Dawson Creek gets moving
It can be difficult to convince people to embrace active living in the north, but one small city is making strides with a variety of physical literacy initiatives.
Dawson Creek’s Tiffany Hetenyi recently participated in Sport for Life’s Physical Literacy Movement Preparation Coach workshop and came away feeling not only inspired, but like she had the tools she needed to affect real change.
“Growing up in sports, I ended up with a lot of injuries and that mostly had to do with training specifically for one sport, which created muscle imbalance,” said Hetenyi, who has been the sport and events coordinator for the city for the last three years.
“One thing we’re really trying to promote is multisport initiatives that train every part of the body, giving participants the movement skills they need to participate in any activity they choose.”
Our Physical Literacy Movement Preparation workshops focus on how to incorporate and improve fundamental movement skills, for short and long-term benefits.
It reduces the risk of injury, and introduces participants to unfamiliar activities. Some of the benefits are as follows:
- Participants become better movers and better athletes
- Participants strengthen their bodies through increased participation in physical activity
- Participants prepare their muscles for immediate activity and develop the skills and confidence to safely participate in unfamiliar activities
- Participants acquire the skills, confidence, and motivation to overcome challenges.
Hetenyi also works as a personal trainer, and at times has found herself needing to adapt due to having minimal equipment. She prefers to use the city’s parks, allowing her participants to engage with nature, and works with everyone from young children to older adults. She’s liaised with local sports teams about incorporating long-term athlete development as well.
If she has things her way, everyone across the spectrum would embrace physicality literacy knowledge and an active lifestyle.
“There has been a struggle in the past because nobody teaches this stuff up here, and it often costs a lot, but the fact is with more education people will end up living happier and healthier lives.”
