Galt exhibits put spotlight on local sports
By Lethbridge Herald on October 30, 2024.
Staff demonstrate a game for kids at their Game Play exhibit during a media invite this week at the Galt Museum.
Herald photo by Alexandra NoadAlexandra Noad – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Galt Museum has opened two temporary exhibits which give a one-two punch telling the history of sports in Lethbridge.
To commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the venue originally known as the Canada Games Sportsplex – now the Visitlethbridge.com Arena – in their main hallway, the Galt has an exhibit which looks at the history of the building as well as the 1975 Canada Games, for which the arena was built.
Tyler Stewart, curator at the Galt Museum, says visitors of the exhibit can expect to see interesting artifacts such as the torch which travelled across the country to the Games as well as learn more about the perhaps unknown histories of the facility.
“There’s a lot of secret or hidden histories you might only know if you lived in Lethbridge in the mid-1970’s, so we’re excited to showcase those stories to our visitors,” said Stewart.
The Galt also has an exhibit which is geared toward a younger audience with bright colours and fun activities, but also to be able to learn about several sports in Lethbridge, many of which may not be as well-known as hockey and baseball.
Some of these sports include roller derby and dopamine boxing, for those who are suffering with Parkinson’s disease.
Stewart says these exhibits tie the past to the present in how sports are evolving to be more inclusive.
“We’re connecting the past to the present in a really strong way so there’s lots of historical artifacts and archival images, but we’re also focused on what’s happening now, or how some of different particular sports or activities have changed over the years,” said Stewart.
A great example of this is the evolution of the Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild (LRDG.)
LRDG began at a pub gathering in 2010, when about 20 women decided to put together a roller derby team known as the Deathbridge Derby Dames.
In 2012, they created a junior league with the team’s name being Windy City Wipeouts for children aged 8-18 to learn the sport.
Some of these players have gone on to represent team Canada in the World Cup and one of their current players has made team Canada for the 2025 World Cup in Australia.
It’s not just the players making waves in the sport. One of their coaches, Caroline Reimer, won a coaching performance award from Lethbridge Sports Council this year and will be coaching team Canada for her second time at the 2025 World Cup.
Since its humble beginnings in a pub, the sport has grown to include all genders and to reflect that in the beginning of 2023 the adult team changed their name to Deathbridge City Rollers.
Martina Emard is one of these founding members. Emard sits on the chair of LRDG and is one of the coaches.
Her original skates from 2010 can be viewed at the exhibit, something she says she never thought would happen.
“I never thought when I joined the league in 2010 this would become a reality and we would become part of Lethbridge history,” said Emard.
Emard says she hopes the exhibit will bring awareness to the sport.
“I think this display will help us reach out to many people who may have been curious about roller derby, but didn’t know enough about it, or to also reach out to people who have never heard of this sport, to really give them a sense of what it’s about, who we are and what we bring to the sporting community,” said Emard
Another sport, which has a strong impact of the sporting community in Lethbridge, is Lethbridge Dopamine Boxing, which currently runs out of Sik-Ooh-Kotoki Friendship Centre.
Chris Campbell has been running the club since 2016 and is always amazed at the improvement he sees from his clients, often in a few short weeks.
“Seeing the difference it makes in people’s lives is amazing,” said Campbell.
Campbell reflected on one of his first clients, who still goes to Dopamine Boxing, couldn’t even put his socks on and three months later his wife had to join because she couldn’t keep up with him.
For Campbell, being in the museum is a surreal, but humbling experience.
“To have it legitimized by such a wonderful organization, putting the spotlight on us and showing people what we’re trying to accomplish, it’s humbling,” said Campbell.
The Galt Museum will host an exhibit launch party from 12-4 p.m. at the Galt, in conjunction with Lethbridge Sport, which will include demonstrations from LRDG, a chess challenge with Martin HeavyHead Jr. and other activities which Stewart says will bring the exhibit to life.
The Sportsplex exhibit will run until April 6 and the Gameplay exhibit will run until March 2.
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Galt exhibits put a spotlight on local sports! It’s great to see local athletes and sports history being celebrated. Has anyone visited yet?”