A Team of 300

Last week I received a package of t-shirts from a colleague of mine who works for the Simcoe County District School Board. This was a package of intramural t-shirts that schools in Simcoe County were using to promote their intramural programs. One shirt in particiular caught my attention which said on the front 'everybody wins' and on the back 'when everybody plays'. All I could think about was that these folks 'get it'. They really get it - they understand the true value of sport and where our priorities should be.

I know many people, educators mainly, that tell me that they are strong supporters of 'school sport'. But I wonder. What I wonder about is what their definition of school sport really is. Do they support the model where it is just the same 20% of students that play every year? Or, is it the bigger picture, recognizing the need for all students to play. Do they just support the athletic students? Or, do they support everyone, regardless of their talent level? Do they only get excited when they see a great athlete excel? Or can they get just excited when they see a student excel at any level? Educators and school coaches need to understand that their teams are just a small fraction of what school sport should be about, that these teams are just one small piece of a much larger program. In a school of 300 students, how many people really care about the success of one small team? Especially, if the gym schedule allows only those teams to have access to it.

It is no wonder to me that when teachers talk to me about their intramural programs they use words and phrases like ' amazing', 'culture changing' and 'rewarding'. The entire school gets excited because every student has the potential to be involved. Instead of a team of 12, you have a team of 300.

Intramurals and inter-school athletics should form a great partnership. Sharing the gym, sharing equipment and sharing the same philosophy - 'everybody wins when everybody plays'.