Sport Fest connects athletes with their sport of choice

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on May 31, 2022.

Herald photo by Justin Seward Zachary Olfert gets a chance to attempt break a block during Sport Fest Saturday at the Servus Sports Centre.

Lethbridge Sport Council saw the return of their Sport Fest to Servus Sports Centre on Saturday.
Sport Fest had over 30 sports organization vendors present and four come try-it areas.
New-to-the-event exhibitors included skating, curling, horseshoes, skateboarding, soccer, roller hockey, boxing and gymnastics to name a few.
“Our goal is connect the people who come with some activities that they might be able to do in the future,” said Tanya Whipple, LSC communications manager.
“So if they’re interested in speed skating, they find the speed skating organization. And they might discover that they love to skateboard and they’ve never tried it before and this gives them an opportunity to try things they otherwise would not be able to try.”
Whipple thinks Sport Fest is important because it also give adults the opportunity to discover adult programs that they may not otherwise know about.
“So it kind of exposes you to everything all at once, all under one roof,” said Whipple.
Whipple noted that many sporting organizations across the city have noticed a decrease in numbers since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic while others have rebounded.
“And it’s just a matter of getting them connected back to the people,” she said.
“Some of them are looking to find new participants in their younger programs and whatever their goals are, we hope to help them here.”
LSC’s feeling was “fantastic” as they didn’t know how the event would go after a three-year hiatus.
“We did hold our in-person awards a couple of months ago and we had the largest turnout we’ve ever had, and so I think people are also eager to get out and do things,” said Whipple.
“And so same thing today. We weren’t sure how it would go but yeah we had a great turnout and we were busy all day long – lots of kids trying lots of things – and everybody seemed happy.”
The Bridge Blades Speed Skating Club was a vendor at Sport Fest and for them it was chance to expose the sport to the city.
“A lot of people don’t realize that we have a speed skating club, and they also don’t realize that we have a successful speed skating club,” said Peter Kremenik, Blades IT person, equipment manager and treasurer.
“And we take kids from ages five, once they can walk on skates, and we take them up all the way to a point where they become juniors and quite a few of them will move on to Calgary and skating in national competitions and we have one that skates internationally. So it means a lot for us to be here and just show people what we’ve got.”
Champion Taekwon-Do instructor Smith was teaching techniques such as self-control, discipline and basic skills to kids all day long.
“We’re always reaching out into the community and trying to get more people into Taekwondo because it’s honestly my favourite thing,” said Smith.
“So it’s really nice to be able to work with kids and see them be able to learn and grow and gain self-confidence because Taekwondo-Do is really a lifelong sport. And it allows you to have confidence in who you are and your actions, as well as building physical strength.”