Let's get physical, eh? Cool ideas from Canada - winter recreation programs

Parks & Recreation, Dec, 1997 by Joe Doiron

Ah, the great outdoors! For anyone who enjoys physical activity, it's North America's biggest fitness facility. Run, cycle, swim, ski, slide -- whatever the activity, whatever the season. Active living outdoors offers endless ways to get moving and have fun.

And a big part of this natural outdoor playground can be found in the "north" of North America: Canada.

Canada boasts close to four million square miles of scenic trails, clear-blue lakes, mile-high mountains, and prairie expanse. And in winter, when snow blankets our majestic terrain and temperatures plunge below freezing, many Canadians still head outdoors for some frigid fun, fitness, and health.

But inclement weather can pose unique challenges -- even barriers -- for those who want to make peace with winter by being active outdoors. Bone-chilling temperatures, unsafe walking conditions, dwindling daylight hours, and the coziness and warmth of a wood-burning stove leave some Canadians sitting still when they might otherwise be sliding, skating or skiing.

Fortunately, community leaders in Canada working in municipal parks and recreation, health, education, and other disciplines were determined to help Canadians overcome some of winter's barriers. Many have devised creative ways to encourage "Canucks" to get up off the couch and get moving again in winter. And when Active Living Canada determined there was a need to catalogue the best-of/he-best "cool ideas" for active living in winter, it called upon key partners, including the Canadian Parks/ Recreation Association for help.

That's when things began to, well... snowball.

"March March," "Thaw-Di-Graw," "Blahs Buster," and "Frost Free frolics." This is just a sampling of several of the winter-activity events and programs submitted by community leaders. These and many others found their way into "Get Winteractive!: Tips, Tools and Cool Ideas for Leaders," a new 60-page resource on physical-activity ideas in wintern.

From British Columbia in the west to Newfoundland in the east and north to the Yukon, community leaders have helped create an impressive collection of practical, easy-to-implement ideas that help take the chill out of the Canadian winter' Let's look at several examples:

* Cabin Fever Survival Kit -- Building Partnerships for Active Living in Winter: The Parks and Recreation Department in the city of Regina. Saskatchewan (located in south central Canada), has a unique way of helping its citizens "survive" the harsh climate of prairie winters. Recreation leaders developed an active-living survival kit as a way to help citizens cope with the ill effects of sedentary living in winter. It includes information and tips on participation in accessible, low-cost, and safe winter activity, as well as complimentary passes to community recreation facilities, advice on choosing outdoor activity wear, instructions on how to build a backyard ice rink, as well as discount coupons for public skating and skiing.

A key objective of the kit was to call attention to the many and varied physical activity opportunities available to the entire family in winter.

The Parks and Recreation Department didn't go it alone. It partnered with a national chain of retail drug stores to market and distribute 5,000 kits -- at no cost to the public. Local media did their part to help launch the distribution of the kit. A host of other community organizations contributed in different ways.

Also in Regina, the Downtown Business Association looked toward active living as part of a solution to an economic problem: a decline in business during winter because shoppers were opting for the warmth and comfort of indoor malls. The solution? Partner with the Parks and Recreation Department to create an outdoor skating rink on the Scarth Street Pedestrian Mall. A really cool idea!

The rink, which took on a festive holiday theme, attracted skating enthusiasts, families, and interested spectators. Ice skates were provided at no cost to those who wished to glide and giggle their way down the city's main street. A vacant storefront served as a warming hut and change facility After-school skating programs were developed and promoted to increase pedestrian traffic and help create a fun family atmosphere. Other special events were put on during the Christmas shopping season.

The Cabin Fever Survival Kit and the Scarth Street Skating Mall are unique examples of how parks and recreation can partner with other groups in the community to achieve common objectives and increase participation in physical activity in winter.

* Old-Fashioned Christmas: In Langley, British Columbia (located in the lower mainland of British Columbia, just north of Seattle), community leaders are a little "old-fashioned" when it comes to active living in winter.

For three days each holiday season, the Parks and Recreation Department turns a local arena into an old-fashioned winter ice palace -- complete with snow, toboggan hills, igloos, crafts and life-size, hand-made figurines that depict Christmas scenes of years past. Other cold-weather displays and activity areas are added to create a winter wonderland of sorts.