during my tenure, for children, teenagers and adults alike. Social events were created surrounding hockey and the teams themselves, providing members with an exciting winter activity by providing a large space for them all to participate.
The club was created for boys and girls aged three to 18 – a wide age range. Parents of the younger teammates were encouraged to be involved, providing parents with a way to bond and have new experiences with their children. Teenagers are by nature more competitive and energetic, and of course these aspects needed to be carefully considered at all times.
It was incredibly important to me that all children were welcomed into the club, although sometimes it was a challenge to ensure this was being upheld. Inclusivity and accessibility were major elements incorporated into the team’s values and equality was paramount. It was vital that those from more modest backgrounds be prioritized and included as much as possible. We wanted it to be a time for everyone to have the opportunity to shine.
My Role in The Club
Being the founding president of the club, with three great assistants, my main role was to build the framework, mindset and objectives as well as providing guidance to achieve these goals. Sports tend to be competitive by nature, yet my responsibility and intentions were to promote the importance of a ‘time for play’ for all the children – an aspect which we know is vital for a child’s development. I always tried to put myself in the child’s shoes and consider their existence in today’s complex world. The initiatives put in place had the potential to alleviate the pressures put onto children.
We encouraged them to show off their team spirit, as well as a sense of togetherness with their fellow club members. The most important aspect was to have fun and enjoy the activities in which they were participating. Involvement of the local community was also significant. Giving people from a variety of different background the chance to socialize and converse in a more relaxed atmosphere, which led to the strengthening of social bonds.
Offering an Environment for Children to Flourish and Grow
The intended outcome of starting the club was to offer a space for kids to be themselves. To play and have fun, forgetting their obligations for a few hours each week. The special attention given to those from a more modest background has, as of today, allowed them to grow up and maintain personal friendships and relationships originating from the club.
The life lessons learnt from being a Fox proved invaluable in later life. As part of the team, they learned about cooperation and how, in most situations, it yields the best results. They had the opportunity to examine their strengths and weaknesses and understand how to manage their own emotions. I truly believe that the parents who were more involved with the club also learned a few things, such as how encouragement and support were a better alternative to expectations and demands.
The Opportunity of a Lifetime
My experience in founding this team was invaluable to me as a person. I was given the opportunity to take on this ambitious endeavor, with a rather uncertain future. At first the very concept was quite new to many of those involved. Nevertheless, being well supported by our community, we were able to instill all of the values we had intended.
Eventually the team ended up becoming the community’s undertaking, which brought me a deep sense of satisfaction. Seeing the growing confidence and increased self-esteem of these children and young people as they succeeded within the sport, made me incredibly proud. These are traits which I am sure they will retain throughout their lifetime.
I realized through this process, that giving is just as pleasant as receiving. We need to stand by the younger generations, which is made up of people who are very able, intelligent and capable of succeeding in today’s world. They will be around for a long time, and they are most certainly worth all of the attention and investment.
Marc-Andre Pepin 