Sport Yukon wants Yukoners to get off the couch and get active.
As part of the fourth annual RBC Sports Day in Canada, the sport governing body has issued the Higher Faster Stronger Yukon Challenge.
The challenge is to get Yukoners to jump, run and lift in an effort to promote sports and active lifestyles all this week.
“We’re trying to get as many communities and Yukoners involved – all ages, not just kids,” said Olympic weightlifter Jeane Lassen, Sport Yukon’s physical literacy co-ordinator. “A lot of the communities don’t have access to the great facility, the Canada Games Centre, so we’re trying to encourage people to get active, even in smaller community halls or in their own house.”
While Sports Day events are being held across Canada this week, the Higher Faster Stronger Challenge is unique to the Yukon.
Yukoners are encouraged to jump – like skipping rope, for example – run and lift weights, then record the amounts completed on a form that can be downloaded from the Sport Yukon website.
“We’re trying to get people to track how much they’ve done,” said Lassen. “So if you lifted a 10-kilogram medicine ball 10 times, then you’ve lifted 100 kilograms. We’re trying to add up all of the Yukoners’ efforts and see how many kilograms lifted, centimetres jumped and metres run over the week.”
At the end of the week, which begins today and ends Sunday, completed forms can be submitted to Sport Yukon. Sport Yukon will then conduct draws for each community and lucky winners will receive Canadian Tire gift cards.
“It’s a bit of an incentive to take part and to get your results in,” said Lassen.
“The community with the most per capita will get a plaque for their efforts.
“We have commitments from quite a few communities already, but it’s not too late if a community hasn’t decided to host, they can still do it. It’s very simple to put together. A lot of schools are going to be hosting it. It’s definitely not too late, it’s very straightforward.”
Sport Yukon will also host a Higher Faster Stronger event at the Canada Games Centre in Whitehorse from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Nov. 30 – the actual Sports Day in Canada – that will include numerous activities.
A full list of events, including those taking place throughout the territory, can be found at sportsday.cbc.ca.
“It’s Yukon’s own challenge that we’re doing on our own to see how many Yukoners we can get involved in Sports Day in Canada through this challenge,” said Lassen.
“We’re trying to raise awareness for the Kid’s Rec Fund as well, because the whole goal of this is to break down barriers to participation.”
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com