[twitter]Back in November, I spent some time at WinSport Canada Olympic Park for a Chevy Safe and Fun Hockey event.
A group of parents and kids were invited down to learn a few things about concussions, helmet safety, and then we went on the ice for a skate and some drills.
Cassie Campbell-Pascall has been a Safe And Fun Hockey Ambassador since 1999 and she took a moment to reinforce that sports is supposed to be fun.
The video above is her full talk, but the real key part happens at about 3:15:
“We need to understand our role, not just within hockey, but in minor sports in general. We need to ask our coaches “what are goals for the team for this year?” Is it about having fun? Is it about teaching our kids about respect and responsibility and hard work and teamwork and discipline and competition and all those things? Or is it about just winning? It’s really really fun to win, but do you remember how many games you won last year? Do you remember the tournaments you went to though, and the fun times you went to with your teammates? That’s what we remember.
One of my favorite moments growing up when I was in minor hockey was playing in a Peterborough, Ont tournament. We got to stay at a Holiday Inn. And the reason I thought this tournament was the best tournament in the world is because the hotel had the best swimming pool. You could swim right under this bridge and you were outside, and then swim back under the bridge and you were inside. It was, like, the best thing ever.
When I get back together with my teammates, we never talk about our world championships or our gold medals. I never go over to kelly’s house and we pull out our gold medals and say “Look at this, remember this?” We just talk about the really fun times of playing the game.”
It’s just that simple. Cassie Campbell-Pascall has climbed the peaks of her sport. She’s an Olympic Gold Medallist, and still, as a parent, she recognizes that sport is supposed to be fun. She has a 3 year old, but she still hasn’t started her child in hockey, she’s not pushing to follow in mom’s footsteps, she’s waiting – because sport is supposed to be fun.
Isn’t it?