Doug Large will have swelling for two or three days and bruises for a couple weeks. The owner of Chimo Taekwondo spent Wednesday afternoon breaking 1,000 boards in 30 minutes to raise money for KidSport, a program that provides $300 a child per year to families who
cannot afford to put them in a sport.
“We’ve had a fair number of kids come through our program sponsored by KidSport," said Mr.Large.
“So it seemed to be the kind of program that helps all sports organizations and I wanted to raise awareness and raise a little money if we could, and try and get kids interested in sports."
Mr. Large said his efforts raised about $300 but that didn’t deter him because “the primary goal was to raise awareness and I think we’ve done that really, really well today."
Mr. Large’s fundraiser was held as part of the biannual Milk Sport Fair run by Sport Nova Scotia. The fair introduces kids to a broad variety of sports.
“I think it’s excellent because people get to try new sports," said Kayla Dewolfe, 12, a student at Oyster Pond Academy.
“They might like them and get more active."
Of the 2,500 or so students that passed through the three-day fair, an informal survey had wheelchair basketball as a favourite among boys and girls.
“Because you get to go in a wheelchair," explained 12-year-old Virginia Webber.
There were also opportunities to toss a football, simulate water polo, learn about biathlon, skip rope, hula hoop and more. The kids also moistened their palates with chocolate milk provided by the fair’s title sponsor the Dairy Farmers of Canada.
The fair has been held every Spring and Fall since 2001. It has not been held in Halifax for three years, so it was the first time that many metro students attended. It was also the first year that Lisa McKenna brought her students to the fair.
As a physical education teacher at Bel Ayr Elementary School, she said she has seen students become less active over the years, with technology taking up most of their time.
“I think children get a lot of self-esteem (from sports), especially with team sports. (They learn) co-operation, teamwork skills, learning to depend on others and have others depend on them," she said.
As for Mr. Large: “Because we make contact when we train we actually take pride in our bruises. I’ll show them off tonight to the kids and they’ll all go Woo! Ahh! Cool!"
The Chronicle Herald is an official sponsor of KidSport.
tmawji@herald.ca@herald.ca
http://thechronicleherald.ca/
A Big Break For KidSport A big break for KidSport
